"Thank you, Nii-chan!"
Even if what Nifuji cooked was just a simple udon with an instant curry, it was warm and good enough for Chika, who could eat anything.
Or rather, as a young person, she loved instant food more!
"It's fine, but you should get healthier ingredients."
However, Nifuji didn't really like instant food. He wasn't sure why, but as he grew older, it just felt weird to eat it. Occasionally, it was fine, especially during the critical moments, and when he was so hungry, but if possible, he wanted to eat proper foods with meat, vegetables, soup, and all warm.
"You are like my mom, Onii-chan!"
"I am saying this because I am worried about you! Or, should I take away your food now?"
"Sorry! Sorry! I am sorry, Onii-chan!"
As Nifuji was about to take her plate away, Chika quickly cried as she begged while apologizing.
Still, Nifuji couldn't help but glance at her, watching her body in her sleeping dress that was just a simple t-shirt and shorts, yet even so, her shots displayed her well-toned, smooth thighs, as her blue hair was tied in a hairclip, which gave him a show of her white nape.
What was even more dangerous was how, when she leaned forward to apologize, from the gap of her collar, he could see her two nipples as she didn't seem to wear a bra, yet when he saw her eating happily, it gave him a sigh, wondering why she was so careless.
Still, this also meant that she trusted him, and he shouldn't betray that trust by looking at her with dirty eyes.
Yet, while he glanced at her, Chika also looked at him with a flush, especially when she looked at his rolled-up sleeves, which showed his muscular forearms that made her body slightly dizzy.
It was weird, yet strangely enough, she was attracted to Nifuji's arms!
"....." Nifuji.
"So, what's wrong? Why did you walk in the rain like that?"
Normally, people would use an umbrella or even a raincoat when they walked in the rain.
If one didn't have it, they would stop under a place until the rain stopped, yet Chika was like a tragic heroine, basking in the rain as her body was drenched, letting her womanly silhouette show through her loose clothes.
She was lucky that there was no pervert.
If there was one, Nifuji was afraid that her picture would be taken as she became a masturbation object.
Would someone do something like that?
If possible, Nifuji didn't want to believe that such a person existed, but in this country, where everyone was too shy to approach others, their minds couldn't be sane, and because of that, they often did unthinkable things.
Talking.
It might be something simple, but it kept our sanity and, at the same time, helped us understand common sense and the boundaries of what was acceptable or not.
Yes, it was troublesome, but necessary, especially if one wanted a comfortable life within society.
Still, if one wanted to become a shut-in who wouldn't leave the room, then it wasn't necessary, thought.
After all, with the development of technology, even if one didn't leave their room, it was possible for them to make money and even have their food delivered to their places without even leaving home.
"Come on. Are you not going to say anything after you said that you wanted to disappear?"
"...." Chika.
Yet, Nifuji wanted to know why Chika wanted to disappear, since if her reason was so extreme that she wanted to die, it would be dangerous, right?
Why would someone who was so positive and active like her suddenly feel like that?
"Well..."
Chika hesitated, yet she also needed someone to talk to, so she told him everything about how her manga wasn't doing so well. She thought that everything would be okay and her bright future would wait for her, especially when she had just won the newcomer award, yet...
"Failure, failure, and failure..."
All of the drafts and stories that she prepared ended up as failures!
Nothing was accepted!
She kept failing, and failing, which made her want to disappear, as her confidence was hit.
Nifuji didn't say anything and kept listening to her story as he watched her teary eyes, but he also understood her reason for wanting to disappear.
'Fortunately, she doesn't want to commit suicide.'
Yes, from her talk, he knew that she just wanted to run away from everything.
Where?
It didn't matter where it was, as she just wanted to go to the place where she had no need to think of anything, yet Nifuji knew that even if one didn't want to think of their problems, they would keep thinking about them, as that's how the work of an adult was.
"...have you encountered a similar problem to me, Onii-chan?" Chika asked curiously as she noticed Nifuji might often encounter a similar problem to his.
"I do." Nifuji nodded. "I think that all adults have met similar problems."
"Have they?!"
"Of course. We're all humans, so of course, we're making mistakes, which lead us to many troubles, too."
"Then?"
"Then, nothing." Nifuji looked funnily at Chika and said, "We just continue to work."
"...."
Even if his words were light, Chika felt a sense of dread in the world of adults as if it were a gray world without any hope, but—
"But, even in that situation, we have many of our happinesses."
"Such as?!"
Chika quickly urged Nifuji to answer her, as it seemed there was a hope!
"Alcohol, women, and sleep."
"...." Chika.
How do you make men comfortable?
What else, except for alcohol, women, and sleep?
Still, Chika was speechless.
Sleeping aside, it was impossible for her to drink alcohol because she hadn't reached the legal age to drink alcohol, and she was also a normal straight woman, as she was interested in a man too!
Yet, watching Chika's speechless expression, Nifuji knew that his answer wasn't something that she looked forward to, but he didn't have an idea about what to do since, after coming to this world, he had been doing nothing but working, working, and working.
If there was something that made him happy, it would be women, money, and food.
Anything else?
Power?
Yet, as Nifuji had become a member of the board of directors and also the president of the toy department, his life was quite comfortable. The company where he worked might not have been the best, but it was good enough, as it had hundreds of employees, so his life was good.
Still, as he wondered what kind of ways to make Chika relaxed, his attention was attracted by the television, which worked as a background noise, and saw the show about two comedians taking a random trip by using dice, which he suddenly said, "A trip..."
"Chika, how about you take a trip?"