Chapter 3: Reversal of Good Feelings!

……

“So you have family?”

Aoi Natsuki asked patiently.

“Awwwwwww.”

The little girl’s body movements remained unreadable to him.

After a moment’s thought, he got up and left the parlor, ran upstairs, and after a moment came down with a writing pad as well as an oil-based pen, and resumed his seat in front of her.

Passed it up.

“Can I write?”

He was expecting her to be able to write.

And the little girl finally did take the pen this time, unplugging it and writing a slow string of words on the writing pad.

The font was unexpectedly neat, and the writing was slow but careful.

Aoi Natsuki watched from the side, the little girl’s eyes endlessly serious and focused.

“Thank you ……” he read from the writing pad.

“Awwwwwwww.” The words got back to her, and the little girl waved her hands happily.

“Favorability +2”

“Then do you have a family? Big brother can send you back oh.”

The little girl continued to write, and with that, turned the writing pad face up toward him.

“No.”

He was speechless for a moment.

The sight also surveyed the loose pink sweater she was wearing, the jeans that had worn down to white, and the little leather shoes tied with bows that had a drawstring that had lost its stickiness.

The answer seems to have been obvious for a long time.

When he responded, the little girl came up and tugged on his cuff.

Looking at her timid sight, Natsuki Arai chimed in with as kind a smile as she could, “What’s your name?”

“Lena.”

“Lena well, that’s a pretty name, Lena want to go to the living room and watch TV for a while?” Instinctively he raised his hand, wanting to touch the top of her head.

But in an instant, just like a conditioned reflex, Rina jerked back several steps at once, and the writing pad in her hand fell to the ground.

The skinny figure hid in the doorway of the dining room that led to the foyer hallway, and at the first sign of his antics, she’d immediately turn her head and run out the foyer door.

Aoi Natsuki sensed his own irrationality, although it was a bit too sensitive from the picture, but after all, it was a girl who had a negative twenty-five favorability rating towards herself, such a sense of alertness was normal.

He raised his hand high and took two steps back as well, still squeezing out a smile on his embarrassed face, “I’m sorry for scaring you, don’t worry, I won’t come within a three meter distance of you again, how about you go from the other side of the table and I’ll go from this side?”

The little girl listened as if she was thinking, and eventually nodded.

Followed by the two of them making a big circle around the big square table like the King of Qin around a pillar.

Aoi Natsuki made it to the door while Rina made it to the living room, but she wasn’t overly nervous since the escape path was the same with the balcony straight off the living room.

“Lena, watch, here is the lock for this door, I’m going out now, and when it’s six o’clock I’ll come in and cook, and you’ll remember to open the door for me then.”

He also made a point of demonstrating the way this door was locked, just to lower Lina’s guard.

Then he closed the door behind him and went up to the second floor alone.

As he walked to the platform between the first and second floors, he heard clearly in his ears the sound of hurried footsteps and a crisp locking sound.

Natsuki Aoi breathed a sigh of relief, it wasn’t a bad thing for him, it kind of gave him an idea of how hard it was to be negatively favorably impressed, if A-ranks were like this, what would S-ranks really be like.

With this doubt, he went into his room on the second floor.

At the same time, Leena’s favor-boosting system tone ensued.

It also gave him peace of mind.

……

By six o’clock.

Aoi Natsuki came down from the second floor, but his route was straight towards the door.

The lock to the dining room was opened with a snap, and Lina leaned halfway out of it, casting a puzzled look at him.

He noticed and also turned his head in response, “Lina, I suddenly realized I forgot to buy soy sauce back, I’m going out again, wait for me.”

Aoi Natsuki watched the rain outside get heavier and heavier, and then drew an umbrella.

Another footstep.

Lina came to the front of the hallway, the writing pad in her hand kept writing something with a grease pencil, but quickly erased it, going back and forth several times before she fell into a deep thought.

Natsuki Arai thought about raising her hand, but all of a sudden she recalled the events of the afternoon and made no further movement.

Just a smile curled up at the corners of her mouth as she said slowly, “Then please Lina, you’ll be watching my house for me oh, come on.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Lina snapped her head up and looked at him with a look of disbelief revealed in her eyes.

And by that time he had opened the door, the rain was loud and dense outside the door, and with his umbrella open, he disappeared into the yard at a quick pace.

Leigh’s +4 favorability voice followed along with the closing of the entrance door.

……

After dinner.

Aoi Natsuki’s series of heartwarming actions had also caused Lina’s perception of him as a person to change, and he was pleased with himself as he also saw the possibility of a reversal of favorability.

After he cleaned the shells of the cassoulet and washed the dishes, he saw Lina sitting quietly in the living room.

Standing in the doorway he didn’t move for a long time.

After a while, he regained his smile and came into the living room with an ointment in his hand.

“This one, smear it on your hand.”

Natsuki Arai noticed the cuts on the little girl’s fingers that had opened up due to frostbite, and she happened to have the appropriate healing ointment at home.

Waved the long tube of ointment case in his hand.

And then it was placed on the coffee table in the living room.

Once again, he slowly backed away.

“Then you can stay at my place tonight for now, there’s a supply of heaters in the living room, and I’ll give you that comforter, or maybe you don’t need a cute little cartoon pillow?”

Natsuki Aoi tried to regulate the mood, but obviously failed, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

This is good. Better leave in the dust.

He turned away, and as he took a step toward the dining room door, he heard the sound of writing on a writing pad again.

Looking back.

Lena was holding a writing pad to herself.

Two words are clearly visible on it.

“Thank you.”

Wordless but seemingly sincere and warm.

Negative 15 favorability, damn, why feel so pity ah! I’m still a little upset that I didn’t reverse my favorability today.

Aoi Natsuki then gave her a thumbs up and walked out the door of the dining room.

The mood was unbelievable, but he couldn’t let up because he knew that going to school tomorrow would be the real trial!

This relationship game modeled by reality this is just beginning ……

……

Every other day.

Natsuki Arai had gotten up early in the morning with the idea of making Rina breakfast, but when she pulled on the dining room door, it didn’t budge.

Still locked? ……

It seems to be that I am feeling too good about myself.

After all, it’s still minus 15 favorability said, and how can it not be defensive ……

Natsuki Arai had no choice but to write down a sticky note and stick it on the door, instructing that there was food in the fridge and that he had to go to school first.

There are snacks and such on the living room table, so there shouldn’t be any problems.

He then put on his backpack, got on his bike, and headed to the high school he currently belonged to.