When Su Ze returned home, the phone in front of the bedroom door had already died from low battery. As he opened the bedroom door, a figure suddenly fell into his arms. He quickly caught them, saying, "Why were you leaning against the door, silly?"
Uesugi Akizuki, who had been sleeping against the door, jolted awake and clutched Su Ze tightly in fear.
Su Ze patted her head to comfort her and used his foot to push aside the bed that was blocking the doorway.
After a while, Uesugi Akizuki came to her senses, opened her big eyes, and looked at him with a wronged expression. "You meanie."
Su Ze couldn't help but laugh, "How am I a meanie?"
The red-haired shrine maiden raised her small fists with puffed cheeks, looking as if she wanted to give Su Ze a beating, but considering she couldn't win against him, she promptly abandoned the idea.
Who could endure listening to the same song on repeat for an entire day?
When she asked him to sing a different song, he pretended not to hear, continuing to sing no matter how much she banged on the door.
She didn't want to listen anymore, but Su Ze wouldn't stop. The urge to punch through the door was overwhelming.
If Su Ze's voice hadn't been right outside the door, and if she hadn't been worried about hurting him, she would have used her newly acquired power to smash through the door and pin him down to squish his face.
The reason Su Ze didn't know about this was because when his clone disappeared, Uesugi Akizuki had been holding back until she finally exploded at noon today. However, he had been in the ICU from morning until night, only just returning.
"Are you hungry?"
The girl nodded, suppressing her urge to punch him.
Soon, fragrant dishes were served. Watching her adorably stuffing her face, Su Ze only took a few bites before putting down his chopsticks.
He had no appetite. Walking to the balcony to smoke, he gazed at the devastated Seventh District with complex emotions.
After Uesugi Akizuki finished eating and stared blankly at the ceiling, he pointed to the bedroom, "Go to sleep."
Uesugi Akizuki shook her head. The reason she hadn't gone crazy from the song loop last night was that she had fallen asleep. Now, well-fed and energetic, her pure eyes were bright and clear. If she were to be compared to a Husky, she could now chew through three sofas and beat up a small Poodle.
Su Ze had rested well in the ICU too. He turned and walked toward the house's game room.
As an ability user who walked the line between life and death, he had considerable assets. This house was a 300-square-meter villa with a swimming pool in the backyard.
The game room was decorated spectacularly, with blue-purple neon cold lights surrounding it. When he turned on the computer, the host keyboard's cool-toned lights began flowing.
Uesugi Akizuki peeked in from outside the door, immediately captivated by the room's brilliance.
Su Ze suddenly slapped the desk and covered his forehead, "Damn, no internet."
Uesugi Akizuki watched puzzled as Su Ze fiddled with the computer. Suddenly, she charged toward the large bed bathed in neon lights in the game room. With a thump, she sank into the bed, then bounced back up. The little shrine maiden bounced up and down on the bed, thoroughly enjoying herself.
The bed was in the rest area, separated from the game room by glass walls and doors, perfect for resting after playing.
Soon, Su Ze found the reason and frowned, "The base station seems to have been damaged during the blood moon."
Outside the window, many workers could be seen making repairs, though it was unclear how long they had been at it.
He resignedly picked up a controller and started playing mini-games. His gaze suddenly fell on Uesugi Akizuki, who was staring at him intently from the bed. "Want to join?"
Hearing this, Uesugi Akizuki's eyes lit up with joy. She ran over barefoot and sat in the gaming chair next to Su Ze.
Su Ze plugged in a controller for her, and Uesugi Akizuki stared at the screen, truly amazed.
Su Ze hesitated among thousands of offline two-player games, most of which were nostalgic titles from over a decade ago.
Finally, he chose Fireboy and Watergirl.
When the red and blue characters appeared on screen, Uesugi Akizuki's eyes widened.
Su Ze held his controller in front of Uesugi Akizuki and pointed at the screen, explaining, "Look, I'm this one and you're that one. We need to get here, collect these along the way. This is up, this is down..."
Su Ze pressed jump, making the fire character leap.
Uesugi Akizuki widened her eyes in delight and clapped her hands.
Soon, Su Ze watched with amusement as Uesugi Akizuki's blue character repeatedly plunged into lava with determination written all over her face.
What makes you repeatedly dive into lava without regard for your life? Is it love? Is it courage?
No!
It's simply being too uncoordinated to make the jump.
After witnessing the blue character's fifty-sixth reincarnation, the ill-fated blue character finally jumped over the lava pool.
"Wow!" Uesugi Akizuki clapped cheerfully. Although there were still five lava pools ahead, this success felt like mankind landing on the moon to her. Like an astronaut taking their first step, it was a momentous step in her world, a step representing the whole world.
Su Ze smiled slightly, then suddenly became serious. His fingers danced like sprites, and with a few taps, he collected all the red diamonds in the level and reached the exit door.
Uesugi Akizuki paused, then suddenly filled with determination, hunched over with full intensity. After a few taps, her blue character reincarnated dozens more times, taking Su Ze's red character along for the ride.
Is this the legendary "if I'm going down, you're coming with me"?
However, Uesugi Akizuki quickly caught on after some practice. She began to get the hang of it, and when she finally stood with Su Ze at the exit door, the red-haired shrine maiden jumped up and down clapping, her red hair bouncing, her beautiful face radiating pure joy.
After clearing three levels with Su Ze, the little shrine maiden excitedly cupped Su Ze's face and squeezed it. The boy, looking at the red-haired shrine maiden whose eyes were full of happiness, smiled and pinched her cheeks in return.
Although these classics never get old, that's based on playing them occasionally.
Playing continuously can get tiring, so Su Ze introduced Uesugi Akizuki to Contra. After a few minutes, when Uesugi Akizuki had used up all the lives he had gained through the 'up up down down left right left right BA BA' cheat code, Su Ze found it boring.
"Why aren't you shooting? Are you Buddhist and against killing?" Su Ze teased.
The little shrine maiden didn't respond, pressing her lips together in silence. She had single-handedly caused the death of sixty warriors. If these warriors had been enemies in ancient times, this record could have earned her an official position.
But these were teammates. In ancient times, this would have resulted in the execution of her entire family.
Even sixty lives weren't enough to get the little shrine maiden past the second level.
Despite this, Uesugi Akizuki didn't get discouraged; instead, her fighting spirit burned brighter.
Su Ze was considering whether to try the 'Ultra Mother's Marriage' dress-up game with this silly girl.
Although Uesugi Akizuki had performed like a tender cabbage from a grandmother's backyard garden in the first two games - pure and fresh, a good vegetable indeed.
But her performance in the next game, 'Snow Brothers,' was quite noteworthy.
However, Su Ze, being the mischievous person he was, would often roll snowballs from the top level, sweeping her up along with the monsters, then casually go drink the potions that the little shrine maiden had worked so hard to create by massaging the monsters.
For this, the little shrine maiden puffed her cheeks in anger, feeling the urge to fight this meanie.
If only she could win, she would have actually done it.