Chapter 370, Encounter

Facing the changes in himself, Zhuo suddenly smiled. Anyway, he had to change his slightly dirty clothes, so he went back to the bedroom to get the clothes he needed to change.

"……Um?"

Zhuo was on the way to the supermarket, thinking about something while walking, when he saw a white brimless hat that reminded him of something.

Subconsciously, Zhuo turned his head back, but all he saw was the back.

This hat is not something you would wear at home or when you go out. It is not common for people to wear a ramen chef's hat when they go out.

Zhuo walked into the supermarket while thinking about what he had encountered. Just as he was putting the ingredients for today's dinner into the basket, a familiar voice came from behind him, "Hey~~ Isn't this Utsunomiya boy?"

"...What a coincidence, meeting...Master Yue here."

"It's really you, kid. I almost didn't recognize you."

Zhuo couldn't remember the last time he met Shangshan Yue. The only thing he remembered was the time he bought noodles on credit without paying. He couldn't remember much after that. Shangshan Yue, like Zhuo, was carrying a basket on his arm.

By the way, the basket was filled with drinks and alcohol. Compared to the vegetables, beef, chicken, baking powder, seasonings, etc. in the basket, it was more like something a high school boy would buy. (Although high school boys were not allowed to buy alcohol)

"Utsunomiya boy, is your home here?"

"Yeah. By the way, I remember that Master Yue, you don't live here, right?"

You are not here to collect debts, are you?

If Zhuo remembered correctly, the street that Uesugi Yue owned was located at the back street of Tokyo University. To be precise, that place was considered his home.

"..."

Upon hearing this, Uesugi Yue did not rush to answer his question. Instead, he turned his head and gave him a puzzled look, the kind of look that made Zhuo feel like he was meddling in other people's business.

"I'm just staying at a friend's house and came out to buy some groceries. Boy, are you...dinner?"

"..."

This time it was Zhuo's turn not to answer in a hurry, "Yui? Chiyoko? Or Tazuru? Toie? Or Yoshiko?" Zhuo tried his best to resist the urge to say these words, and imitated Uesugi Yue and gave him a look that said "You... take care of yourself" so that he could experience it himself.

"Yeah. Come buy ingredients for dinner."

It was obvious at a glance that the basket that Zhuo was carrying was filled with raw chicken, radishes, onions, milk, tofu, and other things that could not be mistaken for snacks.

"That's pretty impressive. If I remember correctly, you should be a useless guy who can't do anything."

"Even if you are a waste, you can still put noodles into boiling water and take them out."

"Be careful or I'll beat you up..."

"Sorry... the cooking is done by others."

"...I think I heard Kiritani talk about this...it was called, what was it called...it feels a bit comfortable these days."

"No, no, I can't compare to you."

"..."

"I said yes, I am always grateful to her."

Momentary happiness is not as good as a stable future. When Zhuo saw Uesugi Yue squinting his eyes and grinning, he immediately changed his tone.

Whether it's "I'm not as good as Uesugi Koshi" or "Thank you Zero", they are both true.

As for Uesugi Yue, it goes without saying that Zhuo believes that he is not capable of communicating with the izakaya proprietress about life and emotions even though he is in his eighties or nineties. Zhuo is no match for her. As for Ling, if she were not there, Zhuo's diet and life would probably be a mess. Even if Zhuo can clean the house more or less now, if Ling is not there to help arrange and clean up the things that need to be washed in advance, Zhuo seems to be basically unable to take care of such a messy house.

If there were no Ling, there would be no life like today.

Thinking of this, Zhuo smiled bitterly and sighed softly, "I really can't compare to this old guy at all", while Uesugi Yue frowned.

"How should I put it, you really are...what's your name, obsessed?"

"Ugh, that's rude."

"Whatever you say, that kid Kiritani can see it, right?"

"…Even if it is, then Zero is almost the same."

"zero?"

"My girlfriend."

"You are so confident when you say that. I almost didn't recognize you before. You are a completely different person!"

"Yes, because it is something that needs to be faced, and I am still confident that she loves me very much."

Before Ling pulled open the paper that night, Zhuo had no confidence in Ling's kindness, but now it was different.

Zhuo knew that Ling cherished and liked her worthless self, and she also understood that staying with Zhuo was her hope.

Zhuo has already recognized that this is not an excess of self-consciousness, but a pure fact. Being able to do this may prove that Zhuo has been partially changed. And because of this, Ling now speaks out all kinds of straightforward words without reservation.

After hearing Zhuo's straightforward answer, it was Uesugi Yue who smiled bitterly and smacked his lips.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, that's really corny, kid. Older people can't stand hearing that. When you could confidently say add more meat and buy on credit, I felt you were extraordinary, but I didn't expect you to be so extraordinary... I wouldn't be able to say such corny words even if I were fifty years younger."

"That's really cruel. Even if he's fifty years younger, he's still a forty-year-old uncle."

"Tsk - it has nothing to do with me, but I just hope you can be happy."

Uesugi Yue shrugged, and Zhuo understood that what he said was a blessing. Zhuo could not expect this old man who had survived the war to say anything literary, so he accepted the gift and smiled.

"...Anyway, that kid Kiritani has accepted it, so this can be considered a happy ending."

"Ok?"

"Ah, nothing. I'll go pay the bill then."

Zhuo was wondering why Ren's name popped up. If he had to mention someone, it should be Yurina, who had occasionally gone to Uesugi Yue's stall with them to eat noodles... But before he could ask, Uesugi Yue turned and left at a speed that was seriously inconsistent with his physical age.

Although Zhuo was confused, he turned around, checked the dinner ingredients he had recorded on his phone, and put them in the basket.

When returning to the apartment, Zhuo saw a man passing by on the street looking up at the apartment.

Zhuo didn't expect that the man's target was the apartment where he lived, and he had been standing outside for so long without going in. He could not help but stop and watch.

It turned out to be someone I didn’t know.

Although I can only see his back, he is not very tall, so he should be a local. It is better to say that his figure is very similar to that of a Japanese.

He was looking up at the apartment.

Although Zhuo couldn't see his expression from his perspective, he could tell that he was looking up at the apartment.

(End of this chapter)