Chapter 503: The couple's future life
When did it start?
Zhuo opened his eyes, and what he saw was light golden hair dancing up and down, covering his vision. The owner of the light golden hair was staying in his arms obediently. The pair of clear, gem-like eyes were looking up at Zhuo.

Zero, who was still in front of him, reminded Zhuo of a long time ago. After hesitating for a while, Zhuo gave up thinking about this question.

It seemed that it had been a long time since Ling sneaked away while Zhuo was sleeping like he did at the beginning. Instead, he stayed by Zhuo's side waiting for him to wake up.

The first person who immediately noticed that Zhuo had woken up was Ling, who kept squirming, or more accurately, crawling, in Zhuo's arms, and came to a position parallel to Zhuo.

"Good morning."

"…Good morning. Why are you awake so early again?"

"No, only about ten minutes early. I'm going to make breakfast, you can stay a little longer."

"Ah... yes, I still have to go to the store. Thank you for your hard work. Are you tired?"

"Tired."

Zero muttered to himself, and what answered Zhuo was Zero's cheek which slowly enlarged, and the soft and moist touch spread across his cheek.

"Probably not tired anymore." Ling's eyes were filled with a tender look like stars, just as she said. This made Zhuo feel itchy in his heart, and in order to relieve this indescribable feeling, he hugged Ling tightly in his arms.

Ling seemed to be startled by his sudden hug, but when she heard Zhuo's whisper, "Give me some of your strength," she immediately calmed down, put her hands behind Zhuo's back, and embraced him.

Zero is so leisurely, which means it’s still very early.

Even though today is the second day of "家の澪" opening, Zhuo still believes in Zero's judgment.

So, Zhuo enjoyed the happiness of the first moment in the morning. Soft, warm and refreshing. Just as Zhuo was immersed in the unique scent of this girl, Ling whispered "I really need to get up" and really patted his back slowly like coaxing a baby.

Don't really treat me like a child! Although Zhuo really wants to complain like this, Ling must know this very well.

Ling said that "it's really time to get up", but in action he indulged Zhuo for half a minute and let him snuggle with him the way he liked.

Zhuo could assert that he could occupy this immersive existence in his arms for a whole day without hesitation, and this existence would accept it completely. Zhuo's deep sense of happiness overflowed, making his whole body immersed in it, and he wholeheartedly enjoyed this happiness that was hard to give up.

On such a happy morning, Zhuo's eyelids drooped involuntarily.

After noticing the change in his breathing and confirming that Zhuo had fallen asleep again, Ling gently withdrew his arm and carefully supported his chest to free himself.

"Zhuo, don't oversleep."

As if he had heard Ling's instructions in his dream, Zhuo also changed his sleeping position in reaction, with a smile on his face.

……

In just ten minutes, Zhuo opened his eyes again.

He rubbed his eyes, as if the scene just now was just a dream, but the sound of cooking oil outside the door made him realize that it was not an illusion.

Zhuo lifted the quilt and leaned his upper body out, opening the door a crack, and saw a petite figure busy in the kitchen at a glance.

…is zero.

Oh, now it’s time to prepare breakfast.

She has to be Her Royal Highness the Princess, and even after getting out of bed she has to conscientiously play the role of a good wife and mother.

Zhuo exhaled and said to himself: "When did you go?"

After closing the door again, Zhuo shrank back into the quilt. It was already October and the weather had become cold again. It took most of his courage to get out of the quilt like this.

(It would be nice to wake up like this from now on.)
If Zhuo wants to get up on time, he can get up, but Zhuo thinks that if it doesn't bother Ling and can make Ling happy, maybe it would be nice to get up early and play with Ling for a while.

He might prefer this method rather than sneaking off to prepare breakfast.

Zhuo didn't intend to cause trouble for Ling, but Ling seemed to like taking care of Zhuo very much. In that case, it would be okay for him to play the role of a rogue occasionally and act coquettishly with her.

Anyway...it's only six o'clock. My hand reached for the phone under the pillow, and the screen lit up to show the time.

(In that case, does Zero really get enough sleep every day?)
Running a breakfast shop is very hard work, and Zhuo has long been aware of this. But now it seems that Ling is obviously planning to take on more responsibilities and has once again gotten ahead of him.

(Force her to rest once we get to the store!)

Thinking about these things silently, enduring the coldness on his body, Zhuo got up from the bed and took out the clothes he wanted to change.

……

"Wash your face and wake up. I'll be right there."

"Hi--"

The back figure in the kitchen is the same as always, and this scene will probably continue forever, and will not change for many years. Is it true that it will not change?
Ah! If that's the case, even though I've joked about this before, wouldn't it be bad if Zero still looks like this after a few decades and I become an old grandfather? It's said that staying up late will accelerate aging, but if I go to a breakfast shop, I have to get up early - it seems that I made a wrong decision~
Besides, I've been so busy with "Home Mio" lately that I've completely forgotten about exercising. Has the last weapon against aging also been forgotten?!

…I really envy mixed-bloods.

Even if I have never seen Hilbert Jean-Anger, the example of Uesugi Yue is right in front of me. A handsome old man with white hair, even if he is a bit of a rogue and just sells ramen, Zhuo can still find his handsomeness!

So, should we exchange the last piece of [weight] for [eternal youth]?

But wouldn't that be a waste? Hmm... I'll just write it down first.

Come to think of it…I still haven’t figured out the matter of Amano Haruna.

Zhuo sat cross-legged on the sofa, took out his phone from his jacket pocket and searched for the movie Weathering With You, but as expected, he found nothing. Then he continued to search for "Makoto Shinkai", which resulted in a long page of detailed information: "Makoto Shinkai (Makoto Shinkai), formerly known as Makoto Niitsu, was born on February 1973, 2 in Oumi-cho, Minamisaku-gun, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. He is a Japanese animation director, screenwriter, and comic writer. He graduated from Nozawa Kita High School in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, and the Department of Japanese Literature, Faculty of Letters, Chuo University, Japan..."

There was no opportunity in the past, so I chose to ignore it.

In fact, Zhuo was very curious about why he met the real 'Them'. Emmmmm... Actually, the plot in the movie is just a modified reality. The only difference is that the original "dragon clan" part was removed?

Did Amano Haruna's story really happen and was noticed by Makoto Shinkai, or did the protagonist of Weathering With You learn about the incident from him? After some modifications, the story was made into a movie?

Let's just take it as it is.

Since it probably had nothing to do with Zhuo, Zhuo had no intention of really pursuing the matter.

"All right."

"I'll help—"

...

...

At the end of autumn and the beginning of winter, the open-air corridor couldn't wait to bring the first cold wind.

Zhuo was carrying a lot of bags, and he could still see the stars and the moon when he looked up. It must be very hard for people who have gotten up at this time. Zhuo thought to himself.

Behind her was Zero, holding up her skirt and gently stepping over the garbage bag at her feet. She was wearing a waitress's uniform, which was long and fluffy with a white apron for a more aesthetic look, but the downside was that it was not very convenient to move around like this.

Arriving downstairs, Zhuo took out the car keys and went out first, while Ling went in another direction. She walked up with ease, rolled up the lid of the large transparent box, and threw the garbage bag in.

Suddenly she felt someone reaching out from behind, and a black bag was put around her neck, pulled forward, and then tied into a knot.

What followed was the thick cloak that fell and stuck to the back.

Zhuo's palms are big and a little cold at night.

When tying the knot, he accidentally brushed her chin. Ling couldn't help but raise his head, and his breathing became lighter.

After the knot was tied, Zhuocai said while adjusting his cloak:
"It's different outside than at home. My skirt leaks air."

"Ah."

“Will it be hard?”

Zero unconsciously clenched his fingertips and slowly turned around.

Zero met his eyes, speechless.

Zhuo: “…It’s okay.”

At that moment, Zhuo even suspected that Ling was really considering whether to beat him up. Two people who had already decided to face it together, their brains had been dug out and replaced with tofu, so they would ask such a ridiculous and funny question afterwards.

(But I still feel sorry for Zero.)
Zhuo let out a light breath, which was still a bit cool in the night.

"Then let's go?"

"Ah."

Zhuo's residence is not very close to Akihabara. If you take the train, you can get there in ten minutes, but if you choose a bicycle, it will take more time. What's more, riding a bicycle in the early morning is the coldest. When riding, the cold wind will penetrate into the clothes through the gaps between the collar and wrists, which is simply a great torture in life!
Zhuo could help Ling block some of the attacks by riding in the front, and he also prepared a cloak. Is there any other way besides this - a car? Ah, this is a bit difficult. If I must buy it, it's not that I can't afford it, but do I really have to spend all the money at once? Zhuo hesitated.

"Eh? Zero?"

"What's wrong."

"Your hands are not cold. If you hold me, they will be exposed."

"……Um."

Feeling the arm around his waist slowly withdrawing, and the cold wind pouring in again from the hem, Zhuo felt his teeth about to chatter, and he pursed his lips, unable to bear it.

If it was just this extent, he could still do it.

“Ahhh——”

"Zhuo, it will disturb others."

"Hug, sorry..."

Whose fault do you think it is!? ——Feeling the return of the little hand again, this time Zero chose to go through the clothes and put his palm inside.

After the cold touch passed, Zhuo also found that the breeze was much smaller. No, that's not right. It was because the hem of his clothes was grabbed by someone, preventing the cool air from flowing smoothly, so less wind could flow in.

Zhuo looked up at the street lamp in front of him. The bench under the lamp was empty. After all, it was still early.

The bushes on both sides of the road were covered with a layer of dew. It was rare to smell fresh air in Tokyo.

Zhuo felt as if there was more strength under his feet. He smiled gently, looked up and glanced at the stars and the moon in the sky.

"My wife is so virtuous."

"I know."

wash:"……"

……

On the second day after the opening of "家の澪", the number of customers did not decrease but continued to increase.

One of the reasons is that as time goes by, more and more people find the business here is booming, and the long queues also arouse people's curiosity. At first, almost all of them were students, and later, adult office workers could be seen.

Although they are not as enthusiastic as students, from time to time you can see some guests exclaiming at the well-looking waiters.

There was nothing that could be done about it, and Zhuo was mentally prepared for it.

One of the considerations for choosing Akihabara to open a store was this factor. In this place where most otakus gather during the day, the chances of hooligans and "confident" street vendors appearing there would be relatively small.

Of course, it's just smaller.

Yesterday, some younger customers tried to strike up a conversation with the waiter and make friends with him, but they were dismissed by the waiter's calm and indifferent attitude.

"You're so cute, sister."

Someone also spoke to Zero today, but Zero just looked down at the menu with a cold face, thanked him and continued to serve customers.

She had no intention of joining in the conversation and directly interrupted the man who wanted to continue the conversation. It seemed that she only saw the orders placed on the table, waiting for customers to choose, and occasionally uttered words without tone, such as "Have you decided?"

It seems like they are using a fixed response to emphasize the fact that "you are just an ordinary customer."

"I've decided, but I love you more..."

"Now that you've decided, I'll take your order right away."

"Well, if it's convenient later..."

"I'm sorry, but we don't have that kind of service. Now that you've made your decision, I'll take your order."

The male customer wanted to argue, but Ling stubbornly pointed at the menu on the table and repeated his response. The customer also noticed the looks from Zhuo and the other customers around him, and then he ordered his meal in frustration.

Things like this will probably continue to happen, Zhuo can only smile bitterly.

……

After seeing off the last customer left in the store before lunch time.

Zhuo then forcibly helped Ling walk to the rest room. Although Ling tried to say that she was not sleepy or tired, Zhuo still thought it would be better for her to take the opportunity to rest.

At this moment, Ling in his arms suddenly stood up and walked towards the door.

Zhuo turned around to stop them, but saw a familiar figure and couldn't help but let out an "ah".

“…Huh? Uncle Yamamoto…?”

Because they didn't meet very often, Zhuo stood up and spoke to him a little uncomfortably. The other party maintained a straight posture, stopped looking around, and looked over.

(End of this chapter)