Someone did this on purpose.
The thought remained in Vash's mind long after the System window disappeared.
He stood in the middle of Grandpa's Noodles, looking at the damage.
The restaurant was quiet now.
Too quiet.
Grandma was slowly picking up broken pieces from the floor while Grandpa moved the damaged chairs away from the entrance.
Vash immediately walked over.
"Grandpa, let me do that."
"I'm fine."
"You shouldn't be lifting that."
Grandpa looked at him for a moment before letting go.
"All right."
Vash moved the chair aside.
Then he looked around.
Three wooden tables were damaged.
Several chairs were cracked or broken.
Plates and bowls were scattered across the floor.
Spoons and other utensils had been damaged.
The old signboard was badly damaged.
And the main gate would need major repairs.
Vash began calculating.
Three tables — around $360.
Six chairs — about $210.
Plates, bowls, and cups — $180.
Spoons and utensils — $80.
New signboard — around $200.
Main gate — approximately $450.
Cleaning and miscellaneous repairs — another $120.
He added the numbers.
$1,600.
Vash stared at the total.
That was a lot of money.
Not impossible.
But definitely not small.
And unlike buying something useful, this money would simply replace things someone else had destroyed.
Vash lowered his head.
Why would anyone do this to us?
His grandparents had never cheated anyone.
They hadn't threatened other restaurants.
They had simply worked.
Cooked.
Served customers.
And slowly built their lives again.
Yet someone had decided that hurting them was easier than competing with them.
---
The three of them worked late into the night.
Vash swept the floor and separated the damaged dishes from the usable ones.
Grandma cleaned the remaining tables.
Grandpa checked which furniture could be repaired and which had to be replaced.
But there was too much to finish in one night.
The main gate needed proper work.
The signboard had to be replaced.
Several tables and chairs couldn't safely be used.
Finally, Grandpa closed his notebook.
"We're closing tomorrow."
Vash looked up.
"Tomorrow too?"
"Yes."
"We need time to clean everything and get the restaurant ready again."
Vash nodded.
He didn't like losing a day's business, but opening while the restaurant was still damaged would only make things worse.
Grandma gave a tired smile.
"One day won't destroy us."
Vash looked around.
"I hope not."
---
The next morning, Vash got ready for school.
He picked up his new school bag.
His smartphone was sitting safely at home.
He didn't take it.
The school rule was clear: students up to Class 10 weren't allowed to bring smartphones to school.
Vash had learned to work around it.
The phone was useful at home for studying, checking the class WhatsApp group, researching, and communicating with his grandparents.
But school was still school.
He had to follow the rules.
Before leaving, he looked toward the restaurant.
The entrance was still being repaired.
"I'll help after school."
Grandpa nodded.
"Just focus on your classes first."
Vash sighed.
"Okay."
He left.
---
At school, Vash tried to concentrate.
He copied notes.
Answered questions.
Listened to his teachers.
But his thoughts kept drifting back to the restaurant.
The damage.
The money.
The people responsible.
He wanted to investigate immediately.
But there was nothing he could do from school.
His phone was at home.
And honestly, that was probably for the best.
I need evidence, not guesses.
He returned his attention to his notebook.
---
After school, Vash walked toward Grandpa's Noodles.
But before entering, he stopped.
The restaurant looked different again.
New tables had arrived.
Several new chairs were stacked near the wall.
Workers were repairing the entrance.
The damaged signboard had been removed.
Vash stepped inside.
"Grandpa?"
"You're back."
"What happened?"
Grandpa pointed toward the workers.
"The gang boss came this morning."
Vash paused.
"He came here?"
"He saw the damage."
Grandpa explained that the gang boss had arranged for people to help with the repairs.
"He was angry," Grandpa added.
Vash looked toward the entrance.
"Did he find out who did it?"
"Not yet."
Vash nodded.
That meant the mystery was still open.
---
Grandpa opened the financial notebook.
"We need to talk about the expenses."
Vash sat beside him.
The numbers from the previous night were written down.
Restaurant repairs and replacements — $1,600.
Then Grandpa added the school expenses.
Uniform — $90.
Shoes and school supplies — $70.
School bag — $45.
Vash stared at the total.
$205.
Grandpa turned another page.
At the top was:
Savings after smartphone purchase — $3,500.
Then:
Restaurant repairs — −$1,600
School expenses — −$205
Remaining savings — $1,695
Vash went quiet.
$1,695.
That wasn't just savings.
It was their emergency reserve.
Money they were supposed to keep for something truly serious.
Medical expenses.
Major equipment failure.
A long period of poor business.
Another unexpected emergency.
Vash remembered the years after his accident.
His grandparents had once been forced to sell almost everything they owned.
He didn't want to see them in that situation again.
"If something else happens..." Vash murmured.
Grandpa understood.
"We'll deal with it when it happens."
"But there won't be much left."
Grandpa closed the notebook.
"That's why we'll rebuild the savings."
Vash looked at him.
"We can earn money again."
Grandpa smiled.
"Exactly."
Vash nodded slowly.
He had been thinking about increasing the restaurant's income.
Now he understood something more important.
Making money isn't enough.
We need to protect it too.
---
That evening, after helping with the restaurant, Vash finally returned to his room.
He placed his new school bag beside his desk.
Then he opened the System.
The interface appeared.
[ORDINARY SYSTEM]
Host: Vash
Age: 14
Level: 1
Physical Attributes:
Strength: 6.5 / 10
Agility: 5.5 / 10
Endurance: 4.5 / 10
Reaction: 5.5 / 10
Mental Attributes:
Intelligence: 6.0 / 10
Memory: 7.0 / 10
Comprehension: 6.0 / 10
Concentration: 4.0 / 10
Recovery Data:
Rehabilitation Progress: 9.5 / 10
Walking Stability: 9.5 / 10
Balance: 9.5 / 10
Skills:
Cooking — Basic
Business Sense — Beginner
Web Design — Beginner
Abilities:
Deep Analysis — Active
Pattern Recognition — Active
System Points:
83 / 100
System Integrity:
18%
Condition:
Damaged
Vash froze.
His eyes moved back to the Recovery Data.
9.5 / 10.
All three.
"Wait..."
He leaned closer.
"Nine point five?"
For months, those numbers had been painfully low.
4.5.
5.0.
4.8.
Then they had slowly increased.
5.0.
5.5.
5.3.
And now—
9.5.
Vash looked at his legs.
Then he stood.
He took a few steps across the room.
No support.
No hesitation.
He turned.
His balance held.
He walked back.
A small smile appeared on his face.
I'm almost there.
The System hadn't made him instantly recover.
It hadn't erased the consequences of his accident.
He had worked for every improvement.
Day after day.
Exercise after exercise.
Step after step.
And now the recovery process was almost complete.
Vash looked at the System again.
[RECOVERY STATUS]
Overall Recovery:
95%
Remaining:
5%
Estimated Status:
Near Completion
His eyes widened.
"Only five percent..."
For the first time, the possibility felt real.
I might actually become fully stable again.
Then his expression became serious.
The restaurant still needed repairs.
The culprit was still unknown.
Their emergency savings had fallen sharply.
And there were countless things he still didn't understand about the System.
But for tonight, Vash allowed himself to smile.
One problem at a time.
He closed the interface.
Tomorrow, he would return to school.
After that, he would help rebuild the restaurant.
And somewhere in between—
he would start looking for the person responsible.
Because Grandpa's Noodles had been damaged.
But Vash wasn't going to let the people who did it decide what happened next.