In the video, Mizuno Kanade—wearing a black camisole—was squatting on the floor, pointing at the gas cylinder in Asakura Kaito's kitchen.
She must've known Kaito was in class and worried his phone might not be on silent, because she didn't say a word. Instead, she simply pointed at the gas valve… then placed one hand under her chin, palm up, making a puzzled expression.
"You little—!!"
Beside him, Takeda Yusuke instantly exploded.
He grabbed Kaito's arm, his bloodshot eyes bulging in shock.
"Who—who is this beauty?! Why is she in your house?!"
Kaito froze.
He really hadn't expected Kanade to message him now of all times.
Wait—why is she turning on the gas in my kitchen??
Don't tell me she's planning to kill herself in there?!
Kaito's terror spiked.
With Kanade's fragile mental state, it wasn't impossible.
Smiling at him cheerfully in the morning… while secretly planning to end her life the moment he left.
You brat… won't let me jump off the roof, huh?Fine then—I'll die in your house.Right here.Right here.Right here.
Then tomorrow it'll be your turn to feel like jumping!
What a vicious plan!!
"Hey! Say something! SAY something damn it!!"
Seeing Kaito motionless, Yusuke began panicking—jumping, flailing, nearly crying.
"I'm begging you, bro—explain! I'll believe anything you say!"
"Shut up."
Kaito yanked his arm free, annoyed. He had enough problems already.
"It's nothing. Just the old guy downstairs' granddaughter. She showered at my place last night, had some drinks, and slept over."
"???"
Kaito ignored Yusuke's shattered soul and quickly typed:
[Why are you turning on the gas?]
[Stir-frying two dishes.]
[Really?]
[Really.]
Then Kanade added:
[Actually… I wanted to practice a bit before making dinner for you tonight.]
Reading that, Kaito finally calmed down.
Yeah—that sounded exactly like something Kanade would do.
[Didn't you say you wanted to treat me to dinner outside?]
[Homemade feels more sincere.]
[Can't tonight. I have my part-time job and won't have time to go home. Let's just eat outside.] Kaito replied.
It had taken him a long time to land that job—he couldn't skip it.
He hadn't earned anything in a week.
Especially yesterday, when he blew a few hundred yen scouting for potential partners and ended up wasting money at that sketchy foot-massage place… If he didn't work, he wouldn't even have enough for food next week.
Worst case, he'd work two hours, then ask Yusuke to cover the rest so he could leave early and still have dinner with Kanade.
[Alright.]
After a while, Kanade sent just those two characters.
Since it was plain text with no emojis, Kaito had no idea what she was actually feeling.
Just in case, he added:
[I work at the café diner on the commercial street across from school, near Jiefang Road Metro Station. If you get bored, you can come wait for me there.]
[Mm.]
Kaito exhaled and put down his phone.
When he turned around, Yusuke was trembling like an enraged chimp—completely red and overheated.
"Aha! I get it now!"
Yusuke pushed up his glasses, pointing dramatically.
"That girl looks super young—so you must've met her through that 699-yen 'Nostalgic First Love: High School Uniform Premium Massage' package at the foot-massage place! No wonder—she cosplays schoolgirls really well!"
"…You actually know that package?"
Kaito was genuinely frightened. This guy knew it better than he did.
"It's not that. She's from our school. B Class next door. She's been on leave recently—I only met her a few days ago."
"Bullshit! I know every girl in our school and the color of every one of their panties! I've NEVER seen her!"
"She just came back from overseas."
"She's a foreign-returnee?! You lucky bastard, you deserve to die—!"
If going abroad made someone foreign… then if he shoved a couple yen into his mom's futon, he'd become some kind of superhero.
"Takeda Yusuke!"
At that moment, the math teacher knocked on the blackboard.
Yusuke jolted upright.
"H–Here!!"
He shot to his feet.
"What's got you so excited?" the teacher asked dryly, adjusting his glasses."Come solve this inequality."
Yusuke's entire world collapsed.
Meanwhile, at Asakura Kaito's apartment…
Kanade put her phone down and squatted in the kitchen, staring blankly.
He's not coming back?It must be hard… living alone, working to support himself…
Does he not have parents?
Looking around the tiny home—the greasy stove, the dust under the TV cabinet—every corner showed signs of neglect.
It looked old and worn-out, but for a boy living alone, the layout was surprisingly tidy.
Kanade's heart softened.
How long has he lived like this?He's lonely too…
She stood up.
Her own life no longer held meaning.
Before she disappeared from this world… maybe she could do a few more things for Kaito.
She put on gloves and a mask, tied on an apron, and opened all the windows.
Time for a deep clean!
She grabbed a broom from the bathroom and swept every corner of the house.
Even the dust under the sofa and tables wasn't spared!
After mopping every inch of the floor, she grabbed a cloth and wiped down the doors, windows, and cabinets.
Back when she lived with her grandfather, she had done all the housework.
So this was nothing for her.
Despite cleaning so thoroughly, Kanade deliberately avoided two things:
First: Kaito's bedroom.
She didn't go in.
Even though she was extremely curious about what his room looked like, she knew teenage boys' rooms were forbidden territory.
What if she accidentally found something… colorful and explicit?
That would be way too awkward.
So she closed the door.
Second: rearranging items.
After cleaning, she put everything back exactly where it had been.
Kanade knew many boys didn't like things too neatly organized.
Sometimes it looked messy, but they knew exactly where everything was.
If she rearranged things without permission, he might not find what he needed and get even more inconvenienced.
Her grandfather had taught her these things.
Two hours later…
Kanade put her hands on her hips, admiring the spotless, refreshed apartment with a satisfied smile.
Kaito would definitely be shocked when he came home!
She checked the time—it was already noon.
She still had the whole afternoon.
Suddenly, she remembered something.
The café diner Kaito mentioned—she recognized it. There was only one café diner on that commercial street.
She checked the map on her phone to confirm, then bit her finger thoughtfully.
Back when she helped at her grandfather's café, he made the coffee while she prepared the pastries. She wasn't good at cooking meals… but when it came to desserts, she had real skill.
Since they wouldn't be eating dinner together…
Maybe she could make him a dessert and bring it to him?