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Chapter 175: Arriving Too Early
🕑 Added 2024-09-29 12:15:53 +0000 UTCMei Li was the first person to help Haruto adapt when he first arrived in this world, a world so different from Haruto's homeland. Since that moment, Haruto felt indebted to Mei Li.
Therefore, when he received a dinner invitation from Jie Li, Mei Li's daughter, Haruto felt uncomfortable about declining. Even with all of Haruto's busyness, his respect and gratitude towards this family never faded.
Now, Haruto had arrived in front of the simple home of Mei Li and Jie Li. The fading twilight light hit the surface of the wooden door, which was beginning to show its age. Haruto took a deep breath, gathering his courage. Although it was just dinner, there was something within Haruto that made him feel awkward. Perhaps it was because Haruto was rarely invited to personal matters like this.
“Knock… Knock… Knock…” Haruto knocked on the door three times, the sound echoing softly in the evening calm. It didn't take long for Haruto to hear light footsteps from inside the house, and then the door opened with a soft creak of the hinges.
"You've arrived?" Jie Li stood in the doorway. Jie Li looked at Haruto with slightly surprised eyes but quickly regained her composure.
"Yes... Anyway, Miss Mei's cooking is always amazing. That's why I came a bit early... Hahaha..." Haruto rubbed his head while chuckling softly, trying to hide his awkwardness.
In truth, Haruto didn't know where else to go. Returning to the academy dormitory was too far, and coming back here afterward would just waste time. So, without much thought, Haruto headed straight to this house without delay.
Jie Li looked at Haruto for a moment, then fell silent for a while. Jie Li seemed to understand the real reason behind Haruto's early arrival.
"Come in, you're not too early," Jie Li said, not caring about Haruto's earlier arrival.
Haruto felt a bit relieved to hear those words. Even though he arrived before the promised time, he felt it wasn't a big deal. After all, the sun was almost setting.
The remaining golden light in the sky began to fade, and in a few minutes, night would arrive. According to Haruto's calculations, this time was just right for dinner preparations. Mei Li's house was indeed not large, but it always felt warm.
Once inside, Haruto could smell the aroma of cooking that had begun to fill the air. There was a warmth here, something Haruto hadn't felt in a long time since arriving in this new world.
Sometimes, Haruto missed such simplicity—sitting together with caring people, chatting casually, and enjoying a meal. However, thoughts about the mission he was preparing still lurked in the corners of his mind.
"How was your day?" Jie Li asked while inviting Haruto to sit in the simple yet comfortable living room.
"A bit busy... But I'm relieved to be here now," Haruto replied, then he tried to push away the worries that continued to disturb his thoughts.
"Is that so?" Jie Li responded in a flat tone, as if she didn't care much about the busyness Haruto mentioned. As a teacher at the City Academy, Jie Li's schedule was certainly more packed and demanding compared to Haruto, who was still a second-year student. However, Jie Li's relaxed demeanor showed that such things were routine for her.
"Ah, by the way, Miss Jie Li, may I know where Miss Mei is? I feel bad just coming for dinner without helping at all." Haruto smiled awkwardly.
"Mom is in the kitchen. You don't need to do anything; everything is almost ready. Right now, she's just preparing a few final dishes. So, you should just stay here and wait," Jie Li glanced at Haruto for a moment before casually responding.
