The group traveled in silence and quickly arrived at Takanashi's old home.
"What a huge house!" Koushou exclaimed, looking at the old house that could be considered a villa, and Isshiki beside her also thought that the Takanashi family might be rich.
In front of the house, Rikka's grandparents were standing at the door to greet them; on such a hot day, the two kind elderly people waiting outside the gate already explained a lot.
"No, no, you're too kind. We usually receive a lot of care from Takanashi, too. Moreover, we shamelessly accepted the invitation this time. Are we really not causing you two any trouble?"
Facing this scene, Nibutani, as the team's mom, naturally stepped forward and responded to the two elders with utmost politeness.
Facing such polite children, the two elders naturally had a good impression, but seeing Rikka's eye patch, they still felt a bit uneasy.
"Is Rikka still playing pirate games? It's quite popular right now, after all," Rikka's grandmother asked, still not understanding why Rikka liked playing this 'game' so much, only considering it a trend among young people at the present.
Rikka's grandfather, however, looked at Rikka with dissatisfaction; in his eyes, it was too childish. "I originally thought she should have become a bit more normal."
"Old man!"
The grandfather complained in front of Rikka and everyone, which naturally displeased the grandmother.
Rikka turned a deaf ear, pretending not to hear her grandfather's complaints; at the present, she only wanted to quickly escape this unpleasant place.
"Grandma... please give everyone some dark brown liquid (probably cola)."
Rikka did just that, walking straight to the center of the two, but found that her grandfather didn't even look at her. After speaking to her caring grandmother, she ran off directly.
Perhaps Rikka was heartbroken deep down.
But the two elders were also heartbroken deep down... Ever since her father died, Rikka had always been a bit abnormal... They always hoped Toka and her mother could help Rikka, but...
Then, the two saw Fang Wuwei, who also wore an eye patch, get out of the car behind them and were stunned, a sudden ominous premonition rising in their hearts.
Could it be that this person led Rikka astray?
Everyone entered the house. The grandmother, as Rikka said, served drinks to everyone, while the grandfather disappeared directly, leaving.
The grandmother sat in the living room, and Nibutani presented the pastries she brought to the grandmother in a very Japanese manner, placing them on the ground.
"Just a small token, not much of an offering, thank you for your care."
Nibutani was perfectly adept at etiquette.
Fang Wuwei naturally did not want to be outdone. After personally handing the many fruits in his hands to the grandmother, the fruits were so heavy that the grandmother almost couldn't hold them. Then, Fang Wuwei also began his gift-giving speech...
"I hope this sudden visit won't cause you any trouble. This is a small token of my appreciation, please accept it, no need to be polite."
"Oh my, oh my, this is truly embarrassing. Please don't mind it, just make yourselves at home."
The grandmother accepted Nibutani and Fang Wuwei's gifts without much politeness, then quickly tidied up the things and left, saving herself a lot of words.
"I always feel like... you two are like old people..."
Isshiki, who was beside them, timely poked his head out and made a comment, which naturally displeased the two. Nibutani merely retorted verbally, while Fang Wuwei was more direct, giving him a knuckle rap.
"What's the big deal..."
Just then, a large yellow dog came over, sniffed Fang Wuwei's face, and was about to lick him with its tongue... but Fang Wuwei squeezed its mouth with one hand, not letting it get close, and tossed the dog to Nibutani.
Fang Wuwei didn't like dogs; he was a devoted cat person.
"Wha... what the heck! Why did you just throw it to me!"
The dog with its large tongue licked Nibutani's face, causing Nibutani to let out a delicate cry. She didn't like being licked; it smelled awful!
"What a big dog!"
"This... could this be the legendary monster, Death!"
Except for Nibutani, the others were quite excited, especially Totsuka, who had already thought about how to turn it into a three-headed hellhound.
Only Yuta, holding his drink, said nothing. His mood was not high at the present, because...
Just then, the living room door was pulled open, and Toka appeared at the doorway, making eye contact with Yuta, who looked over. She gestured with her hand, pointing upstairs.
Yuta understood Toka's meaning. He was also about to call Rikka out, so he naturally cooperated and left.
After Yuta left, Toka still stood there. This time, her target was Fang Wuwei.
But Fang Wuwei was not self-aware. Looking at Toka, who was making eye contact with him, Fang Wuwei looked left and right, and finally pointed to himself with his finger.
'Me?'
'Yes.'
Toka nodded. With no other choice, Fang Wuwei also followed Toka and left...
On Yuta's side, he went upstairs and easily recognized Rikka's room; it had a large magic circle on it, making it hard not to know.
He knocked on the door, calming himself down. He still had to think about how to comfort her as much as possible without touching Rikka's scars...
On the other side, watching Yuta go upstairs, Toka pulled Fang Wuwei to the corridor of the back garden, sitting on the steps and looking out at the bright sunshine.
"So, you need me for something?"
Fang Wuwei asked, but Toka remained silent. Soon after, the grandmother brought a plate of watermelon, and neither Toka nor Fang Wuwei were polite.
"The fruit is good."
It must be good; it's one point.
Fang Wuwei complained inwardly. He had guessed that this watermelon was taken from the pile he had given, although this pile of fruit was purely a sudden expense from a whim.
A long silence followed, as if Toka was organizing her words, or perhaps she was a bit embarrassed.
Finally, she spoke...
"I heard from Yuta about your situation... it's very similar to ours, but even more..."
Her words stopped there. She suddenly realized that if she herself found it difficult to accept, then for this child, wouldn't it be like tearing open his already scarred wound and sprinkling a large amount of salt on it?
Worry made her confused; she only thought of Rikka, but forgot that this child was no different from herself, and even more miserable.
"No... I'm sorry, pretend I didn't say anything..."
"Feel free to speak."
Fang Wuwei's heart was calm. Not to mention his lack of feelings for his original parents in this life, even in his previous life, after his sister died, he, now reincarnated, had also moved on from the shadow... perhaps.
At this moment, Fang Wuwei made Toka feel a bit strange. How could someone with chuunibyou give her such a mature feeling?
Finally, Toka sat down, thought for a long time, and decided to get straight to the point, directly stating her purpose...
"I hope that you... can use your original method to help Rikka emerge from the shadows, face reality, and no longer indulge in fantasy."
Hearing these words, Fang Wuwei merely remained silent, quietly eating the watermelon in his hand.
The grandmother, who had returned, was also stunned when she heard Toka's words. Then, she understood some things.
In the back garden, a cicada chirped on a tree. Not far behind them, the sounds of people playing and laughing came from the living room, but here, it was silent.