32 Chapter 32: Cupid is a hamster?

Isn't this the same person?

"Rei, let's eat some snacks." Umaru said as she took out a packet of potato chips and a box of chocolate bamboo shoot biscuits from the snack box, and the final touch was a Coke!

Taihei: "No, why didn't you let me enjoy these snacks earlier?"

Is Rei already more important than me, your Big Brother?

"Rei, do you read Jump? I have a complete set from last year till now." Little Umaru said as she pushed the small box containing the Jump magazine towards Rei, boasting, "Big Brother bought all of these for me."

A bite of salty potato chips, a sweet taste of chocolate bamboo shoot cookies, the alternating taste of sweet and sour, the sensation is fantastic!

"Rei, give it a try. This is an eating method I haven't even told Big Brother about," Umaru said as he munched.

Taihei paused, inserted earplugs in his ear, slipped into bed, and turned his back to Rei and Umaru. He planned to scroll through his phone for a bit before drifting off to sleep. Judging by Umaru's personality, she'd surely stay up late again tonight. If he went to bed late, it would be hard to fall asleep again.

"That's a good combination."

"Exactly, wait until your mouth is dry, then take a sip of Coke." Saying this, Umaru unscrewed the bottle cap. The fizz gushed out, and Umaru brought it directly to her mouth, taking a deep swig. Her whole body trembled from the effervescence. "It's so refreshing!"

Not a hint of feminine charm at all.

However, "it's really refreshing! It's been so long since I've had a Coke, I nearly forgot the taste, Rei!"

"Cheers!" The two lifted their Cokes and clinked them together.

Seven hours later, at four in the morning.

Rei removed the game helmet and glanced at the slumbering Umaru beside him.

After snacking and watching TV with Umaru, he went online to the new world to accompany Umaru in clearing a dungeon. Maple logged in halfway through, but just as Umaru was about to join her, she went offline.

Rei didn't sleep and played for the entire night, just logging off now, to check up on her.

After tucking Umaru in, Rei donned his helmet once more and returned to the game to mine.

[Sleepless: You no longer need to sleep and will never experience fatigue due to sleep deprivation again]

...

Taihei rubbed his eyes. Still half-asleep, he heard a 'buzzing' sound in his ears. His nose twitched, catching a whiff of an odd scent.

"What's burning?"

"Hey, hey, hey! Rei, there's smoke coming from your head!" The game helmet on rei's head was constantly humming. At high performance, the entire helmet heated up. Even with the fan running at full power, it inevitably emitted a burning odor.

With great skill, Rei withdrew from the game, removed the increasingly hot helmet, and sat up from the floor with a lively spirit. He said to Taihei, "Morning, Mr. Taiping."

Taihei climbed down from the bed, extended his hand to touch the helmet that Rei had just taken off, but immediately withdrew it with a hot sensation. This feeling was akin to accidentally touching a piece of freshly roasted meat. Rei was using a device of torture to play a game?

Yes, a device of torture. Taihei pondered for a long time, and this was the only way to describe it.

It must be frying his brain.

"It's too dangerous! Rei, don't use this helmet again in the future."

"I'll have someone address the circuit problem first. It's better to play with a safer device."

Rei tapped the outer layers of melted plastic and nodded.

"For breakfast, we'll have omelette and bread." Since Taipei had awakened, he didn't want to go back to sleep. He neatly folded the bed quilt, then headed to the kitchen to get started.

"I'll assist you. [Cooking] proficiency 1%."

"It smells so good. Umaru wants to eat... but doesn't want to get up." Umaru slowly opened her eyes. She rolled up in the quilt, soon turning into a long tube with only her head sticking out. "After a night's sleep, Umaru is so tired, I don't want to move at all. Big Brother, come feed me."

Taihei clenched his fists lightly. Seeing that Rei was still present, he endured it for the time being.

"No, Umaru, you're already grown up. You can't ask others to feed you because you're too lazy to get up. If you let me feed you now, who will feed you in the future?" Taihei began to lecture.

"Rei, who's about the same age as you, has been helping me cook since the morning."

"If Big Brother won't feed me, then I'll ask senior." Umaru stuck out her tongue and immediately shifted her attention towards Rei. "Senior~ I am so hungry~ I want breakfast~ But I don't want to get up~ I invited you for snacks yesterday~ and even gave you a Coke... I shared my most precious things with you."

"I just want you to feed me the breakfast brother made, can't you do this?"

The corner of Rei's mouth twitched. "Don't say such misleading things."

"Bang!"

Taihei resorted to physical persuasion, delivering a punch that was neither too light nor too heavy, landing squarely on Umaru's head.

Clearly, he was well-versed in this.

With her head covered, Umaru got out of bed to have breakfast.

Rei went back to his room to freshen up. When he emerged, Umaru had already transformed her appearance. There was no trace of the lazy girl. She now exuded a sunny and adorable vibe, with no hint of lazyness at all.

"Senior, will you come straight to my place after school today?" On the way to school, Umaru asked Rei, her face filled with anticipation.

Although her brother doted on her, his work kept him busy, so he rarely had time to play with her. Plus, Umaru couldn't easily reveal her true self in front of others. It was only when Rei was around that she could fully express herself.

And Rei wouldn't be disgusted. Instead, he'd play along with her.

"I'll be going to the gym after school and will be home around seven. I also have some chores to do today." Chen Xiao thought about his schedule and replied.

"And what about tomorrow? Tomorrow's Saturday. Does Senior want to game and read manga with me all day?"

"No, tomorrow is the day of Ai's concert. I promised her I'd go." Rei thought of Ai, who was thrilled when she learned Rei would be there.

"Okay." Umaru sighed suddenly. Then, remembering something, she asked rei with a gossipy expression, "Senior,  is Hoshino-san your... girlfriend?"

Rei paused, then quickly gave an answer. "No."

"Wait, why did you hesitated for so long. Are you embarrassed to admit it?" A mischievous grin played on Umaru's cheeks. She nudged Rei's arm with her elbow. "We've both shared a bed, why are you hiding things from me?"

"No, don't keep saying things that are misleading."

"Ha... Could it be, the person Senior likes is actually Uzaki-san? Umaru said in surprise. "I've long noticed that something's amiss with you both. Uzaki-san pesters you every day. Could it be you're secretly dating?"

"No, it's not like that either."

"Tsk, if it's not this and it's not that, bring me along when you go to the concert on Saturday!" Umaru said. "With me there to help, sooner or later, Hoshino-san will be your childhood sweetheart, and Uzaki-san will be your little kouhai, I get it."

Rei: "No, you don't get it."