Chapter 39: Nanami Aoyama

After walking Sumireko Sanshokuin home, Renji Kamisaka turned, his steps relaxed, heading towards the convenience store. Misaki Kamiigusa's message, asking for a bottle of wine to bring home, floated in his mind. Renji smiled faintly, thinking about the evening's activities. Of course, I have to satisfy my older sister.

Just as he approached the convenience store, a soft but distinct chime resonated in his head. The Game Life system notification rang.

[Ding, triggering mission: The girl lying by the roadside.]

[The girl left her family to pursue her dreams and came to Kyoto to work hard. She works several jobs at once. Finally, she collapsed on the road in front of you because she didn't eat lunch.]

[Please take the hardworking girl home and develop her into a resident of your own Sakurasou. Completing the mission will grant you a special skill or item, and a fixed reward of 1 million yen.]

"A girl who collapsed by the roadside because she worked too hard and didn't eat lunch?" Renji murmured, his brows furrowing. This experience sounded familiar, very similar to Nanami Aoyama's story.

According to his understanding, Nanami Aoyama was a girl with a beautiful Kansai accent, but she had a big dream: to become a famous voice actress and voice her favorite anime characters. Her parents didn't support her, so she came to Kyoto alone and attended Suimei University of the Arts High School. Although her family paid for her high school, she still had to pay fees to enroll in voice acting training school, in addition to accommodation, food, various exam materials, and study materials. All of that meant the money she earned from working wasn't enough, and she often went hungry at the end of the month.

Renji Kamisaka still admired hardworking girls like Nanami. How many people in this world are capable of persevering and working hard for their dreams and achieving them? A thought filled with respect crossed his mind.

Following the faintly shimmering golden arrow of the system in his peripheral vision, Renji Kamisaka soon spotted the small figure—a girl with a ponytail, collapsed by the roadside, lying helplessly. She held a bag in her hand, with the corner of a convenience store uniform clearly visible inside. Renji Kamisaka couldn't help but sigh, a surge of pity in his chest, as he saw the girl whose face had turned blue and who had lost consciousness.

No hesitation, no pleasantries. Renji immediately stepped forward. Carefully, he slipped his hands between the girl's slender legs and lifted her. He carried her to a nearby park bench, his movements gentle yet swift. Then he immediately went to the convenience store and bought glucose and a lunchbox. With great care, he fed the glucose solution into Nanami's mouth. A sweet taste was detected, and the girl unconsciously pursed her lips, swallowing the oral glucose solution.

After absorbing some nutrients, the girl's stomach unconsciously let out an embarrassing "rumbling" sound.

Nanami Aoyama awoke, the excruciating hunger being the trigger. "Ugh... it hurts so much..." Her voice was weak, hoarse. But why does my mouth taste a little sweet?

"You're awake."

She was startled by the boy's voice in her ear, her eyes wide open. "Ah! You... who are you?"

"My name is Renji Kamisaka. I live in Sakurasou, near Suimei University of the Arts High School. When I saw you lying by the roadside, I took you to a park bench to rest," Renji explained calmly, his tone reassuring. "I also gave you an oral glucose solution. You must be hungry now. Here, eat this lunchbox."

Sakurasou? A flash of information crossed Nanami's mind. Isn't that the gathering place for strange people near the school?

"Ah... that... I..." Nanami Aoyama stared blankly at him, feeling a little embarrassed to accept and about to refuse. However, her stomach betrayed her. A loud grumble sounded again, filling the evening's silence. Her face instantly flushed deep red, she held her stomach and stopped speaking, bowing her head.

Renji Kamisaka smiled gently and pushed the lunchbox into her hand. "Eat quickly. I think if you keep starving yourself, you'll collapse or get a stomach ulcer." He continued, trying to persuade her with logic. "Even in severe cases, when there's nothing in your stomach, excessive gastric acid secretion can cause a stomach perforation. At that point, you won't be able to eat even if you want to. The hospitalization costs alone will be more expensive than this lunchbox. Stomach disease is the most difficult disease to cure. If you want to be sick for a long time and keep taking medicine, then accept my kindness."

When Nanami Aoyama heard the long explanation, her face turned pale. The threat of stomach disease and hospital bills was far more terrifying than pride. After carefully weighing the pros and cons, she thanked him earnestly, bowing slightly. "Thank you. I'll definitely give you the money for the lunchbox and the glucose solution!" In her haste, she spoke with a soft Kansai accent, addressing Renji as "ou," which sounded incredibly cute to Renji's ears.

Let me explain this way: the normal pronunciation is to refer to oneself as "I," while the Kansai accent sounds like using "an," a more whimsical way to refer to oneself. The girl's voice was clear and sweet, soothing Renji.

Renji Kamisaka smiled and waved at her, "Eat quickly, or you'll get sick from hunger."

"Thank you! Thank you!" After thanking him repeatedly, the girl began to devour the lunchbox in her hand, her eyes fixed on the food as if it were a treasure. After eating the fragrant rice, Nanami Aoyama's eyes became moist, deeply moved. This was the feeling after a stomach was satisfied, a simple, yet incredible pleasure.

After Nanami Aoyama finished her lunchbox, Renji Kamisaka thoughtfully handed her a bottle of water. After the girl drank tons of the beverage, she finally felt alive again, her energy restored. So she immediately stood up and bowed deeply to him.

"Thank you very much for the lunchbox, Mr. Renji Kamisaka. Hmm... my hand isn't very comfortable right now, but don't worry, I'll definitely return the money for the lunchbox and the oral solution to you!" The girl spoke seriously and with a firm demeanor, showing a strong sense of pride. She wasn't used to accepting kindness from others. Renji Kamisaka didn't dislike this kind of girl.

So he smiled and waved his hand and said, "You're welcome. Since we've met, this is fate. I couldn't just see a girl lying by the roadside and do nothing." Renji glanced at his watch. "There's no need to rush to find money. It's just a lunchbox. If you really feel bad, just treat me to a meal later."

"Alright... then I'll treat you when I get my salary next month!" Nanami exclaimed excitedly.

"Alright, but... I haven't asked your name yet..."

"Ah! Excuse me," Nanami gasped, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "My name is Nanami Aoyama, and I'm a first-year student at Suimei University of the Arts High School." Being too nervous, she let slip something in Kansai accent, but quickly changed her words so as not to fully reveal her Kansai accent. She wanted to be a famous voice actress, so she knew she had to get rid of that accent.

"So, it's Aoyama-san. Don't use honorifics for me. I'm also a high school student, not much older than you." Renji smiled. "By the way, I'm at Sobu High, and I'm a freshman like you."

"Oh, really?" She widened her eyes in surprise, looking at Renji from head to toe.

Renji Kamisaka rolled his eyes, slightly amused. "Why, I don't look like a high school student?"

Nanami Aoyama shook her head shyly. "No, it's just... you look very mature and composed."

"Thank you for the compliment." Renji Kamisaka looked at her blushing face with a smile, and his mood brightened. "Looking at the clothes in your bag, it seems you work at a nearby convenience store. Are you still working there?"

"Uh... yes, I'm going," Nanami nodded, a slight hesitation in her voice.

Renji Kamisaka shook his head and said with concern, his tone softening. "I suggest you rest today. You should eat millet porridge for a few days to nourish your stomach. This lunchbox is just to fill your stomach. If you're often hungry, you definitely have stomach problems. This fainting is a sign." Renji looked at Nanami with a concerned gaze. "Miss Aoyama, working part-time for money is important, but your health is more important. Girls should pay more attention to their health."

"I see. Thank you," Nanami replied, her eyes slightly moist, touched by Renji's concern.

"Haha, no need to thank me. I just hope you don't mind my long-winded talk," Renji chuckled. "Come to think of it, I also want to shop at the convenience store. How about we walk together?"

"Yes, okay." Although Renji's words sounded like a pick-up line, Nanami Aoyama had no reason to refuse the boy who had helped her so sincerely. A faint smile, her first genuine smile, touched her lips.

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