[Under the Kotatsu]
The world was a shade of orange-yellow.
The electric heater radiated light and warmth.
Dubian Che, with his arms braced against the ground, knelt inside.
[Outside the Kotatsu]
The sound of footsteps gradually approached.
"What are you doing here?" Jiutiao Meiji, with her left hand on her hip and Dubian Che's smartphone in her right hand, looked down sternly at Kiyono Lin.
"Am I obligated to answer you, Jiutiao?"
Hearing Jiutiao Meiji snicker coldly, Xiaoquan Aonai, fearing they would start arguing, quickly intervened to explain:
"Kiyono was planning to go to the cafe to read, but we pulled her in here to play games with us."
Jiutiao Meiji glanced at the simple game of Drawing Double Six on the table.
There were only three oranges, and the one representing Dubian Che had already been peeled by Akiko.
On the flesh of the orange, white veins were being stripped away one by one.
