"Lunette was the mother who moved in next door to our house yesterday with her daughter, Nanami, to get away from their father, who threw them away for another woman. That woman whom the father fell for was a rich woman who did not care about other people out of self-centeredness and stole the dad because of his undying devotion to her. He saw her and thought her to be so celestial as he said, and so infatuation and desire won against him, resulting in him throwing away the wife whom he pledged his life to and his daughter, who was his own flesh and blood."
That was the brief description the young boy's father had said to him while he had dinner with both his parents present in the room.
"No matter how much I hear, it seems so wrong.....how could he fall for another woman when he already has a wife and a seven-year-old daughter who cared and respected him."
"Listen now, Dear, the feelings of love can not be controlled, and it is not like he cheated on her...he did break off with her."
"No, but it still does not give him the right to just kick them out without any remorse following that woman who treats him like nothing more than a servant."
The parents of the young boy continue to discuss this with each other, talking about the psychology of a man who fell deeply in love with someone else despite being in a healthy marriage, as well as how the child Nanami would feel now that she has lost her father and has moved into a new environment.
However, the young boy was more focused on the fact that he had to now see this new girl every day, starting tomorrow morning, as said by Lunette, Nanami's mom, that she would drop Nanami to their house while she goes off to work.
Why is there a new girl that is coming over to his house? The change and the experience of a stranger coming into his house bothered the young boy, and he felt so nervous and perhaps a little bit excited too, since this would be a girl he would interact with, without Haoyi, So-Mang, and Ren to coach him or have any familiar attachments to them.
The parents of the young boy kept talking about love, relationships, and the probability of cheating, which the young boy understood not in a deeper sense but on a surface level.
He understands that love and relationships come to anyone without warning or realizing.
He knows that it is cheesy and filled with dragged-out moments where either the guy or the girl could not speak properly to the other, as well as the voices and body language are always nervous around them.
In his heart, he could not understand the significance of infatuation, yet is made aware of the feelings by people from his family, since they talked about how handsome he is for women to be attracted to him or that he might find someone to dedicate his life to.
He could not follow the topic, which was not on his radar and found it so insignificant.
"Remember now, son, you need to treat Nanami well, okay, be nice to her."
"Yes, dear son, you mustn't leave her alone as you did with those three boys."
The parents of the young boy said this, which brought him out of his confusion, to which he responded with an.....
"Okay."
.....followed by a nod.
The next day came so quickly.
There in the cleaned up room of the young boy, he was made to interact with this girl, whom he had never met before and who seemed to have some issues with her father, as said by her expression in not being able to talk to the young boy's dad properly, only talking to either his mom or her mom.
The young girl who sat nervously in front of the young boy was the very new girl who moved in.
The young girl in front of him kept on looking down, unable to look straight into his eyes, because this was going to be her first new friend after having moved from her home town.
The information the young boy had on the girl from his parents, who told him about her situation just last night while they were having dinner, flashed back into his head.
Last night, after he returned home from hanging out with Haoyi, So-Mang, and their family and friends at the swimming pool from a bright condo where their aunties and uncles at the time were staying for a few days.
He met the mother and daughter duo with his parents.
"Say hello to them and then go wash up."
Was what his father said, and so he did.
In the end, he was not able to say anything else to do or greet them at the door as he spent his time in the shower.
The awkward silence in the room where Nanami and the young boy stayed kept on going, and the only courageous one was....
"Your....ummm....mom told me that you liked to....ummm...you hang out with your friends to do..."
Nanami tried to come up with a good starting but ultimately failed as she stopped and shrank back in fear of him.
Nanami: "Sorry, it is just.....I never talked to guys."
The Young Boy: "Okay....ummmm....mom.....my mom and dad said that you like cats, playing tag with your friends, and making sandcastles with your mom and....."
Nanami: "Please do not talk about my dad!"
The Young Boy: "Why.....he is your dad, so we can at least."
Nanami: "No!!!! He is not my dad! Why kind of dad hurts me and mom!"
She let out a loud shout, a tinge of mixed anger and sadness over the actions that her father had done to her and the young boy grew less confident by the outburst.
The Young Boy: "Sorry."
Nanami: "It is okay, sorry for shouting."
Both the young boy and Nanami made up just like that.
"You want to play some video games with me."
The young boy announced, and Nanami, having gone back to her shy nature, just nodded, attempting to smile at him.
The young boy booted up his console, and despite Nanami's shy nature, she wished to play games and spend time with this boy so that her mother would not worry.
The Young Boy: "Do you know how to play this game?"
Nanami: "...No?"
The Young Boy: "Okay, I shall teach you, Nanami."
They both played different video games with smiles on their faces and an excitement that was pulsing in their hearts.
The Young Boy: "Place that there and then...."
Nanami: "Okay."
The Young Boy: "Come on, we are almost done."
Sometimes they shout at each other.
Nanami: "I am scared, no!"
The Young Boy: "Hey, wait, do not leave me to deal with the enemy characters! Come back and help me. Do not move your character away! Help me fight them!"
Nanami: "I can not, I am too scared!"
The Young Boy violently mashed the buttons and screamed while Nanami held the controller and ran away from the fight.
The Young Boy: "I can not fight like this!"
A few minutes after that
"Hurry, come on, we have to finish!"
"Okay!"
"We need to move on to the next level!"
"Hurry up and help me already, I am going to die! Help!"
Nanami's eyes widened as her character was getting attacked by a horde of enemies.
"Nanami, stop yelling. I am coming, so hold on.
Sometimes they laugh so hard with each other about funny glitches and actions the NPCs are doing.
"That guy is funny."
"Yeah, he is, hey, look at this."
"Hahahaha!"
And they sometimes help each other.
"What does that do?"
Nanami finds an item in the grass
"It increases your attack."
"Ohhh."
"What about that one?"
There was a chest found in the field
"It gives you more coins."
"Ohhh."
"What is that guy doing?"
"What....ahhhhhhh.....he is coming to attack us!"
A leader was leading a horde of creatures with swords, bows, and a staff at them.
"Ohhh."
Both of them spent their time playing video games together until the moon was about to rise, and it was considered to be late.
Lunette and the young boy's parents knocked on the door
Lunette: "Nanami! You doing okay?"
Dad: "Son!"
Mom: "Hello?...ohhh....wow! That is so....."
Lunette: "Shush!"
There on the floor was the young boy and Nanami sleeping on the bed together with the television and game still booted up, along with the floor messy and filled with things.
They both seemed to wrap their arms together with each other, and Lunette looked on in surprise at the fact that a guy one year older than her was permitted to touch her.
She was also leaning on him as if he were someone important.
Mom: "They look like brother and sister."
Lunette: "Yeah, they absolutely do well done son."
Mom: "Yeah indeed, our son did well, didn't he, Isaac?"
Dad: "Yeah, he did, and I am proud of him."
The mother and father continued to congratulate their sleeping son for being able to make friends with the shy young girl, however....
Lunette: "She looks so happy...."
Mom: "Lunette? What is wrong? You doing okay?"
Colette asked Lunette since she made an expression of awe and shock.
Lunette: "Sorry, it is just that my daughter has not liked boys in her school and only made friends with the girls in her school; she has difficulty talking to guys. It first started with boys her age because of how much he tease and lightly bully her because they were interested in her the only man she talked to was her dad and her uncle but then her father threw us out and my brother was working abroad....overtime she began to have trust issues with men and she seems to lash out when guys mess with her."
Dad: "Ahhh...I understand now, okay, so she doesn't trust other guys easily then...."
Lunette: "Yes...."
Dad: "Yeah i doubt that because of how much she seems to be willing to touch him."
Isaac and Lunette talked while Colette began to silently take pictures of them, whispering to her sleeping son and her neighbor hugging him.
Mom: "I hope you two can stay friends forever."
She kept on warming, smiling to them, and Isaac and Lunette could not help but smile at them as well.
Dad: "Dear, I hope so too."
The sleeping face of the young boy was neutral; however, Nanami was smiling as she kept on holding the young boy tight as if he were her big brother, her whole life and not her neighbour.