Chapter 191
Seeing Nico's meaningful gaze, Mineo said with a look of slight resignation:
"I'm telling you, Nico, why won't you just follow the script for once!"
"Fine, honestly, Nozomi arranged for me to go on a date with you guys today."
"The main goal was for me to ask about the idol group situation."
"Nico, come and join μ's. Aren't you the one most interested in idol stuff?"
"This is a great opportunity. By working together with Kotori and the others, you'll definitely be able to make your dream come true."
Mineo initially thought that after hearing those words, Nico would snap back with some sharp remarks.
However, he didn't expect that at this moment, Nico would instead lower her head and fall into an uncharacteristic silence.
After a few seconds, Nico finally raised her head slowly, looked at Mineo, and said:
"Sorry, it seems I can't join μ's."
"I believe there are plenty of candidates at school who are more suitable than me. Mineo-kun can look for someone else."
"Why look for someone else? I recall that right now, Nico is still the president of the Idol Research Club, right? Being able to maintain that position all by yourself for two whole years... that should be enough to prove where your heart lies, Nico."
"You're so noisy! This lady already said I'm not interested in idol groups. Instead of wasting time on that, I'd rather go work a part-time job."
"Thanks for the treat today, Mineo-kun. Next time, I'll return the favor."
Nico was full, and she immediately said her goodbyes to Mineo and left.
Watching her retreating back, Mineo felt that something was strange.
The vibe Nico gave off today made it feel as if she was carrying a heavy burden on her mind.
After contemplating for a moment in his seat, Mineo felt that he needed to understand Nico's circumstances.
There was still enough time before his next scheduled date, so Mineo planned to investigate Nico's current situation.
Since Mineo had escorted Nico home once a few nights ago, he knew exactly where her house was located.
After passing through a few streets, Mineo arrived at the area where Nico lived.
At that moment, right at the house next to Nico's, an older lady was coming outside.
Seeing this, Mineo walked up to approach her.
"Hello, Ma'am. May I ask you something?"
"Young man, go ahead and ask."
"I wanted to ask, does Yazawa Nico live here?"
"The little girl from the Yazawa family? She lives right next door. Are you her friend?"
"I'm not exactly her friend; I'm the boss of the place where she works part-time."
"You're Nico's boss?"
Hearing Mineo's self-introduction, the lady looked confused for a moment, but quickly, she asked in a worried tone:
"Sir, did something happen to Nico at your shop?"
"It's not that anything happened. I just wanted to find out a few things about her home life."
Mineo deliberately put on a helpless expression and said to the lady:
"You see, Nico has been working part-time at my shop, and I feel she's quite a hardworking girl. But Nico is still a student, so she can only work part-time."
"However, in the last few days, she told me she wants to extend her working hours and asked me to give her a heavier workload. I thought, since she's in such need of money, maybe something happened with her family, so I intended to come and check on her. Nico is a girl with high pride; if I asked her directly, she definitely wouldn't answer me honestly."
Hearing Mineo's words, the lady's heart settled. Then, she let out a long, helpless sigh and said:
"Sir, you really are a very thoughtful boss."
"For Nico to be able to work at your shop must be a stroke of good luck."
"Actually, regarding the question you asked, I know a little bit about it."
Looking at Mineo, the lady sighed and said:
"Nico really is a very responsible and very loving girl. The neighbors around here like her a lot, too."
"At such a young age, knowing how to work part-time to help with household expenses, it truly isn't easy."
"Nico's father was laid off by his company two months ago. During this time, he relied on odd jobs to sustain the family's livelihood."
"But last week, he accidentally broke his leg while delivering goods. Because of that, Nico... ah..."
Through the description of this neighbor lady, Mineo finally learned what had happened to Nico.
Even in a parallel world, this was still a real world. Not everything followed the script designed in the original work.
Sometimes, a small event could trigger many variables.
Nico's father was fired, had to rely on manual labor to make money, and now his leg was injured—the family had fallen into an economic crisis.
After all, the pressure of living in Japan was indeed very heavy. For an ordinary family like theirs, once a problem appeared, it was almost a crushing blow.
Nico's mother wanted to go to work, but the situation didn't allow it. Her partner needed care, and two small daughters at home also needed to be looked after. Therefore, in this situation, Nico, as the eldest child, could only choose to give up on her dream to take care of her family.
No wonder a few days ago she protected her bonus money without regard for her own safety. No wonder just now at the restaurant, she ate with such gusto.
From the neighbor lady's mouth, Mineo also heard something else. Just yesterday evening, Nico took her favorite computer to a nearby shop to sell it.
This computer was the most expensive gift her parents had given her after she entered high school, and it was also her most cherished possession.
But now, to sustain her family's life, she could only choose to let some things go.
Even if those things represented the value of the dream she had been holding onto all this time.
After understanding the experience Nico was going through, Mineo thanked the neighbor lady.
Then he turned around and headed straight for the nearest computer shop.
"Boss, may I ask if Yazawa Nico sold a laptop at your shop yesterday?"
Seeing a handsome young man suddenly come into the shop, the computer shop owner subconsciously asked:
"I'm sorry, Sir, who are you...?"
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