My Romance Life System
Chapter 94: A little change

Chapter 94: A little change

"Is something wrong?"

Thea’s quiet voice pulled him from his thoughts. She had looked up, her expression filled with a cautious concern.

He had to say something.

"I, uh... I just remembered," he started, the lie feeling clumsy on his tongue. "I have to go do something. An errand. For my parents."

’She’s not going to believe that. It’s such a bad excuse.’

But Thea did not question him. She just gave a small nod. "Okay."

He let out a breath he did not realize he was holding. "It won’t take long. But you should go home. You look tired."

He saw a sign of panic in her eyes. The thought of being alone in his apartment, a place that was still so foreign to her, was clearly a frightening one.

"I can take a taxi back to your apartment."

He looked at her, then back in the direction of the park.

’She cannot go back by herself. The apartment is still a new place for her.’

A feeling of unease settled in his chest. Leaving her alone did not feel right.

"No," he said, the word coming out a little more firmly than he intended. "How about you come with me? I could use the help."

She looked up at him, her eyes wide with surprise. She seemed to be searching his face for the real meaning behind his words. After a long pause, she gave a small nod.

Relief washed over him, a feeling so light it was almost surprising. "Okay, then. It’s this way."

He began to walk, and she followed a few steps behind him, a small shadow in his oversized clothes.

The park was not far from the mall. It was a simple, quiet place with a large grassy field and a canopy of old, leafy trees. The afternoon sun filtered through the branches, creating shifting patterns of light on the ground.

His eyes scanned the area.

’A lost kitten. It could be anywhere.’

He turned to Thea, who was standing awkwardly by the park entrance, looking at the ground.

"So, we’re looking for a kitten."

She looked up from the ground, her expression one of quiet confusion. "A kitten?"

"Yes. It’s... for my parents’ friend. They asked me to look for it." The lie felt clumsy, but it was the only explanation he could think of.

She did not seem to question it. She only looked around the park, her gaze drifting toward a large, overgrown hedge that bordered the walking path. Without a word, she began to walk toward it, her steps slow and hesitant.

He followed her. As they got closer, he could hear a faint sound. It was a tiny, high-pitched mewing, so quiet it was almost lost in the rustle of the leaves.

Thea stopped in front of the hedge. She knelt, her movements careful, and peered into the tangle of branches. Kofi knelt beside her. Tucked deep inside the bush, huddled against the base of a thick branch, was a tiny ball of orange fur. It was trembling, its big green eyes wide with fear.

"Ah, there it is," he whispered.

Thea did not say anything. She simply extended a hand, her fingers moving slowly, cautiously, toward the kitten. The tiny animal flinched but did not run. She let her hand rest on the ground near it, unmoving.

She just waited.

Kofi watched her, a strange feeling blooming in his chest. Her focus was so complete, her movements so gentle. The guarded, fearful girl from the hospital seemed to have vanished, replaced by someone else entirely.

After a long moment, the kitten took a hesitant step toward her hand, then another. It sniffed her fingers, its tiny nose twitching. Then, with a soft meow, it rubbed its head against her palm.

A small smile, the first one he had ever seen from her, touched Thea’s lips. It was a fragile, beautiful thing. He felt his own breath catch in his throat.

She gently scooped the kitten up, cradling it against her chest. It immediately began to purr, a tiny, rumbling sound that was surprisingly loud. She stood up, holding the kitten as if it were the most precious thing in the world.

Kofi stood up beside her. "You’re good at that."

She looked down at the purring kitten in her arms, her expression softening. "I like animals."

"I can see that."

The system window appeared in front of him.

[Quest Complete!]

[Reward: 10,000 NAD has been deposited into your bank account.]

He swiped it away. It did not feel important right now. What felt important was the small, peaceful smile on Thea’s face.

A woman’s voice called out from across the park. "Marmalade! Oh, Marmalade, where are you?"

A young woman was walking toward them, her face etched with worry. When she saw the kitten in Thea’s arms, her expression flooded with relief.

"Oh, thank heavens! You found him!" she said, rushing over to them. "I’ve been looking for him everywhere. He slipped out the back door this morning."

Thea held the kitten out to the woman. "He was hiding in the bushes."

"Thank you, thank you so much," the woman said, taking the purring ball of fur from her. "I don’t know what I would have done. He’s such a little troublemaker." She looked from Thea’s gentle face to Kofi’s. "Please, let me give you something for your trouble."

"You don’t have to do that," Kofi said quickly.

"I insist," the woman said, already digging in her purse.

She pressed a crisp bill into Thea’s hand. Thea looked down at the money, then at the woman, her eyes wide with surprise. She did not seem to know what to do.

"Thank you again," the woman said, hugging the kitten tightly. She gave them both a bright, grateful smile and then hurried off, cooing at the tiny creature in her arms.

Thea was still staring at the money in her palm.

Kofi watched her, a gentle expression on his face. She was looking at the bill in her hand as if it were a strange and foreign object.

"You earned that," he said quietly.

She looked up from the money, her gaze meeting his. The small, peaceful smile from before was gone, replaced by a look of profound confusion. She shook her head and held the bill out to him.

"This is yours."

"No, it isn’t. She gave it to you."

"But you were the one who had the... errand." She was looking at him with an intensity that made him feel strangely transparent, as if she could see right through the clumsy lie he had told.

He did not know what to say. The truth was too strange to explain. He just shook his head. "You found the kitten. The reward is yours."

She looked at the money in her hand again, her fingers closing around it. She did not put it in her pocket. She just held it.

---

They went back to the mall and did a little more shopping before heading home.

---

They walked back toward the apartment building. The afternoon was beginning to fade, the light turning a soft, golden color. Thea walked beside him now, not behind, though she still kept a careful distance. She held the shopping bags in one hand and the single bill from the woman in the other, her fingers curled tightly around it.

He glanced over at her. Her expression was unreadable, her gaze fixed on the sidewalk ahead.

’That was the first time I saw her smile. A real smile.’

It was a small thing, but it felt more important than the quest reward that had appeared. The money was just a number on a screen. Her smile was... real.

’I wonder what she is thinking about.’

They reached the front of his apartment building. He unlocked the main door and held it open for her. She walked past him into the lobby, her movements still quiet and hesitant. They rode the elevator up in silence. It was not as awkward as the taxi ride had been. Something had changed between them in the park.

He unlocked the apartment door. Thea stepped inside first, placing the shopping bags carefully on the floor by the entryway.

"I am going to my room."

"Ah, okay."

She walked down the hallway and disappeared into the guest room, the door closing with a soft click.

He stood alone in the living room.

’That must have taken a lot of her.’

He walked into the kitchen and put away the groceries they had bought. He looked at the clock on the wall. It was still early.

’I should probably start thinking about dinner.’

He opened the refrigerator and looked inside. He had ingredients. He could make something.

---

A short while later, there was a quiet knock on his bedroom door.

He opened it to find Thea standing there. She had changed out of his clothes and was now wearing the jeans and one of the new white t-shirts they had bought. The clothes fit her properly, and she no longer looked like she was swimming in fabric. She looked like a normal girl.

She was holding out the bill the woman from the park had given her.

"This... I think you should have this. For the clothes."

He looked at the money in her hand, then at her face. Her expression was serious, her gaze direct.

’She wants to contribute. She does not want to feel like a burden.’

He understood. He also knew that he could not take it from her.

"I can not take that."

"But the clothes were expensive. This is not enough, but it is something."

"It’s okay," he said gently. "The clothes are a gift. Just keep the money. You can use it for something you want."

She looked down at the bill, her expression conflicted. "Something I want..."

She seemed to consider this for a moment. Then, she looked up at him, a new resolve in her eyes. "Then, can I use it to buy something? I can cook dinner tonight."

He was surprised. He had not expected that. "You can cook?"

A faint blush appeared on her cheeks. "A little. My mother... she taught me a few things. A long time ago."

The mention of her mother hung in the air for a moment. He saw sadness in her eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it came.

’She is trying to find a way to stand on her own two feet, even here.’

"Okay," he said, a small smile forming on his face. "That sounds good. What do you want to make?"

"Curry," she said immediately, her voice a little more confident now. "I can make a simple curry rice."