And so, Yoko Nakamura seized this opportunity, asked Shinchan for Lin Yu's address, and took the initiative to visit.
"Hello, Miss Nakamura." Although somewhat surprised, Nanako's good upbringing ensured she didn't show it, merely offering a polite smile and greeting.
Observing their expressions, Lin Yu smiled, took the other cup of coffee from Nanako's hand, and sipped it. "Nanako, you two sit and chat for a bit. I'll go get some more snacks."
With that, Lin Yu turned and headed upstairs. Nanako wasn't a maid, after all; he couldn't possibly ask her to do such things.
However, Lin Yu didn't notice that when Nanako saw him take a sip from the coffee cup, her face turned a delicate shade of red. Earlier, when Nanako heard the knock, she had wondered if Lin Yu had bought something or if it was for some other matter. After all, in all the time she had been at Lin Yu's house, apart from Shinchan and Mitsy occasionally dropping by to play, she had never seen Lin Yu have any other friends. So, when she poured the coffee just now, she hadn't overthought it and simply poured two cups. Her thought was that if there was a guest, she could pour another then.
Little did she expect Lin Yu to give one cup directly to Yoko Nakamura and then take the cup she herself had just been drinking from, even taking a sip. This way, it was almost like the two of them had an indirect...
The thought made Nanako's face flush an even deeper red. Even though her relationship with Lin Yu was very familiar now, it was still strictly platonic. A moment ago, when Nanako saw Lin Yu take her cup, she had felt awkward and wanted to point it out, but with an outsider in the living room, she was too embarrassed to say anything. Besides, a strange, unbidden thought stirred within her; she didn't seem to find Lin Yu's action particularly repulsive. In that moment of hesitation, she hadn't expected Lin Yu to actually start drinking from it.
Nanako, who had never had such close contact with a boy in her entire life, felt her heartbeat involuntarily quicken.
"Miss Ohara, what's wrong?" Yoko Nakamura, oblivious to what had just transpired, asked with concern as she noticed Nanako's unusual flush. "Are you feeling unwell? Your face is very red."
Nanako shook her head, banishing the chaotic thoughts from her mind, and offered a gentle smile. "It's nothing, I just feel a little warm."
"Warm?" Yoko Nakamura looked at the thin sweater Nanako was wearing and then at her own overcoat, feeling a little puzzled. Even if there was heating in the room, it shouldn't be that warm, should it?
With Lin Yu not present, the conversation between the two young women, who weren't very familiar with each other, wasn't as lively as one might imagine. Yoko Nakamura was preoccupied with thoughts of Lin Yu, and Nanako was much the same. Both harbored their own feelings, and for a moment, the atmosphere became a little awkward.
Fortunately, Lin Yu soon returned, carrying two fresh cups of coffee and some more snacks. He handed one cup to Nanako and raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Nanako, what's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"
"No, no, I'm just a bit hot..." Nanako tugged at her collar and fanned her cheek with her hand, appearing genuinely warm.
"Is that so? Then I'll go turn the heating down a bit," Lin Yu said, not suspecting anything, and prepared to get up to adjust the heater. Air conditioning in this era wasn't very advanced, and most units with a heating function were extremely expensive. The apartment Lin Yu rented naturally wasn't equipped with one, so they relied mostly on a space heater – much like the troublesome diesel one used in Shinchan's house in the anime, which was a hassle to use and adjust.
Nanako quickly shook her head and tugged at the corner of Lin Yu's shirt. "Um, Lin-kun, don't bother. It'll be fine in a little while."
Seeing Nanako's somewhat odd behavior, Lin Yu felt a flicker of confusion, but with an outsider present, he didn't press further, merely thinking he would ask her about it in detail after Yoko Nakamura left.
With Lin Yu back, the awkwardness between Yoko Nakamura and Nanako dissipated. The three of them began to chat, with laughter in their voices. Throughout their conversation, Yoko Nakamura's every word and action deeply conveyed her admiration for Lin Yu. Lin Yu, in turn, was quite happy to have such a loyal fan. Most importantly, Yoko Nakamura wasn't faking it; she genuinely loved Inuyasha. She had bought every issue since its debut, read through the plots more than once, and loved it to her core. The autograph Lin Yu had given her previously was treasured like a precious gem.
As they talked and laughed, time flew by, and before they knew it, the sky outside gradually began to darken.
"Oh, it's gotten so late already!" Yoko Nakamura, engrossed in her conversation with Lin Yu, hadn't noticed the time passing at all. Only now did she realize how late it was.
"I'm so sorry, Teacher Qingsong, for taking up so much of your time," Yoko Nakamura said, bowing apologetically to Lin Yu.
"Please, don't be so formal. Just call me Lin Yu. It's getting late; Miss Nakamura, why don't you stay for dinner?"
Hearing Lin Yu's words, a faint blush crept onto Yoko Nakamura's face. "Then please call me Yoko, Lin-kun. As for dinner, perhaps another time. I've already disturbed you for so long today. If I stay any longer and your fans find out, I'll be in trouble," Yoko Nakamura said jokingly, then turned to Nanako and thanked her politely as well. "I've taken up your time too today, Miss Ohara. I'm very sorry."
"Just like Lin-kun said, please call me Nanako. And I really enjoyed chatting with you today, Miss Nakamura," Nanako replied.
Seeing that it was about time, they exchanged contact information, and Lin Yu and Nanako walked Yoko Nakamura to the door.
"Yoko, be careful on your way home. You're welcome to come over again when you have time."
"I will, Lin-kun. And if I happen to disturb you when I visit in the future, please don't mind," Yoko said.
Watching Yoko Nakamura's figure recede into the distance, Lin Yu smiled. He had unexpectedly gained a fan-friend today, and he felt a growing sense of belonging in this world.
Back inside, Lin Yu noted how late it had gotten and said to Nanako, "Nanako, it's already quite late today. How about we don't trouble you to cook, and we go out for dinner instead?"