"Ah, it's Uncle" Hana said while looking at the screen of her cell phone.

Hana's uncle is coming here??? Is it okay that I'm here? Chika might be fine, but a boy like me among them is a bit…

"Your uncle is coming, Hana?" Chika asked in a casual tone.

"Yeah, earlier I asked him to pick me up in front of the mall, but because he didn't read my message, I ended up going anyway, and I happened to meet Arkan" Hana explained.

"Is it fine that I'm here?" I asked a little worried. Since it would be troublesome if Hana's uncle asked something out of the ordinary, I'd better say goodbye together with Uncle Hana getting into the house.

"Huh, why? It's okay" Hana replied.

Well, if asked what, I just have to answer that I'm just a friend of Hana who happened to meet on the street. Wait, that can't be an excuse for why I'm at Hana's house all night like this.

The sound of the front door opening reached my ears. Opening the door of the house like it's your own, wait, it's actually his, huh?

Hana walked down the front aisle and I heard her say, "Ah, Uncle". Hana greeted her uncle whose figure was still not visible to me who was still sitting at the dining table.

"Hana, I'm sorry I didn't read your message earlier. Uncle did not have a cell phone at the time". The deep voice of a man in his forties.

"It's okay, Uncle. I also arrived home safely, really” Hana responded to her uncle's concern.

“By the way, Uncle saw a bicycle that is not ours in the yard. Are there any guests?”. My body stiffened suddenly.

"Ah yes, a friend stopped by. They are in the dining room” Hana said.

"Oh, I see. In that case, Uncle should greet them”.

Even though I couldn't see them walking over here, somehow I keep imagining them taking steps over here. I myself have never met her uncle, what kind of person is he? Is it possible that Chika has met him?

After thinking that, I turned my gaze to Chika who is also looking at me with a rather serious face. That's a no, huh? When Hana's uncle said he saw a foreign bicycle outside, he didn't immediately assume that it was Chika.

After receiving a temporary answer, I turn my gaze again toward the entrance to the dining room and I see the figure of a middle-aged man who is staring at the two of us. He looks tall and wears clothes that are quite thick and his sharp eyes are both directed at us.

Seeing someone who should be respected, because he is the uncle of my friend, my body stands up and I introduced myself. “Ah, sorry for interrupting. I'm a friend of Hana. My name is Reza Arkan”. Shit, was I too sudden? My self-introduction was also a bit stiff.

Continuing me, Chika also introduced herself. "Good night. My name is Chika Rain. I am also a friend of Hana. Sorry for disturbing Hana's residence".

"Nice to meet you, I'm Hana's uncle. Thank you for accompanying Hana until this evening”.

"No, no. Actually, we were the ones who troubled Hana. Even making dinner for us…” I said.

"Hmmm?" He looked confused by what I just said. Then he turned his gaze to Hana. Ah shit, did I talk too much?

"I invited them, really. In fact, if it weren't for Arkan letting me ride his bicycle from the mall, I might have arrived home later" Hana explained. I felt relieved after my moral values are helped to rise by Hana in front of her uncle.

"Oh, I see. Thank you, Arkan. It was my fault Hana had to walk home alone” Then, he slightly bowed his head and thanked me.

"Don't mind it! I just happened to be there” I said in a high tone because I was quite surprised by what he was doing.

After chatting between the four of us at the dining table, Hana takes used plates and started cleaning them in the kitchen sink. The chat between the three of us continued and mostly about how Hana's cooking tasted really delicious and like it was made by someone who has been honing her skills in kitchen-like daily activities. Her uncle said that it was true that when she was at her old house, Hana, after her mother's death, she was always alone at home. Because his father was very busy supporting them both, he rarely came home. Hana should be able to be independent and take care of herself. Hana herself also told me about a time when she felt very lonely in her old house.

“I try not to bring up those topics in front of Hana. When she was about to enter her new school, I'm also worried whether she could make friends or not. Looks like my worries are unneeded, huh?”. He continued, “Hana is a cheerful and kind girl. So please, continue to be friends with her” He said while bowing his head, again, above the table.

This time, neither of us could say anything. It looks like today, unusually, me and Chika are in one thought. And that's all when it comes to Hana.

“… That, that's for sure” Chika responded to Uncle Hana's words.

I didn't say anything and remained silent. It's not that I don't have one thought, but I just choose to agree in silence.

Chika then take her tote bag on the floor and placed it on the table. The tote bag looked clean on the outside, but the inside is extremely dusty, really looking like it had been left in storage for years.

"Hana, I want to try turning on the game console to check whether it's still on or not, can I borrow your TV?" Chika said to Hana who is cleaning the dishes.

"Oh, yes. Just try it” Hana answered without looking back at Chika because she was too busy wiping the dishes.Then, Chika walks towards the living room while carrying her bag. Out of curiosity, I went to take a look. It seems that Chika's family is quite well-off so she can buy a game console, she even bought the latest generation after this one.

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

In front of the TV cabinet, Chika opened a dusty box and then reveal the black-painted game console. There is clearly a DVD reader above it. Then, she took the console's power cable and plugged it into the wall socket, along with the other cables that lead to the TV. Chika seem to be used to electronics, so I was surprised.

"You look like you're used to it" I said.

Hearing my question, Chika answered without taking her eyes off it. "If it's just like this, ordinary people should also understand".

Oh, I see. Well, if that's the only thing, I still can understand.

After everything is ready, Chika turned on the TV along with the game console as well. However, there is something strange. The TV is on, but not the game console.

"Not connected?" I asked.

"As I thought, it looks like it has to be repaired first and then it can turn on" She continued.

If you just look at the outside, this is already in the dirty category, like, really dirty and dusty. I can't imagine the inside. Has this girl never cleaned it once?

"Hey, have you ever cleaned the inside during use?" I said.

“Huh, the inside? Why?" She said as if confused by my words.

Wow... This has already gone too far. This girl is helpless.

“You… even though the inside looks protected, there must be lots of holes where dust can enter and contaminate the inside of the game console”. I continued, “If too much dust collects, the inside will overheat and could damage the parts inside” I explained.

“I-Is that so? You know too much" She said awkwardly.

Suddenly, a shadowy figure that exceeded my height appeared behind me. It startled me a bit and I turn around, it turns out to be Hana's uncle.

He asked, "What's wrong?".

"Ah, nothing. The game console doesn't seem to turn on” I answered.

"Oh, I see? Is it broken?” He continued.

"Probably not, but I want to make sure" I replied back. Then I continued, "Uncle, does this house have screwdrivers of various sizes?".

“Hmmm? As far as I remember, there was a red storage box in the back storage, above a short cupboard. But for what?” He explained while pointing towards the back of the house.

“I want to open the inside of the console, it's probably very dusty from not being maintained by this irresponsible owner” I explained my goal.

Realizing my indirect insult, Chika said, “Oi, I don't understand any of this. How can I know?".

Not listening to her excuses, I went to the warehouse to get the necessary tools. I'm not pretending to be knowledgeable about this, but my father often invites me to stop by the electronics store owned by his friend. Don't know the reason, but I often see the practice directly. Once even tried to solder a small copper wire, even though my hand was held at the time.

The dark storage room became bright after I turned on the light. In a red metal box that sits on top of a small storage cupboard, I take a small box containing screwdriver heads and various types and sizes of bits. And also a small cleaning brush.

Back to the living room, I grab Chika's game console and borrow it outside. “H-hey, where are you taking it?” Ask Chika.

"I'll see the part inside, it's probably very dusty so I'll do it outside" I replied.

Opening the front door and walking towards the front yard of Hana's house, I sit down on the floor bordering a not-too-wide expanse of grass. Chika who apparently followed me, sit beside me.

Without further ado, I said, “Can you light the console with a cell phone flashlight? It's too dark in here".

"Yeah, yeah" was the short answer she gives.

Then a light flashed from beside me, giving me clear vision. Because even though there is a light on the ceiling, it wasn't enough.

I flip the console over to reveal the underside and started looking for a screwdriver bit that fits the game console's bolt size. Then, I put the right one on the head of the screwdriver and started twirling the tightening bolt which fasten the rear plate.

“You look skilled, do you do it often?” Chika asked suddenly.

In response to the question, I said, “Not really, it's a basic skill that you just need to observe other people do, you can learn.” I explained modestly.

After the seven screws holding the back of the black plastic box were removed, I removed the backplate.

…

Surprised and not surprised at the same time. After I opened the back, dust is blown out by the sudden wind. Both of us coughing after inhaling the dust that drifted out from inside it.

"Can you just keep your stuff from dust, can't you?" I said.

"Hah? The new generation has been launched for a long time. It's been a long time since this thing feels the fresh air after I bought a new one” She said in an innocent tone.

“And you intend to give Hana this piece of junk?” I said in a high tone.

“Well…” Chika was at a loss for words to defend herself.

Well, although I admit I was a little rough when I said that because if you look at it from my side, what did I really give to Hana? But when viewed from an objective side again, this is a gift without the giver's concern.

Inside the dust-covered game console, you can see a green plate that is probably a motherboard, as well as lots of black wires and other colors to differentiate. I blow all the dust that gets in the way and scatter them. Then, I use a small brush that I brought from the storage to clean the hard-to-reach areas.

It's a good idea to do all of this outside the house, otherwise, we'll only add more work for Hana.

There are some cables that are broken or not connected properly. The I/O cable also looks loose.

“There are cables that are peeling off, cables that are loose, and possibly parts that are rusty because they are exposed to water molecules. How can this be?" I asked confused.

"You're amazing".

It wasn't the girl beside me who said that, but the deep voice of a man who is watching us from the front door of the house.

Hearing the sudden and exaggerated praise, I replied, “Ah, not really. I can only check. If it's about repairing a broken cable or something else, I can't do it without spare parts".

"Haha, so you really have to take it to an expert, huh?" He said while laughing.

“W-well, yeah”. I continued, “The controller is fine, right?”.

Chika who I threw at the question answered stiffly, "I-it should be safe, probably".

“Well, you have to take it to the experts anyway if you want this artifact to turn on again because there's no way I can fix it. Incidentally, I know someone who is an expert in this matter, if you want I'll introduce you later” I said.

"Really? That's great! How about next Saturday?” Chika said excitedly.

"Sure be".

After hearing my agreement, Chika made a cheerful face which she is trying to hold back. It's too bad it just makes her ridiculous.

"How is it? Arkan, Chika” Hana called us both.

"It can't turn on, it has to be taken to an expert. Me and Chika are going to my acquaintance who is an expert next Saturday, want to tag along?" I asked Hana.

"Oh, sure!" Hana agreed.

After getting the discourse on the next Saturday, I take my cell phone out of my uniform pants pocket to check the time. However, what I see is that 30+ messages were not read, sent by Mother. Ah, crap, I didn't look at the time and it's already 9:15 PM! She would really scold me hard if I didn't come home since tomorrow is not holiday.

"Then, I want to go home first. Just leave the game console at Hana's house first”.

"Ah, then me too" Chika continued.

“You guys want to go home? How about the girl? Need a ride?" Uncle offers a ride to Chika.

“Ah, no need, uncle. My house is quite close” Chika said rejecting the offer.

I take my bicycle and lead it out of the front yard of Hana's house. Together with Chika, I said goodbye to Hana and her uncle.

"See you, Hana" Me and Chika said together.

"Yes, see you later" Hana replied.

…

We walked. Wait, we're in the same direction?