Boom.
Back home, Yazuki cleaned himself up and prepared to fry the egg.
Bang—Bang Bang—
Loud noises came from his kitchen counter.
Then, Yazuki stared blankly at the completely unscathed egg.
This eggshell was quite hard, almost like a rock.
"Could it actually be just a rock?"
Muttering to himself, he picked it up and shook it. Hmm, he could feel something moving inside—so it should be an egg.
Looks like frying it wasn't an option.
Boiling it would have to do.
He prepared a pressure cooker and poured in some water.
"Salt, soy sauce, ..."
Taking a small bottle of seasoning he had bought from the supermarket, he poured some in.
A carrot chopped into uneven pieces, was thrown in as well, followed by some scallions...
Whatever, just toss everything in.
Then, he closed the lid and turned on the heat.
"Whoosh—"
The output seemed too high; flames shot up, nearly scorching him, making him jump in fright. He quickly adjusted the heat to a normal level.
Now, all that was left was to wait.
"How long should I wait?"
With his arms crossed, Yazuki tilted his head in thought. Normally, eggs only needed about five to six minutes in boiling water, but this one was clearly no ordinary egg.
Better wait an hour and check back.
An hour later, Yazuki had completely forgotten about it, fully immersed in his game.
"Are you a pig? You're a healer, not a combat class!"
Yazuki was playing an online game, furiously typing out a rant to scold his teammate—the healer.
They were currently fighting a boss, a rare special type they had camped for in the wild. Just when they were running low on potions, they found a healer nearby and invited them to the party. But this person seemed to be slacking off, making Yazuki so furious he wanted to reach through the screen and strangle them.
The healer had initially claimed to be a cute angelic girl, even speaking in voice chat. The voice did sound like a sweet and gentle girl, so after much hesitation, Yazuki had decided to party with them. But now, it was obvious they had used a voice changer.
In the end, he deleted the angry message he had typed out, as they were already at a crucial moment—the boss's health was nearly depleted.
Finally, with his agile movements, he managed to whittle the boss down to death. His own character's health was also hanging by a thread. And it dropped some good loot—shining gold, absolutely—
[Character has died!]
The screen lost all color. His in-game character lay on the ground, a gravestone marking the spot.
Yazuki's mouth twitched. He glanced at the system announcement, which showed that his teammate had already left the party. And the cause of his death—
It was an attack from that same healer.
The public chat displayed a message from that player: [Idiot, bye-bye! May the gods bless you.]
This made Yazuki so furious his lips twisted. He immediately tried to revive on the spot using premium currency, but he was a second too late—the player had already teleported away with the loot.
Damn it! He was about to buy a global announcement just to curse them out, but the system prompted him to pay real money for it. He was out of premium currency.
Fine, fine. He would remember this player. Next time he saw them in the wild, he would PK them on sight.
"Huh?"
Then Yazuki realized something even worse, one of his best pieces of equipment had dropped because he died. That bastard had picked it up too.
The next second, someone was selling an item on the world chat—it was his equipment.
He was furious. Absolutely livid.
"Boom—"
An explosion shook the room, leaving him dumbfounded. The shockwave shattered the windows, causing the entire place to tremble.
Something flew right past his face—he could even feel the heat from its friction with the air.
If that thing had hit his head, it probably would've blown it open. The force was comparable to a bullet.
Although he wasn't directly hit, the noise was so loud that his head buzzed, and his ears felt like they had gone deaf.
Did someone just throw a grenade into his apartment? What the hell?
Then, he realized the real problem—
The kitchen area was in complete ruins, and on the floor lay the pressure cooker, still wobbling and deformed.
Uh… He had been so absorbed in the game that he forgot he was boiling an egg.
Today was really the worst. Cleaning up this mess would cost a lot in repairs.
—
Inside Apartment 1507.
Wearing an apron, Yukinoshita Yukino was enjoying a dinner she had cooked for herself.
"Boom—"
The sudden explosion startled her, causing her hand to shake and drop her chopsticks to the floor.
The sound seemed to have come from the apartment opposite hers.
Her expression changed slightly. That kind of explosion and the vibrations it caused—if someone was nearby, their life would definitely be in danger.
She quickly walked toward the door, unlocking it one by one before opening it.
Outside, she saw other tenants stepping out in fear, looking around to see which apartment was the source of the commotion.
There was no mistake, the burnt smell in the air was coming from the apartment across from hers.
—
It took over an hour for the commotion to settle down. The apartment manager had arrived, as expected.
What surprised Yazuki even more was that the real owner of this high-end apartment complex had also come. And he turned out to be someone Yazuki knew—the manager of Angel Café.
No wonder that café kept running despite barely making a profit. The manager was secretly rich.
The café manager was incredibly concerned about Yazuki's well-being, even assuming that the apartment itself was at fault and offering compensation.
Knowing that he was the one responsible, Yazuki didn't have the face to accept any compensation. Instead, he insisted on paying for the damages himself.
But the store manager also had no intention of asking him for compensation.
In the end, Yazuki had to resort to a childish threat—if the store manager didn't accept the compensation, he would stop visiting Angel Café and cut ties with him altogether.
This childish ultimatum left the store manager helpless, but in a way, it also proved that their friendship was quite strong.
"Well then, Yazuki-kun, are you sure you don't want to switch to a different unit?"
At the doorway stood a middle-aged man dressed like a café waiter—though no matter how you looked at him, he didn't resemble the true owner of this high-end apartment complex. He once again asked Yazuki.
"I get it, store manager, you're so naggy. No wonder Angel Café never has any customers."
As soon as he said this, Nangong Yazuki saw the store manager's face turn pale, as if that one sentence had shattered his fragile heart.
"Am I really that annoying? Am I really…"
The store manager murmured to himself in a daze, looking utterly crestfallen, as if he had suddenly realized that no one liked him.
Seeing this soul-crushed expression, Yazuki felt a little speechless.
"Seriously, store manager, you're way too easy to hurt. I was joking. Actually, your coffee is very attractive. Haven't you noticed that most of your customers are regulars? That's because they love your coffee. The only reason business is slow is simply because the café's location isn't ideal."
Upon hearing this, the store manager's spirit was instantly restored.
"But of course! You should know that I personally select every coffee bean—well then, be sure to visit Angel Café again. That would make me very happy, Yazuki-kun."
After that, the chatty store manager finally left. Yazuki stared at the strange, rock-like egg in his hands, feeling troubled.
It still didn't seem cooked—it was just as hard as before. But with the kitchen now out of commission, what should he do?
Should he shamelessly ask the girl next door for help? He could at least share some with her.