Haruto hated his selfish thought of wishing Chris would sleep beside him forever.

"Chris, you make games, so you must have played a lot and own many consoles, right?"

"Actually, I haven't played many games... I'm not as impressive as you think."

"My brother has been busy with work, so I've been playing on my console alone. Chris, when you have time, come to my place to play the Switch? 'Super Mario Odyssey'! 'Just Dance'!"

"Shouldn't you be focusing on your studies?"

"Life shouldn't be without entertainment."

"I'd be happy to join!"

Even though it was a vacation, Ethan's personal schedule was packed. In the morning, he went to play basketball with old friends. On the court, he exerted himself to the fullest, trying to forget the unpleasantness of the morning. His friends struggled under his aggressive offense.

"Ethan, we're not in a competition," a friend panted.

"Bang!" The basketball slammed into the hoop, causing it to shake violently.

"Hey! What did the hoop do to deserve your anger?" another friend joked.

Wiping sweat from his forehead, Ethan was about to continue playing when his buddies pulled him aside for a break.

"Let's call it a day. You have a party this afternoon, right?"

"I haven't seen you since graduation," Ethan said, bumping fists with an old classmate nicknamed Pascal. Pascal had disappeared for a long time after graduation and was rumored to be working as a hacker.

Pascal laughed heartily, "Life's tough. I wanted to give you my business card, but you know, I don't like leaving traces."

"Hey, Ethan, be careful of this pirate. The amount of wealth he gets his hands on every day is terrifying," the friends teased.

"There's honor among thieves. I don't do unethical stuff. I have my limits and principles," Pascal said.

"We remember differently. Didn't you tamper with the grading system to take revenge on a professor, causing him to receive loads of bad reviews?" one friend recalled.

"Did that happen? I don't remember at all."

"We remember it very clearly."

"Ethan, was it true?"

Ethan nodded, and Pascal seemed genuinely forgetful.

At that moment, Ethan thought of Chris. The same event can be remembered differently by those involved, sometimes even forgotten entirely. Is that why his natural closeness caused Chris to feel repulsion?

Since the morning argument with Ethan, Chris and Ethan had spent several days at home without speaking to each other. More accurately, Chris deliberately avoided Ethan. Even in unavoidable encounters, Chris refrained from making eye contact.

Contrary to his silent demeanor at home, Chris always had endless topics to discuss with Haruto at the language school, leading their classmates to assume they were brothers.

"Chris, who's the older brother between you and Haruto?" a pretty Ukrainian girl asked, stopping beside him.

"We're not brothers; we're friends."

The girl seemed surprised. "Have you grown up together?"

"No." Chris was taken aback, realizing that to others, he and Haruto appeared as close as brothers.

"We have a small event this afternoon. Would you and Haruto like to join?" the girl invited, showing him a flyer for a charitable event.

"I can go, but Haruto probably doesn't have time." Chris remembered that Haruto's schedule was usually very tight, and it was difficult to find free time without prior planning.

The girl smiled, "It's great if you can come! Let's have lunch together?"

Normally, Chris had lunch with Haruto, and being invited by someone else left him unsure how to respond.

"We're having lunch together? Sure~" Haruto said cheerfully, entering the classroom.

After the girl repeated her invitation for the event, Haruto agreed readily.

Chris hesitated before lowering his head. Once the girl left cheerfully, Haruto tilted his head, inquiring about Chris's silence.

"If you don't want to go, you can refuse."

"You didn't refuse either."

Chris felt a sudden surge of emotion, nearly bringing him to tears. "I was presumptuous to refuse on your behalf..."

Haruto's expression flickered with surprise. "Chris, if the event ends early, how about playing video games at my place?"

"Are you giving up on your exams? Planning to throw everything away?"

Haruto laughed, "Life's like a marathon; you can't push yourself too hard. Besides, I told you, I haven't played video games in a while. Now that you're free, you're the only one who can play with me."

Hearing this, Chris also laughed.

The charity event ended in the evening, and noticing Chris's low spirits, Haruto asked what was wrong.

"I thought it would end earlier."

"I thought something upset you."

"We had plans to play video games at your place."

"Come over for dinner, then we'll play. My mom made curry tonight." Haruto showed Chris the chat with his mom. Seeing Chris's hesitation, Haruto added another temptation, "My mom is an amazing Japanese chef. You'll regret not trying her food~"

"I'll have some!" Chris hadn't often dined at someone else's home in his life, but did he still have a home?

Inwardly, he treated the visit to Haruto's home as a challenge.

Haruto lived in a compact duplex apartment that, despite its American layout, exuded a distinctly Japanese vibe. As the door opened, a petite woman greeted them with a warm smile. "You're back." Her eyes widened slightly upon seeing Chris, but she quickly showed a kind expression. "Is this the classmate you often talk about, Chris? Welcome, come in."

She had prepared an ample amount of curry and some Japanese side dishes. The trio dined at a rectangular table, reminding Chris of the times when his father was still alive.

"This is the best curry I've ever had in my life."

"I didn’t lie, did I? My mom's curry is super delicious," Haruto boasted.

"Is there any curry that's not tasty?" Haruto's mother said modestly, smiling.

"Mom, I'm going to play video games with Chris later!"

"How old are you? Still acting like a child."

Their interaction gave Chris a refreshed understanding of what 'family' meant. Each family he encountered redefined the term for him.

Haruto's room was immaculate. He pulled out his "pitiful" gaming console from a cardboard box, a description reflecting Haruto's Japanese sensitivity for unused items.

Playing console games with a friend felt surreal and joyous, a stark contrast to his job-related game experiences. How wonderful it would have been to have a friend like Haruto in his childhood...

"Haruto! Chris! The bathwater is ready!" Haruto's mother knocked and then opened the bedroom door.

"Bathwater?" Chris looked puzzled.

"Ah, isn’t Chris staying over tonight? It's already so late."

Realizing it was past 10 PM, Chris apologized, "Sorry, Haruto, I need to go home."

"You can stay here, Chris. We'll go to school together in the morning," Haruto pleaded, pausing their game just short of the final level.

"Chris, you can tell your family you’re staying at a friend's place tonight."

"I don’t have family... and I can't sleep in strange places," Chris murmured, lowering his lashes.

Haruto's mother embraced Chris comfortingly. "It's up to you whether to stay or go home. If you want to leave, I can drive you right now."

Touched by the scene, Chris felt a surge of emotion. His home was gone, and he wanted to try leaving Ethan's place. This could be a good starting point.

Urged by Haruto, Chris first soaked in the bathtub, as Haruto and his mother believed a bath would help with sleep. After Haruto's bath, they successfully completed Little Nightmares.

"We shouldn't have played that game at night; I feel like I'm going to have nightmares," Haruto said, tossing a blanket to Chris.

Nearly burying his head under the blanket, Chris responded, "I feel like I'm going to suffer from insomnia."

"I know a method that helps you fall asleep quickly. Want to try it?"

"What is it?"

"Gradually think about parts of your body, like your arms, shoulders, feet… and relax~ relax~ relax~"

"It's not working."

"You're not relaxing." Haruto gently pinched Chris's arm, now carrying the scent of his shampoo.

"How can I relax when you're touching me like that?" Chris tried to curl up, resembling a plant whose leaves close up.

"Holding this might help." Haruto pulled a large plush bear from the head of the bed and placed it in Chris's arms.

"So soft. Did a girl give this to you?"

"It's from an ex-girlfriend."

Chris was amused again, listening to Haruto's stories about his ex-girlfriend. He loved her, but as they drifted apart, they eventually had to break up. Chris fell asleep before hearing all the details about the girl.

Haruto, realizing Chris was no longer responding, turned to look at him for a long time. Usually, he dared not gaze at Chris for too long. If Chris were a woman, Haruto might have been more courageous.

He gently stroked Chris's hair and arm, then buried his face in the plush bear.

Seven and a half hours later, Chris felt like he was suffocating! Struggling to open his eyes, he found Haruto sprawled across the bed, one foot on his face and a leg pressing on his chest. The plush bear that Haruto had given him before sleep was now in Haruto's arms. Haruto was outrageous, but Chris didn't dislike him at all.

The entire day, Haruto and Chris were inseparable. Their bond seemed to transcend that of recently acquainted friends, more akin to twins who had been together since birth. Haruto initially wanted to invite Chris over to play again, but didn’t want to seem overly eager, so, as usual, Chris accompanied him to the subway entrance.

Feeling a tinge of loneliness after parting with Haruto, Chris headed back to Ethan's house. Upon opening the door, he was met with a scene of utter chaos. Fearing a break-in, Chris tensely gripped his backpack strap, holding his breath as he cautiously peered inside.

In the living room, he discovered Nate sitting on the floor. The red-haired man was dressed in a white T-shirt, with his trousers rolled down to his ankles. His feet and hands were bound with rope.

"Nate!" Chris was stunned by the sight.

"Chris! Thank God you’re back! Help me untie these!"

"What are you guys playing at... Where’s Ethan?"

"He's out. Chris, help me first."

Seeing Nate genuinely uncomfortable, Chris hurriedly untied the ropes. Nate straightened his clothes and rubbed his wrists, reddened from the binding.

"Are you okay?" Chris asked, concerned.

"You really are a kind person," Nate said with a charming smile. Suddenly, he swung a punch at Chris.

The hit didn't feel very painful to Chris. He collapsed to the ground, his mind unable to process what had just happened. Like a computer abruptly shut down, he lost consciousness.