A week had slipped quietly by since they began looking after Nanahoshi.
For Cui Ciyou and his family, this house in Ranoa was a welcoming haven after their return, a home brimming with life.
But for Nanahoshi Shizuka, it seemed to have become an exquisite cage, a refuge that cut her off from the entire world.
Nanahoshi Shizuka spent all day in the room assigned to her, mostly staring blankly at the ceiling. Her eyes, once sparkling with intelligence and curiosity, now held only a heartbreaking emptiness.
Her condition reminded Cui Ciyou of two terms popular online in his previous life: shut-in and NEET.
Whenever he opened her door, he found much the same scene.
Nanahoshi lay curled up in bed or sat motionless in the chair by the window, like a beautiful statue that had lost its soul.
Sunlight streamed through the glass, casting dappled light and shadow over her, yet it brought her no warmth.
After she maintained this state for a week, Cui Ciyou could not help feeling a little impressed.
He honestly asked himself what would happen if he were dumped into this fantasy world, without short videos, comedy skits, an endless supply of webnovels, or even AAA games and online games that could draw him in and make him forget the time, then made to sit at home doing nothing every day. Boredom and frustration would probably drive him mad within three days.
It had been the same when he rested at the Boreas estate after rescuing Alice... so boring.
Entertainment in this world was pitifully scarce. It was like ancient Europe, only with swords and magic added.
Nobles might have banquets, plays, and songs from bards, but none of those held any appeal for someone from another world who had experienced the splendor of