Page 497

They stole Chu Hua and Xiang Zi's last moment together, and they stole their promise.

They stole her dreams, they stole her name, they stole everything she should have had...

Then, naturally.

Now, even the things that belong to me will be taken away by her.

You reap what you sow; karma will bring its own consequences.

The script was already written the moment the lie was uttered.

They shattered my imagined happy and fulfilling vision in the most cruel way right before my eyes—

That's the tragic heroine, destined for an ending.

Therefore, it is the person who has presumptuously harbored expectations who is wrong.

It is wrong of those who presume to seek redemption.

It's the person who shirked the script who was wrong.

It is the person who fabricated the lie who is wrong.

...It was my fault.

From the very beginning, those two beams of light never belonged to me.

And my eternal night remains devoid of starlight.

-

The night was quiet and still.

The cold light from the screen reflected on the girl's pale, bloodless face.

Her gaze had long since lost focus; she was simply staring unconsciously at the message that had been read but received no reply, and seemed to have maintained this posture for quite some time.

She huddled in the dark street corner, letting the thick darkness swallow her messy short blonde hair.

Like a stray dog ​​soaked to the bone, it no longer even had the strength to shiver.

"...There's nothing left."

There were no messages of concern, nor any complaints or questions.

That's more despairing than being scolded... being ignored.

The candlelight in her pupils gradually went out, and Miku hugged her knees even tighter, but her hoarse throat couldn't utter a single mournful cry or shout.

All she could think about was—

Narumi-nii must be very angry right now, right?

Or is he currently playing with Chu Hua and doing something more intimate than kissing her cheek?

I'm so envious, so jealous... so sad, so painful.

—Maybe I should just die like this.

If I die, will Narumi-nii cry for me?

After seeing my corpse, will he value me more than Chu Hua?

If I die in front of him—

Can it leave a mark in his memory that no one can erase?

...So, that's what they call the "white moonlight"?

The existence named Misaki Miku is an important existence that no one can surpass—how happy and wonderful it would be to become Narumi's "white moonlight"!

If my life can truly only be a tragedy...

Only such an ending can allow me to accept it without any regrets, right?

As she thought about it, Miku Miku started to laugh.

His eyes remained dull and lifeless, and his smile was only a forced twitch at the corners of his mouth; the rest of his facial muscles were as if they were dead and unable to move.

Rather than a forced, insincere self-comfort, it's more like self-mockery born from utter despair.

She thought of the cold, deep ocean, and the mountaintops so close to the sky—

I imagined the romantic scene of confessing my love to him through death under a sky full of stars.

"Yes……"

Miku Miku murmured absently, a dim light flickering in her eyes.

—She didn't have nothing left.

Because she could still use her own life to write the most perfect ending to this short and pitiful existence.

"Then let's do it this way."

Throwing her phone to the ground, Miku Miku stood up unsteadily and began to walk towards the street outside the alley.

However, after curling up for a long time and being in a state of confusion, she did not have the strength to support her fragile and slender body.

She staggered one step, and her body swayed and fell to the ground.

--boom.

That wasn't the sound of a body hitting a concrete floor.

Miku Miku did not feel any pain from the impact.

Instead, familiar scents and touches caught her like clouds, gently pulling her into a broad and warm embrace.

"—I've found you."

The boy chuckled softly, holding her frail, small body in one arm.

Ignoring the dirt on his knees, he knelt on one knee and carefully helped her stand up.

The girl just blinked her blank, dazed eyes, seemingly incredulous at his appearance, her mouth agape as if she still couldn't accept reality.

"Narumi-nii-nii-nii-nii...?"

"It's me. You were really hard to find." Narumi rubbed her head with a complaining tone, tidying up her messy hair and checking if she was injured anywhere. "If I didn't have some skills in finding people, I probably wouldn't have found you hiding here until dawn."

As he spoke, he flicked his finger and quietly gathered up the candy threads that had spread across most of the town, rolled them into a ball, and casually tossed them into the nearby sewer.

—Although the timeline is wrong, this is still reality.

In other words, Narumi is finally able to use his superpowers that have been sealed for so long!

Under his development, in addition to its ability to instantly eliminate terrorists, [Candy Factory] has also made significant achievements in various fields such as finding missing persons, protecting people, and picking up girls.

There's no need to waste such a convenient ability and search for her everywhere while sweating profusely.

"I……"

Miku Miku, naturally, didn't notice his little trick.

He seemed no different from usual, with his calm and gentle eyes and his straightforward yet earnest concern for her.

His eyes involuntarily reddened, and his stiff, cold body gradually began to tremble.

"I'm sorry, I..."

"Hey, wait a minute." The dry, broken voice made Narumi frown. He pulled out a gummy candy from his hand. "Did you run away crying without drinking any water? Your mouth is so dry. Eat this gummy candy right now!"

Hmm, was I seen back then...?

A strange sense of shame welled up inside her, and Misaki instinctively took the gummy candy. Her timid and slightly sad eyes quietly looked up at him, as if she wanted to say something.

But he ordered me without any politeness: "Eat it right now! Don't swallow it whole, chew it properly."

"Um……"

Despite still harboring the dark thought of wanting to die in front of him, Misaki Miku's body instinctively chose to obey his command.

—Because it made her feel happy.

Following Narumi's orders became the meaning of her life... A sense of fulfillment would well up in her heart whenever she completed a task.

So she didn't hesitate any longer, obediently put the gummy in her mouth, and gently bit it with her pearly teeth.

"Well!"

The girl's eyes widened in surprise, and her pupils, which seemed even darker than the shadows in the alley, suddenly lit up with an unusual glimmer.

"This is……"

It felt like a sea breeze sweeping between your teeth, carrying a hint of sweetness and moisture, bursting out of your mouth without warning.

She chewed unconsciously, one bite after another, the saltiness of the sea breeze and the sweetness of the fruit mingling and blending, quickly moistening her parched lips and teeth.

It's like drinking a whole bottle of uniquely flavored, ice-cold fruit juice on a sweltering summer day...

Not only did it replenish my fluids, but the strange and refreshing salty-sweet taste also gradually calmed my anxiety and unease, making it feel like a gentle breeze on the sea.

"These are sea salt lychee flavored gummies, a special version designed to replenish fluids."

Seeing the blissful expression on her face under the influence of the gummy candy, Narumi finally smiled with a sigh of relief. He reached out and gently rubbed her still somewhat cold, pale face, and said in a cheerful tone, "How is it? Delicious, isn't it?"

"Mmm, delicious!" Miku Miku nodded without hesitation.

"As long as it tastes good. Be proud, you're the first person to taste this flavor."

"...Huh? Did Narumi-nii make this himself?!"

The girl was stunned for a moment before belatedly letting out a scream.

Narumi nodded, and said seriously, "That's right, my dream is to conquer the whole world with my candy!"

Misaki Miku clearly believed it, her eyes shining with longing and admiration: "I never imagined that Narumi-nii had such a grand dream..."

“Ah, because I was just kidding you.” Narumi said matter-of-factly, “Candy is just my hobby and skill, but I have a more vulgar and absurd dream.”

Triangle Hatsune: "..."

Okay, familiar rhythm.

A week together was enough for Misaki Miku to completely understand Narumi's wicked sense of humor—

Don't take his serious words too seriously, because there's a high chance he'll say next, "Because I'm just kidding."

Her expression only stiffened slightly before she quickly regained her composure and reluctantly swallowed the gummy candy in her mouth.

"Whoo~"

Unbeknownst to her, her voice was no longer hoarse and dry, and her cheeks gradually regained a healthy rosy-white hue.

Only when reason returned, consciousness returned to clarity, and she met the eyes of the boy who had broken her heart and filled her with despair.

That scene flooded back into her mind.

Miku Miku couldn't help but bite her lip tightly.

A dull ache shot through her heart, and a wave of bitter resentment washed over her, causing her to instinctively avert her gaze.

Even so, the sweetness of the sea salt lychee still lingered in her mouth, preventing her from being immediately overwhelmed by feelings of avoidance and inferiority.

After hesitating in silence for a long while, he finally blurted out the thing that was on his mind:

"If I'm the first one... didn't you give Chu Hua any of this gummy candy?"

Narumi wasn't surprised, but he raised an eyebrow in feigned confusion: "Hatsuka? Aren't you Hatsuka? Speaking of which, why did you say goodbye to me and then send a message pretending to be sick and saying you didn't want to look at the stars?"

"I... I didn't mean I didn't want to see the stars." Misaki Misaki retorted somewhat hesitantly, then puffed out her cheeks in a frustrated and aggrieved manner, looking at him. "Narumi-nii, you're just asking a question you already know the answer to, right? Since she kissed your cheek, Hatsuka must have already told us everything about us, including her identity and my name..."

Narumi shook his head.

He simply gazed deeply into her eyes, a calm and gentle smile playing on his lips, and spoke clearly, "If that person isn't you, why should I believe someone I've just met who just looks like you?"

"...Huh?"

Miku stood there stunned, completely unprepared for his answer.

As if to shatter that disbelief, Narumi pressed her advantage, saying, "It's true that she kissed my cheek, but I'm so popular, I can't expect every child who likes me to get candy from me, can I? That would make my candy too cheap."

"But I..."

Her deep purple eyes were gradually filled with glistening tears.

Her trembling, soft lips could not utter a word.