Aemeath awoke amidst a clamor of noise.
This was strange.
Aleph-1, the Threnodian of Lahai-Roi, had already been banished, and she herself had returned to Lahai-Roi from beyond the Stridergate.
By all rights, she should have been sound asleep in her room right now.
So why did her head feel so heavy and muddled?
And why did it ache a little?
The voices around her were too noisy.
She couldn’t make out exactly what they were saying.
She decided it would be better to open her eyes and observe her surroundings first.
And so Aemeath’s chaotic consciousness gradually cleared.
Her pale golden eyes, brilliant as the stars, saw a circle of people gathered around her — people she didn’t recognize at all.
Faced with these strangers surrounding her completely, she instinctively tried to use her Resonance Power to protect herself.
To her horror, she discovered that her power was being suppressed by an invisible set of rules.
She couldn’t use it freely at all, not like she could in Solaris.
She could only choose to shrink back against the wall, watching the people observing her with a cat-like wary gaze.
“Hey, what’re you crowding so close for!
Look how scared you’ve made her!” Someone, she didn’t know who, hollered this out.
The crowd of onlookers collectively backed up two paces, giving Aemeath ample breathing room.
Couldn’t be helped.
A beautiful young woman appearing out of thin air in an alley — common folks’ curiosity was always far greater than their own shock or suspicion.
Aemeath understood what had just been said.
She immediately realized that this crowd around her probably held no hostility toward her.
She secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but still maintained that same posture of shrinking back against the wall.
Guard against others — this couldn’t be discarded.
“What’s going on here?
What’s everyone crowding around for?” An aged yet vigorous female voice rang out.
The crowd of onlookers, hearing it, very consciously parted to open a path for the voice’s owner.
Aemeath got a clear look at the newcomer.
She was an old granny, a bit hunched but still hale and sturdy.
Her cloudy eyes looked very fierce, but when they rested on her, they held a kind of clumsy gentleness.
“Alright, stop crowding around and staring.
You’ve all lived this long — what kind of girl haven’t you seen before?” The old granny’s cloudy eyes swept over the surrounding crowd, carrying a brook-no-argument threat.
“All of you, go do what you should be doing.
If anyone still wants to keep watching, I’ll pay a midnight visit to his house and gouge his eyeballs out.”
The crowd of onlookers scattered in an instant under the old granny’s threat.
A few who couldn’t resist sneaking peeks were scared back into shrinking away by her man-eating glare.
“Young lady, are you alright?” The old granny put on a kind smile and spoke to Aemeath.
Aemeath shook her head.
After observing for a moment, she reached a conclusion — this old granny could be trusted.
“Come with me.
I’ll take you to find a place to settle down.” The old granny proactively extended her hand to Aemeath.
Aemeath didn’t hesitate long.
She took hold of the hand the old granny extended.
One old, one young, they walked side by side like this through the alley.
“My surname is Lin.
The folks in the alley all call me Granny Lin.
Don’t mind that I’m a bit old.
My words still carry plenty of weight around here.
If anyone bullies you, just tell me.
I’ll go sort them out for you.”
Protecting one’s own was an instinct every person here grew up with.
Granny Lin was no exception.
And this girl Aemeath just looked like the type that made people feel protective to begin with.
That’s right, the Granny Lin here was the very same Granny Lin who would later chase Xiao Ling around brandishing a clothes hanger.
Guide to Surviving in Another World, Rule One: Think carefully about what you can and cannot say before introducing yourself.
Aemeath was of course well aware that this Granny Lin before her bore her goodwill.
But she couldn’t possibly lay out her entire life story and origins in full.
For one, she didn’t understand this place well enough.
It might cause unnecessary misunderstandings.
For another, if she revealed her abilities that were different from ordinary people, it would drag her into unnecessary trouble.
“My name is Aemeath.
I came here from somewhere very, very far away.
I just became an adult this year.” Aemeath smiled with great energy, looking just like a carefree, silly girl.
“You’re about to be wandering the streets and you can still smile?” Granny Lin said, exasperated.
“Isn’t it because you came along just in time?”
“Sweet talker, you.” Granny Lin shot back with a smile.
Granny Lin led Aemeath on a winding path, turning this way and that, until they arrived in front of an old apartment building.
She was the landlady of this old apartment.
Arranging a place for her to stay was no problem at all.
“Until your family or friends come to pick you up, you can stay here for now.” Granny Lin took her upstairs and found her a vacant apartment room.
Family, huh…
Aemeath suddenly felt a touch of melancholy, yet she still put on a healing smile and said, “Okay, thank you, Granny Lin!”
Granny Lin returned a kindly smile, turned around, and headed downstairs on her own.
Aemeath used the key Granny Lin had given her to open the apartment door and walked inside.
The furnishings in the apartment were very crude.
In some places, the wall plaster had even peeled off.
But as a foothold, it was already quite good.
‘At least things couldn’t get any worse,’ Aemeath thought optimistically.
…
Guide to Surviving in Another World, Rule Two: Make sure to build good relationships with the neighbors around you.
“Auntie Liu, do I put this stuff here?” Aemeath carried a somewhat heavy bag of flour, confirming with the snack stall owner beside her.
“Yep, yep, right there is fine!” Auntie Liu proactively walked over and took the flour bag from Aemeath’s hands, setting it steadily on the ground.
“That must’ve been hard work, Little Amy.”
“It’s no trouble at all.
You’re having me stay for dinner.
I’d feel really bad if I didn’t help out a bit~” Aemeath took the clean towel Auntie Liu handed over and wiped her sweat.
This was Aemeath’s third day here.
Strange as it was, her physical body had indeed come back whole.
After all, she could feel hunger right now.
She analyzed her current situation and found she was facing a very serious problem — she had no channel to get information.
Her phone hadn’t crossed over with her.
But Aemeath felt that even if it had crossed over, she probably wouldn’t be able to use it.
She couldn’t exactly go ask Granny Lin for a phone, could she?
Just thinking about it felt terribly inappropriate.
These past few days, she’d been helping the folks in the alley with whatever she could, using this to earn enough money.
At the very least, the phone problem had to be solved first.
Everyone in the alley gradually came to accept this girl who was enthusiastic with a touch of silliness.
There were even quite a few elderly people living alone who saw Aemeath as their own daughter.
This old, worn-down alley hadn’t seen young blood in a very long time.
Aemeath’s appearance added a splash of her own color to the mundane daily lives of these middle-aged and elderly countryfolk.
The turning point came after today’s work was done.
Granny Lin suddenly called her over to her own home, saying she wanted to give her a surprise.
“Granny, what surprise?
So mysterious~ Give me a hint?” Aemeath bounced left and right, trying to dig a bit of concrete detail out of Granny Lin about the surprise.
“You’ll know when we get there.” Granny Lin smiled.
She told her nothing else.
Aemeath followed Granny Lin all the way to her doorstep.
The other party told her to wait at the door while she went inside to get the surprise she had prepared for her.
Aemeath stood obediently at the door waiting, twirling her fingers in her hair.
Her eyes brimmed with unstoppable curiosity.
A moment later, Granny Lin came over carrying a white box.
She gently patted it into Aemeath’s hands.
“Open it up and take a look.
It should be something very useful for you right now.” Granny Lin’s smile was full of warmth.
Aemeath opened the box with curiosity and was instantly shocked by what was inside.
A brand-new phone.
She didn’t really know this world’s prices, but judging by the feel of this phone in her hand, it was absolutely no cheap item.
“No, Granny Lin.
This is far too valuable.
I can’t accept it!” Aemeath hurriedly tried to push the gift back.
“Silly!” Granny Lin tapped her on the head.
“You’ve been working so hard precisely to save up money for a phone, haven’t you?
Technology’s advanced now.
You’ve come here all alone, far from home.
Without a phone, it’s far too inconvenient.”
Granny Lin’s meaning was crystal clear.
Today, this phone — she’d accept it whether she wanted to or not.
“Rest assured, this is a little gift the alley folks all chipped in together to buy for you.
They’re all very grateful for your help these past few days.” Granny Lin added.
This was, in truth, a lie.
It was a birthday gift her son, working far away in another city, had sent back.
But the old woman was used to her old phone.
The new one had just sat there idle, never even opened.
Since she wasn’t using it anyway, giving it to Aemeath could at least be considered putting it to good use.
Seeing Granny Lin’s resolute expression — carrying a strong sense of “if you don’t use it, I’ll smash it” — Aemeath could only accept this timely surprise with heartfelt gratitude.
“Thank you, Granny Lin.
This helps so much!” Aemeath hugged this old granny deeply — the one who only reached her chest in height.
“It’s nothing, it’s nothing.
As long as it helps you, that’s all that matters.” Granny Lin patted Aemeath’s smooth, delicate back and said warmly.
…
Guide to Surviving in Another World, Rule Three: Give full play to your special skills whenever possible.
After getting the phone, Aemeath tested it out.
Her data interference ability could still be used.
Aemeath breathed a sigh of relief.
Many formal jobs in this world required identification.
If she was unregistered, it would definitely draw suspicion from the relevant local institutions.
So, the first thing she did was use her ability to arrange an electronic ID card for herself in this world.
“Next up…”
Although helping the neighbors with work got her more or less some support from everyone, that had its limits.
She needed a more stable, more efficient way to obtain funds.
Just as she was scrolling through Bilibili while pondering her next move, her eyes suddenly jumped to the virtual livestreaming section of the streaming area.
“Right…
how could I have forgotten about this?” Aemeath smiled knowingly.
Back at Startorch Academy, she’d been posting songs online under the alias “Fleet Snowfluff”!
And it looked like the people in this world really liked her songs just as much.
If that was the case…
She very casually hummed a demo of a song, randomly paired it with an image, and posted it to the platform. This story is hosted at g.com.
She didn’t much like doing special editing for her videos — everything was just done as the mood struck.
How did she register an account?
Let’s just say that being a former electronic ghost was still far too authoritative.
After the video was successfully uploaded, Aemeath put down her phone, planning to go grab something to eat first.
Over an hour later…
When Aemeath took the cold noodles Uncle Li downstairs had made and returned to the living room, she happily slurped her cold noodles while opening up her homepage.
“Heavens…
everyone’s so enthusiastic~”
In just over an hour, her comment section was already exploding with messages.
Her follower count was skyrocketing too.
She’d gone from a small, unnoticed nobody to a minor blogger with tens of thousands of followers in an instant.
Of course, aside from praise and encouragement, there were also some dissenting voices.
For example, people asking if she was just re-posting other people’s audio to fish for attention.
To this, Aemeath’s choice was…
“Tomorrow, Little Snowfluff will have a late-night radio livestream.
Everyone remember to come support!”
After this update was posted, it directly racked up over a thousand comments.
Everyone was both surprised and delighted by this surprise livestream.
Of course, some corporate agencies also extended olive branches to her, but she rejected them all.
Writing songs — it was best done as the mood struck, following the heart.
If confined within a framework of rules, the songs would lose their true, original meaning.
At any rate, Aemeath’s virtual idol debut plan was a resounding success!
…
Guide to Surviving in Another World, Rule Four: Going it alone is, of course, a choice.
But banding together for warmth is the optimal solution.
Speaking of meeting Chisa and the others, Aemeath felt they really were all rather comical and unforgettable memories.
She knew Chisa.
On an ordinary day, she was a girl who seemed quite cold.
But beneath that cold exterior was a warm, earnest heart.
Though she sometimes did unexpected things — like swaggering past her classmates while hoisting a grill that looked like a piano.
So, when she saw Chisa leaning against the wall of a fast food restaurant with her eyes closed on a bustling street, she immediately decided to go over and confirm.
“Hey, Chisa, are you…”
Before Aemeath could even finish her sentence, Chisa toppled straight onto her.
Aemeath looked closely.
Oh, brilliant.
This wasn’t resting her eyes.
She was about to faint from hunger!
Allowing no time for further thought, she immediately supported the nearly-starved-unconscious Chisa and walked into the fast food restaurant, ordering her a meal with sufficient portions.
Half an hour later…
“Saved…
thank you, Aemeath.” Chisa ladylike-ly wiped her mouth with a napkin and thanked Aemeath across the table with gratitude.
“No biggie, no biggie.
But, speaking of which, how many days had you gone without eating?” Aemeath waved her hand, then asked with concern.
“The way you ate just now, you looked like a starving ghost reincarnated.”
Though the simile wasn’t the prettiest, at least it very vividly captured the way Chisa had wolfed down her food just moments before.
“…Four days.” Chisa answered, her cheeks red.
So she’d basically just been brute-forcing through it on a Solaris superhuman physique?!!
“It looks like Aemeath has already found a stable foothold here?” Seeing that the Aemeath before her was very energetic, Chisa immediately guessed she’d already found a reliable shelter.
“I guess so?
I was taken in by a kind-hearted person.
Recently I’ve also been livestreaming on this world’s video platforms to earn money.
I’ve already got close to a hundred thousand followers!” Aemeath shared her recent situation with her.
Chisa’s eyes lit up, but she suddenly seemed to want to say something, then hesitated.
She looked a bit torn.
“All full?” Aemeath asked, her eyes holding a smile.
“Full.” Chisa nodded lightly.
“Then come on.
I’ll take you home.”
“Is…
is that okay?” Chisa was a bit hesitant.
She wasn’t the type who liked imposing on others.
“If it’s inconvenient, Aemeath, you don’t need to force yourself…”
“What do you mean inconvenient~?” Aemeath poked Chisa’s little round face.
“Going it alone might indeed be a choice.
But in a strange world with no one to rely on, banding together for warmth is the optimal solution, don’t you think?”
Chisa froze for a moment.
Then, with a warm smile, she accepted Aemeath’s proposal.
“Alright.
I’ll be imposing, then.”
And just like that, Chisa became the first guest in that small apartment.
The meeting with Linae wasn’t quite so lovely.
This girl had been a frequent flyer on Mr.
SIGMA’s penalty list back at Startorch Academy.
After arriving in this world, she had, unsurprisingly, been caught by traffic police for speeding.
When Aemeath saw her, she was scratching her head awkwardly while receiving criticism and education from the traffic officer.
If things proceeded normally, that motorcycle of hers — who knew where it came from — would definitely be impounded.
She might even be invited to the police station for tea.
Driving without a license plus speeding.
The debuff stack was maxed out.
“Officer?
What’s happened here?” Aemeath immediately went up beside the officer to make her face familiar.
“Ah, it’s Aemeath.
If it’s small talk, it’ll have to wait.
I’m working right now.” The officer, who looked around thirty or so, said warmly.
This girl was quite famous around their precinct.
Not only had she helped the police catch thieves, she’d also occasionally come by as a volunteer to help direct traffic.
He’d seen her a few times.
Not only was she as pretty as if she’d walked right out of an anime, her heart was also especially kind.
His impression of her was excellent.
“Hm?
Are you educating this young lady?
I’m sorry, officer.
She’s my friend, Linae.
Just came here from abroad.
It’s my fault too — I didn’t get around to teaching her the traffic rules here right away.
So sorry for causing you trouble!” After this stream of explanation, Aemeath pulled the still-bewildered Linae and together they bowed deeply to the officer.
Linae: I have no idea what’s going on, but bowing along is the right move.
The officer looked at these two pretty girls obediently admitting their fault before him and let out a soft sigh.
“Let it slide this once.” The officer chose to handle it leniently.
“But later you’ll need to bring your friend here to the station.
I’ll teach her the relevant traffic laws.”
Aemeath finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed they’d moed their way through.
…
After coming out of the police station.
“I’m truly, terribly sorry, Aemeath!
I caused you huge trouble!” Linae pressed her palms together and bowed in apology to Aemeath.
“You should be glad you were only speeding and didn’t hit any pedestrians.” Aemeath said with a serious air.
“Otherwise, even I wouldn’t have been able to fish you out.”
Linae scratched her face sheepishly, repeatedly promising that she absolutely wouldn’t do this again next time.
“Come on.
Let’s go home.” Aemeath switched back to her usual gentle smile and said to Linae.
“Mm!
Whose home?”
“My home!”
“Really, really?!” Linae’s eyes shone.
She even bounced twice in excitement, looking incredibly thrilled.
The past few days since she’d crossed over, she’d been using the sky as her blanket and the earth as her bed.
She hadn’t even taken a shower.
Right now she was sticky and uncomfortable, to the point of death.
“Really~ hurry up, let’s go.” Aemeath narrowed her eyes and smiled.
“Yay!
Long live Aemeath!” Linae flying-tackle.jpg.
Aemeath truly lived up to being an honors student of the Rabelle College.
She steadily caught Linae as she pounced.
Aemeath’s little nest — member count +1!
The last one, Sigrika, was actually the most reassuring of these companions.
And the time span was also the longest.
Aemeath found traces of Sigrika on a short video platform on the sixth day after arriving here.
In the video, she was in the zoo’s bird section, using her sweet, charming smile to introduce every kind of bird to the children behind her.
She looked like she was doing quite well.
But a family, after all, had to be complete.
So she immediately set out.
After confirming Sigrika’s specific location, she rushed over to find her.
By the time she reached the zoo, night had already quietly fallen.
Aemeath conducted a carpet search of the zoo’s surroundings and interior.
Finally, on a bench, she found her — lying there like a sleeping beauty.
May.
The weather was gradually growing hotter.
Mosquitoes were also beginning to stir at this time.
Sigrika slept very soundly.
So soundly that even when mosquitoes raised several red welts on her delicate legs, she didn’t notice at all.
Aemeath didn’t proactively wake her.
She just silently sat beside her and quietly waited for her to wake up.
As if moved by some heartfelt intuition, not long after Aemeath arrived, Sigrika awoke from her deep slumber.
Then she sat up from the bench.
Those big, glistening eyes met another pair of eyes, sparkling like stars.
“Good morning, Sigrika~” Aemeath smiled and pinched her little cheeks.
That pinch — better not to have done it.
The moment she pinched, the other’s tears came out.
Sigrika threw all decorum to the wind and threw herself into Aemeath’s arms, crying “wuuwuu.”
Only then did Aemeath understand.
That smile in her videos had been masking the terror and unease of arriving in this world all alone.
Stripped of power, stripped of family, stripped of friends — all alone.
This was far more frightening and despair-inducing than when Sigrika had faced her other self in the Academy’s dark side.
She could only rely on her hobby to temporarily pull herself away from that fear and unease, and along the way give herself a sliver of hope for the future.
Six days.
Neither long nor short.
Yet it was enough for Sigrika’s hopes for the future to gradually wear away.
Every sunrise and sunset made her hope kindle and extinguish again and again.
Under this ceaseless cycle, her soul had long since been utterly exhausted.
Aemeath felt she had come too late.
Yet she also felt she had come just in time.
At the very least, at the end of this story, she had steadily caught this lovely girl who was about to plunge into the abyss.
At this moment, the last puzzle piece of this home had been found.
It was time to bring this adorable and pitiable future Sixth Seat of the Esoteric Order back home.
…
Guide to Surviving in Another World, Final Rule: Even if longing turns into sickness, do not go disturb his life.
“I think we shouldn’t go disturb him.”
One sentence from Aemeath poured a bucket of cold water directly over the three girls chatting animatedly on the sofa.
Once the four girls from Solaris had successfully assembled, the matter of finding the real-world Rover himself had naturally been put on the agenda.
But now Aemeath had raised an objection.
Even though the Rover meant more to her than he did to the other three.
He was the guiding light who had brought her warmth in those gray, dark days.
The family she was to protect with her whole life.
“I don’t get it, Amy.
Does the Rover not welcome us?” Linae was straightforward by nature.
Her first thought was — could it be that the Rover of this world didn’t welcome their arrival?
Aemeath folded her arms across her chest and shook her head.
“In that case, if we took the initiative to find him, Senior should be very happy, right?” Sigrika’s voice was soft and syrupy.
“Why say it’s disturbing him?”
Chisa didn’t speak, but her slightly dimmed gaze delivered a silent questioning to Aemeath.
“…I know.
Everyone probably has quite a few objections to my decision.” Aemeath deliberated for a long time before slowly speaking up.
Her fingers, where no one else could see, had clenched around her own arm.
Deep red finger marks were instantly imprinted onto her fair skin.
Aemeath’s wish was very simple.
She only wanted the Rover to live safe and happy — whether in Solaris or in the real world.
So…
“But why don’t you all take a look at this first?”
Aemeath opened Wuthering Waves on her phone and showed the game’s contents to the three girls.
The three girls were collectively shocked seeing the Rover appear on the game screen.
Only then did they understand — here, the Rover and the world they inhabited were nothing more than a game created by a creator.
And outside the game, anyone could be the Rover.
If that was the case, then the difficulty of finding the Rover would be no different from searching for a needle in the ocean.
But clearly, this was not Aemeath’s core reason for choosing not to disturb the Rover.
“Explaining it in a way everyone can understand right now,” Aemeath explained, her voice slightly deep, “we’re currently no different from virtual idols.
And as idols, while being sought after, we’re also watched, scrutinized, even stalked.”
Since arriving in this world, Aemeath had seen quite a few cases of idols being stalked by sasaeng fans.
That kind of person did things without considering the consequences.
Even if they severely affected their idol’s life, they were utterly without self-awareness.
“Perhaps in Solaris, Rover could swiftly and decisively resolve any trouble.
But what if, in this world, he’s just an ordinary person living a quiet life?”
This was Aemeath’s true worry.
The Rover of this world was no longer that savior who carried everything on his back, but just an ordinary person living a peaceful life.
Maybe he’d be like those old folks in the alley — wearing flip-flops and big undershirts, running his own little business.
Or like those nine-to-six corporate drones squeezing onto the subway, working diligently every day to earn his pay.
Or perhaps like them, a student still completing his studies, currently racking his brains over his academic tests.
If he truly wasn’t happy enough, then the moment they were forced to cross over, they should have descended right beside him, bringing him the happiness he longed for!
Not scattered to the four winds, displaced and homeless!
(In truth, Xiao Ling had already been living a shameless honeymoon-two-person-life with Denia by this point.
So Bro Ling, you motherf***er, get over here and die!)
Aemeath only felt her heart clenching in pain.
It hurt so much tears were nearly spilling out.
With great, great effort, she forced those tears that were about to overflow back down.
This was completely different from that parting.
That time, it was only that they couldn’t meet.
This time, it was that they mustn’t meet.
The spiritual wound the latter dealt her was far greater than the former.
A deathly silence.
She no longer needed to say more.
Sigrika and the others had long since understood the reason that truly drove Aemeath to make this decision.
Every girl present wanted to see the Rover.
But they also all wished for Rover to live happy and well.
When these two wishes came into conflict, they would likewise choose the latter without hesitation.
Sigrika quietly walked over in front of Aemeath, then gently wrapped her arms around this girl who was suppressing her true feelings.
Then Chisa.
Finally, Linae.
With every addition of warmth in her arms, Aemeath’s heart hurt even more.
As if being sliced open inch by inch with a small knife, fresh red blood flowing out.
She had prepared a magnificent shackle for these girls.
They knew it clearly, yet they still silently put it on.
And so from that day onward, no one proactively brought up the matter of finding the Rover again.
As if it had never happened.
…
“I’ve met Senpai.”
When Aemeath heard this sentence from Chisa, the shackle she had worked so hard to put on herself was easily torn open with a crack.
“…For real?”
“My senses don’t lie.”
Chisa’s gaze was very determined.
Aemeath knew she wasn’t the type to joke about important matters.
An impulse instantly surged up in her — to throw everything aside and go find him.
But she forcefully crushed it back down.
Calm down, Aemeath.
You’ve grown up now.
You’re a sensible child.
“This is something we should wait until everyone’s back to discuss together.
It’s still too early to talk about it now.”
So the topic was shelved again.
Time then passed in the blink of an eye to the moment of the evening meal together.
Linae looked very happy.
She was ceaselessly recording this world’s beautiful scenery.
Oh dear, how come her hair was being blown all over the place by the wind?
Haha, so funny.
Xixi was still the same as ever, so fond of birds.
The moment different kinds of birds were mentioned, her eyes seemed set with stars — sparkling, twinkling.
Chisa had also found something she loved doing.
Though her culinary skills might still leave something to be desired, at least her progress was huge.
No doubt before long she’d be able to make delicious meals too.
So exciting~
Aemeath looked at the three girls chatting with smiles on their faces and couldn’t help breaking into a gentle smile of her own.
What would the Rover be doing at this moment?
Probably shouting “finally off work!” and then crashing headfirst into his bed?
Or maybe yawning as he tidied up his stall and closed up for the day?
Perhaps, at the end of a day of classes, he’d be complaining to his good friend that today’s test problems were so hard he couldn’t even keep writing?
At the very least, right now, he should be just as happy as we are, right?
But still…
as expected…
“What are you thinking about?” Aemeath’s wandering mind was discovered by Chisa.
Aemeath came back to her senses and found everyone staring at her.
Although it had been said they couldn’t bring up the matter of finding the Rover, still…
“…I miss him.” She said softly.
Then, a bit sheepishly, she continued burying herself in her food.
The sounds of laughter and chatter around them vanished too.
Only the sound of chopsticks clinking against ceramic bowls remained.
‘Aahh…
the mood’s gone cold.’ As expected, she shouldn’t have let her own feelings affect everyone’s mood.
Chisa watched Aemeath eating in silence and suddenly felt there was no longer any need to discuss this matter.
And so, Xiao Ling’s phone received a message from Chisa.
Chisa: Senpai.
Chisa: Can you come over?
Chisa: Aemeath said…
she misses you.
When Xiao Ling saw this message, his heart clenched sharply — exactly the same as when he’d watched Aemeath sacrifice herself back then.
Chisa quickly received a reply.
Xiao Ling: Give me the address.
I’ll come over tomorrow.
…
The interweaving of two parallel lines happened after those three steady, firm knocks on the door.
Aemeath was actually a bit puzzled.
This kind of knock shouldn’t be Linae or the others.
When they knocked, it was lighter and quicker — a tap-tap-tap sound.
If it was an elder like Granny Lin, they usually only knocked twice.
This kind of knock — she was hearing it for the first time.
Still, out of politeness, she still called out “Coming!” and trotted over to open the door.
When she saw that tall figure standing beyond the doorway, she felt as if time itself had stopped.
He looked so lame, really.
His hair was all messy like a bird’s nest.
His clothes were loose and saggy.
Completely without the sharp, capable edge Rover had.
Yet inside his eyes was clearly that gentleness and consideration she was so achingly familiar with.
Come to think of it, should she have changed into something a bit more formal?
Oh right, and she should’ve tied up her hair!
A reunion like this was just way too embarrassing!
The boy standing before Aemeath’s eyes wore a smile at the corner of his mouth.
He used those somewhat rough, big hands to gently stroke her head.
A very familiar sensation.
When she was little, he’d often ruffled her head like this too.
“Aemeath.”
That figure she’d once yearned for day and night finally, at this moment, overlapped with the big boy before her.
“I’m here to take you all home!”
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