Chapter Thirty-Six: Searching for the Lost Flower Cart (Special Episode IV)

Happiness, at times, is truly something simple.

Watching the girl savor the rainbow candy, soft and fluffy like a cloud, gazing at her unguarded sweet smile, the boy’s lips unconsciously curved into a gentle arc.

Such a child…

He thought with a hint of nostalgia, perhaps recalling the days when he took his younger sister out for cotton candy, that simple and innocent joy. The initial resentment he felt because of the girl’s capriciousness had completely faded, replaced by an unexpected warmth as they spent time together.

Not bad.

He bit into his own rainbow candy—sweet, cloying, not particularly delicious—but within it was a heavy happiness, a distant memory impossible to trace.

It was a brother’s promise to his sister, a vow to hold hands and grow old together, and the only softness left in a heart now hardened like iron by the passage of naive youth.

“Brother, do you really not want me anymore?”

In a fleeting moment, the young lightbearer seemed to see the girl’s delicate face from his memories, watching pearl-like tears slide from her reddened eyelids, landing both on her and in his heart.

For reasons unknown, his nose suddenly felt sore.

“You’re crying.” The girl beside him spoke, a hint of confusion in her voice, pulling him from his reverie. “Though I don’t know why you’re crying, for the sake of the candy just now—here, take this tissue.”

“It’s nothing. I just remembered something,” Amy took the tissue Yuli handed him, gently wiping away the dampness at the corners of his eyes and the tracks of tears on his face, “something from long, long ago…”

“Was it your first love?” The girl watched him, intrigued.

“No,” the boy shook his head, “just things I can never recall again.”

“What a novel answer,” Yuli narrowed her eyes, her beautiful face unexpectedly showing a cat-like elegance and allure, “and truly a dishonest little brat.”

“Whatever you say.” Amy shrugged.

On any other day, he might have mocked the girl’s pretense at maturity or defended himself, but now he simply didn’t have the heart for it. The girl from his memory was about eleven or twelve, with black hair and eyes just like his own, wearing clothes both familiar and strange—styles utterly different from Hemtica or the whole world. The fabric wasn’t silk, nor satin, nor the linen common people used, but some material more textured and softer. The overall “kawaii” style radiated a warm hue unseen in this world, so out of place in a world slowly succumbing to darkness.

Who could she be?

His sister, perhaps…

But she was nothing like Yulia, and his memory couldn’t find any trace of her. Like a ghost, she appeared suddenly in his mind and vanished just as abruptly, leaving only a sense of loss and a deep ache behind.

Surely, surely she was important to him.

Yet… he had forgotten she existed.

His nose stung again, and his dark eyes grew moist.

“Do you need more tissues, crybaby big brother?” The girl looked up at him, not without concern, then sighed softly. “There’s plenty of tissues, but… if I walk around with someone who cries all the time, I feel like I’m a bit of a loser myself.”

“Come on—” she deliberately lengthened and raised her tone, “You’re not some little kid allowed to cry and win others’ pity and sympathy. Show a bit of manly spirit, will you!”

Amy was stunned, but the next moment his facial muscles twitched involuntarily.

“If you like her, just go for her,” the petite girl, with childlike innocence, uttered words even adults would hesitate to say. “If you don’t dare to pursue, what’s the point of saying you love her? In the end, your love is only that deep, your resolve only that strong. You can only sit here, wallowing in self-pity, crying, lost in your own world, shrinking back, unable to move forward—truly… it’s pathetic.”

You know nothing!

He wanted to retort instinctively, but after a brief pause, he simply nodded.

“You’re right, lacking even the resolve makes one deserve contempt.” Though Yuli’s words were unrelated to what he was thinking, the underlying principle was the same: wallowing in the past, self-pity, stagnation, will not change anything. Only genuine action can fill the void in his heart and heal that faint regret. “Thank you for the reminder.”

“Haha, that’s because I’m the omnipotent witch princess! Kneel before my skirt, young man.” The girl feigned maturity, but there was a unique charm in her expression.

“Well,” Amy responded to Yuli’s provocation by reaching out and placing his hand on her head, “maybe wait until you grow up a little more.”

—Pat pat.

The texture felt surprisingly nice.

“Amy Ulysses!” The girl’s expression, like a cat with bristled fur, stirred an indescribable joy in the young lightbearer’s heart. “You’ll regret this—absolutely—hm… what are you doing?”

She took two steps back, looking at him warily.

“You’ve turned into a little wildcat,” Amy laughed, shaking the rainbow candy in his hand. “Look at yourself, it’s all over your face, all colorful… just like a greedy little kitten.”

“Fine,” Yuli lowered her head, pondering something, then suddenly turned away. “For the sake of the rainbow candy, I won’t argue with you.”

“Thank you for your magnanimity, Your Highness Witch Princess.” The boy stepped back in kind.

“Well, well,” the little girl showed the pleased expression of a cat being scratched under the chin, “magnanimity, that’s a good word. Didn’t expect you to have such taste.”

“Still a child after all…” The young lightbearer murmured, his gaze passing over Yuli as she resumed licking her candy. He couldn’t help but recall the words mentioned earlier: “Cotton candy, perhaps similar to rainbow candy, but ‘kawaii’… I can’t make sense of it.”

Apparently, it means ‘cute,’ but how ‘kawaii’ and ‘cute’ are connected, whether there’s any deeper meaning… he was utterly baffled.

“Amy—” the girl suddenly called his name, “I want that!”

“That…” Amy followed her finger, seeing an ocean of vibrant colors. “That’s dream bubbles.”

“What’s wrong?” Yuli noticed his hesitation. “Is there a problem?”

“Dream bubbles clustered together are indeed beautiful, but if you buy just one, it’s merely a balloon that shifts colors. It rarely lasts more than three days. If you act on impulse, regret tends to follow.” The young lightbearer explained, “Of course, if you don’t mind the single color change and short lifespan, you could buy a few and try them out.”

“Then… let’s buy one first?” The girl hesitated, then reached out, “The shelf life doesn’t matter. I only have these few days to play anyway.”

Her voice unconsciously fell.

“Strict upbringing, huh.” Amy sighed. He could see Yuli was innocent, though in some ways oddly precocious. “Still, I think you should go out more… Surely Dick isn’t actually keeping you locked up?”

“No.” The girl picked out a bubble just bigger than her palm from the colorful sea, playing with it in her hands. “I just want her to stay with me as long as possible.”

“She’s your mother?” The boy asked.

“Sort of.” Yuli answered haltingly.

“Spend more time with her if you can,” the young lightbearer took his change from the vendor. “Unlike me, you still have the chance.”

A faint sorrow.

—Father, mother, sister… now only himself remains.

“Sorry…” The girl thought for a moment, then raised her unfinished rainbow candy. “Here, have some candy. Eat it and there’s no need to cry.”

“……”

How many times had he been left speechless by this little one called Yuli? Yet this time was different. What filled his heart was genuine gratitude.

“Ah—sorry.” Yet her next words shattered his emotion into dust. “I almost forgot I’ve already eaten it, so I can’t give it to you. Otherwise, wouldn’t we… wouldn’t we…”

Her cheeks were as red as an apple, betraying her feelings.

“It’s fine, I wouldn’t be the one losing out.” Amy laughed joyfully, but after a few breaths he let the smile fade, gently stroking the girl’s silky hair. “Still… thank you, Yuli, you really are a gentle child.”

“A child…” The girl’s eyes darkened. “I’m not a child.”

The boy nodded, feigning sudden realization: “Mm, a little grown-up.”

Tch—

Yuli spat softly: So perfunctory.

Yet she felt little resistance—unlike the caretaking relationship with Dick and the others, or the way everyone else indulged her, this lightbearer was the only one who treated her as an equal, even if the time was brief, even if he always saw her as a child and rudely patted her head. The time spent with him was truly, truly joyful.

But… no one knew better than her that he would vanish like a shooting star in the night.

Not for any other reason, but simply because “she” wanted him dead.

So—

His life was destined to be brief.

Bright as fireworks, yet fleeting.

The girl with black hair and eyes silently lifted her gaze, watching the fireworks bloom under the dim sky.

For reasons she could not name, her heart suddenly felt sore.