Saying Goodbye / I Can't Bear to Let You Go (1/5)

I was really, truly happy.

But... there was no one left to snatch her cigarettes away.

Although Seele and Bronya liked her very much as well, they also held a certain reverence toward her, so they would never do something like that.

—Only he, only he would act like that.

Cocolia even remembered one time when she had lost a power struggle with Anti-Entropy's upper ranks. Feeling bitter and resentful, she returned to the Orphanage and drank heavily. The children all stood far away, watching her with worried expressions, yet not a single one dared to come up and speak to her.

Oh, no, that was not quite right. She remembered Seele seeming to have told her not to drink at the time, but she had already been drunk and had not listened to Seele at all.

Only Ishiu had walked right up to her then, forcibly snatched the bottle from her hand, and when she tried to take it back, chopped her on the forehead with the edge of his hand.

Then... she threw up.

In the end, Ishiu had cleaned the filth off her and taken her to the bedroom to sleep.

As she recalled all those things from the past, Cocolia found that her emotions had gradually settled down.

That was right. Whether that person was her child or not, she had to find him. Even if it cost her everything, she would do it!

Wasn't that right?

Yet the composed Cocolia instantly welled up with tears when she heard Ishiu call out, "Mom."

She could no longer hold it in. She sprang up from the sofa and rushed toward Ishiu. Even when she accidentally caught her leg on the corner of the table while running, she did not care in the slightest. Only after she reached him and bent down to pull him tightly into her arms, feeling his warmth and heartbeat once more, did Cocolia's tears slide down her cheeks and drip, drop by drop, onto Ishiu's neck.

"Ishiu... Ishiu... Ishiu..."

She had thought that when she saw Ishiu, she would have so much to say, so much to ask.

She wanted to ask how he had come out of the Sea of Quantum, whether he had been doing well all this time, why he had not come back, why he...

A thousand words caught in her throat. All she could do now was repeat Ishiu's name, as though afraid that this was all just a dream and the person in her arms would shatter like a bubble.

But thankfully, this was not a dream.

Because she could clearly feel a pair of hands tightly embracing her from behind, and that familiar voice came from against her chest.

"Mom... you're... suffocating me..."

After narrowly escaping with his life from Cocolia's chest, Ishiu swore in his heart that he would definitely find a flat-chested wife in the future. Otherwise, if he ever died from suffocation one day, that would be way too ridiculous!

Farewell

After a while, Ishiu sat awkwardly in Cocolia's lap. Feeling the strange gaze coming from Kiana across from him, he really wanted to crawl into a hole.

Damn it!

He really was not a mama's boy!

It was not like he wanted his mom to hold him. If he dared refuse, she would immediately start crying. How was he supposed to refuse after that?

"Cough, cough... So, Auntie, are you the director of the Orphanage Ishiu mentioned? And also Ishiu's 'mom'?" Kiana asked Cocolia with some hesitation.

To be honest, Cocolia's crying and laughing while holding Ishiu just now had really startled her.

But once she came back to her senses, she felt envious. At the same time, she silently offered her blessings for Ishiu's reunion with his family.

She could not help imagining what it would be like if she met her stinky old dad.

She thought about it, and an image quickly came to mind.

—She would be holding a gun in one hand and a baseball bat in the other, chasing after Siegfried while beating and cursing him.

Yep, that was quite a vivid image.

"That's right. My name is Cocolia. Thank you for taking care of Ishiu these days." Although Cocolia had wiped away her tears, her eyes were still red. However, there was a smile on her face.

"Haha, I didn't really take care of him that much..." Upon hearing that, Kiana immediately scratched her head and laughed foolishly. After all, she knew her own situation. Forget taking care of Ishiu—she was practically being kept by him.

Ishiu rolled his eyes but did not expose her. He should at least leave her some dignity in front of his mom.

"Um... Miss Kiana, right? Could you give Ishiu and me some privacy? I'd like to talk to him for a bit."

"Sure, sure, of course. I'll head out right away." Kiana hurriedly nodded, then threw Ishiu a look full of unclear meaning before cheerfully trotting out the door.

With Kiana gone, the living room immediately became somewhat quiet.

Ishiu shifted his body, feeling the extreme softness against his back. His embarrassment made his face flush, and he could not help whispering, "Um... Mom, could you put me down first? This isn't really appropriate..."

"What isn't appropriate?" Cocolia wrapped an arm around Ishiu's waist, rested her chin on his shoulder, and gently rubbed her cheek against his. "You're my son. Can't I even hold you?"

"Uh... fine. You're the boss, Mom. But don't let Seele and Bronya know, or it'll be way too embarrassing." Ishiu pouted.

"Hehe, all right. Mom promises. This will be our little secret, and we won't tell anyone, okay?" Cocolia chuckled. Burying her face in Ishiu's neck, she took a deep breath.

"Ishiu... you really came back... This isn't a dream..."

Ishiu had still felt a little uncomfortable, but upon hearing Cocolia's dreamlike murmur, the softest part of his heart was instantly struck. He pursed his lips and replied in the gentlest voice he could manage.

"Yeah, I'm back."

Half an hour later, Ishiu told Cocolia about his experiences in the World Bubble and everything that had happened after arriving in Changkong City, clearing up some of her doubts.

Of course, Ishiu did not tell Cocolia about A. A had asked him to keep it secret, so he could only make up an excuse. It was a little forced, but since Cocolia did not understand the situation in the Sea of Quantum, she could only believe him.

"Ishiu, you've really suffered." After hearing about Ishiu's experiences in the World Bubble, Cocolia stroked his face with a pained expression.

Since it was hard to explain that his abilities had all come from the system, he said that he had learned his skills in that World Bubble. Naturally, Cocolia felt heartbroken for him.

"It's fine, it wasn't hard. Didn't I come back safe and sound?" Ishiu turned to Cocolia with a grin. "Oh, right. Seele and Bronya, and Rosaliya and Liliya—are they all doing okay?"

"...Yeah, they're all fine. It's just that because of what happened to you, they've been very down lately." Cocolia pursed her lips and instinctively looked away. Her voice was a little strange, but because Ishiu had no guard up around Cocolia, he did not notice that detail.

"Well... there was nothing I could do about that. It would've been nice if I could've come back sooner." Ishiu scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.

"It's fine. This isn't your fault. It was my oversight—I forgot to prepare an identity and money for you while you were outside." After thinking for a moment, Cocolia took a card from her pocket and handed it to Ishiu. "There's some money on this card. It isn't much, but it should be enough for you. The password is six zeros. Don't go work part-time jobs anymore. I'll also handle your identity issue as soon as possible."

"Okay, thanks, Mom." Ishiu did not refuse and accepted the bank card with a smile. So this is what being a mama's boy feels like? Bring it on even harder!

"Silly child, why are you thanking your own mom?" Cocolia chuckled, poking Ishiu on the forehead with a finger as she scolded him affectionately.

"Oh, right. Is there anything here you need to pack?" Cocolia asked Ishiu, as though she had suddenly remembered something.

"Hm? What things?" Ishiu asked in confusion.

"Your things here, of course," Cocolia said. "We're heading back soon. Aren't you going to pack?"

"Ah..."

Ishiu blinked, only then realizing it. Right, he should be going back.

But... why was he not all that happy?

"Ishiu?" Seeing that he had remained silent for a long time, Cocolia called out to him in confusion.

"Um... Mom, can you give me a little more time?" Ishiu pursed his lips. "I want to say goodbye to my friends."

"The friends you're talking about are the little girl outside named Kiana, and... Raiden Mei, right?" Cocolia lowered her gaze. For some reason, her tone became strange when she mentioned Raiden Mei.

"Yeah. Is that okay?"

"...Of course. Now that I've seen you, it doesn't really matter whether we head back early or late." Cocolia fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Thanks, Mom." Ishiu grinned, turned to hug Cocolia, and rubbed his cheek against hers before jumping down from her lap. "Then I'll head out first. I'll be back in a little while."

"Okay. Be careful on the way. Go and come back quickly." Cocolia smiled, but the moment Ishiu closed the door and left, the smile vanished from her face, replaced by a grave and bitter expression.

Ah... Raiden Mei... Why? Why did you have to become friends with Ishiu?

Cocolia's emotions were incomparably complicated at that moment. She did not know how she would face Ishiu after this, but she would not stop her plan, because she... was a formidable leader.

(Meanwhile, Bronya was still on the plane heading over.)

Hope the illustration is okay (praying hands).jpg

Release Announcement

Ahem. After a month of adventure, this book was about to enter the hall of adulthood.

They say a book is like your own daughter, while putting it behind a paywall is like putting your daughter up for sale—and hoping the more people who buy her, the better. It was a rather hard feeling to describe.

But no matter what, it would go paid tomorrow. Given everyone's enthusiasm in the group, I might as well open up some bonus chapter rewards.

Tomorrow's release would have a guaranteed five updates.

Bonus update rules:

Every fifty blades: one thousand extra words,

Every five thousand in tips: one thousand extra words,

No upper limit, lasting one week.

The reason I set it at one thousand words is because I might release chapters at four thousand words each, or six thousand words each. It all depends on my mood, but there definitely won't be any less content, so please rest assured.

All right, that's all. It goes paid tomorrow morning at ten. Dear moms and dads, if you've got money, please show some support, subscribe, and save this child!

I Can't Bear to Leave You (1/5)

"Ishiu, why did you come out? Are you done talking with Auntie?" Kiana had been leaning against the stairwell railing when she heard movement behind her. Turning around, she realized that Ishiu had come out.

"Yeah..." Ishiu pursed his lips. Looking at Kiana before him and recalling every little moment they had spent together over the past month, he found himself unsure how to begin.

To be honest, Ishiu had always agreed with one saying: relationships between people were never measured by how long they had known each other.

He and Kiana had only known each other for a month, but their personalities suited each other perfectly, and they already saw each other as close friends.

He had known An for two years, yet they could not even be considered friends.

Originally, Ishiu had always wanted to work hard and save enough money to return to the Siberian Orphanage. But when Cocolia came directly to his door and wanted to take him back, he did not feel as happy as he had expected.

Of course, it was not that he did not want to go back. He wanted to see Seele and Bronya, Liliya and Rosaliya, and all the other children at the Orphanage again.

But he also did not want to part with Kiana and Mei.

"What's wrong? You look so worried. Don't you want to see your mom?" Seeing Ishiu's solemn expression, Kiana giggled and tugged at his cheeks, pulling the corners of his mouth into a smile. "You look better when you smile."

"Kiana..." Ishiu looked at Kiana, hesitated for a moment, then quietly said, "Um... I, I'm going back."

"Huh? Going back where?" Kiana froze, not understanding at first.

"I mean, I'm going back to Siberia with Mom." Ishiu spoke even more softly. Looking into Kiana's azure eyes, his heart was filled with reluctance to part.

"Ah..." Kiana's eyes widened. She was stunned for more than ten seconds before seeming to come back to herself and tapping her head. "Ah, right. You, you really should go back. Th-then congratulations, Ishiu. You can finally go home..."

"Kiana..."

"Ha, haha, why are you making that face? You're going home. Shouldn't you be happy?" Kiana absentmindedly scratched her head. A smile appeared on her face again, but this time, it was terribly forced.

Looking at the smile Kiana had forced onto her face, Ishiu did not know why, but his heart ached a little.

After a moment of silence, he spoke softly and sincerely. "I can't bear to leave you."

"..."

Kiana stared blankly at Ishiu. Her lips trembled, curling up one moment and down the next, while the expression on her face changed rapidly. She tried hard to restrain her emotions, but her eyes still reddened.

To keep herself from making a fool of herself, she hurriedly looked away and stopped looking at Ishiu. Her voice trembled as she said, "Y-you little brat, why, why are you suddenly saying something like that? Do you think that'll move me? Pah, pah, pah! That's disgusting!"

"Kiana..."

"Ugh, you're so annoying! If you're leaving, then hurry up and go. Do you think I'd be sad? What a joke. I've traveled all over on my own for years. I've been through countless goodbyes. Besides, we'll still be friends in the future, won't we?" As she spoke, Kiana simply turned around and looked back toward the sky. "Remember to call me after you get back. Don't you dare forget me, you little brat."

"I won't forget." Ishiu forced a smile. "Yeah, hearing you say that puts me at ease. We'll still be friends, and when I have time, I'll come back to see you."

"Mhm."

"Then I'll go find Mei. I want to say goodbye to her too. Oh, and my part-time jobs at the convenience store and McDonald's... I probably won't have time to tell the bosses myself, so help me apologize to them."

"Mhm, go on." Kiana did not turn around. She merely raised an arm and waved it.

"Okay." Seeing how carefree Kiana seemed, Ishiu did not know what else to say. He could only silently turn around and walk toward the stairs.