Death Puppet Shadow

On his day off, Lu Yao took Halo wandering out to the riverbank beyond the city, strolling between the willows and the footpath.

Many years ago, when he had first come to this city for school and passed by here in a vehicle, he had thought that walking by the river and feeling the breeze would definitely be pleasant.

Yet whether during his four years of university or after graduation, when he had switched seamlessly into being a working stiff, he had been so pulled around by studies, games, and work that he completely forgot about it. And whenever the thought so much as surfaced, he would quickly dismiss it again.

No time.

Too lazy to make the trip.

There were all kinds of reasons.

He had stayed so close to this place, yet had always kept it at the distance of a memory.

But now, that feeling from back then had vanished without a trace.

Lu Yao looked toward the street beside him. Buses were still passing by one after another, and every now and then he could see young faces by the windows. He wondered if any of them had once had the same thought he had back then, wanting to come over here for a walk someday.

He walked aimlessly along the river, feeling as if he were a willow leaf blown by the wind, drifting here and there just like that.

There were quite a few anglers along the riverbank. Each of them sat steady on a folding chair, fishing rod in hand, unmoving as a mountain.

In this world, there were anglers with clear goals, and there were also passing strollers.

Lu Yao figured that if he were the one sitting there being bitten by mosquitoes, he definitely would not be able to resist pulling