A faint sound rang out in the silent room, accompanied by soft, intermittent rolling noises. A light white star fell into his palm. He popped it into his mouth and carefully savored the sweetness spreading across his tongue. Then came another faint, crisp sound. He put away the Candy box, opened the door, and stepped into a silence identical to that within the room, carrying with him a sweetness like incense.
Before long, that sweet scent mingled with the faint floral fragrance lingering in the hall.
"Finished?"
"Mm."
Having received a definite answer, the girl flicked the blood from her blade and sheathed it. As she moved with practiced efficiency, her cherry-colored hair swayed gently like falling cherry blossoms.
"Phew... Just like always, missions are so easy whenever I'm with you... Wang."
Perhaps because the mission was already over, the girl adjusted her breathing, hesitated for a moment, then spoke with a stiff expression and forced casualness, desperately trying to make conversation.
Clearly, even she found those words difficult to say.
"The mission isn't over yet. Don't call me that."
He merely reminded her calmly, then glanced at the small pale-blue Forget-me-not flowers stained with blood on the ground before shifting his gaze back to her.
"That habit isn't good."
He was referring both to the little flowers called Forget-me-nots that she left behind and to the faint floral scent that clung to her from carrying them for so long.
For people like them, neither was a good habit.
"We're both guilty of that."
The girl answered him without any politeness. After all, the sweetness on him was far stronger than the floral scent on her.
"Let's go."
He did not dwell on the subject. He simply turned and left, and the girl naturally hurried after him, walking at his side.
"Aren't you going to check on those children? There might be someone you know among them."
She was trying to make conversation again. Under normal circumstances, she would not have asked such a question—he quickly realized that.
Still, he answered her.
"No need."
He said it calmly.
"None of that matters anymore."
Even if there were familiar faces among those children, so what? It would only remind him once again that the church from back then had never changed, and that the children inside had never been saved... nothing more.
But now... none of it mattered anymore.
The girl clearly realized that she had brought up a bad topic. Her expression stiffened even further. She wanted to say something to make up for it, yet had no idea what to say.
"..."
In the end, she could only remain awkwardly silent as she walked with him into the shadows. Before long, both of them vanished from sight.
Only much later did someone awaken from unconsciousness. Seeing that all the people who had once owned this "garden" had become corpses, he called the police in extreme panic.
Soon, the police entered this once-forbidden "private garden."
"This is truly... surprising."
An officer stared at the scene before him. After holding it in for a long time, that was all he managed to say. It was unclear whether he was marveling at this "garden" high up in a skyscraper or lamenting the people who had died here.
"Who called the police?"
That was what the officer in charge shouted.
"I... I did."
A handsome young boy hesitantly stepped forward and answered timidly. He seemed afraid of the officers and even somewhat resistant to interacting with them. There also seemed to be many scars on his body, some faint and some deep.
"Name?"
"...My name is Wright, Officer."
As the saying goes: When a woman pursues a man, ()
"..." x2
The two walked down the street like close friends who had just finished visiting the bustling night market and were heading home... Ah, considering their genders, perhaps they were boyfriend and girlfriend instead~ Though the girl's expression was rather stiff. Maybe something embarrassing had happened during their date?—quite a few people instinctively came to that conclusion.
Of course, no one would have guessed that these two, strolling about so leisurely, had just finished killing people. They did not look like murderers or assassins at all. Instead, they looked more like foreign tourists visiting the area.
As for why the girl's expression was so stiff, it was naturally because she was struggling with how to start the next conversation... Honestly, asking this straightforward girl to kill people was fine, but making small talk? She really could not do that...
"Tap—"
Just as the girl was fretting over what to talk about, she heard another faint sound beside her. She shifted her gaze slightly and, sure enough, saw him eating candy again.
So she took the opportunity to speak.
"Eating candy again?"
"...Mm."
"Don't you eat a little too much? The sweet smell on you is already impossible to hide. That isn't a good habit... And watch out for cavities."
"...Mm."
She was forcing conversation—he could feel it clearly. He could even notice from the corner of his eye that after saying that, the girl's stiff expression had gained a faint blush... Apparently, she also thought what she had just said was strange.
She had not been like this before—he was somewhat puzzled. Although they cared for each other after missions or during breaks in the past, they had never said such slightly "strange" things.
"Tap—"
While thinking, he unconsciously opened the Candy box and fed himself another piece of candy.
"Can I try one?"
As she spoke, the girl reached toward the Candy box in his hand.
"To be honest, I quite like sweets, so I wanted to taste one."
It was as though she were explaining why she wanted to do this.
"If it tastes good, I'll buy some for Ling too. She likes them as well."
As if still worried, she added that last sentence.
"Click!"
However, whether because of the girl's action or because some part of what she said had touched a taboo, he abruptly snapped the Candy box shut and tucked it into the inner pocket of his clothes.
He even took half a wary step back, looking extremely protective of his food.
"..."
The girl froze, and even her already stiff expression was nearly about to fall apart.
She had stepped on another landmine—the girl realized this, feeling both anxious and dejected inside... She really was bad at this!
"Sorry." x2
They spoke almost at the same time, then both froze again.
She was apologizing for her sudden strange behavior, while he felt sorry for his excessive reaction.
"Pfft... Hahaha..." x2
Soon, both of them began to laugh softly. They clearly understood why the other was apologizing, and the previously strange, awkward atmosphere relaxed.
Thinking about it carefully, they were not just colleagues, comrades, and partners. They were friends too.
Being friends did not need to be so complicated.
Well... though in certain matters, there were still some unique feelings involved, such as... shyness?
"..."
She shook her head somewhat helplessly. Her pink hair swayed with the motion, carrying a faint floral fragrance. She sighed softly inside and buried that difficult-to-say invitation in her heart.
"...Here, this is for you."
After hesitating for a moment, he seemed to understand something. He took a Candy Bag from another inner pocket of his clothes and placed it in her hand.
"And... sorry."
He was apologizing for his excessive reaction just now. This bag of candy was both a gift for her and an apology.
"...Thank you?"
For a moment, she did not know what to say and responded somewhat blankly.
Having received her answer, he seemed to relax slightly, and his body loosened up.
What was that... So you're the same too—seeing him like this, the girl thought to herself, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.
Her fingers moved lightly, and the small Candy Bag gave a somewhat delicate texture. It did not seem like the kind of style someone like him would carry or buy. Its pale pink color also seemed to suggest that this bag was special.
She untied the drawstring, took out a candy wrapped in paper, pinched both sides of the wrapper between her fingers, and gently pulled outward.
Then she peeled it open, revealing a white star resting quietly inside.
She placed it in her mouth and felt sweetness gradually spread across her tongue.
Honestly, it was quite ordinary. There was no special flavor, only the simple taste of "sweet," much like holding a piece of rock sugar in one's mouth.
Yet unexpectedly, she found the taste rather nice.
"It's pretty good."
She smiled faintly as she said that to him.
A faint floral fragrance drifted over with her words, but now it carried a trace of sweetness as well.
"I'm glad you like it."
"I think Ling would like it too. I'll buy some for her when I get back."
"...Mm."
"..."
They had run out of things to say again.
The awkwardness that had only just faded seemed ready to spread once more.
Ah... As expected, making her find topics to talk about was just too difficult.
"...If there's something you want to say, you can say it directly."
Before you continue