In My Dreams, Only That Sweetness Lingers

Xi Wang thought this as he drifted into a hazy sleep... Even though he could not escape in his dreams either, at least... it would feel a little better.

But then...

"Knock knock~"

It seemed someone was knocking on the wooden boards over the window again.

"Hello~"

It sounded like someone was greeting him.

"Knock knock~ Say something to me, okay~ Knock knock~"

This time, he heard it clearly. No one was knocking on the boards; someone was deliberately imitating the sound of knocking.

Xi Wang knew who it was, but he did not want to respond to her.

"Knock knock~ Please, please~ How about talking to me? I just got here, after all. Maybe I need a reliable guide~"

"Knock knock~ There's a cute girl knocking on your window, you know~ Knock knock~"

"Come to think of it, have you really been locked up here the whole time? You don't look like a bad kid."

"Knock knock~ Does this annoy you? If you don't say anything, I'll take it as permission to keep doing it~"

Though he gave her no response, she continued talking endlessly. She did not seem bored or displeased by Xi Wang ignoring her, and she kept her topics at just the right distance, never becoming irritating.

"Where were you before this? The other children said that the Priest brought all the kids here, but it seems I'm the only one who came here on my own... That makes me pretty special, doesn't it!"

"You came here by yourself?"

Xi Wang spoke for the first time.

"Oh, oh! You finally answered me! I told you~ How could anyone dislike a cute girl like me~"

She seemed very confident.

Xi Wang raised his head slightly and looked at her through the only remaining gap.

The dazzling sunlight outside shone over the tips of her pink hair. Her bright blue eyes held a faint, unusual shade of pink. Even with only a glimpse of her, he could tell that she had to be a cute and lively girl. Just as she had said, she truly was a very cute girl.

He did not know whether it was an illusion, but Xi Wang always felt as though she was glowing, making him instinctively want to retreat... Perhaps the sunlight outside was simply too brilliant.

Yet at the same time, he felt a strange longing. She was just so eye-catching, so radiant... Maybe it really was because the sunlight outside was too brilliant.

Xi Wang comforted himself. The fantasy that had instinctively risen within him was scattered, and he returned to the cold reality before his eyes.

"Hm?"

The girl who noticed his gaze looked pleasantly surprised, then somewhat confused. Part of it was because of his question, and part of it was because of him.

Especially his eyes, as calm as water. She seemed to see traces of gold faintly emerging in those dark pupils, like stars glittering in the middle of the night. It gave her the illusion that she had found someone like herself, but it all vanished in an instant, like a hallucination.

Still, she remembered that vague feeling, and became even more certain that he needed help.

So she spoke.

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

"...You should leave this place as soon as possible."

In the end, that was all Xi Wang said.

"Leave here. Go somewhere farther away."

"But I only just came here from somewhere very far away... Isn't it a little mean to chase me off already?"

"..."

"Cough, cough... I know you didn't mean it that way. I was just joking, that's all~"

"I know."

Xi Wang's voice remained calm.

"But I wasn't joking."

He genuinely wanted this girl to leave.

"This is not a good place to stay. Don't go to the Police Station here either. Leave this place and go farther away to find somewhere safe. If you can, find someone you know or someone you can trust, and tell them there are children here who need help."

It had been so long since he had spoken this much that his words came out somewhat haltingly.

"...Um, actually, I'm all alone, you know?"

"I know."

Because children who had someone with them would not come here.

"Actually, I'm pretty amazing too, you know?"

"Mm."

Because an ordinary child could not travel such a long distance alone.

"So you do believe that I came from far away all by myself!"

She suddenly became excited.

The abrupt shift in topic left Xi Wang somewhat confused.

"Let me tell you, the other children don't believe I came here alone. I told them all about the scenery in other places and the things that happened to me, in so much detail, but they just wouldn't believe me. The sisters were the same, so dismissive. And that Priest too—he obviously didn't take it seriously. It was like he'd been thinking about something else the whole time."

"Do you know? I once crossed a winter forest all by myself! White snow covered the ground like a pure white carpet, and the snowy forest seemed to glow beneath the sunlight! Hehe... I nearly got lost in the middle of it, but in the end, I met a kind person who led me out! His daughter was adorable too! She was only this little bit less cute than me~"

"Another time, I found a huge~ flower field. It was really, really huge. At first, I thought nobody was there, so I played there by myself for ages. Then I got caught by the owner... They didn't mind too much in the end, but I still helped take care of the flower field for a few days before leaving... It definitely wasn't because I wanted to stay there longer!"

"And once, I passed through a little town beside a lake. The lake was like a mirror, and at night it reflected the stars in the sky. You could even count the stars by looking at the lake! I fell asleep halfway through counting them, though... The people there were wonderful too! Everyone was so welcoming. They even treated me to a local snack, something like little biscuits topped with cream and jam. It was sweet with a tiny bit of saltiness, but it was delicious! Though when I got there, the mayor was discussing something with someone. It sounded like they were planning to renovate the town..."

"And then..."

She went on and on, describing the scenery she had seen, the people, events, and things she had encountered, vividly recounting her journey.

She was like heaven's favored child. Everything and everyone she encountered was good, and even when she ran into trouble, it was always resolved in the end.

Honestly, telling a child imprisoned here about the outside world had an oddly boastful feel to it. It felt like saying, Look, I can play outside, while you can only stay here~ It was almost like deliberately rubbing salt into his wounds.

But Xi Wang thought she probably had not considered that much. She simply wanted to share what she had seen and heard along the way with a child trapped here, one who had never been outside—just as she had told the children who had never left the church about her experiences.

So Xi Wang did not interrupt her. He merely waited until she paused to rest before reminding her again.

"You should leave."

Whether she intended to flee directly or rest at the church for one night first, she should have left by now. She had stayed with him long enough, and surely she had talked enough too.

"Ehh~ You're chasing me away after listening to my stories? That's so mean~"

"But now that I think about it, I probably should go... Mm-hm, I'll come again next time~"

"I hope that when we meet again, you won't be alone."

"..."

Outside the window, she blinked, then her eyes curved like crescent moons, revealing unmistakable delight.

"As expected, you're not a bad kid~"

Honestly, Xi Wang could not keep up with her train of thought.

"Oh, right, right! Since we're saying goodbye, can I ask you to tell me your name? Please, please~ That way, I can find you next time too~"

"..."

"Knock knock~ Please, please~ I'll tell you my name too~ We're friends now, after all~"

She deliberately imitated the sound of knocking against the boards again, speaking in a cheerful, teasing tone.

No, they were not friends yet, were they? They had only spoken for a little while, and most of the time, she had simply been talking to herself.

Still, Xi Wang did not care about that anymore. He only hoped she would leave quickly. Whether she escaped or stayed for one night to rest did not matter. Otherwise, when the Priest came over, things would probably end badly. Free time was about to end.

"Xi Wang. That's my name."

He spoke softly, then urged her again.

"You should leave."

"Hope... What an interesting name~"

She seemed to have thought of something amusing, and her tone rose unconsciously. Clearly, she understood that the Xi Wang he spoke of and the hope she had said were not the same word.

But when she realized once more what kind of environment he was in, she could no longer smile.

"As for me~ My name is Elysia. Just call me Elysia~ Don't forget me, okay~"

Her voice gradually faded away. Judging by where it went, she still intended to rest here for the night.

That was fine too.

Thinking that, Xi Wang closed his eyes and began to rest.

Night was about to fall, and... it would probably be as long as ever.

In Dreams, Only That Sweetness Lingered

You met a new friend. She was a cute girl named Elysia.

You earnestly urged the cute girl to stay away from this place, and she seemed to have taken your advice to heart... probably?

As a child capable of traveling long distances alone, Elysia clearly possessed abilities far beyond what her apparent age suggested, as well as an exceptional degree of independence. The Priest's attempts to lead her astray were deflected by her clever manner of handling things, and this church truly became nothing more than an ordinary stopover for her.

This gave the Priest quite a headache. Especially after someone above took an interest in Elysia, the Priest became even more irritable—how did you know? Naturally, you learned from the additional wounds that appeared each night and the Priest's murmurs while applying medicine.

What troubled you was that Elysia did not seem to have any intention of leaving for the time being. Though she went out every morning, disappearing to who knew where, she always returned in the afternoon and came to chat with you. Most of the time, she was talking to herself, but she simply talked too much, and for too long. Whether out of politeness or because you sincerely wanted to persuade her to leave, you had to respond a few times.

And every time she received a reply from you, she seemed very happy. Then she would leap to another topic and continue talking, leaving you helpless. All you could do was urge her to leave again and again.

Sometimes, you even wanted to get angry and emphasize your words in a stern, serious tone. If this continued, you could not guarantee that Elysia would not fall into the Priest's trap, just as you once had.