Winter New Year's Wish: Part 2

In the wind and snow, Kevin and Kosma strained to hold the wooden planks in front of them, trying to block the wind and snow blowing into the house. However, it was obvious that their strength was not enough to hold on until they could nail the planks to the wall. Soon, the storm blew them both over, and the planks they had been holding were blown far away.

Just as Kevin and Kosma were trying to get up, Qianjie, braving the fierce wind, walked forward with the planks and covered the large hole in the kitchen. However, the facial mask that Master Qian always wore on his face was blown off by the wind and stuck directly onto Kosma's face, along with two slices of cucumber on Kosma's eyes.

Kosma peeled the mask off his face and looked down.

"This is... Qianjie's..." He looked up again at Qianjie, who was hammering nails into the planks, and thought, "Come to think of it, I've never actually seen Qianjie's face. Every time, I've overlooked the important details because of this or that..."

Kevin was picking up the scattered planks, while Qianjie was hammering nails into the planks one by one. It seemed that neither of them noticed Kosma quietly walking towards Qianjie.

Kosma's expression was serious.

(The chance to reveal Qianjie's true face is now!)

Suddenly, Qianjie's hammering stopped. He turned around, and Kosma held his breath at that moment, thinking he was about to see Qianjie's true face.

"Kid, give me the nails," Qianjie, his face covered in snow and completely unrecognizable, extended his hand to Kosma.

Kosma: "..."

After the three of them temporarily blocked the large hole in the kitchen with planks and returned to the dark living room, Hua was on the phone with the power company: "Yes, okay, thank you..."

Elysia stood beside her and asked with some concern, "What did the power company say?"

Hua sighed softly and said with a headache, "The snow is too heavy, and the repair crew can't get through."

"Leave it to me!" Vill-V's eyes sparkled as she spun her wrench, and the next second she pulled out a drill. "Isn't it just welding circuits? Please leave it to the all-capable Vill-V with confidence!"

Seeing this, Hua and Su quickly stepped forward to hold Vill-V back. Hua pressed Vill-V onto the sofa and said, "Ah, this... sit down first, sit down..."

Su took the drill from Vill-V's hand and said, "Thank you, let's wait a bit longer..."

"Achoo!" Griseo sneezed. Kosma immediately draped the blanket in his hand over Griseo. Aponia helped wrap the blanket around Griseo.

"Kosma, it's so cold," Griseo said.

"I'll think of something else..." Kosma said as he began to think, "There should be a few more quilts in the attic... I wonder if Feng's room has any spare blankets or anything..."

Kevin walked to the fireplace and said, "Why don't we use the fireplace?"

A certain cat's ears twitched, and then she reacted, "The fireplace?!"

"That's right," Elysia agreed. "As long as we light the fireplace, little Griseo will be warm... but it seems like it hasn't been used in a long time."

The cat, who had been curled up in the corner, quickly pounced towards Kevin, who was squatting in front of the fireplace: "Ah, no, no, no!"

She had stuffed things into the fireplace...

Kevin indifferently pressed a hand on the cat's head. Kosma stepped forward and carried away Pardo, who was hiding in the mascot costume. As Pardo was being carried away, she shouted in panic, "Don't open it, absolutely don't open it!"

As soon as Kevin opened the fireplace, a pile of things fell out and knocked him to the ground, stirring up a lot of dust. A pink dress floated down and landed on top.

"What is all this stuff..." Kosma released Pardo, walked to the fireplace, and looked at the pile of things that had fallen out with some confusion.

"Oh, why is the little dress I gave you here?" Elysia stepped forward, picked up the pink dress, and shook it. She looked at Mobius and said, "Professor Mobius?"

Mobius, wrapped in a sleeping bag, turned her back and said, "How should I know?"

Sakura, holding her phone for light, was attracted by a magazine. She walked over, squatted down, and picked it up: "A photo album? Fashionable denim collection, special model is... Qianjie?!"

Attracted by Sakura's movement, the others looked at the contents of the book. Aponia glanced at it and then looked at Qianjie, saying, "Are you... moonlighting?"

Qianjie immediately sat up from the sofa, his eyes seeming to glow red: "Stop looking! You're asking for death!"

Elysia, enjoying the show, beckoned to the others, "Everyone, come quickly, it's Qianjie's photo album~"

"Hey!"

Hua was attracted by a beautifully packaged notebook in the corner. The notebook had many silver-stamped patterns of unknown meaning. She walked over, picked up the notebook, and looked at Kosma: "Kosma, is this your notebook?"

Hua's first thought was that this notebook was Kosma's, given its style.

Kosma looked over and was stunned: "This is... the limited edition commemorative notebook that I couldn't get before? This isn't mine..."

(Strange, I've never seen anyone else from the Golden Courtyard interested in these things. But this limited edition commemorative notebook is definitely not mine. Kevin, Qianjie, Su, and Feng don't seem like people who would be interested in these things. Whose is it? I must ask him/her properly later!)

The others also looked over and said it wasn't theirs.

So Hua flipped through a few pages of the notebook and then said, "This seems to be Feng's diary..."

Did Feng like this style of notebook? She had always thought Feng was like Kevin and Sakura, an ordinary office worker. No, Kevin would occasionally go play basketball with Su when he had time, so it was normal for Feng to have a hobby... She just didn't expect it to be the same type as Kosma's?

"Feng's diary?!" Elysia reacted first and crowded next to Hua, "I want to see, I want to see! Let me see~"

Hua held up the diary in her hand, preventing Elysia from getting it, and said, "A diary is, after all, someone else's privacy. It's not good to read it like this without permission, is it?"

Elysia tried to reach for the diary and said, "I just want to see what Feng usually thinks. He's always here and gone without a trace. When I want to find him, he's basically on a business trip... Hua, I'll just look at a few pages, okay~"

"We'll have to wait until Feng gets back."

Just as the others were either fooling around or distracted by other things, Kevin walked to the fireplace, squatted down, and stuck his head into the fireplace to look up. He found that there were still many things up there. He withdrew from the fireplace and looked around, trying to find anything useful. Suddenly, a model sword of Heavenly Fire Judgment next to the instant noodles caught his attention. Kevin reached out, took the Heavenly Fire Judgment, and then poked it upwards into the fireplace a few times.

Then a pile of books fell down along with the smoke and dust.

Su picked up a book that landed at his feet. After looking at the title "The New Transfer Student is Dangerous" and the illustration on the cover, he abruptly opened his always-narrowed eyes: "These characters... look a bit familiar..."

Griseo, who had been sitting on the sofa trembling, stiffened. Before she could react, the others had already been drawn over by the commotion.

"Let me see..." Kosma leaned over and looked at the contents of the comic for a few moments, his expression darkening.

Elysia, who seemed to have temporarily given up on getting someone's diary from Hua, also came over. After glancing at the contents, her expression became a bit teasing. "Oh my~"

Seeing more and more people gathering to read the manga, Griseo's face turned completely red, as if smoke was rising from her head. She waved her hands somewhat erratically and said, "Um... everyone, p-please stop looking!"

However, no one seemed to have any intention of stopping. Griseo quickly ran over to try and snatch the manga from Su's hands, but Su reacted faster. He instinctively dodged to the side, and Griseo missed, falling into a pile of manga. The impact caused other books remaining in the fireplace to fall down, burying Griseo within them. Along with the books, accumulated snow also fell.

Griseo poked her head out from the pile of books, looking at the others with a sulky expression.

"I feel like it's gotten colder than before," Hua said, completely oblivious to Elysia quietly moving behind her.

"Yeah," Sakura nodded.

Griseo puffed out her cheeks, and suddenly, as if struck by an idea, a lightbulb seemed to appear above her head.

A few minutes later.

On the burning books, there was a warm flame. Griseo seemed to think the fire wasn't big enough, so she threw another book into it, revealing a relieved expression.

Pardo reached out from her cat costume towards the fireplace. "Phew... it's so warm..."

"I didn't expect this fireplace to still be usable after so long," Aponia said with a hint of emotion.

Hua felt the gradually rising temperature in the room, then suddenly realized that Feng's diary was missing from her hands! She immediately looked at Elysia, only to see Elysia sitting on the sofa with an innocent expression, her hands empty. The honest child then shifted her confused gaze to others.

Did I lose it by accident because I wasn't paying attention? This won't do, it's Feng's diary... But the living room is too dark now. It seems I'll have to wait until morning to look for it. Hua thought to herself.

After roasting by the fire for a while, Griseo, who hadn't eaten dinner, looked at Pardo beside her. A fragrant smell seemed to fill the air. Unknowingly, Pardo, who was huddled in her costume, transformed into a can in her eyes. Pardo was still there saying, "I'm so hungry. I wish the fireplace could roast steak or sweet potatoes."

At this moment, Griseo, who had already hallucinated from hunger, unhesitatingly bit down on Pardo's leg!

"Waaahhhhhh!" Pardo screamed in pain. "You can't eat this! Everyone, think of a solution!"

Elysia looked towards the fireplace and sniffed lightly. "I think I smell food."

Mobius, wrapped in her sleeping bag like a penguin, held a test tube and habitually drank the reagent inside. Seeing this, she couldn't resist taunting Elysia. "Oh, are you already hallucinating from hunger?"

Although she seemed to smell it too, she wouldn't miss any opportunity to mock Elysia!

Pardo, who had finally managed to get Griseo to let go, also sniffed. "Wait... it really smells like braised beef!"

Everyone followed the scent and looked towards the fireplace. Kevin, who had been fiddling with something by the fireplace, turned around and said, "I made instant noodles, want some?"

The group immediately gathered around Kevin. Under Aponia's direction, they held empty instant noodle bowls, waiting for Kevin to ladle out the noodles from the large pot.

Although Master Qian, who seemed determined to bury his face in a magazine, would rather starve than come over to eat, he probably didn't want anyone to get their hands on the magazine he was holding.

At this time, outside the Golden Courtyard.

Two people rode snowmobiles, speeding across the snow. In a short while, they arrived outside the Golden Courtyard.

When they reached the entrance, they took off their helmets. It was Eden, whose flight was delayed, and Feng, whose business trip had been extended.

Eden looked at the dark villa and then helplessly at Feng, who had just parked the snowmobile and was taking things down from it. "The lights in the Golden Courtyard are all off. Everyone must have gone to sleep. It seems we came back too late."

Feng grabbed his belongings and also looked at the Golden Courtyard. "Griseo must be very disappointed..."

Eden looked at Feng, who seemed to have no expression, and then at her watch. At this time... with Elysia's personality, she shouldn't have gone to sleep this early, right? But why were all the lights in the Golden Courtyard off?

The two walked to the door and opened it, revealing the sight of the residents gathered around the roaring fireplace, slurping noodles.

Feng: "..."

Did Kevin lead all the residents of the Golden Courtyard astray with instant noodles? Even Elysia couldn't escape... Hmm? What is Elysia holding in her hand?

At this moment, the residents also noticed the two people standing at the door. They couldn't help but notice; when Eden opened the door, a cold draft blew in, so who wouldn't notice?

Elysia, who was just about to sneak a few peeks at someone's diary unnoticed: "..."

What... why did Feng come back with Eden? And he seemed to have noticed what I'm holding... How am I supposed to explain this to him now?

Feng didn't seem to get a clear look at what Elysia was holding. He just quietly closed the door, while Eden walked over to Elysia to understand the situation.

Elysia explained the current situation to Eden while secretly tucking someone's diary back under the sofa.

"I see. Fortunately, Pardo stocked so many instant noodles," Eden said, looking at a bowl of instant noodles Elysia had brought her.

"But why did Feng come back too? Wasn't his business trip postponed?" Elysia asked, confused.

Feng, who was holding his instant noodle bowl by the fireplace waiting for Kevin to serve him, turned his head and said, "Eden dragged me back directly from the hotel I was staying at."

Simply put, the place Feng was on his business trip was the same place Eden was. After Eden finished her video call with Elysia, she immediately went to find Feng. Although there was a lot of snow on the road, there was nothing Eden couldn't achieve with money. If there was, it meant she hadn't spent enough.

In short, with Eden's "help" through her financial power, Feng was dragged back to the Golden Courtyard before he could even finish his meal. He hadn't even had time to collect his luggage, only managing to pack some food. On the plane, Lilith said she would help him bring it back later...

"Wow, just as I expected from my good Eden~" Elysia happily hugged Eden. "Now all the residents of the Golden Courtyard are here!"

Eden and Feng's expressions became somewhat unnatural at this moment.

"Huh? Eden, what's wrong?" Elysia asked, confused.

"It's nothing, I just remembered something else," Eden made an excuse to cover it up.

In reality, on the return flight, Feng had mentioned his intention to terminate his lease, and Eden had told him to reconsider.

"Although you don't spend much time with everyone, everyone actually likes you a lot, especially Ai Li," Eden had said at the time. "If you choose to leave, Ai Li would be very disappointed, wouldn't she?"

"She's very enthusiastic towards everyone. Leaving would indeed make her a bit sad," Feng replied. "The reason I'm doing this is also for some work-related matters... But since you put it that way, I'll see then."

Eden sighed inwardly, Sorry Ai Li, I really did my best. Just how low is Feng's emotional intelligence? I was practically spelling out Ai Li's feelings for Feng, and this blockhead still didn't react. He really didn't react at all!

It's no wonder Lilith couldn't win him over all these years. I really don't know if I should call it luck or misfortune…

Feng set his instant noodles aside and took out the food he'd hastily packed from the bag he brought back. "Still, eating only instant noodles for New Year's Eve dinner is a bit too plain. I brought some food back, let's eat together. I left in a hurry, so I couldn't pack too much."

"Wow! Brother Yu Feng, I really admire you!" Pardo's eyes sparkled as she watched Feng put some food into the pot to heat up.

"What's there to admire?" Feng chuckled. "It's thanks to you, at least everyone didn't go hungry before you and Eden got back."

"Aiya, I'm not that amazing," Pardo said, looking at the dishes in the pot. "I got them from Boss Kevin too."

Feng: "……"

Never mind. He wasn't surprised. He didn't know how many things Pardo had "borrowed" from him. He wasn't even sure if Pardo had taken that diary, but since it didn't contain too many important things, he hadn't paid it much mind.

There was no way he would write his inner thoughts in a diary, especially knowing there was a cat in the villa who liked to swipe things!

Speaking of that diary, how did the notebook Elysia was holding earlier look so familiar? It looked exactly like his missing diary…

"From me? When?" Kevin was taken aback.

"When you first moved into the Golden Courtyard, Boss Kevin," Pardo said as she scooped dishes from the pot.

"That time…" Kevin mused, "Yeah, it's been quite a while."

"Indeed, time flies without us noticing. Everything feels like it happened just yesterday," Elysia said with a touch of emotion.

Just as everyone was feeling a bit nostalgic, Feng paused with his fork halfway to his instant noodles. He asked a crucial question: "I remember… Kevin, you arrived here a month before me, right? Are those instant noodles from back then… still edible?"

Everyone's slurping stopped.

Feng glanced at Kevin's expression, sighed, took the instant noodle bowl from Griseo, and spooned a generous amount of vegetables from the pot for her. "Maybe… eat a little less. Griseo, you shouldn't eat instant noodles for now."

After finishing their "dinner," it was getting late. However, due to the power outage in the villa and the unusually cold weather, everyone decided to just grab blankets from upstairs and spend the night by the fireplace.

"And this way, everyone will have spent New Year's together!" Elysia said.

As everyone drifted off to sleep, in the silent night, only the flames in the fireplace burned slowly.

Suddenly, a snowflake, falling from who knows where, landed on Kevin's face. Kevin woke up from his sleep to find the fire in the fireplace had gone out. Feng was by the fireplace, adding new fuel and relighting it.

"Did your business trip go smoothly?" Kevin walked over to Feng and sat down cross-legged.

"It went alright. With Lilith there, what kind of accidents could happen?" Feng said, watching the flames in the fireplace.

They were both silent for a while before Feng spoke again, "Kevin, I'm planning to… leave the Golden Courtyard."

"Leave here?" Kevin was surprised. "Why?"

"It's due to some work-related reasons, though there are some personal factors involved too…" Feng kept his eyes fixed on the flames in the fireplace. "Actually, I've always felt like I don't belong here. I always feel a bit out of place with you all. Plus, Nagamah has been inviting me to stay at his villa, so…"

"I won't interfere with your choice," Kevin said, adding a book to the fireplace. "But I must tell you, ever since you joined the Golden Courtyard, you've been a part of it. There's no such thing as not belonging here, or being out of place. Everyone… welcomes you."

Elysia, who had been resting by Eden's leg, opened her eyes at some point and quietly listened to their conversation.

"You all are indeed quite interesting," Feng smiled. Suddenly, he saw Kosma, who had fallen asleep leaning against the sofa, tumble to the floor, his blanket falling off. He stood up and went to Kosma's side, covering him with the blanket.

He returned to the fireplace and said, "Eden said something similar to me back then… Hmm, I'll think about it more later."

"Mm," Kevin nodded and said no more.

As everything fell silent once more, Pardo, who was sleeping soundly, suddenly opened her eyes and sat up with a yelp. The commotion woke everyone up, and they all looked over.

"So noisy," Chienjie said, sitting up as if a magazine had stuck to his face, then lay back down to sleep.

"What's wrong?" Hua asked.

"Did the power come back on?" Vill-V mumbled, still half-asleep.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," Pardo apologized immediately.

Elysia asked, "Phyllis, are you alright?"

"I, I just had a dream…" Pardo said, still shaken.

Su comforted her, "Don't rush, tell us slowly."

Pardo pursed her lips before saying, "In the dream, everyone disappeared. There were monsters everywhere, the moon was full, and I ran for a very, very long time holding a small box. But in the blink of an eye, you were all gone, and it was just me…"

Feng froze upon hearing this. He felt like he had dreamt something similar…

Elysia stepped forward and took Pardo's hand, comforting her, "There, there, relax. Aren't we all still here?"

"As long as you wake up from the dream, you'll be fine," Eden also comforted her.

Griseo cheered Pardo on, "Don't worry, Sister Pardo, dreams can't hurt you."

Aponia also said, "Take a deep breath, you'll calm down slowly."

Kosma wore a thoughtful expression.

Pardo hesitated, then looked at Feng, "I felt very scared and didn't know where to go. At that moment, Brother Yu Feng appeared. He led me to find everyone, and then… he disappeared again. Everyone was looking for him, but couldn't find him anywhere…"

"It's just a dream, it doesn't matter," Feng turned his back. "Things in dreams are fake, there's no need to take them seriously."

"So… you're not leaving, are you?" Elysia asked, seemingly hinting at something.

Feng didn't answer.

In the dreams he had before, he saw the intertwined stories of thirteen people, yet he stood outside them, watching them disappear one by one before his eyes. He reached out, only to find himself unable to move…

"Is this the side effect of expired instant noodles?" Vill-V picked up an empty instant noodle bowl and muttered to herself, then looked out the window. "Hmm? It's almost dawn..."

Elysia didn't dwell on asking Feng for the answer to that question. She walked onto the balcony wrapped in a blanket and said, "Look quickly, the snow has stopped!"

"It's a new year again," Hua said with some emotion.

Elysia breathed a puff of air onto her hands, while Pardo tucked herself back into her plushie costume. Looking at the vast expanse of white, she exclaimed, "Wow, the whole world has turned white!"

"Yeah, it's completely different from usual," Elysia replied.

Suddenly, Pardo sneezed, and a scarf was thrown onto her head. Pardo turned around, and Qianjie, with his back to her, said, "Take it."

"Oh, Qianjie is so thoughtful, I'll praise you~" Elysia said with a smile.

"Qianjie has always been a gentle and good child," Aponia said as she walked by, carrying a stack of blankets.

"Don't overthink it," Qianjie said, turning his head slightly. "I just don't want to catch a cold from you guys."

Griseo built a snowman, and Aponia draped a blanket over her. Kosma stood nearby, looking at everyone with an expression that suggested he had something to say but couldn't bring himself to. When he saw Feng also emerge from the living room and finally decided to speak, Pardo spoke again, "Everyone, look quickly, the sky over there has turned so red!"

"Ah, the sun is about to rise," Vill-V said, leaning on the railing and smiling at Mobius. "If I remember correctly, Professor Mobius is watching the sunrise for the first time?"

"Professor usually works in the lab all night, so she probably hasn't paid attention," Hua said, also walking onto the balcony with her chicken plushie.

Mobius, having just taken a photo with her phone, said dismissively, "What's all the fuss about? It's just an ordinary sunrise." Then she looked down at her phone, sent a selfie she had just taken to Klein, and added, "Happy New Year."

"When I watched the sunrise before, I was either on a film set or on a plane, always in a hurry," Eden said with some emotion.

Kevin noticed Kosma standing to the side with a hesitant expression and asked, "Are you not feeling well?"

Kosma snapped back to attention and replied, "I'm fine."

"I'm sorry," Kevin said, walking over to Kosma. "I should have checked the expiration date on the instant noodles more carefully."

"No," Kosma said, walking to the railing and looking at the sunrise. "Actually, like Pardo, I had a similar dream. In the dream, we all became heroes, but... we were also all failures. I watched Feng, and he walked very, very far, alone."

"Heh..." Kevin gave a rare chuckle and also looked at the sunrise. "As long as we leave a spark of hope for the future, it's not a failure. If that day ever comes, I think we'll still unite, no matter how many times, no matter the cost. Humanity will definitely overcome those disasters. Of course, that guy Feng shouldn't think he can leave alone either."

Feng, standing behind the two: "..."

You said you wouldn't interfere with his choice, but you still don't want him to leave, do you?

Kosma blinked, then said, "Could it be... you dreamed it too?"

Kevin turned his face away. "No."

At this moment, Elysia clapped her hands and said, "Let's all make a New Year's wish together, maybe it will come true~"

"Then I wish I could have a quiet nap every day," Pardo said, rubbing her hands.

"Oh dear, I'm afraid that won't be possible, little Pardo~" Vill-V said, leaning on the railing. "My wish is for every noon to be showtime! Hahahaha..."

Pardo's eyes twitched. "Spare me, Sister Vill-V..."

"I hope my graduation thesis can be completed smoothly," Hua said.

"Is this the trouble of student life?" Sakura looked at Hua and then said, "I really hope I can work less overtime next year."

"Qianjie, what about you?" Elysia asked, smiling at Qianjie.

"Don't look at me, I... don't have any New Year's wishes," Qianjie said, still with his back turned, not showing his face.

Aponia paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Does this mean you're satisfied with your current life, Qianjie?"

"Please shut up..."

"It's your turn, little Griseo~" Elysia turned to Griseo again.

Griseo drew a smile on the snowman's face. "Wish... I don't know. Kosma, do you have a wish?"

Kosma blinked his eyes. "Me?"

(Hmm... I hope I can get into my ideal university. No, that's still too early for me. The most important thing right now is... that's right, I hope I can grab all the limited edition collectible models with hero-exclusive color schemes in the future! No, no, no, wishing for a single pull to get a miracle is more reliable... Wait, if I say it out loud, will it sound too childish?)

"...Never mind. Su, you go ahead."

"May the sick be healed, and may there be no more pain in the world," Su said.

"Su's wish is a bit difficult. Eden, what about you?" Elysia asked, looking at Eden beside her.

"As for me... I wish for time to freeze at this moment, and for tomorrow..."

Elysia's elven ears twitched. "Oh?"

"Heh... it's just lyrics, I'll tell you later."

"Okay." Elysia walked behind Eden and gently hugged her.

"Then, what about you?" Eden asked.

"My wish?" Elysia let go, turned, and looked at the sunrise. "It's very simple. I want to create an eternal paradise, free from disasters and wars. In that place, everyone can pursue their ideals, everyone can live happily. I also hope to witness this with the person I love."

"What are you thinking? That kind of thing doesn't exist at all, does it?" Mobius tried to pour cold water on her.

Elysia glanced at a certain blockhead who was looking at her. Feng quickly shifted his gaze elsewhere.

"Not necessarily," Elysia said with a smile. "Kevin, what is your wish?"

"I have three wishes," Kevin said, resting one hand on the railing and looking at the sunrise. "First, I hope my work goes smoothly. Second..."

Kevin's face suddenly flushed a little. He turned his head away and said, "I hope next year Mei and I can be in the same city, so we can see each other more often."

"Aww~" Elysia chuckled teasingly. "Then... what's your third wish?"

"My third wish..." Kevin lowered his gaze. "I hope that next year, all of us can still stand here and watch the sunrise together one more time."

"That's probably the simplest wish, isn't it?" Aponia said with a smile.

Elysia looked at Feng. "Indeed, it can be very simple... So, Feng, what are your wishes?"

Feng walked to the edge of the balcony, watched the sunrise, and after thinking for a moment, said, "I have three wishes too. First, I hope I have fewer business trips next year. I want to... get to know everyone better. Second, I hope everyone in the Golden Courtyard, and Lilith and the others, have smooth sailing and all their wishes come true in the new year. Third..."

"Yes?"

Feng seemed uncharacteristically shy, stammering for a while before saying, "I hope, in the new year, I can be with the person I like."

Kevin and the others all wore teasing expressions, while Elysia was taken aback for a moment before looking away.

It seems this guy isn't planning on leaving, but... with how dense he is, it's going to be really difficult for me to win him over in the new year...

"I've been thinking about a question."

"If we hadn't met each other, what would our lives be like?"

"Compared to watching it alone, perhaps a sunrise watched with friends and the person you love is more beautiful?"

"The chances encounters make ordinary moments burst into dazzling miracles."

"Although the wishes made are difficult to fulfill in a short time, the seeds called 'will' have already taken root and sprouted in our hearts, blooming into brilliant flowers in spring, and that spring will eventually arrive."

"Oh, right, Elysia, that notebook you were holding earlier..."

"Oh my, it seems like there was something like that, but I don't remember where I put it~"

"...Never mind."

"By the way, Feng."

"?"

"From now on, don't keep anything from me. We're all partners in the Golden Courtyard, so don't hide things by yourself. I'll be angry."

"...Okay."

"I also hope this blockhead can become a little more perceptive in the new year."