In the courtyard, Doctor Cicero did not directly respond to Z's words. Instead, he waved a hand forward.
In the courtyard, which looked like a fairyland, a pavilion suddenly rose from the ground... It was some sort of projection, yet also something real.
Z instinctively reached out to touch it, but his palm passed straight through.
Inside the pavilion sat a girl in a wheelchair... Her hair was also silver-gray, but it was dull and completely lusterless, more like it had withered.
"What is this?" Z instinctively approached the girl in the wheelchair and studied her face.
Yet the girl's eyes were also completely devoid of light.
"Gaia." Doctor Cicero came to Z's side and slowly said, "More precisely, Gaia on the eve of destruction. By this time, Gaia's physical condition was already terrible, and she was unconscious for most of the day. Even so, during the brief periods when she was awake each day, she would insist on doing one thing."
"What?"
"Waiting for someone." Doctor Cicero spoke softly. "He came."
At his words, Z's brows furrowed. Then he seemed to sense something beside him and turned to look. Not far away, a boy... a boy was running toward them.
The boy was even carrying a book in his arms... He passed straight through Z's body and arrived before the girl in the wheelchair in an instant.
She had been utterly lifeless, but suddenly, like an epiphyllum blooming at an accelerated pace, color appeared on the girl's face.
Even though this was only a projection, the entire courtyard seemed to come alive in a different way because of that smile... The most primitive breath of life gradually spread through the air.
The boy affectionately stroked the girl's head and whispered something into her ear. Then he sat directly on