In front of the gravestone, Candy looked at the familiar photograph pasted onto it. Her nose stung, and tears swirled in the corners of her eyes.
If the old man had not still been standing beside her, Candy would have been unable to hold back her tears by now.
The Dagger was so adorable. How could she have passed away?
The sorrow in Candy's eyes was impossible to fake. Seeing this, the old man beside her began speaking at greater length.
"Child, there's no need to grieve. Compared with The Dagger's fellow brothers and sisters, The Dagger lived the longest. She died peacefully in her sleep. We know all about the life The Dagger lived at Candy Technology.
"Actually, we should be thanking Candy Technology on The Dagger's behalf. Child, do you know? Normally, police dogs, like humans, are our finest warriors. When they reach a certain age, they retire and face either a group retirement facility or adoption. Because Candy Technology applied to adopt The Dagger after she retired, The Dagger was able to keep living with her handler.
"For a retired police dog, The Dagger was undoubtedly incredibly happy."
As if recalling the past, the old man let out a deep sigh and said, "Actually, many police dogs sacrificed their lives while carrying out missions."
Candy seemed not to hear him. She lowered her head and said nothing.
Her fair, delicate hands tightly gripped a sunflower.
After a long while, perhaps because the old man had grown tired of speaking, or perhaps because he had finished saying what he wanted to say,
Candy suddenly bent down and placed the sunflower in her hand before the gravestone. Then, just as she had when they first met, she smiled sweetly and said mischievously, "I'm leaving, The Dagger. I'll come visit