"Tong Hua."
Xiao Xiao's tone didn't change at all, but the panic in the boy's eyes deepened.
"Where's your Little Black Cat?"
Xiao Xiao lowered his voice. "Is it gone?"
"..."
The boy lowered his head.
His whole body was stiff.
After a long while, the boy's faint voice sounded. "It's missing."
"Missing?"
Xiao Xiao felt slightly relieved.
Though those words couldn't guarantee anything, at least there was still some hope.
If the boy had said for certain that Little Black Cat was gone, then things would really have been troublesome.
"Can't you find it?"
Xiao Xiao knew the boy must have looked for Little Black Cat. The result... was obvious.
"...Yeah."
Just as he thought.
The boy's voice was slightly hoarse.
Xiao Xiao noticed that the boy's eyes were red at the corners.
He sighed faintly to himself.
"You miss Little Black Cat a lot, don't you?"
He reached out and gently stroked the boy's bowed head.
The warmth atop his head made the boy's vision suddenly blur.
He blinked in confusion.
Something fell.
Huan turned to look up at the boy.
The boy's tears fell onto Huan.
"...Yeah."
The boy raised a hand and rubbed his eyes roughly.
His hoarse voice caught with a sob.
"I used to see Little Black Cat every day..."
"But that day, Little Black Cat didn't come out..."
"I looked in so many places... but I couldn't find it..."
The boy spoke haltingly.
His trembling voice revealed the helplessness and panic he'd felt as he searched everywhere for Little Black Cat.
"I looked for so, so long..."
"Little Black Cat was gone..."
Big tears slid from the corners of the boy's eyes.
They dripped onto Huan.
The scalding warmth almost burned Huan.
It shook itself.
"...Would you be willing