Whenever Xu Qingzhu saw a girl or spent time with one, he felt as though time had stopped...
"Ah!"
Xu Zizhen let out a soft cry.
He held out both hands side by side and caught the falling maple leaf with an almost reverent air.
It was such a simple gesture, yet it stirred a strange feeling within him.
For a fleeting moment, he felt as though he weren't in the real world, but somewhere far more fantastical and bizarre.
The wider Xu Zizhen's grin grew as he looked at the maple leaf in his hand.
"Grinning like an idiot."
The old man couldn't bear to watch. "You look like a fool."
The old woman smacked the old man on the arm. "Is that any way to talk about your grandson?"
The old man clutched his arm and grimaced.
He'd only been telling the truth.
"Thank you, Spirit Maple."
Xu Zizhen beamed.
Heh heh.
At long last, he had a maple leaf from Spirit Maple, too.
A gift from a monster!
Just thinking about it seemed unbelievable.
When Xu Zizhen noticed the maple leaf in his hand swaying slightly, his eyes widened in delight.
There was no wind.
That meant...
Xu Zizhen drew a deep breath.
This was the first time Spirit Maple had responded to him.
After all, he couldn't see monsters.
He'd never been able to see them.
Unlike his uncle, who had once seen monsters and spent some time with Spirit Maple.
Though he was probably the person who knew the most about his uncle's story with Spirit Maple, he had always been an onlooker, unable to have any connection with Spirit Maple.
He couldn't say he had no regrets.
It was rare to learn that monsters existed, rarer still to encounter