The world really was a wondrous place.
The gray-haired monster still met the boy.
It happened in the courtyard of its kindred, who had repeatedly come to its door and pestered it relentlessly, trying to grow closer to it.
Could this be what humans called... fate?
The gray-haired monster's expression was indifferent.
That so-called fate... really was quite wondrous.
Looking at the boy before it, the gray-haired monster felt rather emotional.
"Ya Ya?"
The boy grew somewhat uncomfortable under the gray-haired monster's gaze, and his eyes began to dart away.
But soon, the boy fixed his gaze on the gray-haired monster again.
He was waiting for Ya Ya's answer.
Impatiently.
Full of hope.
Filled with yearning, even carrying a trace of pleading.
The boy's fingernails dug into his palms.
He did not notice at all.
His heartbeat was so loud that he thought his ears were about to start ringing.
"You're late."
The gray-haired monster's words came out of nowhere, and the boy froze.
Huh?
He... was late?
Did she mean...
The boy's face was full of hesitation.
Had he taken too long to find Ya Ya?
So Ya Ya no longer wanted to be friends with him?
At that thought, the boy felt a little aggrieved.
"You didn't want to see me..."
It was Ya Ya who had not wanted to see him...
The boy had gone to that park countless times.
He had called Ya Ya's name countless times, too.
But not once had he received a response.
For some inexplicable reason, even though he had wavered several times, he still believed that Ya Ya was in that park and had never left.
So he was always in a daze, imagining that one day, at some moment, he would look up and see