"..."
The boy opened his mouth.
"Um..."
After a long while, the boy finally managed to utter two syllables.
Xiao Xiao's expression didn't change at all.
He held Keke.
And quietly waited for the boy to open up.
The boy felt a little more at ease.
He took a big sip of cocoa.
The smooth, rich cocoa slid into his mouth.
A comfortable warmth spread through his limbs.
The boy took a deep breath.
"Big brother."
"...Are you free later?"
Xiao Xiao smiled.
"I am."
The boy couldn't help smiling too.
Really?
"It's a somewhat boring story..."
The boy looked out the window.
Because it was raining, the light outside wasn't bright.
It was a little gloomy.
The rain struck the windowpane, leaving streaks of water behind.
The room, however, was very bright.
If you didn't look outside, you could almost imagine that the sun was shining and the weather was lovely.
"...Something happened that made me unhappy..."
The boy's voice was very quiet.
Almost as if he were talking to himself.
There was a trace of hoarseness in it.
"I ran into..."
Mom...
The boy touched his throat.
He realized he could barely bring himself to say that word.
He lived with his grandparents now.
It wasn't because his parents were busy with work and had no time to look after him.
Nor was it because something had happened to them, leaving him with no choice but to depend on his grandparents.
It was simply because...
Neither of them wanted him.
To be honest...
Admitting that...
Was really hard.
It felt as though admitting it would make everything he had held on to, all his pride, all the ways he'd tried to cover it up... crash to the