The sea breeze kept blowing, carrying the faint, damp chill unique to nighttime. As it brushed her cheek, it brought a sharp, bracing sensation.
Kikyo Kushida stood beside Lin Mu, both hands resting on the railing as she stared blankly at the waves churning in the darkness.
Her gaze had gone unfocused. Clearly, her thoughts were nowhere near the scenery before her.
The word "friends" was like two stones dropped into a still lake, stirring up a storm in her heart.
Strangeness, confusion, and a hint of vulnerability she was unwilling to admit even to herself.
That long-forgotten urge to rely on someone—a feeling she had almost completely forgotten.
Lin Mu watched her dazed profile. Her short brown hair fluttered gently in the night breeze, and a few strands clung to the corners of her eyes.
He knew that no amount of reasoning would help right now.
He had never been good at saying pretty words to comfort people.
The textbook-perfect lines of kindness circled through his mind, only to turn into clumsy words.
Forget it.
He slowly reached into the pocket of his uniform trousers and pulled something out—a neatly wrapped strawberry lollipop.
The pale pink candy gleamed softly through its clear wrapper in the dim streetlight.
It was the last lollipop he had for today—not his last one ever. He had originally planned to save it for before bed.
His short white hair swayed gently in the evening breeze, a few loose strands brushing his forehead.
Lin Mu held the lollipop out to Kushida, a rare, gentle smile spreading across his usually stern face.
The smile was faint, yet somehow seemed genuine, without a trace of pretense.
(High EQ: clear as a bell. Low EQ: the eyes of a college student.)
"You didn't eat much at the party