A Joyful Night

Anyone could hear the lack of goodwill in those words. This was not a joking tone.

The atmosphere turned stiff. Several young people looked at the newcomer in the red plaid shirt, their expressions changing.

"Paul..."

The Spectacled Youth reached for the man's clothes, but the man shook him off.

"Paul, what are you trying to do?" The woman called Annie frowned as well.

Paul stopped walking toward Hope.

"Hope, he's just..." Annie stammered. "He's just... you can't blame him for that..."

Paul frowned. He seemed even angrier now. He gently pushed Annie aside and continued toward Hope.

But someone else stepped in front of Paul. It was the Spectacled Youth. "What are you trying to do, Paul? Hope isn't well right now."

"Move aside," Paul said calmly.

"Everyone's happy today. Don't..."

"Yes, everyone's happy," Paul agreed with a nod. "If it weren't for... Move aside. Let me talk to Hope."

The Spectacled Youth did not move.

Paul gave him a gentle push, but failed to budge him.

Paul sighed, reached out, and grabbed the Spectacled Youth by the shoulder. The youth was already skinny, and beside Paul he looked like an oversized doll. He was dragged aside.

"Paul!" Annie warned in a low voice.

Paul paused only briefly. The distance between him and Hope had shrunk enough for Hope to see his face clearly. He was a fairly handsome guy.

Now, if he raised his hand, he could reach Hope's shoulder.

Like a school bully collecting protection money, beginning with a gesture that looked intimate.

And that was exactly what he did. He raised his hand, but it never landed on Hope's shoulder.

Another red-haired young man stepped between them. A man and a woman stood beside him—the three people who had been watching earlier.

"Paul, you..."

The red-haired youth had barely opened his mouth before Paul interrupted him. "Could you move aside?"

"Sorry, Paul, but..."

"Can I ask you to move aside as a friend?" Paul said. "We're best friends, and this is only a small request, right?"

All three of them hesitated.

"Hope, I'm glad I got to see you today... but you should leave first," Annie said. "Look, Paul's acting a little strange today... He used to be closest to you..."

"Even as friends, you still won't move aside?" Paul asked. "I thought we could walk together to North Oak State."

"If you want, we can go right now. We can even take another detour to Blue Tide State and see the sea. It doesn't matter if it takes one year or two," the red-haired youth replied. "But Hope must be tired today. Like you said, he isn't in very good health."

Paul shoved him. Veins had risen on his arm; clearly, he had not held back. But unlike the Spectacled Youth, the red-haired youth was sturdier and merely swayed.

"You're getting a little too worked up." The red-haired youth covered the spot where Paul had shoved him.

"...Sorry. But I just want to talk to him. I mean no harm."

"Asshole, you can talk to him like this."

"But I'd rather talk to him alone."

Wilbur suddenly walked over. Everyone, including Paul, watched him tensely, as though guarding against a wild beast.

Wilbur did not look at any of them. He patted Hope's shoulder. "Time to go."

Lavinia followed behind him and chimed in, "Don't mind them."

Lavinia doesn't like these people?

Hope looked at Paul. His face looked awful. He was still restrained when speaking to his companions, but his face had long since reddened.

That expression resembled a humiliated tiger, furious enough to want to kill.

They would not be having a good night tonight.

Thinking that, Hope said to Wilbur, "How about waiting a little longer? Let me talk to Paul."

The three people standing in front of him looked at him in surprise. "Hope, don't force yourself. Paul's pretty strong."

"It's fine. We're just talking. Right, Paul?"

Paul nodded.

The three hesitantly dispersed, standing cautiously around the two of them.

Wilbur showed obvious displeasure, but after looking around at the others, he took a step back too.

Paul's hand finally settled on Hope's shoulder.

He paused, then put an arm around Hope as if they were old friends.

This feels like we're very close... Well, according to Annie, Number One Hope really had a good relationship with him.

Hope himself did not feel anything, but Paul's actions still stirred unease in the people around them. Aside from Wilbur, everyone else—including Lavinia—made slight, unconscious movements.

As if they're afraid Paul will snap my neck... His expression really does look like he wants to.

But no matter what, he had remained fairly restrained so far.

"Hope, if he dares do anything to you, my dad will avenge you!" Lavinia shouted.

Grandfather... Didn't she say he was nearly dead already?

"Paul, don't get worked up. Today is a happy day," the red-haired youth reminded him. "You've always been the calmest among us."

Hope looked at Paul. The guy's face was full of conflicted emotions, making him seem even gloomier. He decided to speak first. "Long time no see."

That was the best opening line Hope could think of.

Paul froze for a moment, and his expression visibly softened. "Long time no see."

Paul sighed. Looking at Hope, he said softly, "They misunderstood. I actually just wanted to apologize, because earlier... I was so angry that I lost my head. I had no idea what I was saying."

"So that's why you made them all move aside?"

"Forgive my vanity, but I didn't want them to hear me apologize to you."

Hope nodded. "Of course. That's understandable."

"You're always so forgiving. It makes people ashamed enough to want to crawl into a crack in the ground."

Always?

"Wilbur told me that Corey's eldest son is going to college. That's you, right? I'm sorry too. Sorry for stealing your thunder. That wasn't my intention."

That was practically an admission that he did not remember Paul at all.

Paul became a little sad. It was genuine sadness. It seemed his relationship with Number One Hope really had been very good.

"You really don't remember anything?"

"Nothing at all."

"Damn... Hah. Actually, school doesn't start for another three days. We were only celebrating early."

"Then let me wish you a bright future in advance."

"A bright future... embroidery... You mean a good future? You always talk differently from the rest of us, so refined. You should have gone to college too. You said you were going to the best college... What a shame..."

The best college?

"Paul, Hope is a year younger than you."

Annie had approached at some point. The Spectacled Youth and the red-haired youth had both relaxed and were chatting farther away.

Paul covered his face and laughed. "Right, right. You're a year younger than me. You and Amy are about the same age. Everyone thinks of Amy as a little sister, but we always forget that you're young too."

Hope recalled all of them. Amy was probably the other girl besides Annie.

"Being young is a good thing. Maybe I really can get into the best college next year?"

Hope joked. He did not know which college was the best, much less what its admission requirements were. Looking at this setting, there probably was not even a standardized entrance exam.

Still... young people could brag a little. It made everyone happy.

Paul and Annie were both laughing. Hope took a few steps back and waved, indicating that he was leaving.

He called to Wilbur. At last, he would not have to put up with Wilbur's sour face—but then he found Wilbur staring at the ground by his feet.

"What's this?" Wilbur asked.

Hope crouched down to look. A neatly folded slip of paper lay quietly in the grass, its material seeming to have been torn from a newspaper.

It was even neater than Hope had imagined.

It seemed Number Four Hope was a careful person.

But not careful enough. His pants pocket was too shallow.