The Ninth and Three-Quarters Summer

Sunna and Nangong plucked their notes, and a gentle melody rose. The guitar spread beside the bonfire, as pure as ripples beneath moonlight.

Aria closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then began to sing.

"Must I first bid farewell to the wheat fields before I can become a wild goose spreading its wings and soaring..."

Then Griseo began her performance. She gently held up the [The Stars] imprint, and the painting she had prepared unfolded into the night.

The people below the stage seemed to see a wheat field.

Golden waves of wheat swayed softly in the wind, their ears brushing against one another with a faint rustling sound.

"Wow, where did these effects come from?" Yuzuha's mouth fell slightly open.

Even Mato stared fixedly at the stage, looking as though he had never seen anything like it before.

At that moment, Sunna and Nangong's voices joined in as well, like a small river flowing into a larger one—unhurried and gentle as they carried Aria's melody.

"After saying goodbye to those closest to me, I kept brushing past strangers..."

The image shifted. The wheat field vanished, replaced by a station platform.

A young figure stood with luggage on his back. He turned and waved behind him, while at the other end of the platform, a blurry, petite woman waved back.

Griseo had not painted their faces clearly, but from the atmosphere and the lyrics... everyone knew who they were.

The train started moving. Outside the window, the green mountains of home gave way to an unfamiliar city, crowded streets, and streams of expressionless people.

"When I am trapped among the crowded throngs, what appears before me are the mountains of my childhood..."

"I never knew that what I lost was more than just yesterday, but also the happiest part of myself..."

In the image, the now-grown figure stood at a bustling intersection, looking up in confusion.

A mountain suddenly appeared in the sky. It was the mountain from memory, pink with peach blossoms and white with apricot flowers.

Most importantly, several tiny figures were running together across the hillside, sending their laughter into the distance...

Then the image changed again.

It showed a winding little river, its water so clear that it reflected blue skies and white clouds.

On this side of the river stood the grown-up self, carrying luggage and gazing across the water.

On the other side was the childhood self, skipping stones with companions. One splash, two splashes, three splashes—then they turned around and grinned toward this side.

By the time the song reached its middle, someone in the audience had quietly turned away. Their emotions had already begun to falter.

"The river of childhood winds and bends, Mother is on that shore, while I stand on the other, walking farther and farther away..."

Aria's singing reached its climax, and Griseo changed the image again. The little river became a great river.

This time, on the opposite bank stood a middle-aged woman. She stood before a house with smoke curling from its chimney, holding a bowl of soup as she looked across the river.

On this side, the grown child had already gone far, far away, leaving behind only a shrinking silhouette.

"The dream in my heart always makes me think of how to make it come true, but what about her dream..."

In the image, the grown child stood beneath the spotlight, holding a trophy amid applause and flowers.

On the opposite shore, the middle-aged woman bent over, rubbing her aching knees. A bowl of soup that had already gone cold sat on the table.

But at that moment, everyone asked for her, and for themselves...

Had the person she was waiting for come home today?

"The river of time winds and bends, Mother is on that shore, while I in the distance always miss the vanished past..."

Griseo took a deep breath, and the imprint's glow became even gentler.

The summoned images became an album blown open by the wind, its pages turning one after another:

Spring, tiny figures running over the hillside;

Summer, little hands sharing peaches beneath a peach tree;

Autumn, a straw rope swinging as one girl jumped the highest, her braids flying;

Winter, a trail of footprints in the snow leading toward a lit window.

Of course, those were not the most fitting images...

As Aria entered the final chorus,

The grown child in the painting turned and ran toward the other side of the river. The child ran through the crowded throngs, through unfamiliar cities, across that winding river...

But on the other shore, the house was still there, and the chimney smoke was still there, but the figure watching from the doorway was gone.

Only a bowl of soup, completely cold, remained on the table.

"Back then, I did not know what regret was, and in the end, all that remained in my heart was guilt."

"Later, Mother appeared in my dreams."

When Aria sang the final line, the image froze.

The grown child lay asleep in bed. Though the corners of her lips were slightly raised, a tear hung at the corner of her eye.

Perhaps in that dream, there was a winding river. On the opposite bank, a middle-aged woman smiled and waved, holding a bowl of hot soup.

Steam rose from the soup, blurring both their faces.

The beach was utterly quiet. Only the crackling bonfire could be heard, with the occasional spark bursting free.

Onstage, Sunna and Nangong set down their guitars, while Griseo lowered the sketchbook in her hands. Together, they walked over to Aria and bowed in unison, signaling the end of the performance.

Someone in the crowd softly sniffled, then more and more people began sniffling.

Without question, this nursery rhyme with the style of Weifei Land had been a success.

Once the audience had gathered themselves... belated applause surged in like a tide.

Griseo raised her head and looked at the applauding people. Every one of them carried a warm yellow color. She knew they were saying "thank you" with their applause.

She also knew that the paints Eden had brought her would surely let her paint many colors she would find special and love.

As they came down from the stage, Cecilia smiled and encouraged them. "You little darlings, that was an absolutely wonderful performance!!"

Perhaps her emotions had reached their peak. Manager Theresa stood up, wiping away tears as she shouted, "Tonight, desserts and hot drinks are on the resort for everyone!!"

A fresh round of cheers erupted across the beach. The bonfire continued to burn, its sparks flying toward the river of stars.