Feeling the gazes around him, Bai Yu smiled and offered a few casual greetings, enough to satisfy everyone. Although they all knew him, their regard for him was mostly a measure of respect.
They had all heard that Bai Yu disliked being disturbed. He paid particular attention to spreading certain rumors, after all, to keep people from constantly bothering him when he was out.
Only then did the little girl hiding behind Bai Yu peek out. She raised the apple cupped in her hands, seemingly still reluctant to eat it, her eyes full of how much she treasured it.
"It really is an apple."
This time, she wasn't so loud. She only murmured softly beside Bai Yu, then looked at the surrounding streets and the sky again, still seeming a little dazed.
Bai Yu crouched down in front of her, lifted the apple from her hands, and held it to her mouth before speaking gently.
"Want to take a bite?"
Looking at the face before her, the little girl smiled with pure delight. Yet for some reason, glistening tears seemed to catch the light in her eyes. She held the apple in both hands and took a big bite.
"Mm..."
Bai Yu held the little girl's hand as they walked along the bustling streets, stopping at shops now and then and taking her to look at one thing after another.
At first, she was still a little reserved. Later, she began darting here and there with Bai Yu as her anchor, her eyes sparkling at everything she saw.
She had never seen any of this. Her world had been a blank, filled with nothing but people in white clothes, strange instruments, and one of the few things she owned: a tattered storybook.
But now she was so, so happy. If