In the vast black sky, brilliant stars flowed silently into a long river, while moonlight, flowing year after year, circled the streetlights again and again.
"Speaking of which, would it cause you trouble if I dumped the burden of being Vice-Chairman on you without asking?"
Cheadle silently glanced at Dio, who was grasping for something to say, and sighed. "At a time like this, don't talk about work, you idiot-"
Was chatting with me so boring that you couldn't think of anything besides business?
Cheadle had finally managed to relax a little. She didn't want to go straight back to work!
"It's not like I have nothing else to talk about-"
Dio thought for a moment, suddenly feeling a little unused to sitting quietly without doing anything serious.
No training, no commissions to complete, no endless fighting to the death. He didn't need to match wits or strength with anyone, or weigh every last gain and loss.
Come to think of it, he had already been in this world for several months.
"Today's the last day of the year, right? Aren't you going home to see Mrs. Yorkshire, Cheadle?"
Dio picked a random topic and asked. He was an orphan, sure, but Cheadle wasn't.
"She never celebrates New Year's. In our family, only my father cares about the festivities and rituals."
Beneath the streetlight, two quiet voices rose and fell, soft and fragmentary, as though exchanging whispers. Everything was as harmonious as a painting.
Except for the Mumuzawa Doll, who was still struggling desperately. She didn't look very happy.
"I still want to know why you were angry."
Dio spoke casually. It was his first time seeing Cheadle that angry, and he didn't really want to just let it slide.
"I told you, it wasn't anything important-"
Cheadle propped her