Your name 2.0

We meet again.

Behind the iron bars, the Threshold Bro was tense, his hands gripping the hem of his prison uniform tightly. "Sir, I've confessed everything I needed to, and I've revealed all the clues I needed to. Please, have mercy, could you...?"

Xingsu ignored his pleas for mercy, silently raised her hand, and handed him a printed photo through the iron bars.

The Threshold Bro looked up in confusion and took the photo. The moment he saw the image clearly, his pupils contracted sharply, and his fingertips trembled violently. He recognized the person in the photo; it was one of Valerius's henchmen, now lying dead in the Fleuve Cendre.

"This, this is?" His voice trembled as he looked up at Xingsu, his eyes filled with fear.

"I've protected your family." Xingsu's voice was calm, yet carried undeniable weight. "In exchange, write me a letter of introduction. I need to make contact with Valerius."

After a brief silence, he relaxed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders, and with a bitter resignation, he whispered, "... Okay, I promise you."

The jailer handed him paper and pen. His fingers trembled slightly as he held the pen, and his handwriting was hurried yet neat.

"Valerius never gets involved in these shady businesses himself. The sale of L㏒s and the trafficking of children from orphanages are always handled by his trusted second-in-command. Moreover, he rarely shows his face and is extremely secretive; even his core subordinates rarely get to see him. This letter of introduction I've written will allow you to get close to his most recently active underground stronghold."

After finishing the last stroke, he folded the letter and handed it to Xingsu. He looked up at Xing Su and mustered his courage to ask softly, "There's one more thing... Why are you willing to help me?"

Because you still resemble a human being.

After saying that, Xingsu put away the letter of introduction, turned around and walked out of the detention cell. The heavy iron door slowly closed behind him, making a dull thud.

Watching his departing figure, his tense back slowly bent, and he bowed deeply. His hunched figure appeared particularly forlorn in the dim light. His head hung low, his throat bobbing, a thousand words stuck in his chest, ultimately fading into a single sigh.

"Thanks..."

Thank you for your patronage, and welcome to visit us again!

The wind chimes tinkled softly as the door was pushed open, and a warm, sweet aroma wafted out, mingling with the scent of freshly baked butter, dispelling the slight chill of the outside.

The glass display cases behind the counter are filled with exquisite mousses, cream puffs, and egg tarts, the warm light casting a soft glow on the pastries.

Claire was smiling as she saw a customer off when she caught a glimpse of a figure entering through the door. Her eyes lit up instantly, and she waved enthusiastically at Xingsu across the counter. "Oh? You're here! Please wait a moment!"

As he spoke, he nimbly slipped into the kitchen and returned a moment later with a fluffy, soft soufflé drizzled with glistening honey. He presented it to him with both hands, his eyes crinkling with a hint of smugness as he put his hands on his hips and chuckled, "Here, I saved this especially for you! Several groups of customers have asked for it, but I couldn't bear to give it to them."

Xingsu paused slightly, took the warm dessert, and casually asked in a soft voice, "How's business on your first day of opening?"

Claire's smile widened, "Business is booming! We've sold more than half this morning alone, and customers are praising how delicious and affordable it is. I'll have to rush back to the kitchen to make a little more, otherwise we'll run out of stock this afternoon."

"That's good." Xingsu smiled faintly.

Claire's eyes sparkled, and she continued with a hint of joy in her voice, "And lots of children come to me to buy desserts... Look, another child!"

The words had barely left his lips when the wind chimes on the door jingled, and a small, thin child rushed into the shop. His gaze swept across the room, and he suddenly spotted Xingsu standing to the side. His words caught in his throat, and he stammered, "..."

"Hello boss, I... Xing, Xingsu... Mr. Xingsu! Hello!"

Xingsu looked at the familiar face of the boy before her...

Okay, that solves the case. Where did all these children come from?

Claire blinked, curiously looking back and forth between Xingsu and the uneasy boy standing in front of the counter.

"Hmm? Xingsu, is that your name? I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before... It's a very nice name. By the way, do you know this child, Mr. Xingsu?"

Realizing he had said the wrong thing, the child lowered his head, his fingertips gripping the hem of his clothes tightly, his eyes darting away, completely avoiding Xingsu's gaze, his whole body tense.

"... We know each other, I've taught this child before." Xingsu's tone was unreadable, his gaze indifferently fixed on the boy.

Claire looked somewhat surprised, her eyes full of curiosity. "Oh? Mr. Xingsu Su is a teacher?"

"... I guess so, it's basically teaching kids all sorts of random things."

The boy's shoulders trembled slightly. He barely managed to suppress the panic in his heart and softly asked, "Excuse me, do you have any dessert?"

Claire smiled and pointed to the glass display case, "And these are all in the display case too."

"Then I'll take this." The boy pointed to a small berry tart.

He hurriedly paid, grabbed the packaged dessert, barely daring to linger for even half a second, turned around, causing the wind chimes on the door to rattle wildly, and rushed out of the shop in a flustered rush, disappearing into the distance in a flash.

The store returned to quiet.

Claire stared at the shop door where the boy had disappeared, blinking in confusion. "Huh, he ran so fast, was something urgent?"

"Maybe I was just flustered to see my teacher," Xingsu casually brushed it off, picking up his fork and cutting off a small piece of soufflé to put in his mouth. The soft and fluffy texture melted on his tongue, accompanied by a sweet honey aroma, still that incredibly familiar delicious taste from the depths of his memory.

"Your cooking is really good, Miss Claire. I have to go now, I'll eat this later when I get home."

Claire seemed oblivious to his fleeting slip of the tongue.

You must come visit again when you have time!

"Must."

Xingsu slightly, then turned and pushed open the shop door.

The wind outside blew in my face, and the wind chimes of the small shop behind me tinkled, shutting out the warmth inside the dessert shop and pulling me back into the turbulent reality of Fontaine.

Claire remained standing inside the counter, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the cold edge of the counter. The almost wrong call from Xingsu just now was like a small pebble thrown into a still lake of her heart.

Her eyes were lowered, her lips moved slightly, and she murmured that name over and over again.

"Xingsu... Xingsu..."

Again and again.

Even though it was the first time I had formally heard this name, when I heard it aloud, a strange, bittersweet feeling welled up inside me.

It felt as if I had heard those two words countless times long ago. Those erased fragments of memory vaguely surfaced, impossible to grasp or see clearly, leaving only a strange tightness in my chest.

She stood there, stunned, as if the sweet aroma of the pastries around her had faded somewhat. Her gaze drifted unfocused to the closed shop door, her thoughts wandering to an unknown past.