A relaxing summer vacation.
The sea, barbecue, beach, and fireworks.
Before setting off, the parents kept imagining the wonderful trip that was about to begin, asking their children what they wanted to eat, drink, and do.
Jiang Si remained almost unchanged, standing there expressionless, seemingly lost in thought.
But compared to Jiang Si now, the young boy at this time exuded a sense of anxiety.
The restlessness was so pronounced in the summer heat that Coco Keke n't help but glance at it a few more times.
She had long forgotten what Jiang Si was like when she was a child. That sense of boredom and anxiety, even with a hint of bewilderment, was a side of Jiang Si that Keke had never seen before.
" Keke, why are you still spacing out? Let's go, the bus is almost here."
Her father's words pulled her back to reality. Turning her head, she saw her father dressed in casual summer clothes, wearing sunglasses that he thought were cool. But in reality, sunglasses didn't suit him at all, and the design of these sunglasses was rather silly.
It just looks funny.
"Dad, Mom."
She knew it was pointless.
Deep down, I know this is probably just an illusion, or perhaps just a memory.
She clearly recognized that this was a mirage of the past, and nothing could be changed.
But the impulse compelled her, and Coco Keke n't help but say, "Don't go! I'm not going!"
However, no one paid any attention to her. Her parents hugged her and happily ran towards where the bus was parked.
Later, when her father was so exhausted that he could no longer carry her, he handed her over to Jiang Si.
Jiang Si carried her on her back and was even the first to rush onto the bus.
I managed to snag a spot at the back.
She wanted to get up from Jiang Si and sit down next to her, but her body wouldn't obey her.
Instead, he rested his head on Jiang Si's lap and fell asleep directly on the double seat.
When Jiang Si to pick her up and hand her to her parents, Keke struggled and resisted.
He was about to lie down and sleep on Jiang Si's lap.
Seeing herself clinging to Jiang Si as a child, Keke turned her head away, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
She'd almost forgotten.
When I was a child, I was like that; I wanted to play with Jiang Si more than my parents.
"Oh dear, look at you, you're utterly useless. You're out of breath after just a short run carrying Keke, you're not even as good as Jiang Si."
" Jiang Si works out at home every day. I work every day, so I can't possibly keep up. You want me to quit my job and do three years of rehabilitation? I'll definitely crush this brat in three years. Don't try to fool me. Back in high school, I was a well-known muscle man on the basketball team, and I charmed countless girls."
"You're kidding me."
The parents were laughing and arguing, then the mother looked over, patted her head, and said, " Keke, from now on, just call your dad 'brother,' and your brother 'Dad.'"
Don't corrupt the children.
The father reached out and ruffled Jiang Si's hair. "Look at your mother, she has no respect for elders, doesn't she, buddy?"
Jiang Si didn't reply, but just sighed, leaned against the window, and looked outside.
Because Jiang Si acted like a little adult from a young age, and because he trained diligently, he quickly surpassed his father in strength. So his father would always jokingly call Jiang Si" brother".
Hey bro, wanna train with me sometime?
Brother, we're practically family, come on, let's have a drink!
Brother, not to be rude, but my wife just talks a lot. She's in a good mood today, come on—
I've heard conversations like this many times.
Many forgotten memories flooded back, Keke's nose tingled with emotion.
The parents actually don't act like adults at all.
They said it was because of Jiang Si.
Because in other families, if children don't take things seriously, they'll never take their parents' words to heart.
But Jiang Si is different; she's quiet, obedient, and even overly mature.
It made them seem a bit immature as parents, and sometimes Jiang Si even had to remind them how to raise their child.
So the parents said they should just be good friends with their child.
After all, they couldn't put on airs like parents to Jiang Si.
Keke was closer to Jiang Si when she was little, partly because her parents weren't very good at taking care of children—Jiang Si didn't need to be taken care of much from a young age. When it came to taking care of Keke, it was Jiang Si who knew better how to keep her from crying.
Her parents sometimes apologized to her, saying they weren't good parents, but in Keke's heart, it was never like that. Her parents were always the best in the world.
My parents aren't actually that old; they're both just over thirty. Judging from their complexions, they look like young people, with a certain lack of vitality and exploratory drive typical of middle-aged people.
Because Jiang Si and Coco hardly needed to bring Keke, and with the mindset of a young couple, they wanted to travel and create lasting memories everywhere.
Sometimes at home, he would leave Keke with Jiang Si so the two of them could enjoy some alone time.
Just like now, Keke lean against Jiang Si's legs to sleep, while Jiang Si quietly gazed out the car window, lost in thought.
The parents whispered amongst themselves in the back seat.
"Looking at it this way, our Jiang Si really does seem a bit short."
"I noticed it before, didn't I? Old Li's kid next door is only ten years old and he's already about the same height as Jiang Si. That kid's been training too hard; he'll probably stay that tall for the rest of his life."
"It's all your fault, you couldn't stop him."
"What can I do if the child wants to do it? Besides, I can't beat him in a fight later, can I?"
"You shameful father! You'll regret it if you can't find a wife in the future!"
" Jiang Si is quite handsome, he inherited his father's good genes. His eyebrows and eyes do resemble yours a bit. There are definitely girls who don't care about his height. Don't worry about it. Who knows, maybe a bunch of girls will be chasing after him in the future, and you'll have to consider whether he'll become a jerk."
"Given his quiet, unassuming personality, if I were his age, I wouldn't even glance at him. What girl would ever date him? Don't talk nonsense. He needs to be more proactive and know how to chat with girls."
Keke looked up at her parents.
She doesn't remember ever doing that.
I should have been asleep by then, so it's impossible for me to remember this.
So this illusion uses someone else's memories, or perhaps, it's a scene recorded within the vines of the Calamity Beast: " Jiang Si, Jiang Si."
The father suddenly called out furtively, then turned his head and pointed to a pretty girl behind him, "Is that one pretty?"
Jiang Si merely glanced at her warily, and replied, "Hmm."
"Hmm? What does 'hmm' mean? Does it mean you think it looks good?"
"It'll probably look good."
"You little rascal," the father suddenly lowered his voice, "Why don't you go over and say hello?"
Are you very free?
"Oh dear, your mom's always nagging about how if you keep exercising and don't grow taller, what if you can't find a girlfriend? Go and make friends with someone, prove something to your mom."
"I'm busy."
"I clearly have free time."
The mother started to hug Jiang Keke, trying to take the girl back, but little Keke just clung tightly to her brother's clothes and refused to leave.
Deep down, Keke wished she could dig a hole and bury herself inside.
Hold on tight, let go!
It took her mother a long time to pull her off Jiang Si.
The father sat down beside him. "Hey, don't be shy. A man has to be bold when it comes to picking up girls. What young man doesn't like pretty girls? Your old man was like that too. Your mother was brought here by me on a bus."
Stop spouting nonsense.
"It's about the same anyway." The father tugged at Jiang Si, "Go and strike up a conversation."
"I'm not going."
"Pfft, you—" The father thought for a moment, "Alright, let's make a bet. If you can go and tell her you like her, and get her to reply, I'll buy you the dumbbells you've always wanted, the 160-kilogram ones."
The mother glared fiercely at the father.
He clearly looked unwilling.
Jiang Si has already stopped growing from exercising, and you still buy him these dumbbells.
But Mr. Jiang simply waved his hand, ignoring his wife.
Jiang Si finally turned to look at him. "You keep your word."
"Dude, you always keep your word."
Jiang Si stood up and walked straight to the girl's side.
Keke also took the opportunity to glance at it.
She was very pretty, with reddish hair and eyes like Liuli. She wasn't very tall, about twelve or thirteen years old, actually about the same age as Jiang Si.
Startled when Jiang Si suddenly leaned closer, she moved closer to the adult beside her.
The red-haired girl was standing next to an older woman, who was also smiling as she looked at Jiang Si.
The aunt must have overheard the conversation between Jiang Si's father and Jiang Si. She wasn't far away, and she looked like she was watching a show.
"Now I'm going to confess my feelings to you. You have three seconds to prepare. If you don't answer in three seconds, it will automatically be considered a rejection." Jiang Si spoke extremely quickly. "I like you being my girlfriend. One, two, three, three seconds, that's it. Thank you for your answer."
Jiang Si turned around and sat down next to her father, looking at him. "That's all. Now, buy dumbbells."
"Hey, hey, you're calculating this?"
"If you don't explain what happened clearly, I'm not going to deny it."
"No offense, buddy--"
Then the aunt next to the red-haired girl and Keke's mother all laughed together.
The long journey was boring, so the two chatted casually. The red-haired girl blushed and ran over to Jiang Si, offering her a cookie, which Jiang Si then fed to Keke.
Keke returned to Jiang Si, nestled on his lap, and looked up at Jiang Si's increasingly drowsy expression.
They quickly sensed something.
The seed held in my own hand.
Miracle Seed that appeared out of nowhere.
The Miracle Seed is a miracle summoned by the girl's strong desire when she was in despair facing the Calamity Beast.
However, in the drowsy bus, there were no Calamity Beast, nor any strong desires.
And just like that, the Miracle Seed appeared in his hand.
Keke then remembered what the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau had said.
Calamity Beast are born from people's negative emotions because of the existence of magical girls.
So, in the very beginning, which came first, the magical girls or the Calamity Beast?
My train of thought quickly began to break down.
Because the Miracle Seed did not bring about a miracle, but rather a calamity.
The parents chatted happily until one of them started snoring.
The bus was filled with a terrifying yet unsettling tranquility, a mix of soft whispers, snores, the faint smell of smoke, and the cold air, until it fell into a deathly silence before chaos ensued.
The tentacles of the vine- Calamity Beast instantly overturned the car.
Even though she knew this moment would come, Keke still couldn't help but shudder when it actually happened.
Terrified, he wanted to grab his parents.
But Jiang Si pressed her down, preventing her from moving, and used his penis to create space for her inside the car.
No matter how the bus rolled around, she remained safely within that small, safe space.
Little Keke didn't have time to do anything before she fell into a coma.
Now, looking at Jiang Si, who had single-handedly created a safe space for her, she felt a little dazed and exhausted.
She always believed that it was the Larkspur that had descended and saved them from being in the car.
She always thought that Jiang Si hadn't done anything at the time; she was just trying to protect herself.
When the bus came to a stop after rolling over, Jiang Si opened the window, carried her out of the bus, and placed her in a safe place nearby.
Jiang Si's right leg was scratched by something, and blood was gushing out. His back was a bloody mess. But he acted as if nothing was wrong, limping back as he opened the car door and searching for something among the corpses and the wounded.
Looking for Mom and Dad.
After searching for a long time and confirming that he couldn't find it, he sat down in the tomb of corpses and looked around at the surroundings with some fatigue and confusion.
I looked up at the Calamity Beast on the building.
When a blue rainbow streaked across the sky, Jiang Si picked her up again and placed her upright in a safer spot where the rescue team was.
He turned and ran towards the direction of the magical girl.
Ignoring the blood splattered on her legs and the wounds on her body, completely forgetting about her and her parents, she just ran wildly and excitedly!
Coco didn't chase after Jiang Si. Keke, she manipulated Little Keke's spirit to stand up and stagger towards a certain direction.
Something was guiding her, leading her forward, ever onward.
I don't know how long we walked, but we were very, very far from where the bus was parked.
The sounds of magical girls battling Calamity Beast filled my ears.
The girl shining in the sky brings miracles and happiness to everyone, constantly compressing the movements of the Calamity Beast and protecting the surrounding area.
Wherever the magical girl's light shines, it becomes a safe zone.
Keke looked up at the blue magical girl in the sky.
A magical girl who can bring miracles and happiness.
She ran forward, clutching the Miracle Seed in her hand.
On a scorched and uneven road surface, they finally saw the "miracle" they had created.
During the flight, his father, whose head had already been crushed, lay silently in the ruins of the collapsed power pole, the power lines sending up bursts of sparks and flashes of electricity on his head.
The only way to tell that he was his father was from his tattered clothes and appearance.
She looked at her father helplessly, clutching the Miracle Seed in her hand.
The seed that summoned the miracle wandered forward in a daze, wanting to get closer to its father, and then heard a weak call.
" Keke, Keke- "
She strained to open her tear-blurred eyes, searching around, and finally found her mother, who was calling for her, in a car. Ling Yi was cut in half, with half of her body crushed on the car floor. Her upper body and one arm were also broken off. Just moments before, her mother had been gently holding her on the bus, laughing at her for always clinging to her brother. Her pupils were gradually dilating.
She breathed softly, struggling to stay conscious. Her mother was quiet and weak; she just wanted to look at her with reluctance.
" Keke, be good."
She heard what her mother said when she was a child, as she was putting her to sleep:
"Be good, close your eyes."