Celeste stood at the dimly lit street corner, her gaze tenderly following Aiden, who was queuing at the ice cream stall not far away.
Watching his profile as he spoke with the vendor, an almost dreamlike expression of happiness involuntarily appeared on her face, as if the noisy world around her had all faded into a blurry background.
The girl instinctively pressed her hand gently against her chest, feeling the rapid and powerful beating of her heart, a strong surge of impulse rising within her.
I want to… I want to tell him what’s deepest inside my heart… just say it out loud…
But as soon as the thought surfaced, a massive fear doused her courage like icy water.
Celeste was scared… scared of being rejected by Aiden, because she couldn’t bear to imagine what would happen if he did reject her.
Would even the friendship they shared now, being by each other’s side, be impossible to maintain?
The girl who once fearlessly challenged the Black God Akane now seemed to have reverted to that hesitant, anxious coward when faced with personal feelings.
She clung to their current warm and close relationship, afraid that if she greedily wanted more, she might end up empty-handed, losing even the beautiful present they had.
“Here, try this. I heard it’s the most popular Magic Blueberry flavor here.”
At that moment, Aiden returned with two ice creams emanating a chill.
He handed one to Celeste, a relaxed smile on his face.
Celeste hurriedly composed her scattered thoughts, took the ice cream, and cautiously licked it.
The cold, smooth texture and sweet flavor melted on her tongue — indeed, very sweet.
However, amidst the sweetness, there seemed to be an indescribable hint of sourness, much like the contradictory and uneasy emotions the girl was feeling right now.
“It’s getting late, almost ten o’clock. We should head back.”
Aiden glanced at the simple magical timer strapped to his wrist.
Celeste silently nodded and obediently followed beside Aiden.
Her gaze involuntarily dropped to his free hand — long and slender, with defined knuckles.
A strong, uncontrollable urge to reach out and hold it surged again, making her fingertips tremble slightly.
But just as she mustered the courage and her fingers barely lifted, her eyes casually swept toward the far end of the street corner, and she suddenly froze in place as if struck by a thunderbolt.
Under the dim light at the street’s end, a black-haired girl stood quietly, wearing a simple dress.
She looked about Celeste’s age, slender in figure, the night breeze gently stirring her skirt and hair.
Her face was somewhat blurred in the shadows, but carried a suffocatingly familiar presence that gripped Celeste’s heart.
The blood drained from Celeste’s face in an instant, her expression frozen as if she had seen a ghost that should never have appeared here.
She was completely unaware that the ice cream she had just bitten had slipped from her fingers and shattered on the ground with a sharp crack.
Why… why is she here?!
Celeste’s mind went blank, leaving only this maddening question spinning uncontrollably.
Aiden took a few steps forward, noticing Celeste hadn’t kept up, and turned around in confusion.
What he saw was Celeste, frozen as if encased in invisible ice, standing dazed and vacant, her face pale as paper, as if she had seen something horrifying enough to stop her breath.
“Celeste? Are you alright? Do you feel unwell?”
Aiden’s heart tightened as he hurried back to her side, bending over with concern to ask.
Yet Celeste seemed not to hear his questions at all.
Her lips trembled slightly, her gaze fixed dead ahead at the empty street corner.
She muttered in a panic, like a sleepwalker speaking frantic gibberish, shaking her head vehemently.
“Impossible… this can’t be…”
“What’s impossible? Celeste, what are you talking about?”
Aiden looked at her, puzzled by her obviously disturbed state, quickly pressing for an answer.
Celeste remained terror-stricken, as if her soul had been pulled away.
She shook her head repeatedly, eyes unfocused, and her steps involuntarily retreated backward, lost in her own world, ignoring Aiden’s anxious questioning.
Aiden followed her gaze to the corner, but it was empty — only the flickering shadows cast by magical lamps and the occasional passing night breeze.
There was absolutely no one there.
He had no idea what Celeste could have possibly seen to be so completely shaken.
“Celeste? Look at me, what happened? What did you just see?”
Seeing her emotional breakdown, Aiden stepped closer and firmly placed his hands on her trembling shoulders, applying gentle pressure, trying to calm her.
His voice softened as he called her name.
The warmth from his touch and the sound of his voice pierced the fear-clouded haze in Celeste’s mind like a ray of light.
Suddenly, she snapped back to reality.
Her scattered gaze refocused, and when she saw Aiden’s concerned face, she seemed like a frightened little animal that had finally found a lifeline.
Almost instinctively, she threw herself into his arms, clutching him tightly with all her might, as if trying to merge into his body for refuge.
“It’s okay now, it’s okay… I’m here, don’t be afraid…”
Aiden was pushed back half a step by her sudden movement but immediately felt the violent trembling and icy coldness of her body in his arms.
He sighed helplessly, hesitated for a moment, then raised a hand and rhythmically patted her back gently.
Celeste buried her face deep into Aiden’s chest, greedily drawing comfort and warmth from him.
This embrace was so warm and reliable that she almost wanted to sink into it forever, to forget the terrifying scene from moments ago.
However, the image of the black-haired girl, like a phantom, flashed clearly in her mind again, shrouding her heart with overwhelming dread once more.
A terrifying thought made Celeste shiver.
If… if what she saw just now was real… if Aiden were to find out about that… he would definitely… he would definitely leave…
No, that can’t happen.
“Thank you, Aiden… I… I’m fine now.”
Despite the deep reluctance and yearning in her heart, a stronger fear forced Celeste to come to her senses.
She bit her lip, summoning all her self-control, gently pushed Aiden’s embrace away, lowered her head, and her voice still trembled.
“That’s good… You really scared me just now.”
Aiden looked at Celeste, who seemed to be forcing herself calm.
Though he sensed she was far from okay, he still let out a sigh of relief.
“Sorry, Aiden… I, I have to go home. Let’s… let’s part here.”
Celeste shook her head, still afraid to meet Aiden’s eyes.
Her voice became hurried.
Without waiting for a response, she lowered her head and almost fled past Aiden, striding quickly toward the direction of her apartment, her figure a mixture of panic and resolve.
Aiden stood still, watching her rapidly retreating back, his brow tightly furrowed.
He felt something was very wrong —
Celeste’s reaction was far too abnormal.
But he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was wrong, only watching her disappear around the corner with mounting confusion.
Celeste hurriedly turned the corner.
After confirming Aiden was no longer behind her, the strength she had been forcing herself to hold suddenly drained away.
She leaned against the cold, rough wall, gasping heavily, her chest heaving violently.
The earlier sprint and intense tension had nearly exhausted all her energy.
Why… why did Olivia appear here…
She clearly already… already…
Could it have been an illusion?
Celeste leaned against the wall, calming her racing heart and chaotic breath over a long while.
Then she silently straightened up and walked home, repeatedly, almost hypnotically reminding herself:
It was an illusion… it must have been an illusion… I’m just too tired, that’s all.
Meanwhile, at the shadowed street corner that had terrified Celeste, the air rippled faintly like water.
The figure of a black-haired girl in a simple dress silently appeared.
She quietly watched the direction Celeste had gone, a strange, cold smile slowly curling at the corner of her lips.
The girl’s crimson lips parted, releasing a whisper like it came from the abyss, filled with endless malice and mockery.
The sound was so faint it almost vanished in the night breeze, yet it carried a curse-like power.