Baiye Duxing: “You and your girlfriend really do have a great relationship.”
Yukino: “Go ahead and be jealous.”
‘Jealous?’
In truth, it was Himuro Mio who envied Gu Yebai more.
Loneliness was like a patch of pitch-black water.
She could only swim in it alone, unable to reach the shore, and therefore never able to rest.
Later, she slowly learned to adapt.
Now, whether it was going to school, karaoke, or eating alone, she could handle it all with ease.
If she wanted to, it wasn’t impossible for her to have many friends.
In fact, at her school, there were indeed many people who would show her those deliberate and fawning expressions.
However, Himuro Mio did not find it pleasant to associate with those people.
In comparison, spending time alone was more efficient and more romantic.
Her school was filled with fools who only knew how to indirectly praise themselves or repeatedly show off their family backgrounds.
Himuro Mio hated them.
Reading, or relying on her imagination to have friends who suited her by her side, was not a difficult task.
Even if it was just a shadow, a silhouette pieced together from memory, it was enough.
And now, she had a new way.
That was Gu Yebai’s books.
Besides that friend who was no longer around, there were many others who could accompany her in her world.
They were more honest and more reliable than people in reality.
For instance, there was that middle-aged detective Baiye Duxing created in his novel.
He was emotionally clumsy yet quick-witted, and he was surprisingly gentle most of the time.
There was also that blonde female assistant who always stuck behind him like a puppy, occasionally tossing out brilliant insights.
There were many other characters with distinct personalities.
They would not suddenly disappear.
They existed within Xiaobai’s stories.
And Xiaobai himself was also very interesting.
After all, he was their creator.
They would not be forced to say goodbye because of distance, time, or the uncontrollable forces of reality.
As long as the book was still there, and as long as he continued to update, Himuro Mio could step into their world time and time again.
….
Back in reality, the laughter, noise, and music around her always maintained a perfect distance.
This was good enough.
She never envied others.
‘I have Xiaobai…’
‘I also have the company of the characters Xiaobai created for me in his stories.’
‘They are much more interesting than all of you.’
The novel Baiye Duxing serialized online was almost like a love letter written to himself.
But at the same time, Himuro Mio clearly realized it wasn’t a love letter written for her alone.
It was a love letter Xiaobai wrote to all his readers; she was not unique.
Otherwise, she would not have taken the liberty of approaching his world on QQ under a male identity.
She never fantasized about having an intersection with Xiaobai in reality.
Unless one day, he truly did something that made her sad, or if he truly had a request for her.
Only then would she appear as a punisher or a savior.
“Ah, it’s my turn…”
The people lined up in front had already boarded the Ferris wheel one after another.
She carefully sat inside one of the cabins.
It was a pure and enclosed space.
She took out her selfie stick and skillfully aimed the lens at herself.
Today, she was wearing a dark blue kimono with wooden clogs on her feet.
It wasn’t an intentional display of elegance.
The education she had received since childhood was already ingrained deep within her blood.
In truth, she hadn’t liked taking selfies in the past.
But now, she liked it very much.
She was well aware that she seemed to care a bit too much about Xiaobai’s opinion lately.
It couldn’t be helped.
He said she was beautiful.
In fact, others would say she was beautiful too.
However, for some reason, the praise heard from his mouth felt completely different from the praise heard from others.
From a travel perspective, a kimono was not a good choice.
It restricted movement, and the matching wooden clogs were a hassle to walk in.
However, Xiaobai once said that cherry blossom girls were most attractive when wearing kimonos.
Thus, the frequency of her wearing kimonos began to increase.
She was wondering whether she should make a peace sign or sit upright.
The Ferris wheel was rising bit by bit.
The scenery outside was truly beautiful.
She planned to take a perfect photo at the highest point, capturing both herself and the Tokyo night view in the frame.
She wanted Xiaobai to know her better.
She wanted the Xiaobai who had enjoyed a night of passion with another woman today to also have a deep impression of her.
In that case, on this important day of his life, would she count as having a little bit of a sense of participation?
Yukino: “Yours truly’s girlfriend isn’t bad either, right?”
Yukino: “Say something!”
Baiye Duxing: “However, for some reason, your girlfriend gives off a bit of a lonely feeling. That smile is a bit forced and a bit tired.”
Yukino: “The only reason you’re saying that is purely out of jealousy, right?”
Baiye Duxing: “The way you put it makes it sound like our girlfriends are Pokemon and we’re Pokemon Masters dueling.”
Yukino: “I suppose so…”
Baiye Duxing: “Ask your partner later if something is on her mind.”
Baiye Duxing: “She reminds me of a fragile Japanese doll.”
Yukino: “Xiaobai, do you feel happy right now?”
Baiye Duxing: “I think I am happy.”
Yukino: “Xiaobai, we’ll always be friends, right?”
Baiye Duxing: “That goes without saying.”
Yukino: “By the way, do you want to see other photos of my girlfriend?”
Baiye Duxing: “I feel like your girlfriend might get angry if she finds out you’re always sending me her photos.”
Yukino: “She also knows I’m showing you her photos, so it’s fine.”
Himuro Mio desperately wanted to send him every photo of herself on her phone.
Yukino: “You better work hard on your writing from now on.”
Yukino: “Otherwise, I’ll never show you photos of my girlfriend again.”
She looked at her phone.
Would Xiaobai think she was weird?
She didn’t know why, but she always had an impulse to show herself to him.
However, Xiaobai’s words just now made her a bit concerned.
‘Am I… like a fragile Japanese doll?’
After getting off the Ferris wheel, Himuro Mio stood in place.
She gently bit her lip.
“Huh?”
Why was she crying?
Tears just flowed out ungraciously.
Was it because she had once fantasized about some unusual story existing between her and Xiaobai?
Ah, that’s right.
She remembered.
She indeed had.
It was a story that began at the Haneda Airport arrival gate with her saying “Nice to meet you” to him.
Except that story would never have a beginning.