Endless Silver Machine

Aika has been staying in her room since the pursuit mission was announced to be over.

After experiencing such a fierce battle on the front line, Aika only asked for the minimum treatment, as if there were more important things to worry about than his physical condition.

Even when night fell, he did not turn on the light in the room. Instead, he held his hands on the window sill and looked at the starless night sky.

The red moon still hung in the early summer night sky, just like the eyes of Luo Luo looking at Aika.

A touch of bitterness filled his heart. In this unexpected meeting with Luo Luo, there was not even a viable conversation between the two.

The only thing left for Aika was those red eyes with mixed emotions.

Just as Luoluo chose to leave, he was full of sadness and reluctance.

Even though the red eyes were so cold, they couldn't hide the deep emotions inside them.

"Luoluo, what exactly do you think of me..."

Even if you ask this question to Red Moon, of course you won't get an answer.

Nothing can be a substitute for Lolo, and no one can answer for Lolo.

When the emptiness in my heart could only be filled by the ethereal evening breeze, someone gently hugged Aika from behind.

"Don't ask why, I don't want to answer..."

Ling's voice sounded muffled, the sound coming from her face buried in Aika's back.

Aika could only do as she wished without asking her why she did this.

All he can do now is just hold on to the window sill with both hands, his consciousness completely occupied by Ling's body temperature behind him.

Without a trace of covering up or coyness, Ling entrusted her whole body to Aika's back.

"I'm sorry...it's very cunning to do this when you are thinking about Luo Luo, isn't it?"

"How do I understand this 'cunning'?"

"If I pretend to be stupid, I might do something even more egregious and I won't apologize again."

"..."

The surroundings seemed to have become quiet, and neither Aika nor Ling spoke again.

After a long time, Ling still didn't let go of her hands, but her voice became clearer than before, accurately conveying her thoughts to Aika.

"Aika, what do you really think about me..."

After hearing these words, Aika realized that she had been standing behind him since then.

The door to the room was not locked, and Aika did not have the habit of locking the door casually. He didn't notice when Ling opened the door and came in.

"If Luoluo is not here, can't I be your support? Wouldn't it be possible if it were me?"

Ling behind her grasped Aika's clothes tightly, and even she herself didn't realize that she was exerting force.

"You don't have to answer when I want to ask a question, but I have to answer when you ask a question. In that sense, it's really cunning."

Aika let go of her hands that were holding the window sill, and overlapped with the cold back of Ling's hands.

Ling's hands trembled unconsciously, but she did not choose to escape.

"Ling, for me, you are always by my side, but sometimes it feels too far away."

"Tell me in terms I can understand."

"Just one sentence is enough to explain. That is, I have been attracted to you since a long time ago."

When he said this, Ling finally showed he was shaken.

She tried to withdraw her hands and separate from Aika, but Aika gave her no chance to escape.

"If you had asked me what attracted me half a year ago, I probably wouldn't have been able to tell you. If I really wanted to say it, it would have been everything."

"Isn't this kind of statement an example of scum? If a girl feels happy hearing such words, she is either natural or deliberately pretending not to understand."

"This is what you asked me to tell you in terms you can understand."

Ling slightly put more strength on the arm around Aika's waist.

"what about now?"

Her tone seemed like she was afraid of knowing the answer, clearly revealing her inner entanglement and melancholy.

"I think if I were asked to answer that question now, I would give the same answer."

This was not the answer Ling wanted to hear, but Aika still wanted to tell her seriously.

"Because what I like about you is not anything special. Whether it is your stubborn character who always talks back to me, your delicacy when taking care of Luoluo and Wei Xi, or your shy look occasionally... If you let me To list them one by one, there are countless places that attracted me in the year since we met. Maybe I have to skip tomorrow’s throne handover ceremony to finish them. But if I have to mention them, they are at the top of my heart...or the most. One thing I like, I think what I like most is the time I spend with you. It is precisely because of so much time we spent together that we are who we are now. Isn’t this the most important thing to us? Of?"

"... After saying so much, I still didn't answer my question..."

Ling's voice was choked with sobs. She definitely didn't want Aika to see her current expression.

Aika gently removed Ling's hands that hugged her.

Although it must have been a very cruel move to turn around and face her now, Aika still did it.

"I feel like I've answered it, and I've answered it clearly."

Ling was right behind him, half of his face hidden in the shadow of the bright red moonlight, and he raised his head slightly to look at Aika.

"Yesterday, yesterday..." She immediately looked away to look at her feet, avoiding Aika's sight, "I have thought about it many times..."

"What have you been thinking about?"

"If you were to ask me this question...wait a minute, don't get me wrong, this is just putting yourself in my shoes. If you were to ask me this question...maybe I would answer like you."

"So you just let me go so easily today?"

"...I'll let you go today."

Aika smiled slightly, and the gloom that had been suppressed in her heart a few minutes ago gradually dissipated.

"You just asked me if this situation is very cunning, right?"

"I know..." Ling folded her arms and turned her face, hiding more of her expression in the shadow of the bright red moonlight, "Actually, I didn't want to do this at first. But I heard you say Luo Luo's name, I didn't call you, and then I did this kind of thing. Maybe in my subconscious, I just wanted to take advantage of this opportunity, thinking that by using this method at this time, you would answer me. Make it bigger. Even if your answer at this time may be just to deal with me casually, it is enough as long as you let me know."

"Then do you think my answer just now was spoken without thinking? Do you think that as long as the other party is a girl, I will use this statement to deal with them?"

The answer is of course no, and Ling knows this.

The time the four spent together cannot be replaced by anything, that's for sure.

During this year, Ling watched the growth of Luo Luo and Wei Xi, and at the same time realized his own changes.

Originally, I only regarded Aika as a boy of the same age, but I might be better than him in every aspect. As a family member, the one who supports him should be himself.

But just because of this year, Ling realized that this self-centered idea was absolutely wrong.

Perhaps, he really shouldered part of Aika's troubles. But it was relying on Aika's gentleness and strength that gave me the confidence to share the burden for him.

This messy sentence sounds like a paradox, with too many irrationalities.

But this is reality. Unreasonable things abound in reality, and countless unreasonable things are enough to break the flashy illusions and build a new future full of unknown possibilities.

"Since you said that you like me because of the time we spent together, then I should be able to assume that you are already half sure of the first two questions, right?"

Her voice was serious and so were her eyes.

Although her face was filled with crimson, which was caused by the bright red moonlight or other reasons, she did not escape, nor did she give Aika a chance to escape.

"Um."

There was no trace of confusion in Aika's answer.

"Then...the other half, tell me with actions."

It was very simple, without any beating around the bush, Ling stood upright in front of Aika.

Her eyes, glistening with tears, told of the action she was waiting for.

The long eyelashes were trembling, and the fingertips holding the skirt tightly were also trembling.

Then, Aika leaned down and shortened the distance between the two.

That is more powerful than any high-sounding words, the contact between heart and soul.