She spoke in a brisk tone. "Hello~" "........." "Eh? Didn't you hear me? Um... Hey~ Can you hear me? There's a cute girl calling you~" "........." "Don't call him, he won't talk to you. And it's better to talk to him less, he's a [bad boy]." "[Bad boy]? What's wrong with you?" "Well... I... I don't know either, but since the priest said so, it must be true!" The child who was asked this question was obviously confused and shook his head to indicate that he didn't know. "But he has been locked up here since I was brought back here by the priest, so he must be a very bad kid, so the priest has kept him locked up."
"Hey~ No matter what happens, there's no need to lock me up for so long, right?" She didn't seem to understand. After all, how bad must a child be to be locked up forever? "There's nothing we can do. Who made him unwilling to correct his mistakes? The priest said he would let him go if he reformed, but he refused to do so. The priest would chat with him every night." "……chat?" She shifted her gaze in astonishment and looked at him inside the house. The dim environment inside the house could not block her sight, so she could see the scars all over his body. If we were just [chatting], would this really happen? bang bang- She knocked gently on the wooden board covering the window, trying to get his attention, but he remained unmoved and just huddled quietly aside, as if he was asleep. "Let's go, let's go. If you stay here too long, the priest will scold you." "……Um." She hesitated for a moment, but still smiled and left with the child. After all, she was just passing by this city, and saw that this place seemed to take good care of children, so she chose to rest here. But now it seems that there seems to be something wrong here... "........." I turned around and looked at the warehouse again. It was located in the backyard of the church, adjacent to the cemetery on one side. Almost no children would like to get close to here. Even during the day, there were only a few sounds of playfulness, which was completely different from the noise in the front yard. If it was night, it would probably be as silent as death, just like the cemetery on the other side of the wall. And it is in such a place that a child lives... no, it should be said that a child is locked up. This is wrong no matter how you look at it, right? The girl decided to come back and check again later. "........." Gone... How great! Xi Wang thought so and fell into a drowsy sleep... Although it was difficult to escape in a dream, at least... it would be a little more comfortable.
only…… "Bang bang~" It seemed like someone was knocking on the window board again. "Hello~" It seems like someone is saying hello. "Bang bang~ Please pay attention to me~ Bang bang~" This time I heard it clearly. It was not someone knocking on the wooden board, but someone was deliberately imitating the sound of knocking on the wooden board. Xiwang knew who it was, but didn't want to pay attention to her. "Bang Bang~ Please, please~ How about talking to me? After all, I just arrived here and may need a reliable guide~" "Bang bang~ There's a cute girl knocking on your window~ Bang bang~" "Come to think of it, have you really been locked up here all this time? You don't look like a bad kid." "Bang bang~ Does my doing this annoy you? If you don't say anything, I'll take it as your consent~" Although there was no response to her, she continued to talk nonstop. She didn't feel bored or annoyed because Xi Wang ignored her. Her topics also stayed at a very subtle distance so as not to make people feel bored. "Where were you before? I heard from others that all the children here were brought back by priests. I seem to be the only one who found my way here... So it seems that I am still very special!" "Did you come here by yourself?" Xiwang spoke for the first time. "Oh! You finally paid attention to me. That's what I said. How could a girl as cute as me be disliked by others?" She seemed very confident. Xiwang raised his head slightly and looked at her through the remaining gap. The brilliant sunshine outside shone on the tips of her pink hair, and her bright blue pupils carried a hint of strange pink. Just by glimpsing a corner, one could still tell that she must be a cute and lively girl. Just as she said herself, she was indeed a very cute girl. I don’t know if it’s my illusion, but Xiwang always feels that she is glowing, which makes me subconsciously want to retreat... Maybe it’s because the sunlight outside is too bright. But there is also a yearning thought. After all, she is so eye-catching and so gorgeous... Maybe it's because the sunshine outside is too bright. Xi Wang comforted himself, and the fantasies that subconsciously emerged were also dispelled by himself, returning to the cold reality before him. "Well?" The girl who noticed his gaze was a little surprised, and then a little confused, part of which was directed at him and part of which was directed at himself. Especially his eyes that were as calm as water. She seemed to see a hint of gold emerging in his dark pupils, like stars twinkling in the night, giving her the illusion that she had found someone of her own kind. However, all this was fleeting, like an illusion. But she still remembered this vague feeling and was determined to think that he needed help. So she spoke:
"What's wrong? Is there something wrong?" "You'd better leave here as soon as possible." That’s all Xi Wang said in the end. "Leave here and go somewhere further." "But I just came here from far away... Isn't it a bad idea to just send me away like this?" "........." "Ahem... I know you didn't mean that. I was just joking just now. It's just a joke~" "I know." Xiwang's voice remained calm. "But I'm not kidding." He was serious about getting this girl out of here. "This is not a good place to stay. Don't go to the police station here. Leave here and find a safe place farther away. If possible, find someone you know or trust and tell them that there are children here who need help." He hadn't spoken such a long speech in a long time, so his words became a little discontinuous. “…Um, I’m actually alone, ok?” "I know." Because people with kids won't come here. "I'm actually pretty good too, huh?" "Ah." Because ordinary children can't run far by themselves. "So you actually believe that I came from far away alone, right?" She suddenly became very excited. ? The topic jumped so fast that Xiwang was a little confused. "Let me tell you, the other kids didn't believe I came here alone. I clearly told them in detail about the scenery in other places and what I encountered, but they just didn't believe me. The nuns were the same. Their attitudes were perfunctory. The priest was the same. It was obvious that he didn't take it to heart. It seemed that he was always thinking about something else." "You know what? I once walked through a winter forest by myself! The white snowflakes spread on the ground like a pure white carpet, and the snow-covered forest seemed to be glowing under the sunlight! Hey... Although I almost got lost in the middle, I met a kind person who took me out in the end! His daughter is very cute! She is just a little bit different from me~" "Another time, I found a huge flower field. It was really huge. I thought there was no one there, so I played there for a long time. But I was caught by someone... Although they didn't make a fuss about it in the end, I still helped them take care of the flower field for a few days before leaving... I definitely didn't want to stay there for too long!" "Another time, I passed by a small town by the lake. The lake water there was like a mirror. At night, it could reflect the starry sky. I could even count the stars by looking at the lake! But I fell asleep halfway through counting that time... The people there were also very nice! Everyone was very welcoming and treated me to a special snack, which was a bit like a small biscuit with cream and jam on it. It was sweet and a little salty, but very delicious! But when I got there, the mayor was discussing something with someone. It seemed that he wanted to renovate the town..." "And..."
………… She talked incessantly, describing the many landscapes she had seen, the people, events and things she had met, and vividly describing her journey. She is like a favorite of God. Everything and everyone she meets is beautiful. Even if she encounters difficulties, she will always be able to solve them in the end. Honestly, telling a child who is "locked up" here about these things happening outside always feels like showing off, as if "Look, I can play outside, but you can only stay here~", as if I'm deliberately exposing someone's scars. However, Xiwang felt that she might not have thought so much, but simply wanted to share what she had seen and heard along the way, sharing everything she had seen and heard with a "trapped child who had never gone out", just like she told everything she had seen and heard to the "child who had never left the church". So Xi Wang did not interrupt her, but emphasized it to her again when she took a break: "It's time for you to go." Whether she wanted to escape directly or rest in the church for a night, it was time for her to leave. She had stayed here long enough, and she must have said enough. "Hey~ Are you going to chase people away after listening to their stories? That's too much~" ? "But after thinking about it carefully, it seems that it is indeed time to go... Yeah, I'll come again next time~" "I hope that next time we meet, I can see that you are not alone." "........." Outside the window, she blinked her eyes, and then they curved like a crescent moon, revealing obvious joy. "As expected, you are not a [bad boy]~" ? To be honest, Xiwang could hardly keep up with her thinking. "Oh, oh, since we are about to say goodbye, could you please tell me your name? Please, please ~ so that I can find you next time ~" "........." "Bang Bang~ Please, please~ I will tell you my name too~ After all, we are friends~" She deliberately imitated the sound of knocking on the wooden board and spoke in a light and joking tone. No, we are not friends yet, right? After all, we only talked for a while, and most of the time you were just talking to yourself. However, Xi Wang didn't care so much. He just hoped that she would leave quickly, whether to escape or to stay and rest for a night. Otherwise, when the priest came, it might not end well. After all, the [free activity] time was about to end. "Xiwang, my name." He said softly, then urged again. "It's time for you to go." "[Hope] Ah... what an interesting name~" She seemed to have thought of something interesting, and her tone of voice rose unconsciously. Apparently, she also realized that the "Xiwang" he said and the "hope" she said were probably not the same word.
However, when she realized the environment he was in again, she couldn't laugh anymore. "As for me, my name is Alicia, just call me Aili, but don't forget me~" Her voice gradually faded away. Judging from her position, she probably wanted to rest here for a night. fair enough. Xi Wang thought so, closed his eyes and began to rest. Night is coming, and... I'm afraid it will be as long as before.
