Chapter 15: Wednesday of Samsara Under Mercury Retrograde (3)
AM02:34
“Well then, do your best! Although I usually tell others to give up if they can’t make it, this time…”
Standing at the entrance, Mom wore a bitter smile. She genuinely wished for Juncheng’s resurrection, which was why she couldn’t bring herself to say “give up.”
I know I will definitely save Juncheng.
“To place all my hopes on you, it’s truly embarrassing…”
It wasn’t something I *had* to do, and no one was forcing me, but this responsibility must be borne by me, even if someone else wanted to snatch it away.
Because this is the very meaning of my existence…?-
“Then, before you go, can you tell me your name?”
“…My name is Zi’ai An. Zi from Junzi, Ai from You’ai.”
“So it is Zi’ai. Dad… Grandfather gave you that name, didn’t he?”
Mentioning Grandfather, Mom’s expression suddenly turned blank. Could it be that her relationship with Grandfather wasn’t good? Speaking of which, after Grandfather went abroad, she hadn’t contacted him even once.
Although she still called Grandfather “Dad,” there was no affection in it.
“Your father was full of anticipation for your birth. He had even chosen ‘two people’s worth’ of names when I was still pregnant.”
“Huh? Two people’s worth?”
This description is a bit strange. Not two names, but names for two people?
Ah, was it because Mom was pregnant with twins at the time? But Keling’s name seemed to be chosen by Mom…
Seeing my confused expression, Mom realized she had let something slip. Waving her hand, she said,
“Ah, sorry, don’t mind it. It’s just that seeing you standing here like this, I…”
Mom suddenly rushed over and hugged me tightly. It wasn’t a hug of farewell, but more like a hug of reluctance.
“I’m sorry… I’m truly sorry… I owe you so much, but it’s so good to see you… so good…”
She was already in tears.
A sense of resentment inexplicably arose within me. Even I didn’t know where it came from. It felt like a ghost… but I clearly didn’t have a ghost…
Blood rushed to my head, and a restless agitation burned like fire.
Where did this anger come from?
Lost due to not knowing, in the end, only helplessness remained, and a chaotic energy lingered in my chest.
“I have to go…”
I silently pushed Mom away, lowered my head, and turned to walk. She didn’t call out to me, but I knew she was definitely watching me.
Even after I had walked far away and gotten on the subway, I could still feel her gaze.
I leaned against the subway seat and closed my eyes, lost in thought.
When I open my eyes again… I should calm my mood and face what’s in front of me.
This is just one clue I’ve found, and things are far from over…
AM03:34
Leaving the subway, I once again followed the familiar recipe, walking along the thread.
I don’t know where this thread will lead me this time.
It was already past midnight. There was no moon in the sky, and the streetlights were off for some unknown reason. I had to turn on my phone’s flashlight to act as a torch.
But my phone isn’t like the phones in game novels that run on nuclear power. Walking while keeping the flashlight on drains the battery too quickly.
I didn’t bring a power bank, or even a charger. If my phone runs out of battery, I won’t be able to keep in contact with anyone.
So, should I go back to Black Street first? Eddie should have some chargers or something. Maybe he even has some black technology that can charge my phone in a second (Eddie: Impossible).
I have about 20% battery left, which should last for about half an hour.
I opened the map to find the nearest entrance to Black Street, but I noticed a 24-hour supermarket right beside the entrance anyway.
A supermarket should sell chargers and charging cables, right? If not, I’ll just head into Black Street then.
With this thought in mind, I walked down the dark street according to the map. Just as my phone’s battery finally died completely, and the screen flickered black, I spotted a convenience store not too far away.
Entering the supermarket, the clerk was dozing off, completely unaware of my arrival.
…Wait a minute, is this really a clerk? They look like a child… child labor…
No, perhaps this is just the convenience store owner’s child, helping out because the adults are out.
This isn’t my business. I should focus on buying a charger and charging my phone first.
However, after searching the aisles several times, I couldn’t find any chargers.
No, forget chargers, what is all this stuff…
The products were all strange items, completely unlike what a normal supermarket would sell.
Tsk, I really should have gone back to Black Street. What a lousy supermarket.
“What! Who are you calling a lousy supermarket!”
Just as I was about to leave, the child who had been sleeping at the counter woke up. Yawning, they looked at me with a contemptuous gaze and said,
“Besides, you can come in here, but you don’t know what this place is…”
“Isn’t it just a supermarket?”
“Ah… you must have stumbled in here by mistake… What! You don’t even have a soul! You’re the complete opposite of me! Is that even possible! No soul?!”
No soul – only soul
Is this child an anomaly, like Akiko, who is a ghost?
“Yes, I am a ghost. You really are from ‘this side,’ to not know about my Harmony Supermarket? You’re so ill-informed!”
“This is the Otherworld?”
It’s probably similar to Black Street. By the way, since the entrance to Black Street is nearby, why not just open it inside Black Street?
“You could say that. My store only sells strange and unusual items, like those two in your backpack… Ariadne’s Thread is a rare item, will you sell it to me?”
They could see what was in my backpack at a glance, and even read my thoughts to carry on a conversation. This child is definitely an anomaly. If only I could see their title like Juncheng, then I would know their identity.
“I can’t sell this to you.”
The child merely looked a little regretful, but then their expression turned excited as they said to me,
“Is that so? Then never mind. Can you let me see the other item? I can’t recognize it at all!”
They must be referring to the butterfly-shaped necklace I got from Mom.
…
“Don’t worry, I won’t take it without permission. Fair trade is my principle. Besides, don’t you want to know how this thing works? I’m an expert in this area?”
…Alright, but you can only look. I won’t hand it over to you.
Seeing that they agreed, I took out the butterfly-shaped necklace. The child tilted their head and looked at it for a long time.
“It seems this necklace contains someone’s memories. Oh… so it can be done this way. Making ‘memories’ into jewelry?”
The technique is quite skillful! What a great idea! Why didn’t I think of that!
“It contains memories? Whose?”
“How would I know? It’ll activate when it comes into contact with the memory’s owner.”
Someone’s memories…
“Alright, if you’re not buying anything, please leave.”
“I actually came to buy a charger… my phone is dead…”
The child seemed speechless but still took a charger out of their pocket and handed it to me.
…I’ll lend you my charger. There’s an outlet here at the counter.
I took the charger and glanced at it, saying.
The atmosphere seemed to become awkwardly tense.
To describe it, it’s like the shame and embarrassment a store manager feels when they can’t fulfill a customer’s request.
Just then, a woman walked into the store.
The thread in my hand moved.
Turning around, I saw the person I had been looking for recently… Lanhua!
