"That medicine, I gave you one pill," Jiutiao Meijie said.

Dubian Che picked up the tofu from his own bowl, "Here, Meijie, for you."

Jiutiao Meijie glanced at him.

They practiced a shared meal system; whatever Dubian Che had, both of them had; whatever Dubian Che didn't have, they also had.

Jiutiao Meijie and Kiyono Lin finished their portions, and finally, they ate the fruit; they hadn't eaten all day either.

It was a little past midnight; they had been worried all day, had their meal, rested a little, and then went back to their places.

The room lights were off, submerged in total darkness.

Dubian Che lay in bed, the blanket covered only up to his lower abdomen, his head resting on his left hand, staring at the ceiling for a while.

The surroundings were silent, the moonlight flowing through.

It seemed he could hear the croaking of frogs, unsure whether it was the nostalgia for his hometown or if there really were frogs around the hospital.

Dubian Che prepared to sleep and adjusted his position to face the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The Tokyo Tower dispersed an orange halo, he reached out his hand, pulling the light into his dreams.

◇

At night, the dense forest cast layers of shadows—a serene trail through the mountains.

Accompanied by the sound of frogs and following the guidance of fireflies, Dubian Che arrived at the end of the trail where a shrine stood.

On the steps of the shrine, sixteen-year-old "Xiaoquan Aonai" hugged her soft, girlish legs, curled up there.

Dubian Che walked up and sat beside her.

"You should go back now, or your family will start to worry," he said.

"Xiaoquan Aonai" continued to hug her legs tightly, her face buried in her knees.

Dubian Che looked up at the fireflies; their light, shining through the trees, allowed him to gaze down at the town below.

The lights of the town didn't have the dazzling cluster of Tokyo; they were but small, warm, quiet, and just right.

"Is this your hometown?" asked Dubian Che, taking in the view.

The night breeze was gentle, carrying the sound of some insect fluttering its wings from an unknown tree.

In the forest, countless green glows floated as fireflies gathered.

"It wasn't intentional," "Xiaoquan Aonai" finally spoke after a long silence, her voice hoarse.

Dubian Che glanced at her; she still had her face buried in her knees.

"I know," he said, "don't worry, I'm fine."

"Xiaoquan Aonai" hugged her knees even tighter, not letting even a hint of breeze in.

Her curled-up form was like a child who had run away from home in the night, hoping to be sought after by family.

"I don't blame you at all," Dubian Che continued.

"Whatever you did, I won't blame you. Any mistake you made, I'll apologize for it. Be it your capriciousness or if it's unsightly, others may dislike or even hate it, but I accept it all."

A firefly left the forest and flew over the shrine's path.

"Why?" "Xiaoquan Aonai's" voice was dry.

Why?

How had all this come to be?

Was it the system's fault? The purposeful lack of clarity? The vague concepts?

And what even is the system? It's himself.

It's an innate aspect, closer than hands and feet, or facial features, it's something deep within the soul.

When it brings convenience, the system belongs to him; when it causes trouble, it still belongs to him.

He could only blame himself for accepting the mission; he was the one who caused everything, and it was Dubian Che, the person, who was at fault.

"Xiaoquan Aonai" should have been in this town, starting her pure and joyful new term, not in a place like Tokyo, tolerating the grievances of high-society ladies, being pointed at with guns.

Jiutiao Meijie was prone to jealousy, possessive; her boyfriend's body occupied by a woman—she had endured what she endured.

And "Xiaoquan Aonai" was not to blame either; she had no obligation to comply with others, and it wasn't her choice to take over someone else's boyfriend's body.

It was Dubian Che who had brought her from ten years ago to the present.

There was no need to blame "Xiaoquan Aonai," analyze her personality, or tally how much responsibility she really held.

In the eyes of outsiders, there were thousands of reasons; in his heart, everything was his own fault.

It was he who exposed a sixteen-year-old girl to everything she shouldn't have faced.

Anyone could blame her, except him.

Yet, this true reason, he wasn't allowed to voice.

Dubian Che, filled with guilt, couldn't help but reach out, gently stroking "Xiaoquan Aonai's" hair.

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely, his voice soft and filled with sorrow, "for making you go through all this."

This unintentional action was tender enough to almost suffocate "Xiaoquan Aonai."

The feeling of being alone in the future's nothingness;

Being outshined by Kiyono, Jiutiao, and other city girls, the inferiority;

Knowing the future self could get into Waseda but feeling utterly powerless to keep up the effort;

Surrounded by bodyguards, pointed at with guns, the unmoving Dubian Che...

She had reached her limit, on the verge of collapse.

"Ah—" "Xiaoquan Aonai" suddenly burst into loud sobs.

She hurled herself into Dubian Che's arms, grabbing his clothes tightly, desperately squeezing out her voice, repeating:

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... you're okay... that's good... I'm sorry..."

Dubian Che stroked her hair, watching the firefly dance; on the shrine's path, more and more fireflies continued to arrive.

"It has nothing to do with you; it's all my fault."

Regardless of what Dubian Che said, "Xiaoquan Aonai" just kept on wailing loudly, her tears quickly soaking his clothes.

Dubian Che felt even sadder.

These tears, "Xiaoquan Aonai" shouldn't have needed to shed them at all.

Today was Friday, on this warm night, she should have been with her family, or chatting with newly made friends over the phone, planning where to go on Saturday.

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