On the streets of Ragunna, Phrolova walked alone.
The slightly salty sea breeze brushed against her face, sweeping through the dim, yellow glow of the streetlights, only to vanish in an instant.
Just like that long-vanished world.
It existed, only to become mist; it burned with passion, only to fade without a trace.
The wind clung stickily to her face damp, salty, like a lingering whisper.
The Fractsidus had a base in Ragunna, but unless there was important business, Phrolova rarely went there.
She preferred solitude.
Especially when her colleagues consisted of one unhinged madman who followed no rules, whose improvisations lacked all grace and easily destroyed meticulously laid plans, and another who was a novelist lost in her own self-indulgent narratives.
She had no interest in them.
She didn't even feel much sense of belonging toward the Fractsidus itself.
She had long since had nowhere to call home.
The Fractsidus and she merely used each other.
She didn't care what purpose the organisation had in using her; she only knew that its existence could help her achieve her own goals.
That was enough.
Until
"Phrolova?"
A familiar voice came from behind.
It made Phrolova's movements halt almost imperceptibly. The dead stillness within her heart suddenly churned with indescribable emotions, hatred and attachment, disgust and admiration, all tangled together, finally blending into an inexpressible chaos.
She slowly turned around. That familiar face came into view.
Her heartbeat involuntarily quickened.
Even so, her tone remained cold. "What are you doing here?"
It seemed as if his presence, his appearance, held no importance to her.
Ray was long accustomed to Phrolova's aloofness. If anything, if she suddenly became warm and friendly, it would catch him completely off guard.
"I was just going to get some dinner," he said in his usual tone.
Phrolova merely glanced at him coolly. "Oh, really? Then goodbye."
She turned to leave but was stopped by his voice from behind. "So... want to go together?"
'I should refuse.
Getting too entangled with him might shake my convictions.'
That's what she thought to herself, yet the moment she turned around, the words had already slipped out unbidden: "Where to?"
The instant she said it, she hadn't even processed it herself.
But the words were spoken, irretrievable.
"Uh..."
Ray had originally planned to go for grilled meat, but catching sight of Phrolova's aloof demeanor and recalling past events, he felt she probably wouldn't enjoy such a noisy, greasy setting.
He hesitated for a moment before changing his suggestion.
"I know a place with lighter flavors... want to give it a try?"
Phrolova gave a slight nod. "Mm."
The two walked side by side along Ragunna's streets, largely in silence.
Ray occasionally tried asking about how she'd been, but the responses were always just a few clipped words: "Mm," "Fine," "Oh"...
Of course. Between them, apart from that concert, there really weren't any other topics to discuss.
For some reason, Ray felt...
Phrolova seemed to be deliberately keeping her distance from him. But if that were truly the case, why did she agree to his invitation?
He couldn't quite figure it out.
"By the way, about the concert... you'll be alright with it, right?" he finally ventured, circling back to that topic.
"Of course, I'll be fine," Phrolova replied flatly. "I'm long accustomed to such occasions. It's just about delivering a much-anticipated performance for Ragunna, isn't it?"
She gave a light, somewhat self-deprecating smile. "I just didn't expect that a performance after such a long separation would turn out to be an exploitation. Suddenly, I feel... a bit ridiculous."
Hearing this, Ray knew she was projecting that "substitute" role onto him again.
"...Then why did you agree?" he couldn't help asking. "You could have refused."
"Don't overthink it," Phrolova said softly. "That music... it was composed for 'you' in the first place. In the past, I fantasized countless times about the occasion for its performance. But truthfully... it long ago lost its reason to exist."
"As for why I agreed to you... it was simply because I didn't want it to vanish completely... At the very least, there should be some trace left that it existed."
"Otherwise, disappearing from this world without a trace... what difference is there from death?"
Phrolova's voice was ethereal, her gaze drifting past Ray's profile as if looking at some distant shadow.
Ray was at a loss for words.
Fine. If doing it this way made her feel a little better, then so be it.
"So... what kind of person was he?" he finally asked.
"Him?" At first, Phrolova didn't catch on, but soon, a faint, elusive smile touched her lips. "Oh, you mean 'him'? How to put it? Someone with a very deep fixation, willing to pay any price to achieve his goals. Sounds cold and ruthless, doesn't it?"
Ray gave a slight nod.
Although he'd never truly met that person, if Phrolova wasn't lying, the description sounded more like a typical antagonist from a novel.
Of course, it might also describe another kind of hero.
The kind whose righteousness is so extreme it borders on villainy, the type who would burn everything to save the world.
"Although..." Phrolova clasped her hands behind her back, looking up at the night sky. "...I'm not really in any position to judge him either."
"And if that person appeared before you again, would you forgive him?" Ray asked cautiously.
"Forgive?" Phrolova gently pressed her lips together, then shook her head, her smile fading into something bitter. "I stopped hoping for that long ago. He was the one who saved me, who gave me hope. But the one who personally pushed me into the abyss... was also him. He wouldn't forgive me, and I wouldn't forgive him."
'Phrolova's past was that heavy?
Is this something a substitute like me should even be hearing?'
Ray decided to steer away from the topic. He didn't want to delve any deeper.
The more they discussed it, the deeper the fixation on the past would sink.
After all, his original intention was to help Phrolova move on from those regretful memories.
"Why so quiet?" A slight curve lifted the corner of Phrolova's mouth as she tilted her head to look at him. "Weren't you curious about my past?"
Ray averted his gaze. "I just don't want to see you sink deeper. Besides, I'm ultimately not him."
"Who knows?" Phrolova said softly, her gaze already drifting back into the distance. "Maybe it's just... that you've forgotten."
Ray sighed softly and changed the subject. "What about that thing you mentioned earlier, the one you wanted me to promise you? What exactly is it?"
"Haven't decided yet," Phrolova replied lightly. "I'll tell you when I've figured it out. You owe me this, no rush... Maybe one day, it'll just come to me?"
"Until then, just wait patiently."
"Isn't the process of waiting also a kind of memorable experience and enjoyment?"
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