"Seriously, you are asking a reason?" Denu sighed deeply.
"I mean…" Vulnerability lingered on her face. "Do you want that because I am human now?" She didn't meet his gaze.
"What do you mean?" He rested his right hand on his waist.
"Do… you love me… because I am Belly, or do you love me… because I am human?" She met his gaze, even though she was unsure what she was asking. "Because now… I have a body…"
"Even if you are human, I wouldn't love someone just because they are human." He stepped closer, gripping her hand with both of his.
"I don't… know… but… in any case, I won't say no. I do want to marry you." Her voice was fragile, vulnerable.
Denu interlocked his fingers with hers. She didn't mind. Instead, she tightened her grip even more.
They stepped into the silence. It held something Belly couldn't describe… so comfortable that it made her feel uneasy.
They entered the courtyard together.
"Tell me!!" Mio shouted from the stage. "Tell me the secret."
"I am going inside." Denu freed Belly's hand.
Her fingers ached, longing for his touch.
"Seems like you need to go alone." Belly stepped toward Mio, who was insisting on knowing whatever they talked about.
Am I still Belly?
She sat beside Mio, prepared.
In the Heavenly Kaatoumo.
Asami sat on the bed while Flint stood in front of her.
"Wouldn't it be good if we made this room's color blue?" Asami looked at the white, polished walls.
"Maybe… but Kashi is the one living in this room," he said. "It would be better if you ask her."
"But… I would like blue in my room." Asami stood up.
"I need to give the contract for that. I have to go to Origin." He rubbed the back of his head.
In the courtyard of Kaatoumo.
Aeni sat on a chair, staring at Bluesy, who was standing near the struck wood. Akarum was tying a rope around her leg, while Lyanna watched his childish actions in disbelief.
"Whoever that person was… why does she want me to spy on Akarum? It's not like I have strong abilities." Aeni's hands rested on her lap.
Who knows? I couldn't tell her real intentions.
"Done." Akarum said with satisfaction as he tied Bluesy's left leg with the rope.
He's playing with a Divine. Such a child.
Aeni shook her head.
"You are an animal. Understood?" Akarum thumbed Bluesy.
"Such disrespect. I wouldn't tolerate it." The cat stared at him with her terrifying pupils.
"You want to be friends, then tolerate it." A teasing grin spread across Akarum's face.
"It's okay," Bluesy said. "By the way… what kind of game is this?" Genuine curiosity hung on her face.
"You would get a futureback of your funeral. You are taking advantage of her innocence." The cat climbed onto Akarum's shoulder.
"Futureback?" Confusion crossed his face.
"It's a new term. It describes the future as an already lived experience, like a past memory." The cat curled up on his shoulder, closing its eyes.
"Why are you using strange terms?" he asked.
"Bluesy discovered it because of her habit of mixing words. Even though she usually doesn't mix them, this is also part of her experiment." The cat didn't bother opening its eyes.
"That's strange… but I don't have a problem with it," he said.
"Anyway! Now that Bluesy is an animal, she should eat grass. But… which animal are you?"
"A cat or a fox," Bluesy answered excitedly.
"A fox is better. You have three tails too. Fits."
"Berries. I need berries." Akarum ran inside while Lyanna sat on his shoulder, unmoved by his movements.
To Kashime outside Heavenly Kaatoumo.
Kashime walked beside the trees, her mind circling with thoughts. Her hands were tucked into the hood of her coat.
It feels like there's nothing to do now.
Her gaze fixed on the dirt.
I feel anxious and stressed all day because there's nothing to do. I can't constantly do physical activities. In the end, I get tired. But I still feel heavy. My head feels like it's carrying a rock.
"I want to go back," her voice pleaded. "Please, I want to go back. It feels like I can't take it."
My head is exploding.
Her jaw and teeth tightened unnaturally hard.
"Sis, I want to sleep and never wake up." She stopped.
"Please let me go back. I don't… want to stay awake." Her voice carried a weight we couldn't understand.
In the Village of Queens.
The Cloud House floated in the sky. Lights sat on its roof beside them stood the man who had taken the blame for killing children stood.
Villagers stared at him with rage and sorrow. Their emotions were no longer restrained. The emotions rushed forward, rage boiling inside the parents.
"He killed Uroru. Why is he still alive?" The woman clutched her husband's arm.
"We are pushing him down. If he doesn't die, feel free to do whatever you want to do to him."
The man stood unfazed.
The Lightlinger with the green line on his forehead pushed him down.
In that very moment, racing heartbeats echoed as if children spirits were clutching to their parents, wanting to speak but unable to that.
"Die," Uroru's father said quietly, wishing for the very thing he wanted to be true.
When the man hit the ground, his soul left his body, leaving only blood and a lifeless form.
"He died. The murderer got what he deserved," the Lightlinger with the green line said with quiet satisfaction.
"Throw his body somewhere," he commanded.
Two Lightlingers jumped down as the order reached their ears.
The parents stood there in silence. Stillness lingered in their muscles as they failed to move, their gazes fixed on the dead man's body.
As the Lightlingers lifted the body and the Cloud House descended to the dirt, the green line on the Lightlinger's forehead glinted. When the Cloud House touched the ground, the green line stopped glowing.
Finally, after struggling to move, the parents forced their legs forward and walked into the village.