“What exactly is it you want to say? You had to come all the way here just for this, Su Ling?”
The air inside the storage room was filled with the lingering aroma of food and wood. Su Ling stepped over the clutter and walked in, then turned around and looked at Tii solemnly.
Tii, seeing that Su Ling was hesitating and not speaking, curved her lips mischievously and suddenly stretched out her arms toward Su Ling, reaching forward.
“You want to have another secret date with me, don’t you?”
“N-no!”
Su Ling’s body flinched instinctively, and she hurriedly broke free from Tii’s grasp.
“Don’t, don’t mess around—”
Tii took another step forward and threw her arms around Su Ling, but the hug landed awkwardly, just barely brushing against a few strands of Su Ling’s hair.
Su Ling was startled, as if she’d been shocked. She pushed Tii away gently.
Looking stunned and wide-eyed, Tii staggered back a few steps and fell onto the table behind her, scattering a cloud of flour into the air.
“Su Ling, wha—what’s with you?” Tii couldn’t recover for a moment.
“Sorry, it’s not that I don’t like you. Sorry, Tii… but from now on, can we keep some distance between us?”
The cluttered storage room fell silent for a moment.
“Do you mean things like hugging, holding hands, or… secret dates and all that—we shouldn’t do those anymore, is that right?”
Su Ling finally summoned her courage and said what she had wanted to say for so long.
She couldn’t keep letting this go on. To prevent Sista Anderson from finding out, and for the sake of the best possible Prophecy, she could only grit her teeth and refuse Tii’s advances.
“Did I do something to make you hate me?” Tii’s voice was tinged with worry, her words coming out faster. “Why? Why did things turn out like this?”
“It’s not that I hate you. I just… don’t want to do those things anymore.”
“But you can do those things with Sista Anderson, can’t you?”
“She… she’s different.”
The words slipped out, and Su Ling immediately regretted them.
She only wanted to say that it wasn’t out of personal preference that she made this choice, but once the words were spoken, they took on a meaning she hadn’t intended. Su Ling felt deeply awkward.
The red-haired girl in front of her stared at her, lost, leaning helplessly against the wall. Her lips moved a few times, but not a sound came out.
In those clear, amber eyes, a hint of sadness flashed by. Then, a faint, bittersweet smile appeared. That smile made Su Ling feel oddly unfamiliar and slightly guilty.
Tii fell silent, watching Su Ling intently for a while. She took a half step back, opening up some space between them.
“Su Ling…” Her voice was much quieter now.
“I’m sorry… all this time, I’ve just been doing whatever I wanted, without considering what you really felt, doing so many things that you hated…”
“I—I don’t hate you!” Su Ling hurried to explain.
“I know. Little Su Ling is so gentle by nature, always listening to everyone,” Tii raised the corners of her mouth, and her dimples appeared faintly.
“I won’t trouble you anymore, Su Ling. From now on, let’s just get along like normal girls do.”
There wasn’t the slightest trace of resentment or displeasure in her tone. Tii was still the same as always—gentle as water, thoughtful to the smallest detail.
Su Ling knew that even if she said something even more hurtful, Tii would only bury it in her heart and continue to show her gentlest side, comforting her like always.
“Tii…”
Her heart was uneasy.
“But, Su Ling, you’re still my dearest friend. No matter what difficulties you face, you can still rely on me just like before. I’ll always do my best to help you.”
Before she finished speaking, the bell suddenly rang, its chime echoing above their heads. The red-haired girl wiped her eyes and forced a smile.
“I… I have to get back to work.”
She spoke with difficulty, then turned away, hiding her face, not looking back as she walked out.
The hem of her skirt floated up behind her as she went, leaving only the sound of hurried footsteps, which gradually faded away.
Su Ling stood alone in the narrow room, watching that figure disappear down the hallway.
Even though she’d prepared herself for this, when Tii really did turn away, Su Ling still felt a little sad.
“Well, I guess… this is fine too.”
She forced a smile, muttering to herself for comfort.
She told herself it was to protect Tii, to keep her away from danger.
Even if it meant losing Tii, she had to do it. Because she couldn’t let Tii be hurt even more because of her.
The next few days became exceptionally long. Su Ling quietly immersed herself in her work.
Because they were in the same place, seeing each other was inevitable. She ran into Tii several times in the kitchen or other places, but the two of them just managed a stiff greeting and then went back to their own tasks.
Su Ling knew that it wasn’t because Tii hated her—if anything, it was herself she was avoiding.
Bathed in the warm glow of the evening sun, Su Ling absentmindedly stroked the broom in her hands, leaning it against the floor and staring into space. The sunlight streaming through the window stretched her shadow long across the floor.
“You and Tii… are you two fighting?”
One day, while working, Bo Wen, who was cleaning dishes with her, suddenly spoke up.
“Why do you ask that all of a sudden?”
Su Ling opened her mouth, but didn’t know how to answer.
“It’s just, lately, you two don’t seem to spend any time together,” Bo Wen crossed her arms, resting them on the sink, and turned her head slightly, “Did something happen? Is there anything I can help with? I… I just don’t like seeing you two like this.”
Su Ling was a bit surprised. Bo Wen, who used to complain about Tii, was now worried about her relationship with Tii.
Thinking about it, ever since Su Ling had helped Bo Wen last time, her attitude had changed a lot.
“There’s no fight, don’t worry,” Su Ling said.
“Really? If Miss Su Ling says so, then… that’s good.”
Bo Wen didn’t say anything more, just focused on cleaning the dishes with extra force.
Tap, tap, tap.
Just as Su Ling was feeling a bit awkward, familiar footsteps sounded from the corridor. She glanced over curiously.
It was Tii’s voice.
Was Tii talking with someone? Su Ling couldn’t help feeling curious.
She quietly moved to the corner and peeked through the crack in the door. What she saw was someone she didn’t expect.
Standing side by side with Tii was Marentia, bundled up in heavy clothes. The two of them were chatting as they walked, the skinny, yellowish loaf of bread in their hands swaying slightly.
“Aren’t you going to talk to her and clear things up?”
“No, keeping things as they are might be for the best,” Tii replied. “Besides, there’s someone even more important in her heart…”
“So, are you willing to just let her go to that person?” Marentia took small but quick steps.
“She never really belonged to me in the first place,” Tii smiled faintly. “What Su Ling wants to do is her own choice. I won’t interfere in her affairs just for my own sake.”
“You really do have a complicated way of thinking,”
Marentia sighed.
The two of them disappeared into the narrow stairwell, planning to go upstairs and take a look.