Chapter 130: A Newfound Meaning

“Satisfaction… I don’t know…”

“What do you mean, ‘I don’t know’? Didn’t you win?” Yalin asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.

He knew Luminas’s desire to defeat Celeste bordered on obsession.

Yet now, having finally achieved victory, not a trace of joy graced her features. Instead, she wept uncontrollably, as if she had suffered a crushing defeat.

Moreover, she hadn’t even attended the award ceremony.

It all felt incredibly wrong, no matter how he thought about it.

“Tell me, why did you want to win against Celeste so badly?”

“Because… I wanted to prove that I am a special person…”

“A special person? Aren’t you already special?” Yalin wore an uncomprehending expression.

He had initially assumed Luminas was simply jealous of Celeste. He never expected such an inexplicable answer.

“No, I mean, you’re part of the main cast! If you’re not special, then who is?”

“Grandpa… said I wasn’t.” Luminas shook her head, her voice a whisper.

“Grandpa? Oh, right, that formidable old man.” Yalin almost blurted out “old geezer” but managed to stop himself at the last moment.

He remembered Luminas’s grandfather, Orlando Tingel. A renowned legendary archaeologist who had mysteriously vanished years ago, as if evaporating into thin air, leaving no trace since.

“So, even if you received your grandfather’s affirmation, what would that signify?”

“It would signify… meaning.” Luminas’s eyes flickered, her tone tinged with a tragic solemnity.

“If Grandpa acknowledged me as special, it would mean that my parents, too, had value. That their lives in this world were not meaningless…”

“But in the end… I was never special. My victory over Celeste was achieved only through underhanded tactics. In truth, she and I are not on the same level at all…”

Luminas’s voice grew softer and softer. Yalin offered no reply, merely gazing up at the sky.

It was a clear blue, as if washed clean, with leisurely white clouds drifting on the breeze, stretching to the horizon.

“You know,” Yalin said, “don’t you think the weather is truly beautiful today?”

“Huh?” Luminas was puzzled by Yalin’s sudden change of topic to the weather. She, too, lifted her head to look at the sky.

Though her unfocused eyes couldn’t discern details, only a large, hazy glow, the pure and gentle azure that filled her entire vision still brought a sense of refreshing serenity.

“The weather… it is quite nice,” she responded hesitantly.

“Right?” Yalin nodded.

“I often wonder what the meaning of life truly is. After a few decades, everyone turns to dust in the earth, ultimately becoming nothing but emptiness, leaving nothing behind.”

‘Though, for Yalin, if his plan fails, he’ll only live for a few more days at most…’

“But if one can take a leisurely stroll like this, feeling the breeze on such a beautiful day, I think living actually feels pretty good.”

“Living… is pretty good?”

It sounded like the most obvious platitude, yet… since her parents’ deaths, she hadn’t thought that way in years.

For countless years, she had endured unimaginable torment and suffering, only for the outcome to mock all her efforts.

Gradually, she no longer knew why she was even alive in this world.

“Hmm, don’t you think so?”

Luminas closed her eyes, feeling the crisp, cool breeze on her face.

“I think… it’s quite good…”

“If that’s the case, then isn’t that enough? If you feel that living is good, it means your parents had meaning. As for what others think, is that truly so important? Think about it: would your parents want to see you desperately trying to prove their worth, or would they wish for you to live a happy life?”

Luminas froze. She remembered the time she spent stargazing in the courtyard, and the words her father had spoken to her that day.

“As long as you grow up happy, we will be at peace.”

All this time, Luminas had unilaterally taken on her parents’ supposed dying wish.

However, the heavy shackles forcibly placed around her neck were not from her deceased parents, nor from her cold and ruthless grandfather. They were from herself, blinded by obsession.

But was that truly what her parents had hoped for?

In truth, the answer had always been clear.

They simply wished for the little girl named Luminas to grow up safely, to enjoy sweet cakes, and to smile under the sun…

That was all.

The gloom that had enveloped Luminas’s heart, accumulating for seven long years, finally dissipated at this moment. Tears of release streamed down her face.

Yes, what did it matter if she wasn’t special? Her parents loved her, and she loved them in return. Wasn’t that only natural? What was there to prove?

Yalin watched Luminas wipe away her tears, letting out a silent sigh of relief.

Honestly, he truly didn’t know how to comfort people. He had feigned a profound demeanor, spouting what sounded like grand philosophical truths…

But in reality, his toes were curling so hard into the ground, he felt like he was digging a three-bedroom apartment.

All in all, by following common anime tropes and rambling about parents and love, he had more or less bluffed his way through. Yes, that should be fine now.

“Alright, since that’s settled, let’s head back quickly.”

Yalin didn’t wait for Luminas, walking straight ahead, but his hand was suddenly taken by hers.

“Hmm, what are you doing?”

“I… I can’t see the way. Could you… hold my hand?” Luminas still hadn’t stopped crying, but the sorrowful expression on her face had vanished.

“Uh, I don’t recall that being in our contract, do I?”

“I’ll pay extra.”

“Hmm… fine then…”

Feeling the warmth transmitted through her hand, a faint smile graced Luminas’s lips.

‘Yes, so what if I’m not special? So what if I can’t prove myself? As long as Yalin is by my side, perhaps… I can finally find satisfaction.’

Yalin glanced at Luminas, who seemed lost in thought, and couldn’t help but sigh.

Though she seemed to have developed some misunderstandings about him, he would just let it be. At least on the day of the school festival, she probably wouldn’t chop him into mincemeat, right?

But if, even then, he couldn’t get through it, then perhaps dying in front of her would be interesting…