Chapter 27: Different thoughts, different thoughts

Lila was awakened that morning by the tapping sound against the window glass.

Still in her nightgown, she unwillingly wriggled within the warmth of her blankets, only for her arm to press down on the crimson hair spread across her pillow, and the sharp pain from her scalp finally jolted her fully awake.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

‘What bad luck.’

Slowly opening her hazy eyes, Lila saw a crow repeatedly pecking at the window with its beak.

‘Once, twice, again and again… the little thing even had a sense of rhythm, but it was unbearably noisy, and Lila couldn’t stand the disturbance.’

‘Had this thing latched onto her or something?’

Yawning, Lila got out of bed and walked straight over to open the window.

The crow didn’t fly away.

Tilting its head, its black bead-like eyes stared fixedly at Lila, occasionally letting out low “caw” sounds, before it lightly hopped and landed steadily on the floor of the room.

“What do you want?”

Of course, her question was answered only by the crow tilting its head back at her.

Who knew what she had been thinking, actually trying to talk to a crow.

Lila rubbed her forehead, beginning to suspect she had gotten a bit stupid.

‘Maybe it’s hungry.’

Lila thought to herself.

She took a steak from the fridge, cut it into small chunks with a knife, then placed them in a small bowl in front of the crow.

The crow didn’t stand on ceremony.

It precisely picked up the meat chunks and swallowed them with a tilt of its head, its attention now completely focused on the food.

As Lila was inwardly sighing at the sight, a faint pain began to creep up from her abdomen.

Sure enough, with everything that had happened recently, she had forgotten that today was the day her menstrual cramps would arrive.

But in just a moment, the pain surged like a rising tide, as if invisible hands were twisting and wringing inside her stomach.

Lila’s brows knitted tightly together.

No matter how many times it happens, it’s still unbearable.

Clutching her stomach, Lila passed by the crow that was still eating.

She had no mood to deal with the little creature right now.

Hurriedly, she found a sanitary pad, and after changing, she finally gained a slight sense of relief.

After finishing, Lila quickly went to the kitchen to boil a kettle of hot water.

Once she drank it, the cramping pain in her abdomen eased slightly, and her tense body relaxed a little.

At least it’s better than the first time.

The first time, she had thought it was some vicious curse from the goddess again, meant to drain all the blood from her body, she had nearly been scared to tears.

This time, at least she knew how to deal with it.

Dragging her weary body back to the living room, she found that the crow had already stopped eating.

Its black bead-like eyes were fixed on her, as if waiting for her to return.

As soon as she approached, the crow glided down to her feet and began pecking incessantly at her slippers.

Lila’s face darkened with exasperation.

This time, she wasn’t going to indulge the silly bird.

Taking advantage of its focus on her slippers, she grabbed the crow with both hands, carried it to the window, and tossed it outside.

Finally, some peace and quiet.

But her stomach still hurt terribly.

Lila’s face scrunched up like a bitter melon.

If she had known, she wouldn’t have agreed to Simon so easily.

Under the influence of the Holy Light, the crimson roots of her hair began to turn white, gradually dyeing all her hair snow-white, while her pupils transformed into a brilliant gold.

After putting on makeup and tidying her hairstyle, the girl named Conflor appeared once more.

As for clothes… should she dress a bit more formally?

She looked at the white stockings.

Although they felt a little embarrassing, they were indeed very comfortable.

In the end, Lila changed into a white dress.

The folds of the skirt resembled soft, delicate white clouds in the sky, and a bright yellow bow at her chest added a lively accent, instantly illuminating the entire outfit.

The ribbon of the bow draped lightly, its texture soft and smooth, with both ends carefully trimmed into swallowtail shapes.

On her legs were pristine white stockings, clinging tightly to her slender legs like a second layer of skin, smoothly outlining their graceful curves.

From the ankles upward, the delicate patterns faintly revealed themselves.

Looking into the full-length mirror, Lila found it hard to believe the person before her was herself.

She pursed her lips, then lifted the corners of her mouth into a gentle smile.

The girl in the mirror appeared so pure and beautiful, at least on the surface.

What a pity her heart isn’t as beautiful.

Lila sighed inwardly.

*****

Seeing Simon standing by a distant streetlamp, Lila jogged lightly toward him.

“Sorry, am I late?”

“No, it’s still early before the agreed time.”

Simon shook his head.

“Huh? So you came this early?”

Lila feigned a hint of surprise.

Simon turned his head aside.

Because of the monsters in his nightmares, his sleep had always been short, and even without nightmares, his body had already memorized the time to wake up.

“I’m used to waking up early.”

“How diligent.”

Lila smiled politely as she praised him.

[According to Conflor’s persona, this is how she should act, right?]

“There’s nothing to it.”

Simon denied it reflexively.

He didn’t dare look directly at that smiling profile.

The casual expression Lila revealed at that moment seemed to etch itself into his mind, stirring something faintly within his heart.

So beautiful.

Simon suddenly lowered his head.

Precisely because it was so beautiful, it felt unattainable.

There were no such things as wishes coming true in this world, only shattered expectations born from wishful thinking.

Simon understood this well.

“Hey!”

From afar, Siegfried called out, waving his hand as he walked toward Simon.

Vigus was beside him, holding a book, looking rather uninterested.

“The shopkeeper is here too?”

Hearing Siegfried’s words, Lila nodded in response.

Vigus swept her lifeless gaze over Simon and Lila, then nodded slightly to herself, as if understanding something, and tugged at Siegfried’s sleeve.

“What is it?”

Vigus gestured for him to lean closer.

Siegfried bent down, and she whispered into his ear.

As he listened, he glanced at the other two, his expression shifting from confusion to sudden realization.

Meanwhile, Simon felt a bit awkward, as though he had been misunderstood.

“What are you two whispering about?”

After the exchange, Siegfried put on a serious face.

“Nothing.”

That was all he said.

“How about we walk around nearby?”

Not quite understanding the situation, Simon made a suggestion.

Siegfried waved his hand at him, his expression looking… somewhat punchable in Simon’s eyes.

“No, Simon, I have something urgent. I took on a commission—I need to help set up the stage for the magic performance competition. Vigus is helping too.”

Vigus nodded along.

But Simon had never heard of such a commission before, and Vigus used corrosion magic, what kind of help could she possibly provide?

“Then we’ll see you at the competition this afternoon. Alice is still practicing right now, so you’ll get to see her wonderful performance then. I’m really looking forward to it.”

With that, Siegfried turned and left, as if he had made up his mind about something.

Even someone as slow as Simon could tell what they were getting at now, but please don’t jump to conclusions about other people’s intentions when inviting them!

Simon smiled wryly.

As for Lila, she simply thought it was normal for friends to have urgent matters to attend to.

Simon rubbed his nose.

A desolate breeze seemed to pass through the scene, leaving only him and Conflor standing there.

His cheeks turned slightly red.

“Let’s just walk around for a bit. I don’t usually celebrate festivals, so this feels pretty novel.”

Considerate as she was, Conflor naturally wouldn’t leave Simon awkward and alone, so she spoke up.

Today was the Flower Festival.

Every shop and household displayed bouquets at their windows or doorways, red like fire, pink like clouds, white like snow, interweaving to decorate the entire street like a dreamlike fairyland.

A gentle breeze passed through, petals fluttering down like a colorful rain of flowers, and a rich fragrance filled the air.

Walking upon a ground covered in petals, with a gentle-eyed girl by his side, Simon wandered aimlessly, perhaps the destination no longer mattered at all.