“Lying…”
Alice’s smile faltered, her captivating voice trembling faintly.
“Is it a bad thing?”
“…”
Tian Jiu gazed at her, momentarily at a loss for words.
In Tian Jiu’s perception, Alice had, at this moment, completely transformed into a young girl plagued by worries, genuinely seeking her assistance.
A heavy sense of responsibility settled upon Tian Jiu’s shoulders; she felt a surge of timidity within her. Yet, ultimately, her kind nature prevailed. Taking a deep breath, she resolved to tell Alice precisely what was in her heart.
“Lying… it’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
Tian Jiu gently curved her lips, two shallow dimples appearing on her soft cheeks. This smile was so utterly sweet that it completely enveloped and smoothed away the unease in Alice’s heart.
“But… isn’t ‘lying’ something people dislike?”
Her bewildered gaze met Tian Jiu’s, seemingly unable to grasp the meaning behind her words.
“Hmm… that statement… it’s true, but not entirely so…”
Tian Jiu tilted her head in confusion, raising a fair, slender index finger to prop up her soft cheek, appearing troubled by how to explain this intricate matter to Alice.
“In most situations, people desire to know the truth, which is why they despise being deceived and dislike those who lie…”
Tian Jiu leaned forward slightly, speaking softly to Alice. Her small right foot lifted gently, nervously drawing circles on the ground beneath her.
She might not have been adept at teaching others, and being inherently shy, she didn’t possess a deep understanding of others’ thoughts. Yet, when it came to the topic of lying, Alice had perhaps asked the right person.
Liu Xuerou had never told a lie, but Tian Jiu was different.
Tian Jiu’s gaze lowered, as if lost in thought, her eyes brimming with complex emotions.
‘It was still due to her own timidity, her fear of losing the easy, natural companionship she shared with Yan, that she had continued to deceive him, daring not to reveal that she was, in fact, Liu Xuerou.’
‘If Yan were to discover that Tian Jiu was Liu Xuerou, would he still adventure with her as naturally as before? She had deceived him; would he come to despise her?’
‘Tian Jiu dared not ponder these questions.’
‘Because of her cowardice, she had chosen to stay by Yan’s side as Tian Jiu for as long as possible, yet she also craved the same intimate, inseparable childhood friend relationship they once had.’
‘How unexpectedly greedy she was!’
‘Someone so full of lies, how truly unsightly…’
Tian Jiu let out a self-deprecating, bitter laugh.
Nevertheless, for now, she needed to thoroughly address Alice’s confusion.
“However, there’s another scenario: for instance, when others do not wish to hear the ‘truth,’ or when hearing the truth would cause them deep sorrow, ‘lying’ might not be a detestable act.”
“Instead, it becomes a ‘white lie’.”
“A white… lie?”
Alice murmured, half-understanding, half-puzzled.
“Were Alice’s lies spoken for someone else?”
Tian Jiu forced a sweet smile for Alice, her hands clasped behind her back. She bowed slightly, looking directly into Alice’s clear eyes, who was still crouched in the corner of the pristine white wall.
“As long as you ‘lie’ not for your own selfish desires, but for the sake of someone important, then that ‘lie’ is not ugly; it is a kind, beautiful lie.”
“Without the lubricant called ‘lying’ in human interactions, things would likely become volatile and restless.”
“Is that so?”
Alice lifted her face to look at Tian Jiu, the gentle smile on her lips and the sincerity in her eyes undeniably genuine.
“I’m very fond of a light novel called *The Journey of Elaina*, and in that story, there was a kingdom called the [Honest Country]…”
Tian Jiu gathered her skirt and gently sat beside Alice, their delicate shoulders brushing lightly.
‘Perhaps, this was the first time she had shown such intimacy with anyone in the game, other than Yan and Qing Bai.’
“The King of the [Honest Country] wished to create a nation without lies, where everyone could treat each other with sincerity. Through magic, he successfully transformed all the people throughout the country into individuals incapable of lying.”
“However, the kingdom did not become sincere and harmonious because of this. Instead, precisely because there were no lies, people would resort to fighting over even the slightest disagreements. Eventually, they even chose to remain silent to maintain their daily lives.”
Tian Jiu gave a self-deprecating chuckle, shaking her head lightly as if recalling something, before turning her gaze back to Alice.
“Therefore, ‘lying’ is not an unforgivable act, nor is a ‘lie’ inherently ugly or dirty.”
“Of, of course, I’m not telling you, Alice, to lie often!”
Tian Jiu seemed to realize her statement might be too one-sided. Waving her hands in a flurry, she quickly added this, afraid of leading Alice astray.
“Sincerity between people is also necessary, but Alice, even if you have lied, there’s no need to blame yourself too much…”
“I believe that a kind Alice, even when lying, must have done so out of necessity, for someone else, right?”
An incredibly gentle smile bloomed on her face, its warmth, like sunshine, left Alice feeling slightly dazed.
“As long as it’s for someone important, any action can be forgiven.”
Tian Jiu raised her fair, small hand and gently clasped Alice’s palm.
“At the very least… that’s what I believe.”
Then, as if seeking solace… or perhaps wishing to impart strength to Alice…
Their fingers intertwined.
****
“Thank you, Tian Jiu.”
Alice rose, slowly standing up from beside the pristine white wall.
“I think I understand a little better now.”
She turned back, offering Tian Jiu a smile.
Seeing that perpetually serene and gentle smile, Tian Jiu let out a soft sigh of relief.
“W-well, that’s good…”
Her face flushed slightly as she pulled Alice’s fair arm, helping her stand from the ground. Then, she gently released their tightly intertwined fingers.
“Although there are still many things I haven’t quite understood, I at least comprehend one thing…”
Alice lowered her head slightly, then slowly raised it again, revealing a gentle smile to Tian Jiu.
“‘Lying’ is something that causes me pain and sorrow, so from now on, I will strive not to lie, and not to deceive the people I care about.”
Her smile was one of such profound ease and relief. Bathed in the sunlight, her crystalline eyes and beautiful sky-blue hair shimmered, sparkling as if the magnificent clear sky outside Sky City’s windows, encompassing the heavens, had been born just for her.
Observing Alice in this state, Tian Jiu found herself momentarily speechless.
“…”
“Alice is truly brave…”
Tian Jiu offered a wry smile, her dewy eyes narrowing slightly as she looked at Alice.
“So brave it inspires envy…”
‘If only I could be like you.’
‘If only I, too, had the courage to confess to Yan.’
‘If only I didn’t have to lie.’
Tian Jiu lowered her small head, allowing the cherry-pink short hair on the sides of her face to obscure her vision.
‘Along with her wavering heart, everything was enveloped in darkness.’
****
In the pitch-black room, the young girl lay on the soft bed, her fair, small hand gently stroking the full-dive helmet beside her pillow.
‘Yan! Actually… I, I am Tian Jiu!’
Shyness completely flushed the young girl’s fair face crimson, her eyelids fluttering uneasily. Her crystalline eyes reflected the bright moonlight, shimmering faintly in the darkness.
‘Presently, Liu Xuerou found herself increasingly timid about this scene of revealing the truth to Yan…’
‘…and yet, expectant.