Before the Rising Sun

After leaving the company, Chen Zeyu returned to her solitary cottage.

Evetti Flann, carrying the luggage her seniors had given her, stepped into the room through the window.

It wasn’t until her small feet, encased in white stockings, touched the bed that she realized there was no space for her belongings.

“Just put your things on the bed.”

Chen Zeyu said, glancing around at the coke bottles and instant noodle cups littering the room.

“Alright.”

With Evetti Flann’s luggage finally settled, Chen Zeyu leaned against the wall, crossing her legs to support her arms.

She gazed up at the moonlight, her eyes clouded with bewilderment.

Seeing Chen Zeyu remain silent, Evetti Flann simply sat down beside her, maintaining a respectful distance.

The silence grew heavier as the moonlight dimmed, until Evetti Flann finally broke it.

“I’m sorry, Chen Zeyu.

In the end, I couldn’t find a solution.”

“Sigh… as long as I don’t starve to death.”

“It won’t come to that, will it?

Even if your family doesn’t accept your identity, I’ll take responsibility and support you.

Speaking of which, is going to school really your biggest worry?”

Evetti Flann couldn’t understand, especially considering Chen Zeyu’s gaming hours, which showed no sign of studiousness.

“Do you want to know why?”

Chen Zeyu turned her head.

“Tell me.”

“Because going to higher education means a degree.

I don’t want to work after just graduating high school.

I’ve tried it; the money is too little, and I don’t have any extraordinary talent to make a fuss.

I can’t support myself and the person who loves me.”

“The person who loves you?”

Evetti Flann didn’t know who this referred to.

“My only living relative right now, my grandmother.”

Chen Zeyu looked down at her own body, then let out another sigh.

“However, she probably won’t recognize me, and we rarely keep in touch.”

Chen Zeyu buried her head in her knees, appearing utterly dejected.

“What about your parents…?”

Evetti Flann asked, her voice tinged with pity.

“I don’t have parents.

Grandmother found me by the village pond’s dam, right after Grandpa died.”

Chen Zeyu lifted her head, a glimmer of tears in the corners of her eyes.

Evetti Flann frowned slightly, her gaze at Chen Zeyu deepening with compassion.

“I admit I haven’t been diligent enough, not good enough.

I’m an ordinary person who can get addicted to games, but when I returned to school, I never fell behind in my studies.

Originally, I… I had everything… planned out, but… now it’s all… all.”

Chen Zeyu squinted, her voice trembling, struggling to hold back the tears welling up.

Before going to the Witch Company, Chen Zeyu still held hope, but now that hope was completely extinguished, and an unwelcome reality was stirred.

The pretense of not caring, the facade of strength, shattered in an instant.

The fragmented state of her mind could not stop the dam of tears from breaking.

Chen Zeyu wept, tears streaming down her legs onto her knees.

“Ugh.”

Witnessing an ordinary person’s crying firsthand, Evetti Flann suddenly understood something.

Such powerful beings as witches, even a casual mistake or oversight, could tear a huge hole in an ordinary person’s life.

The reason the seniors secluded themselves in projects high above the city, setting up so many magical barriers, was also out of consideration for ordinary people.

‘The seniors want me to compensate her, probably hoping I’ll learn a lesson from this and understand how to treat the mundane.’

Evetti Flann’s heart filled with understanding, and her actions became more proactive.

She actively closed the distance between them, shifting her body to kneel beside Chen Zeyu.

“…?”

Chen Zeyu looked at Evetti Flann, unsure what the other girl intended to do during such a sorrowful moment.

“I’m sorry, but I will definitely take responsibility!”

Evetti Flann spread her arms, and with a gentle breeze, embraced Chen Zeyu’s shoulders.

“Oh!?”

It was Chen Zeyu’s first time being hugged by a girl.

Evetti Flann carried a faint, soothing lavender scent.

“I’ll always be by your side.

Please, live your life with peace of mind.”

Evetti Flann’s voice was like a dream, her gentle, flowing impression seeping into the depths of Chen Zeyu’s soul.

“Really… ?”

Chen Zeyu felt it wasn’t real, looking hesitantly at the silver-haired girl beside her.

“Really.

Didn’t I promise?”

Evetti Flann tightened her embrace, as if swearing she would never abandon her.

“That’s wonderful… it feels like a dream.”

Chen Zeyu felt a wave of exhaustion, the relief urging sleep to wash over her.

Evetti Flann did not disturb that moment of peace.

She continued to hold Chen Zeyu, quietly accompanying her until the night deepened.

The moonlight and starlight outside the window quietly faded, and the morning sun rose from the hopeful eastern horizon, illuminating the intertwined shadows of the two girls.