In an instant, several gazes intersected in the air. Celia, who had noticed their entry into the clothing store early on, felt a twitch in the corner of her eye, a silent acknowledgment that things were about to go awry.
“Mom, we need to make a run for it again.”
She whispered, intending to scoop Lena into her arms and repeat their usual escape trick, fleeing from the Disciplinary Committee. But this time, Lena seized her wrist with a calm demeanor.
“Follow me.”
With that, Lena left money for the dress and pulled a bewildered Celia along. The Disciplinary Committee members, seeing them about to escape again, swiftly cast their magic and charged forward.
“Don’t think you can run!”
“Stop right there!”
Several shouts drew the attention of every customer in the store. After exiting the clothing store through another door, the Disciplinary Committee members stopped dead in their tracks, their faces etched with disbelief.
Aside from the curious glances of pedestrians on the street, Celia’s tracks had vanished completely from their sight.
In a mere few seconds, a Tier 3 Brave had somehow slipped away silently right under the noses of several Tier 4 Bravers?
“I can’t believe there are students helping her,” the leading Disciplinary Committee member huffed heavily. She then pulled a small notebook from her pocket and jotted down a rough description of the student.
“The mentors in the academic affairs office will deal with them properly!”
Having done that, they left. Behind them, around the corner of the clothing store, two petite figures huddled against the wall under the eaves, not daring to breathe.
Only after confirming the Disciplinary Committee’s departure did Celia’s movements become bolder.
She pinched the hem of her skirt, which was slightly damp from the rain, and looked at Lena beside her with admiration. “Mom, how did you know we wouldn’t be found hiding here?”
“I used to hide here when the Disciplinary Committee chased me.”
The rain, slanted by a gentle breeze, still managed to dampen Lena’s skirt hem, even under the eaves, making her appear a little disheveled. Yet, it was this very dishevelment that made her seem more like a student of the academy.
“I see now, Mom wasn’t exactly an easy student in her youth either, was she?”
Celia crossed her arms, seemingly having seen through Lena’s younger self. Lena, hearing this, lightly tapped her daughter’s head and retorted, “What nonsense are you spouting? If it weren’t for Chiling back then, I wouldn’t have become a student who broke school rules.”
Celia had to admit that in a uniform, Lena did look more youthful and lively. Otherwise, her usual self would never have bothered to argue such a point.
Celia, however, found logic in her words. As she nodded, she murmured to herself, “Hmm, you’re right. Considering Senior Silverbloom’s temperament, it’s more likely Mom was well-behaved and sensible back then.”
“Yes, it’s good you know that.”
Hearing her daughter say she was well-behaved and sensible in her youth, Lena felt an inexplicable flutter of joy inside. Her hands unconsciously crossed again. Celia, noticing this in secret, covered her mouth and giggled with delight.
The rain continued to fall. Without umbrellas, they couldn’t linger there, or they would soon be drenched.
Celia pointed to a photo studio, suggesting with a smile, “Let’s go take pictures, to record this moment!”
Lena agreed, and they dashed into the photo studio, braving the heavy rain.
****
The photo studio was a short walk away.
The rain merely left faint traces on them, which quickly vanished without a trace.
After a brief conversation with the staff, they stood before the magic camera, striking various affectionate poses.
The moment the staff member pressed the shutter, Lena secretly kissed Celia’s cheek. The action of kissing the young girl was thus captured.
A surprised yet shy Celia naturally returned Lena’s kisses in the subsequent few shots, drawing strange and envious glances from the staff.
Upon receiving the photos, Celia clutched them to her chest, then hid them away like precious treasures. Lena did the same.
Afterward, they bought an umbrella that was larger than a normal one. Beneath such an umbrella, even if Celia spun in a circle, she wouldn’t get a single drop of rain on her.
Clinging to Lena’s arm, Celia rested her head on her shoulder. She pulled her mother along.
As they passed a flower shop, Celia couldn’t help but feel that, perhaps due to her bias, this flower shop, though beautifully decorated, was far from comparable to Vidona’s Witch’s Flower Shop.
Moreover, she disliked the atmosphere inside the shop. The prices of the flowers here were ridiculously expensive.
Just looking at it made her feel it was extravagant and luxurious. This was indeed the case.
Constantly comparing it to the Witch’s Flower Shop, she grew to dislike this one even more. Nevertheless, she eventually selected a few silvery-white flowers and had the shop assistant deliver them to Lena’s villa.
Exiting the flower shop, the rain had lessened. Lena opened the umbrella and asked, “When do you plan to go back?”
Celia paused, extending her palm to feel the cold raindrops land on her skin.
“After the rain stops.”
“The rain stops?”
“Yes, if the rain doesn’t stop, then we’ll stroll for a whole day. If it doesn’t stop today, then we’ll stroll for another day tomorrow!”
She tilted her head, watching her mother with a playful smile, her words full of willful charm.
However, not receiving an immediate reply, she stepped forward and hugged Lena’s arm, swaying slightly as she playfully pleaded, “Please, please, can we?”
As if something within her had been pierced by her daughter’s adorable plea, Lena’s heart instantly softened. Her reply came faster than she could think: “Alright, alright, whatever you wish.”
It seemed Celia had tasted the sweetness of coaxing. The once arrogant noble young lady began to shed her矜持, becoming even more affectionate.
In the gourmet alley of Fane Street, she spotted cotton candy made with magical machinery. Her eyes, which had been somewhat bored, suddenly lit up.
“Wow, cotton candy!”
She pulled Lena to the front of the vendor, taking out a few copper coins. “Two, please!”
A pink and a white cotton candy were quickly made. She picked up one with her left hand, then another with her right.
Lena had expected Celia to offer her one, but the next second, she watched as her daughter’s thin lips parted, taking a bite from each cotton candy, savoring their differences.
Seeing this, Lena felt a slight pang of disappointment, but she merely smiled indulgently, not dwelling on it.
“Here, this one is sweeter.”
The pink cotton candy was offered to Lena. Lena took a small bite from the other one. The sugar melted in her mouth, and her lips curved into a warm smile.
After finishing their cotton candy, they continued deeper into the gourmet alley. However, just then, urgent shouts erupted not far behind them.
“Make way! Make way!”
Disciplinary Committee members, wearing armbands, pushed through the crowd. They were here, and this time, their numbers were greater than before. The previously calm alley grew chaotic with their arrival.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Celia once again scooped Lena into a princess carry, and the umbrella once more fell to the ground.
“Don’t run!”
“Stop!”
This time, the Disciplinary Committee members disregarded the crowd, directly unleashing their magic and charging ahead. Yet, even so, in the narrow and difficult-to-navigate alley, they gradually fell behind Celia.
However, Disciplinary Committee members patrolling other parts of Fane Street heard the commotion and rushed over. Surrounded from both front and back, Celia, carrying Lena, burst into a nearby perfume shop.
One Disciplinary Committee member, quick-witted, followed closely behind her. But the moment he pushed open the wooden door to the perfume shop’s second floor, a hand chop landed on the back of his head, knocking him unconscious.
“My apologies, but I cannot be caught yet.”
She quietly apologized. Celia looked out the window from the second floor. Noticing the heavy rain showing signs of stopping, she pulled Lena’s wrist and left the perfume shop, heading towards the bell tower of Rune Academy.
Fane Street was now bustling. Disciplinary Committee members with armbands were everywhere. Upon receiving news of Celia’s whereabouts, they instantly surged towards a single location, leaving other students, unaware of what was happening, to exchange bewildered glances.
The bell tower of Rune Academy was unguarded, so Celia easily led Lena up to it. Meanwhile, the Disciplinary Committee members were also converging on the location, forming a formidable procession.
But Celia couldn’t be bothered with them. After climbing to the very top of the bell tower, she merely glanced at the Disciplinary Committee members below before shifting her attention to Rune Academy.
Standing here, the sky and clouds felt much closer, and half of Rune Academy could be effortlessly taken in with a glance.
She surveyed the renowned Rune Academy. There was no excitement or longing in her eyes, but rather a profound curiosity, one born solely from her mother.
Lena’s mood, however, was somewhat complex.
The passage of time had, after all, altered the academy’s appearance, leaving her to find only a faint, elusive familiarity amidst the unfamiliarity.
The spring wind was no longer as cold as in the morning. The heavy rain gradually ceased, and the air became exceptionally fresh. Weak sunlight pierced through the clouds, casting a gentle golden hue.
She immediately spotted the garden she had seen earlier. From this elevated perspective, colorful flowers formed the emblem of Rune. The rich floral scent, now uninhibited by the rain’s departure, fully diffused, allowing her to catch a whiff of its fragrance even from the bell tower.
“Mom, look there!”
Celia looked up at the sky, pointing towards where the sunlight spilled.
Following her pointed direction, beneath the pale blue sky, Lena saw a dazzling rainbow.
“It’s my gift to you. Isn’t it beautiful?”
“Beautiful…”
Celia smiled, her grin brighter than the rainbow itself. Lena caressed her face, her innermost tenderness stirred.
She suddenly understood why Celia had chosen to escape from the Disciplinary Committee’s grasp time and again—it was so she could present her with a rainbow after the rain stopped.
‘I’ve never seen Rune Academy’s rainbow before. This is the first time.’
“Eh?! Does that mean this is our unique youthful memory?”
“Of course it does, I am a student now, aren’t I?”
Pinching the hem of her uniform skirt, Lena showcased her attire to Celia, and the expression on her daughter’s face filled with profound happiness.
Footsteps clattered on the bell tower’s stairs. They knew the Disciplinary Committee had caught up.
Celia looked at the rainbow, then at her mother. The smile on her face gradually faded. With her hands clasped behind her back, she stood like an adult at the edge of the bell tower’s rooftop, the crystalline, lake-like depths of her eyes reflecting the academy’s silhouette.
“Thank you, Mom, for indulging my wildness this once. But now, I should be well-behaved and sensible, just like you were in your youth.”
She turned around, letting the spring breeze tousle her hair, her face still radiating happiness. “Whatever punishment the academy gives me, even expulsion, I will gladly accept it. After all, leaving a memory in your youth is already enough for me.”
Lena gazed at her face, momentarily speechless.
The Disciplinary Committee member now ascended to the rooftop. His sharp gaze swept over the two, finally settling on Celia, who stood at the edge of the roof.
“Celia, you have nowhere left to run! The base of the bell tower is also swarming with Disciplinary Committee members!”
As if fearing Celia might escape, he held a magic artifact used to restrain Bravers. But having done all this, the young girl no longer harbored any thoughts of continuing her flight.
She said nothing, simply standing there quietly, a hint of small regret in her eyes as she looked at Lena.
‘Even willfulness has its limits.’
She had originally wanted to spend the entire day with her mother, but now it seemed…
Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted as she unexpectedly fell into a warm embrace. Then, uncontrollably, she tilted backward, falling off the rooftop, the whistling wind roaring in her ears.
She panicked for a brief moment, but this emotion was quickly soothed by her mother’s words.
“I was very willful in my youth too, little Celia.”
“Wait!”
Seeing them leap from the rooftop, the Disciplinary Committee member rushed forward, attempting to grab them, but his outstretched hand only brushed against a few fragrant, scattered silvery-white petals.
His heart lurched. He looked down towards the base of the tower.
The result was exactly as he had feared: aside from the visible petals and Disciplinary Committee members, there was no sign of the girls anywhere in his sight.