"Wendy... want to go for a walk?"
After school in the afternoon, Himeko stopped Wendy, who had just finished class, at the classroom door. She looked hesitantly at the girl's placid face and extended the invitation in a soft voice.
"Yes, of course, Teacher Himeko."
Wendy smiled and nodded at her teacher.
"Alright, let's go."
Himeko and Wendy walked side-by-side out of the St. Freya Academy teaching building. In the late autumn, the campus was covered in fallen leaves. The autumn wind was slightly chilly, and Himeko instinctively wrapped her coat tighter around herself. Wendy, meanwhile, had her hands in her pockets, her small face buried deep in the scarf Wende had knitted for her, looking fully bundled up.
"About Wende... I'm very sorry. But he said he's only gone temporarily. I hope you aren't too sad..."
Himeko gently comforted the girl beside her.
"I know, Teacher Himeko. I believe him. I believe what he said. He will definitely come back."
Wendy nodded, her gaze firm. She believed Wende's words without a shred of doubt. He would never lie to her...
"I'm happy you can think that way. If Wende knew you were being so optimistic, I'm sure he would be very happy too..."
Himeko closed her eyes and slowly shook her head. Even she... owed that man so much. He was the one who had revitalized her body, which had been decaying like rotten wood, and had even provided her with a brand-new source of power...
"Wendy, did you know? In the world of Star Rail, the gaze of an Aeon is a blessing. For us, Wende's existence is like that of an Aeon. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Gazing at Wendy's pensive expression, Himeko believed she would understand.
"If you run into any problems in the future, you can come directly to me or the Principal. We are your teachers, and we will help you. If you feel lonely or bored, go and talk with Kiana and the others. They are all good kids, just like you."
"Okay, I will. Thank you, Teacher Himeko."
Seeing how well-behaved and sensible Wendy was, Himeko couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the child.
She had finally found someone to rely on... only for it to turn into an indefinite wait... Her heart must be in constant turmoil, right?
"Well... I'll be heading back then. Take care of yourself, Wendy."
"Goodbye, Teacher Himeko."
Wendy waved goodbye to Himeko, her eyes thoughtful as she watched her teacher's receding back...
---o---
Returning to her apartment, she switched on the living room chandelier. Staring at the empty room, Wendy's spirits visibly fell.
She hung her coat on the rack. Looking at the scarf in her hands, embroidered with little figures of herself and Wende, she thought for a moment before placing it carefully on the headboard of her bed. That way, she could put it on first thing when she left the house.
Grooowwl~
"I'm a little hungry..."
Rubbing the small belly that had just made a sound, Wendy slowly came back to her senses. That's right. The day's events had made her completely forget about eating. Other than the breakfast Wende had made in the morning, she hadn't even had a drop of water...
"I'm... all alone again."
A look of loneliness fell over Wendy's eyes. This sense of solitude was even more intense than what she'd felt during those three dark years. If she had never seen the light, she could have endured the darkness. But Wende was the beam of light that had suddenly burst into her life...
After seeing the light, how could one possibly return to the darkness?
Slap! Slap!
Wendy patted her own cheeks, her eyes gradually filling with determination. Wende had gone to so much trouble to pull her out of the abyss; how could she let herself fall back into despair? If she kept this up, wouldn't Wende laugh at her when he returned?
"No! I can't go on like this!"
Wendy took a deep breath, took off her shoes, and walked barefoot on the floor. More than wearing shoes, she preferred the feeling of the soles of her feet in direct contact with a surface; it reminded her that she was standing.
She walked into the kitchen. Wendy was going to cook herself a grand dinner!
But the moment she reached the refrigerator, she froze.
It was something she hadn't noticed that morning. The usually clean surface of the fridge was now covered in a dense array of magnets, all bearing Wende's handwriting... and they were all detailed instructions for her favorite dishes.
"Little dummy, I know you don't really know how to make the things you like to eat, so I went to a lot of trouble to put together these simple recipes. They're so easy that even someone from the Kaslana family could turn them into a delicious meal. Go on and give them a try!"
Looking at the message on a very conspicuous heart-shaped magnet, Wendy saw that Wende had even drawn a little Q-version of her at the bottom, her long ahoge looking particularly vivid.
"Hmph... I'm not a dummy..."
Wiping away the tears that had unknowingly streamed down her cheeks, Wendy pouted, feigning displeasure.
She randomly took down a magnet for one of her favorites—tomato and egg noodles—and, following Wende's instructions, slowly opened the refrigerator.
The fridge had been stuffed to the brim by Wende, filled with all of Wendy's favorite foods and many prepped ingredients. There was even fresh milk... with a note from Wende stuck to it that read, "Drink hot milk, cold milk is bad for your stomach."
"Eggs... tomatoes, and the noodles are in the freezer..."
She took the necessary ingredients from the fridge and laid them out on the kitchen counter. Following the instructions on the note, she prepped the ingredients. She was a bit clumsy—the tomato chunks were absurdly different in size, the eggs weren't beaten thoroughly, and in her flustered state, she added too much sugar...
But when Wendy placed the bowl of self-made tomato and egg noodles in front of her, she was momentarily stunned.
Because in both appearance and aroma, it was exactly the same as the ones Wende made for her. Although she had made many mistakes and couldn't possibly achieve Wende's level of perfection, for her first time cooking, it was already quite an achievement.
She gently picked up her chopsticks. Over the past forty-plus days, she had become as proficient with them as someone who had lived in East Asia their whole life... After all, Wende's food was just too delicious. If she wasn't skilled...
The food would get cold.
Gently lifting a bundle of noodles, Wendy brought them directly to her mouth.
The noodles, having been rinsed in cold water, were firm and smooth. The tomato and egg, with the extra sugar, tasted sweet and sour. This flavor...
Other than being a little too sweet, the taste was just like Wende's.
Once again, wiping the tears from her face, Wendy began to eat the noodles in big mouthfuls...