[When you swim, you like to dive to the bottom of the pool, then turn over and stay for a while. Looking up at the bottom of the water, you can see the street lights by the pool, the warm yellow light flowing along the blue water waves, and the bubbles you exhale float up like jellyfish and disappear. The scene is like a dream.]
[This wonderful life continued until one day in September, a day that was not special in any way, and you couldn't find anything special about it.]
[The girl, who had always liked to accompany you, cling to you, and even read books together, suddenly seemed to have changed.]
There was no fundamental change; her smile was just as radiant, yet you keenly sensed an abnormality in something deeper.
Aili Xiya seemed to prefer the outside, preferred others, preferred anyone but you.
At eleven, Aili Xiya could already run around town by herself. Even though it was her first time out, she acted more familiar with the small town than you, greeting everyone cheerfully.
She seemed familiar and close with every stranger. In contrast, her relationship with you was slightly less intimate than with those strangers.
The breeze was gentle, the sun just right, and the ground in the rural small town, a mix of dirt and stone, still held the dampness from last night's continuous light rain.
The air carried an earthy scent, and dew on the flower petals was stirred by the breeze, carrying a delicate, elegant fragrance as it danced with the wind.
"Good morning~?"
The lovely girl greeted the people by the roadside, her adorable small face adorned with a flawless smile like a fresh flower.
So petite, so beautiful, even strangers who didn't know her couldn't bear to show any coldness, offering blessings in return.
It was exceptionally harmonious. The crowd, who once wouldn't even greet passersby, seemed to be moved by this abundant emotion.
Truly like an elf, like a fairy. Just standing there, her pure and flawless heart was enough to prevent anyone from having any negative thoughts, and even malice seemed to have vanished from the depths of their hearts.
—Except for the neglected boy in the distance.
The boy standing there, to whom no one would even cast a glance, let alone give him a tiny bit of attention, was completely impossible.
Even though he was only a few steps away from the girl, it felt as if some higher-level barrier had been lowered.
Why does it feel... so strange?
Did he do something wrong?
Why was she suddenly unwilling to stay by his side, not even walking together?
At twelve, Aili Xiya spent more and more time outside, even occasionally having meals at the orphanage.
Did you do something wrong?
Did you hurt the girl's feelings in some small detail, or make her unhappy?
Yet, nothing was revealed in her eyes.
If there was really a problem, why couldn't she tell you directly?
Whatever it was, if she said it, it could be corrected. But you knew nothing, only watching all of this continue.
At thirteen, for Aili Xiya's birthday, you gave her a bouquet of flowers and a fairy tale book alongside the cake. You specifically bought it at the bookstore, believing she would love the beautiful Elysium described within.
Searching for a beautiful Elysium, it also aligned with your first meeting with the girl in the forest. This should serve as a gift of apology.
The next day, the girl, who had long been undecided about her name, announced it to everyone. It was the ultimate goal recorded in the story, agreeing with Elysium, symbolizing purity and beauty.
—Aili Xiya.
At fourteen, you spent most of the year with Aili Xiya.
In the season when the spring snow first melted and a hundred flowers bloomed, she stood at the church entrance, offering freshly picked flowers to every passerby.
In the season of warm sunshine, Aili Xiya would specifically go to the welfare home and weed the orchard with the children there, looking forward to a bountiful harvest this year.
In the season of falling leaves, Aili Xiya completely learned to speak, pasting leaves of various colors into paintings and weaving them into stories to read to everyone.
In the season of silver-white landscapes, she drew musical notes on the snow and softly sang ballads in the winter forest.
The girl was like a gift from the forest. No one knew where she came from or why she was there, but everyone accepted her. Her innocent and artless smile always touched the softest parts of people's hearts.
Her unrestrained, purest kindness, apart from some true beasts, was actually not disliked by anyone. No one could harbor darkness and evil in the face of pure goodwill.
Only you were a bit confused, wondering if you had done something wrong all along to cause such a drop in favorability?
Although she still acted so lovely in front of you, you always felt... her pink-blue eyes rarely focused on you.
As time went on, it seemed to become less and less, and she liked going out more and more.
It must be an illusion.
After all...
Aili Xiya always gave you a sweet smile, and your feelings for her could never be simply summarized as sibling love or friendship.
After all, you were the first person the girl ever saw, and you had always been her playmate, often playing together not long ago. There was no way your relationship could be bad, worse than with strangers.
Probably...?
You couldn't be sure, because that smile seemed to be for everyone. Even first-time vendors received it, and even the fishmonger by the roadside. There was no difference based on the type of person or intimacy.
If everyone likes someone, and you are the only one who doesn't dislike them, then that is essentially a form of dislike.
Emotion is essentially a form of selfishness, a difference from others that can only be obtained—this is what you read in a certain book.
...[Option 3: Of course, you must get along well with those you were once forcibly separated from and couldn't say goodbye to, make up for past regrets, become friends with them again, and once again experience a quiet, peaceful life.]
You successfully greeted everyone and made friends with the entire town. No one would dislike this fairy-like girl, not even the most stubborn old people who hated children.
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