“Watermelon…”

Behind the bench where the girl sat stood a tree, and Sang was leaning against its trunk. As sharp-tongued as ever, he said, “Ugh… You really are such an idiot. How do you even manage to get lost like this…”

Luna had been about to lose her temper, but perhaps her unease got the better of her. She let her spoiled, willful side soften a little and, sniffling, asked in a small voice, “Watermelon, how did you find me?”

At her words, the boy—who was less than five-foot-three—slid both hands into his pockets. Looking like a street punk, he raised his eyes toward the bonfire in the distance and said flatly, “You’ve always been like this, ever since we were kids. Whether you get lost or something’s bothering you, you always end up going somewhere bright and well-lit…”

Luna stared at him with a complicated look in her eyes. Though the boy stood beneath the tree’s shadow, a golden light shimmered in his eyes.

Luna stayed silent for a long time. No one knew what she was thinking.

A little while later.

Adolf found them. Like a big brother, he checked that they were both all right, and only then let out a long sigh of relief. After thinking for a moment, he took a few small coins from his pocket and looked toward a nearby candy seller. “Ugh, I was going to save this money for your birthdays, but I guess that’s not happening now. Come on, I’ll buy you two some candy!”

“Ooh~ Thanks, Adolf!”

“Mm-hmm!”

Adolf instantly brought the mood to life. The three of them hurried over to the vendor, each got a piece of candy, and savored it happily.

Just then.

The summer festival reached its climax. Brilliant fireworks of every color suddenly burst into the sky. Gazing at the beautiful display, Sang couldn’t help murmuring, “Well… Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if things stayed like this forever.”

…

More than half an hour later.

The summer festival was drawing to a close. It was already past nine at night, and they’d probably get another scolding from Sister Lillian, the orphanage’s head. Adolf urged the other two to hurry back.

Neither Sang nor Luna objected. They followed behind Adolf, one after the other, and left together.

Sang was annoyed by how slowly Luna was walking and was about to turn around to tell her to hurry up. But as he glanced back, the summer night breeze at their backs, a lovely figure suddenly darted up behind him. Like a dragonfly barely touching the water—or a Little Chick pecking at grain—her full, rosy lips landed in a quick, unexpected kiss on his cheek.

Beneath the night sky, the boy froze.

By the time he came to his senses, the girl was already walking ahead of him, five steps away. In the silver moonlight, her emerald-green eyes sparkled. The evening breeze stirred her long golden hair, and her pretty face was flushed as she smiled sweetly.

“Watermelon, this is your birthday present. Don’t forget to give me your harmonica! Remember—no backing out!” The girl gazed at him as she spoke, her voice full of innocent, youthful earnestness.

After saying that, the girl quickly turned around and walked farther and farther away, as if running from him.

Sang watched Luna’s retreating figure. After a long while, he finally came back to himself. First, he reached out and gently touched his cheek. Sure enough, it was a little sticky and damp—a mixture of sugar and saliva. Then he suddenly turned to look at the big tree behind him.

That’s strange…

The wind’s picked up. So why isn’t the tree moving?

It turned out my heart was the one stirred.

This world really is dark, but there’s truly a ray of light in it.

…

The orphanage stood on the outskirts of Kahn Town. There were only a few houses for miles around. From the outside, it looked eerie and grim, but inside, it was a lively place.

Sister Lillian often said, “We may all be orphans, but we’re still family.”

Well…

Words like that were just unfair. Even the soul inside this body—the soul of an eighteen-year-old who’d gone through the college entrance exams—couldn’t take it. His defenses crumbled in an instant.

To Sang, the light in this harsh world came not only from Luna and Adolf, but from Sister Lillian, too.

He really loved this orphanage…

That said, an angry Sister Lillian was still pretty scary… Back to the present: the three kids had come back far too late, and they were sure to get scolded. They decided to play rock-paper-scissors to pick one person to distract Sister Lillian while the other two sneaked back to their room.

“Ugh… Watermelon, why do you always throw scissors first?”

Sang had lost, but he still tried to argue his way out of it. “These aren’t just scissors. They stand for victory—V—and for how dissatisfied I am with this world. I’ll use these scissors to cut through the night and bring people light and hope… I…”

“All right, all right. Enough with the nonsense. Go distract Sister Lillian.” Adolf ruthlessly cut off the boy’s grandstanding.

Sang: “Boohoo~ Can’t you let me finish my speech this time…”

Luna laughed at him. “Dummy, no!”

“Oh…”

At the corner of the orphanage hallway, Sang made his move first. He ran into Sister Lillian as she came up from the basement, giving the other two a chance to sneak back to their room.

“Good evening, Sister Lillian…” Sang greeted her with forced enthusiasm.

Sister Lillian was a gentle, soft-spoken woman who always wore a black-and-white nun’s habit and a veil. Now, though her gaze on Sang was kind, the corner of her mouth lifted in a faint smile. She asked casually, “Was the summer festival fun?”

“Huh… What are you talking about~? I have no idea…”

“Sigh~ I just can’t do anything with you kids… Judging by that look, you lost at rock-paper-scissors, didn’t you? You’re always trying to scheme your way through things, but you’re hopeless at rock-paper-scissors…”

“Hehehe…” Well, Sang had given up trying to deny it.

The next moment.

Sister Lillian sighed softly, then smiled again. She asked Sang to come downstairs and help her clean the basement. He didn’t need to worry—there was nothing down there. The orphanage was simply in a remote location, and with a bunch of kids and girls living there, the basement was meant to protect them if outsiders ever attacked.

Sang agreed and followed Sister Lillian down to help clean.

Sister Lillian carried the oil lamp as she walked ahead. The boy followed right behind her. For some reason, looking at her from behind made him feel strangely at ease.

“If Sister Lillian wanted to marry into a good family, she could have a happy life, couldn’t she?”

The woman walking ahead didn’t turn around, but replied with a smile, “I’m not going anywhere… This is my home, and you’re my family.”

The things Sister Lillian said really were unfair…

Even Sang, a transmigrator, couldn’t withstand words that warmed the heart so much.

Sang might not look it, but he wasn’t good at saying sentimental things. He scratched his cheek, his face turning a little red, and murmured, “Mm…”

A little while later.

As Sang swept the floor, he glanced at Sister Lillian’s nun’s habit and suddenly thought of something. Curiously, he asked, “There’s something I’ve always wondered…”

“What is it?” Sister Lillian was wiping down the skylight.

“Why… do you wear a nun’s habit?”

In an instant, Sister Lillian’s body shuddered as she stood with her back to the boy, as if he’d just asked something extraordinary.