(part 2) There's a hint of desperation in the silence.

The patient, who has no decent skin at all, lays trembling in his bed, watching people putting leeches on his wounds, bit by bit. He has gone through this many times before, but he still feels a flood of terror.

Shu tries to get used to these, even if he is only an assistant this time --- he needn't do that thanks to his injury. Elira helpes him.

But after a few minutes, things get worse than expected.

The patient's eyes gradually closes, as if waiting for something. He has no strength to resist anymore, at the mercy of the leeches crawling on his festered skin. After nearly another minute, he completely closes his eyes and his chest stops rising and falling.

Boom, boom, boom. Shu can hear his heart beating clearly.

What's wrong with him That patient…how could he fall asleep

The experienced doctor pinches his pocket watch in his hand, with a little regret in his voice, but soon resumes "He died."

DIED

He doesn't just pass out, he has left the world without a word. Shu stares at everything in front of him.

He has no picture about death. He once watched the occasional white cloth-covered body pulled out from another ward while he was working, but he didn't feel anything special.

He has taken death lightly that he is comfortable with the idea that he might also die soon.

Since he knows how dangerous his job is, he keeps everything easy, so he wouldn't get caught up in unwanted thoughts.

He has thought that human death would be accompanied by pain, by abandonment, by rupture, but he didn't expect it to be so peaceful.

A fresh life in front of him slowly vanished --- his vocal cords were unable to utter any sound, and he passed away.

Shu looked at Elira, who is standing close to him, perplexedly. She just lowered her head and stood still.

Great pain hits on him. Shu moves his hand, not knowing what to do next.

Shu sighs voicelessly. A bag for the body is brought from a distance, and little by little, the lifeless body is stuffed into the bag, until his face is totally veiled.

It's like a giant piece of luggage. No one else will know what is inside.

Shu stands still, staring at the corner of the room. Seemingly, the doctors in charge of bagging the body has been accustomed to this. They almost shows no emotions, but Shu is still in shock.

He wants to show his emotions.

But he can’t.

"shu, leave it to them. It's so late." Elira's voice pulls his thoughts back.

"um…" Shu turns around and follows Elira's footsteps all the way to the door, where the slightly brighter light brings him back to life.

Just then, a doctor runs here, "Is Dr. Elira here"

"Here I am." Elira turns to the doctor. "What's the matter"

"Your sister is downstairs. She wants to see you..."

"Ah...she..." Elira shakes her head helplessly and smiles, "Well... Maybe I should have a talk with her… Shu, come with me. I'll take you to the gate."

****

"The work here is so dangerous, but my sister has to work overtime, can you give me an excuse I just made an appointment with her yesterday… I've already asked your dean why she was kept here even though she could have left right now… Elira"

Selen, battling fiercely with a doctor at the gate, stops the barrage when she see Elira.

The doctor stands there, pulling at his coat in embarrassment. He has been trying to get out of here, and Elira's arrival is a great help to him.

Shu and the doctor nods to each other and then looks at selen. She's almost no different from what he remembers. He has only seen her once or twice in his school days.

"Go back to work, please… This is my sister." Elira pats the doctor on the shoulder. After he leaves, she asks, "Selen, what are you doing here I've told you to stay home…"

"Come to take you home. Look at the sky."

Elira looks up at the sky and says, "Oops... It looks like rainy."

Selen raises her eyebrow, "I just talked to them. They said you could have left, unless you want to. If I remember correctly, you agreed yesterday to practice the harp with me tonight. I'm going to perform later."

"Alas… When did I promise you" Elira scratches her head as if she doesn't remember what she has said.

"The last time you got drunk." Selen smiles slyly.

"You tricked me into saying that. It doesn't count in theory. But, well, I'll take that as relaxing."

"Hum... Oh, by the way, who's that behind you" Selen takes a little stretch and notices Shu who is behind Elira.

"Oh, this is my colleague, also my junior in college."

Shu smiles, "Hello, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too." Selen looks happy, probably because her plan works.

"What a close relationship." Shu smiles.

"Ha ha, of course." Selen says as she hugs Elira. Then she looks up at the sky, "Oh no, it's going to rain soon Elira, let's go first"

As she says this, she has taken Elira's hand. Elira almost falls over, laughing a little crossly, "Slow down, Selen, you haven't said goodbye yet"

'Oh sorry Sh... Shu Goodbye."

Shu smiles and greets goodbye.

"Come and listen to my harp sometime" Selen cries back.

"Who wants to hear you harp for hours" Elira quickly replies and follows her.

Shu looks at them and smiles. The sisters are cheerful and smiles infectiously. Shu is in a better mood after seeing them.

Elira's family is well off. Her father is a famous artist and musician. Shu has known this before. It seems not many people around him can play the harp.

They are so close. Shu thinks, if only he can have such a good friend.

He has brothers and sisters, but they are all in his hometown, too far away from here. As for friends, the only one he familiar with is Ike.

Thinking of Ike, their conflict and the images he has just seen flows over him. He turns, goes into the hospital and sits in a quiet corner. He doesn't want to go to the lounge now. It isn't as bright as here.

In fact, what Ike said is not totally unreasonable. Now when he looks back, he suddenly finds himself pitiful.

It should take him a day to realize that he is being cared for.

Ike is concerned about him, though he gets a little stubborn.

They are both stubborn, stubborn enough that when they meet each other, they become two iron locks, hanging each other, difficult to burn out even with fire.

There 's already a pitter-patter of rain outside.

Stay here a little longer, whether the rain stops or turns heavier. If it stops, he would walk home slowly, or he would run through the rain.

Gradually, he feels a little sleepy, so he closes his eyes…

****

"Ike, what are you looking at" Vox holds in his hand a book of unknown ages, full of indecipherable words, which, according to him, is the work of a great writer of the devil.

The rain is heavier, and the sky is completely dark. The raindrops cover glass, so Ike can hardly see through the window.

"It may not be possible to look outside for inspiration at this point, Ike."

"No... I'm not looking for inspiration, but for people on the street."

"At this time everyone should stay indoors."

"…" Ike turns around, his looks worried, "I'm looking for Shu."

"The young man" Vox smiles with interest and turns a page as if he is actually reading it. He continues: "It's raining so hard that you can't see the road clearly. I suggest you go and have a look by yourself. Don't worry. As long as I'm still protecting you, you won't get infected.

"…" Ike freezes for a moment. His fist clenches and his thumb rubs on his index finger. Then he murmurs, "Maybe something gets wrong..."

Then there's a string of footsteps, towards the door.

"…Well, I'm just kidding. After all, he has the right to spend his night in the hospital, right… Ike"

The door has been shut.

Vox freezes. He looks at his side --- there's no one. It's only him, the devil, in the room.

"Ike"

****
****

Maybe the gods are on Ike's side. Since he left the house, Raindrop has not been as crazy as before. But he still gets wet.

He can't see clearly. He should have left his glasses at home. As it's raining, it's better to see naked than with the lenses.

He used to like rainy days, no matter how heavy it was. He could sit alone in his small room and write quietly against the sound of rain. Occasionally Vox came over and the two chatted about daily trivia, or simply made all kinds of silly jokes and chuckled.

Such days has repeated so many times in his life. When he's alone in the house, everything is in silence.

He has never run like this in heavy rain. Previously, he only observed people passing by through the window of his house: couples running together laugh despite nowhere to hide from the rain, old people walk slowly along the road as if they might fall down at any moment, and children step on water for fun. These are the most real pictures in the world, and he writes them down.

This time, he's the character himself.

He has never seen such a big rain before; he can just run aimlessly in the rain, with his memory. He keeps running, as if as long as he runs toward this direction, he can finally find Shu.

Rain falls on his lenses, depriving him of almost all sight. The noise of the rain in his ears disturbs his hearing, so he can not even hear the city sewers, but only the rain beating stones on the road.

Suddenly, he sees a figure in front of him. Pausing for a moment, he rushes there though not sure. The closer he gets, the more distinct the figure becomes… such a familiar silhouette.

He's sure that what he sees is true.

The man he is looking for, is standing there.

"Shu…"

The man is still in the rain. Ike cannot see his face clearly, but he seems to be dazing.

"Shu" Ike pats him, "Why are you standing still here It's raining heavily..."

Shu hears him calling. He tries to gather his wits together, "...I'm sorry, Ike. I was just walking down the road, but suddenly I got stuck."

"What..." Ike can barely hear him, but he shouldn't shout back to him at this point. He should take him home first and give him a sermon to keep him sane.

"Shu, I thought something happened to you." Ike doesn't know whether he should relax or tense up now.

"...No, Ike, I'm fine." Shu forces a smile. Rains dot on his eyelashes and he blinks to keep them from getting into his eyes.

"Why are you standing still here…"

"I don't know; maybe I just want to be in the rain."

Ike hears clearly this time. Before he thinks over how irrational it is, he takes Shu's hand grimly, "Let's go home."

Shu smiles, clenching his hand.

"Thank you."

****

It's not good standing in the heavy rain; additionally Shu has stood for so long. It takes more than twenty minutes to walk back from the hospital, and Ike meets him on the way when he is already dazing at the roadside.

Shu sneezes and coughs once they get home, though it's warmer inside.

"Now you know you're wrong" Ike offers him a glass of water and then fetches a piece of cotton cloth from the side and wipes his cheek.

Ike wipes Shu's face with towel. Shu is so embarrassed that he forgets what he wanted to say, and smiles awkwardly, "I can do it myself..." He takes it and dabs his forehead and hair casually. Then he sits down and begins to think of something else.

Making sure Vox has gone, Ike pours himself a glass of water and sits down next to Shu. Both forget about the previous quarrel and only want to have a rest.

Shu feels it enough before the towel is fully soaked. He folds it aside, closes his eyes, and frowns. He has been in such a low mood lately, especially after being in the rain, at great risk of getting sick.

Cups bump against each other on the table. Ike turns and picks up his notebook. After observing him for about a few minutes, Ike frowns, "Shu, your face is a little red."

Shu opens his eyes, laying his hand on his face: "I don't feel any sick. Maybe it's just too cold outside while relatively warm here. I think I'm fine, or I will feel headache."

"Hope so..." Before he finishes his word, he naturally extends his hand. He puts the back of his hand gently against shu's face and quickly withdraws it when he feels the unsteady breath.

Having been completely relaxed, Shu is shocked by his sudden action. After staring at each other for a few seconds, Shu shakes his head, makes sure he was fine, and move a little closer to Ike.

"" Ike looks at him and, after a brief moment of confusion, chuckles.

The rain is slighter. The room is as quiet as ever, but this time it's something different.

"Ike." Shu suddenly opens his eyes and whispers.

"What's the matter"

"…I" Shu is messy in his mind. It seems not the same as the usual one that manages everything clearly. After a long search of accurate words, he finds it hard to say something complete.

Finally, he says almost what is popping up in his mind: "I went to see a patient with Elira before it started raining today."

"Er hum" Ike is always a good listener.

"Then… I remember I've mentioned her to you."

"Yeah." In fact, that day they've met with Elira together, and Shu introduced her to him.

"Her sister, Selen, came to the hospital today to take her home… It appears that they are so close, even though their majors are irrelevant."

"…Shu, are you dizzy now" Ike smiles worriedly, "You hear some incoherent."

Shu slightly smiles. He is rarely slurred or incoherent, but now he is showing his real self in front of Ike, which makes him… When chatting with him about his boring routine as he has just done, he feels at home.

"They are so close that… I think they will hug each other though separating for years."

"After all, they are sisters…"

"…So they are." Shu leans against the sofa, stares at the some musty celling, and suddenly asks, "Years later, will you remember me"

"Er" Ike turns to look at him puzzledly. Shu kept his head raising, seeming without any special emotions.

"I mean…" Shu pauses, "…anyway, it's too strange…"

"Though I don't know why you ask me this…" Ike suddenly replies.

Hearing his voice, Shu turns to look him in the eye.

"But I will absolutely do."

"…" Shu loses his words. He just considered it inappropriate to continue such an abrupt question and decided to let it go.

"… I've never thought about building so close a relationship with someone that I would hug him years later." Ike says earnestly, placing his notebook on the table and turning to Shu. "But if it's you, I think I will."

Shu blinks and squares himself, trying to absorb his meaning. However, through Ike's eyes behind his lenses, he can't read anything.

After touching each other's heart, Shu fumbles with uncertainty, until Ike utters another word.

"Why succourest thou not him, who loved thee so"

"…For thee he issued from the vulgar herd."

The words almost spring out in the same time. The two are in perfect harmony with each other now. They chuckle.

Suddenly, Ike moves closer to Shu. Shu doesn't avoid but awaits something.

Their breath intertwine with each other --- they are both a little drowsy now, though there isn't any incense in the room.

They are like two solitary birds, in the vast sky, finally find each other.

****

****

Above the city, at the same time.

"Vox, what are you glancing at" A vague female voice floats from distance.

Vox doesn't know where he exactly is, maybe above a public building.

The Gothic building presumably refers to churches in neighboring countries, which vox unlikes because the glare always makes him uncomfortable.

"Reimu, you're so idle to come here."

"God sees all… I'd love to come here."

"…you're a ghost."

Reimu Endou stands behind him and giggles. As a ghost, she has free access to all places. Vox thinks she was just scaring people and by chance saw him, so she drops by and intentionally comes to laugh at him.

Vox looks down. It's still rain slightly, so there are few pedestrians. Few is like his obstinate friend, who rushed into the rain with the compulsion and left him alone in the room.

At the thought of this, Vox does not know about his true feelings. He's glad that Ike has such a good friend, but he is too concerned about him. …it's a little irrational for a demon to pile all his feelings on a person.

"Vox, he's not a demon, he's human, right" Reimu looks through what he is thinking about.

So he is. These are just Vox's thoughts, and how Ike behaves is up to him.

But now he cares more about the looming view he has just seen.

It terrified him.

"Hum… Vox, when have you developed the habit of peeping" The little ghost flying around Reimu make a shocked expression, imitating her.

This is no coincidence. Vox chose the tower-like building, from which he can see Ike's room easily. Ike didn't close the curtain, yet Vox wishes he did.

"Uh-huh... It's just two faces getting a little close, right"

"Just getting a little close…" For the first time, Vox feels his face a little out of control. Reimu covera her mouth with her wide sleeves and smirks.

Unexpectedly, his best friend, Ike eveland, has formed an amazing relationship with his roommate.

"Hum, it's interesting, right" Remiu blinks.

In the early days of their acquaintance, Vox considered this ghost eerily cute, but as soon as they got to know each other…looking at her face, Vox couldn't help but recalled the afternoon when he was chatting with a decent lady and a bucket fell from the sky --- by this ghost.

And the ghost is sticking tongue out at him beside him.

"…" Vox freezes for a while.

The wind's blowing. Vox is trying to embrace the reality.

"Well… maybe I should accept it…"

****

Ike gets up to check at the window of Shu's room. If it's not strong enough, they would better replace it as soon as possible, and tell the landlord.

Shu can still feel the warmth on his lips, and the atmosphere is floating in the room. He is not ashamed or shy, though. After all, these are certain to happen, so he embraces them. As for the reason why Ike leaves him alone then…

Shu leans back on the couch and smiles, remembering that he has just seen Ike's golden pupils clearly. Ike usually wears glasses, and the reflections sometimes obscure his beautiful eyes, so Shu hasn't gotten a good look at them before.

It's a golden sea, a night of twinkling stars. Shu is not much of an essay writer, and when he tries to describe characters, he has to break out the details one by one. He isn't sure if his metaphor can match Ike's glass-like eyes.

"Shu..." The door opens and Ike comes out with a frown.

Before Shu can ask what happens, Ike says, "Something bad happened." He throws out his hands and continues, "... We needn't send the letter to our landlord far away, and now the first thing we have to attend to is how to put your window back in..."

"What…"

"It was broke, as soon as I entered the room…"

"Er"

"… it was broke."

****

Shu looks at the mess helplessly, taking care not to get his hands pricked by the broken glass. Regarding the wind outside, it might be rainy continuously; his room would be swept by wind and rain.

"How about move in with me" Ike thinks over, "That side is against the wind, so it will probably be much less affected."

Shu doesn't mind; he just considers it so out of the blue. He recalls that Ike has mentioned the fragility of the glass. He should have focused on it so that he wouldn't be facing such an embarrassing situation now.

However, Shu can't refuse Ike's proposal. It's the only solution. Usually speaking, Shu might have gotten over it by sleeping on the couch, but given the risk of getting sick from the rain, he'd better stay in Ike's room.

"Well… I will then move my belongings there."

"Okay, I will come to help you."

It seems that they will be busy for the moment.

****

****

Five days later.

It's time for Ike to volunteer at the hospital. Since he comes every other day, sometimes he forgets the time and needs Shu's reminding. He has to write articles, so he has a lot of work these days and rarely has a good rest.

Shu is relieved to see him finally relax and fall asleep in the lounge. He hopes Ike can care more about himself, instead of always being upside down.

His arms have gotten better lately and he can do some menial work now, but for the sake of a quick recovery, he chooses to avoid heavy lifting.

It is much quieter in the lounge. From time to time, there are rapid footsteps outside. Shu looks down at his arms. There are several visible repairing marks on his overalls. Now he doesn't know if his injury is good or not.

As he is in a daze, Ike slowly opens his eyes.

"Got awaked, Ike"

"Er…" Ike sits still, looking still a bit tired.

"Maybe you want to have more sleep"

"Temporarily not…" Ike rubs his eyes, "It's already noon now"

"Yes." Shu takes his cap off. "Shall we go out and get something to eat I don’t have much work to do recently. I have plenty of time at noon."

"Fine." Ike beams.

****

Recently, the sky is always gray, and as Shu guesses the rain intermittent. Longstanding downpours and short bursts of light rain are pleasant for him.

The two walk down the street, shoulder by shoulder. At noon, there will be more people, though still just only a few. There's smoke everywhere. They try not to think about how many bodies are piling up in some corner.

Ike says he needs to sit and write, so Shu chooses a nearby restaurant. It has been cleared out, but there are still some tables and chairs outside.

Shu then suggests that he look for an open restaurant himself, and Ike sits here and writes at ease, as a reward to his bringing lunch for him. Although Ike always said that was what he should do, Shu still felt a bit bad.

After all, they each becomes the special one to the other now.

He soon passes an open restaurant, walks in, orders a few dishes, and leaves.

When he is nearly back, he notices a familiar face down the alley to his left. The woman also sees him and greets him warmly.

"…Selen"

"Hey, Shu, what are you doing here" Selen crouches with a thin child standing in front of her. Shu looks further in and sees several ragged children, gnawing their fingers and staring warily at him.

He walks over and raises what he's holding, "I was just over there to get some food. What about you"

"Oh, I'm playing." Showing off a small instrument in her hand, she turns to the children and whispers, "Don't be afraid, this is my friend."

Shu smiles. He has never been called a friend by someone that he has only met once or twice before.

"There are many children living on the street here, and I play with them occasionally. The hospital is not far away here, so I can visit Elira whenever I want." Selen plucks the strings and rubs the head of the boy in front of her with her other hand.

"Don't they have any family" Shu crouches down, too.

"No. They are in welfare, and I got to know them as a part-time worker there." Selen, with her vivacity, sighs. "As the orphanage was closed and they had no family, Elira and I are looking for a better place for them. Not until recently Elira was transferred to the hospital here a while ago did we find some vacancies."

"Hum…"

"So," Selen smiles and holds up her harp, "I'm kind of a bard now... Something like that. I can't get a regular job like Elira, but the income is OK. We are planning to build our own welfare home when we raise enough money so that these children won't be wandering all day…" The further she talks, the more delightful she becomes. Her voice is a little upturned at the end, and she seems to be quite looking forward to the future.

"Selen, what a good idea."

"So it is" Selen beams.

Then a shadow falls over the two, and the children runs behind Selen in fear. Shu looks back and sees a pair of familiar eyes.

"Ah, Ike, sorry to keep you waiting." He stands up and shows him the food he has just bought.

Ike thanks him with a tired smile and asks, "This is…"

"This is Selen, the sister of Elira's, whom I have told you about."

"How do you do" Selen has been squatting for so long that she is unsteady on her feet at first. Luckily she doesn't fall.

"Hello, I'm Ike Eveland." Ike smiles and stretches out his hand.

Selen shakes hands with him: "Just call me Selen."

They laugh and chat. It seems that Selen has known about Ike, the roommate of Shu's. Elira may have told her about him.

After a brief chat, Ike and Shu say goodbye to Selen and return to their place.

"Ike, when you introduced yourself... "

"Er"

"You gave your real name away by accident…" Shu chuckles.

Ike realizes that when he told Selen his name, he used his real name instead of a pseudonym. He shakes his head, "Come on... I don't care about those anymore."

Shu smiles. "You're completely immersed in writing right now."

Ike sighs, "Sorry. I have to go to the press later. Maybe you should go home first.

"Fine."

Since they've settled down, it's their first sound day. The routine doesn't make them feel boring. In the usual, it may be boring. However, now they keep each other company and pick up the other's poetry, crack jokes, polish and evaluate the article written by Ike --- it's fun.

As for the window in his room, it's still unresolved, so Shu still sleeps with Ike, and that would be the case for a long time.

Although he does not care about it and prefers to stay close to Ike, he still feels some uneasy because he is always in contact with patients.

But just live for the moment. He wants to read more of Ike's articles.

Shu looks down on Ike who is carefully writing, and chuckles.

****

****

It gets dark.

Ike eveland rushes home exhaustedly.

He addressed the publishing issue about two hours ago, but he wants to take a break on the way, so he looks for a place to sit and falls asleep at his desk. Vox woke him up after he has been asleep for more than an hour.

Occasionally bats pop out of the trees, skimming over his head, and then fly to the other tree. Ike stretches his aching arm, holds his manuscripts, and shakes his head slightly.

But it's good to get some sleep. At least now he feels less depressed than before.

Thinking that he has to climb the stairs, he feels even worse. When he finally gets upstairs, he relaxes with a sigh of relief in front of the door.

It's quiet inside. Ike tiptoes in, closes the door, and lays his manuscript at a prominent place in the living room so that he can immediately see it when he gets up.

He slowly sneaks to room and quietly opens the door.

There's a faint glow of pewter inside. It seemed that Shu is still awake. Relievedly, Ike steps in. Shu is sitting on the edge of the bed with his work notes in his hand.

"Shu... Are you still up" Ike takes off his coat and hangs it aside, sighs.

" I think something will happen in the hospital in a couple of days, so I'm going to compile my work notes and figure out the way to deal with them later."

"What's wrong"

Ike straightens his skirt and walks over to Shu.

"Well…exactly." Shu closes his eyes, "Two of my colleagues escaped last night. They haven't been found yet…and I think it's more than just two, so there's going to be a lot more work to do. I have to get prepared."

"Escape…" Ike gets confused.

"Ha... Yes. They've been detecting a few weeks in advance," Shu says with a wry smile. "They've mapped out a few routes, and if they'd timed it just right and gotten through customs, they'd be on a ferry by now."

"OMG. It's insane. No one inform it"

"Inform…" Shu gives a mixed smile, "No one would do that. We won't deprive others of their freedom."

During this time, choosing to escape is a very test of courage. After all, the management of many hospitals is now so tight. Whether to report it, everyone must have reached an internal consensus.

An idea suddenly springs out in Ike's mind.

"…Shu, why not escape as well"

"I have never thought about this… The patient who turned a little better is a good example that we still have hope." He blinks his eyes and turns to Ike, "At least, for me, you are here now."

Suddenly, Ike breaks the serious atmosphere and jokingly asks, "What if I leave you alone"

What a good question. Ike can almost see Shu's pupils slowly narrowing, then he standing still and staring at him.

"You won't, Ike, you won't." He slightly frowns and shakes his head.

He only replies so.

He believes Ike wouldn't leave. He believes Ike wouldn't leave him alone.

"Fine… I'm just joking."

Imperceptible as it is, Ike senses that Shu is relieved by his word, even though he is like an unshaken rock.

"They can be called brave…" Ike straightens himself and leans backwards.

"The champions between us cowards…" Shu replies.

"So are you. You can persist till now."

"…well." Shu pauses a little, "…I used to be praised like this as I did great in class."

He closes his work notes and puts them aside: "But as I got out into the society, I didn't feel that way. I'm just a normal person struggling to make a living…when I first had this idea, I thought I was not confident enough."

"In this era, just normal living is lucky enough."

"So it is." Shu lies down, "So when I finally come around, I find myself much luckier than the majority."

There's a faint sound of wind outside. It might rain again in the evening.

As the candle flickers, Ike looks at him and suddenly asks, "Shu, did I mention that I used to teach at an informal school"

"What" Shu tries to recollect, "It seems not."

Ike smiles. "I've worked there for a year or two, which is pretty short for a teacher, but in others' eyes, it's a miracle that I can stay that long." "Would you like to know why"

"…why"

"Well." Ike sits straight, "It's an informal school because the students there are special." He turns his head to Shu, "They are deaf and mute. Since there was no formal school for them, an old priest who knew sign language set up his own class and recruited some people to teach the students. I'm one of them."

He continues: "I'm a quick learner, sign language is not too difficult for me to master and I can get along well with the children."

Shu also sits up and fixes his hair: "That sounds great, but why did you quit"

"Because," says Ike, looking down and smiling, "there was a church next to that classroom. The bell tolls every day at midnight, but… I have a terrible chirophobia. "

Shu opens his mouth slightly. He has never heard of such a thing before, nor has he read about it in any medical books.

"Strange, isn't it Ike says, "So, being an ordinary person, from birth to death… in less than a hundred years, and controlling his own fate, is wonderful."

"Er…" Shu lowers his head, thinking about something.

The night is always quiet. Unless the passing procession begins to howl, everyone can sleep well on such a quiet night. Shu feels himself sleeping better these days, maybe due to the sense of security.

"By the way, Ike…"

"Hum"

"Your teeth." Shu points to his jaw: "Does it still aches"

"...eh" Ike thinks carefully for a moment: "It seems that the pain is not too much recently. I've adjusted my internal clock on the track. Although I am still very tired, it's much better than before."

"That's fine."

The dull chat doesn't last long before it naturally stops. Ike manages to find something else to talk about.

"Shu, do you want to learn sign language" He suddenly asks.

"What…"

"…" Ike suddenly thinks of something and laughs, "Don't you want to get to know me better"

"What..." It arises Shu's interest, "You teach me"

"Of course." Ike says proudly.

"Stretch your hands, and I will teach you something easy."

Shu follows him.

"Clench your fists. Then straighten your little finger and thumb. Move forward your hands, one in front of the other, as if one is following the other."

"Well." Shu carefully follows him and can't help laughing.

"Don't laugh…" Ike says, but chuckles himself, "OK... Then, the index finger of one hand points at yourself."

"The index finger of one hand…"

"Finally, clench fists with your both hands and punch with your upper fist against the under one." Ike repeats the whole routine and smiles: "Can you guess what this means"

"Eh Shall I guess" Shu tries to recall what Ike has done: "Follow...me...and then"

Ike smiles: "It's 'do it with me'. It means that you learn by me."

"I see. I didn't expect that."

Considering Ike's story, Shu can't estimate how long it took him to learn sign language, which was just invented and wasn't much popular. Furthermore, there weren't many special students had such needs.

Shu repeats them several times. With each repetition, he spontaneously laughs aloud, not at the strange, but at the funny.

"Well, I will teach you another one."

"Hum, what"

Ike smiles without a word. He points to himself with one index finger, and then puts the tip of the thumb of that hand against the base of the index finger and sinks down. Finally, he makes a palm-up gesture, flapping it up and down in front of his chest and smiling.

Perhaps because of the comical weirdness of the scene, Shu laughs again and asks, "What does that mean"

After being preempted, Ike does not get angry. He just repeats the actions slowly. He smiles and says, "I am very happy."

Shu follows him, like discovering something fresh: "I'm…very happy"

At this point, their eyes are on each other's. Both smile. Ike naturally reaches over and takes Shu's hands. The distance between them is getting closer and closer.

Before he can react, Shu feels Ike peck him on the lip, but it's so quick that he has no chance to savor it.

Ike feels a special scent from camphor on the tip of his nose, but it isn't as strong as that in the masks they wear every day, so it doesn't smell too bad. It's like some unknown flower scent.

"I'm happy." Shu gets the punchline, repeating the words.

Candle burning more quickly, white wax keeps melting and flowing down. They stare at each other with their fingers intertwine. Shu is sure that in the past, if a man so close stares at him, he would certainly be uncomfortable and avoid his sight, but now he can obtain a sense of security from him.

Ike asks suddenly: "Shu, after the Black Death vanishes, what do you want to do"

Shu didn't expect this, so he thinks over carefully.

"I want…"

He gropes hard in his mind.

"I want…"

Seeing him stuck so long, Ike asks: "What"

With one hand covering around his face, Shu smiles for no reason: "...I, I don't know..."

"You must have something to do."

"Er..." He looks up at the poorly repaired ceiling, his eyes wandering as if thinking of something, "I think I'll get my hair cut first."

"What a pity." Ike pretends to be upset, "I'm looking forward to watching you in braids."

"Then I'll cut it when you made it." Shu answers almost in a second.

"Haha…well."

Holding hands, they lay on the bed together, looking at the plain ceiling.

"What about you, Ike What will you want to do next"

"I…" Ike changes into a more comfortable posture, "I want to write an unpublished book, only for myself."

"Er" Shu is curious.

"…it's about…about two men who are a little unlucky." Ike speaks more slowly, as if he is lost in imagination: "These two hapless men meet each other in a bad time…and then do a series of stupid things."

He giggles, and turns to Shu.

Shu knows what he means.

The two hapless and stubborn fools he refers to, Shu guesses, must be a writer and a doctor who meet each other and get along as if they are confidants.

These two hapless, stubborn fools are now lying in bed together, their fingers entwine, and they dreaming of unrealistic futures.

"We are both stubborn men, always fighting for those that are not that worthwhile."

They almost speak at the same time, but for the two, it doesn't matter who speaks first.

"Ike, have you been to many places"

The sudden change of topic has been a normal part of their chat. Ike gradually gets used to such a way of chat and begins to think about it seriously.

"Well... It depends on your definition." Ike thinks carefully and continues: "I have been to about five or six countries, except here, the most impressive city is the last one."

"You've been to so many places... I haven't been anywhere but home and here. I remember you have told me a little about that publishing house owner who was Swedish as you"

"Yeah."

"What a fortunate to have a confidant." Shu smiles.

"It can't be called a confidant... But there are a lot of fun to do in a foreign country."

"…such as"

"...such as..." Ike recollects in his memory one by one: "The salty wind and waves on the beach, the tall buildings erect all over the port city, and all kinds of strange objects in the flower market. Of course, the most important and attractive thing is the rhythmic movement and the charming writing."

"Sounds wonderful."

"Yep." Suddenly something comes across Ike's mind, and he says, "What about settle down by the sea in the future"

"Are we going to imagine the future that far away now" Shu giggles.

"...it's fine to look a little further into the future."

"I suddenly recall that." Shu sits up and continues, "When I met Selen this afternoon, she mentioned building a welfare home with Elira. I think... Someday the Black Death is not so bad, we'll go and donate money to them."

Ike sits up with him and smiles. "Donate to welfare That's a good idea. At least we can do our best to help others." He continues, "Selen could play the lute I saw her holding one in her hand."

"Yes, she told me she's a bard now."

"Ah, play the lute...you know, I used to sing a little."

"Really Shu is surprised, "Haha. Then I'll save up and buy you one. Teach me to sing then."

"What are you talking about…we'll save together." Ike raises his hand and touches Shu's head, "Okay, it's already late. Let's go to sleep. It's almost December, and the days will get shorter when it snows."

"It's winter soon…"

"So, let's go to sleep."

"Sing a song for me."

"Hey, you're pushing your luck. I didn't realize you are such a…" Ike sighs, but he does not refuse: "I can't sing well."

"It's all right." Shu giggles like a child whose plan has succeeded.

They lay down, with beautiful songs lingering.

Shu closes his eyes, listening to him attentively. Ike's voice is not as ethereal as most bards'; it's some hoarse, but not too thick or magnetic, way of an elf you encounter when you stumble into a forest.

As for what he's singing, Shu can make out a few lines at first --- if his memory serves, it's from the third book of the Divine Comedy, Heaven.

"I feel as if I'm enveloped in a cloud that's brilliant, dense, solid and smooth, shining like a diamond illuminated by a strong light."

"This eternal pearl opens its doors to us like water absorbing a ray of sunlight."

"…"

Shu can hardly remember the next sentence; he's been falling asleep more quickly lately.

Hope the music comes to him in his dreams so that he can reach out and grab it before it ends. He thinks.

****

"…"

Ike chuckles. He slowly sits up so as not to disturb Shu, and then he secretly moves a little closer, kisses Shu on his forehead.

"Have a nice dream"

****

****

Shu rubs his eyes and feels a chill rush up his body shortly after he wakes up. The weather is getting cold. He doesn't know how to spend his winter this year.

He turns to look at his side. The curtains are pulled back and the light, not so harsh, penetrates in, just as clearly as he can see. Ike has gone. He doesn't need to go to the hospital today, so he must have run for his book.

Just as he is about to get up, he finds a small note on his bedside table. It seems to be torn from the notebook Ike usually records his inspiration. It's a small piece, so he can not distinguish it at first sight.

But when he sees the handwriting on the note, he makes sure it belongs to Ike. In beautiful cursive letters, it writes:

"May you still be by my side when spring comes."

Shu beams.

He knows Ike isn't used to saying this face to face, so a note can make him happy for a long time.

Looking outside, Shu finds the sun getting brighter. It's still an hour or two before he goes to work, but he usually reaches there early.

He puts the note on the locker, gets up and gathers his stuffs for the hospital.

He hesitates for a moment before wrenching the door handle off, and finally turns and walks back into the room. He takes the note with him.

****

****

The hospital is increasingly busy these days. The number of patients isn't much large, but it's time for a spring-cleaning. There are too many medical wastes in the hospital. Long-term accumulation of wastes is not good for the environment, and it would make patients uncomfortable, so they should clean them up in batches.

Shu doesn't take a break after he leaves the ward. Instead, he takes his work notes and heads for the other side of the hall. He can see the sun here because there are windows, which he happens to be required to clean today.

Turning around, he sees Elira and Selen here as well. Elira has taken off her uncomfortable mask. Shu, considering that he has just visited a patient, keeps his mask on.

He greets to Elira and Selen, who haven't recognize him, but hearing the familiar voice, they greet him as well.

Shu asks: "Selen, why are you here"

"Hum, I want to help you. I've heard that you are busy these days."

"Yeah." Elira says to her, "But I've told you to come with protection. Anyway, you should at least take a mask."

"That mask has gas in it. I can't stand it," Selen says in a dramatic tone as she makes an exaggerated retching.

"You...forget it... You don't come here very often anyway, but you have to protect yourself"

"I know, I know…Shu, are you too in charge of cleaning up here"

The conversation suddenly turns to Shu. It seems that she is avoiding her conversation with Elira, so Shu naturally picks up: "Well, I'm here to clean the windows, so are you"

Elira gently pushes away the slightly over-energetic Selen, "In fact it's just me. Selen volunteers to help."

"Yep." Selen nods.

Shu can't help chuckling. Then he turns to catch his cleaning tools.

The conversation stops. The three begin to clean up the mess. Selen hums quietly. Elira reminds her not to make too much noise. Selen sticks out her tongue and then stops.

For the next ten minutes or so, the three don't disturb each other, but rub their own parts. Shu sees a bit of blood on a broken piece of glass and wipes it off after some hesitation.

Suddenly, there's a sound of kicking the bucket. Elira turns her head and sees several men dressed in doctor's suits passing by and knocking the buckets over. She doesn't think much of it but turns and lifts the bucket.

The moment she reaches out, the man kicks the bucket sideways. If the first time they're not careful, this time they are certainly on purpose.

"What's the matter Elira says grimly. Ignoring the kicked bucket, she stands up and looks up at the man.

"A woman doctor" The man sneers. "Very rare." With that, he steps forward and bumps into Elira's shoulder.

Elira stumbles and barely falls over. She turns to see the man clearly and frowns, but says nothing.

At this scene, both Selen and Shu are stunned. Shu sets aside his work solemnly, while Selen cries defiantly.

"Hey, you guys Selen dashes closer to them. Elira tries to stop her, but fails. "You knock over our bucket. You don't have to say you're sorry, but it's improper in such a weird way...and what do you mean by 'women doctors are so rare'"

It's a fact, but the tone is so unbearable that it sounds like outright discrimination.

The man turns to him and spreads out his hands. "Don't make a fool of yourself as a female doctor… You should go home and look after your children, or…you have no husband at your age"

Selen pumps her fist. "What… You want to fight"

Elira doesn't stop her this time. The words are disrespectful, and anyone would have been offended.

A fight is about to explode, of which several grown men are against a little girl. If a fight happens, Selen will be the underdog.

Without thinking much about it, he rushes between the two and confronts the doctor, "Sir, this is where we are responsible for cleaning up. If you insist on bothering us, I'll see you in the dean's office. Everything will be fixed there. You know." Although his words are not much powerful, his tone sounds unrejected.

The man, who is a little annoyed by Shu's sudden appearance, calms down after hearing the word "dean," only to gives a sound of scorn and then leads the away, whispering something like "Damn it."

It finally turns over. Shu moves forward a little to keep a safe distance from Selen. He doesn't notice the distance for he is focusing on keeping the two angry men at bay.

"Rude..." Selen looks at them indignantly.

Elira steps aside and lifts the bucket up, "They may be transferred from some big hospitals, and feel oppressed when they see people upper them, especially as I'm a woman doctor."

Before Selen speaks, Shu says, "It doesn't matter if you're a woman or not. Elira, everyone is equal. He is indeed rude."

Selen nods.

"Haha, well, I didn't think much of it." Elira approaches them. "I feel better now."

After the brief period of unhappiness, the three pick up their work again. While cleaning the window, Selen quietly leans to Shu and thanks him: "If it hasn't been for you, we would have really fought."

"Oh" Shu quips, "You're going for it."

Selen tuts sheepishly. "Oops…it's just a formality…"

But in such circumstances, it's brave enough just to stand up and argue, though it would end badly if starting to fight.

Thinking about this, Shu considers it fortunate that he stops them. If he has met some hard-headed people, they would still be arguing.

“…Shu？Shu？”

"... Eh" Shu disengages from his thoughts and hears someone calling to him.

Elira stands beside him and says, "I've called you several times. Are you all right"

"Sorry, Elira, I was a little distracted."

"Just lift a finger. Don't mind."

"Thanks anyway," Elira smiles, "I don't know what Selen is going to do otherwise."

"You are speaking ill of me again." Selen leans over.

The sisters laughs and teases each other. Shu follows them and laughs.

Shu suddenly feels a little tired. Soon, he finds it hard to concentrate.

Is he too tired lately It's possible --- he always returns late, and comes early in the morning. Furthermore, he helps to clean the hallways in his spare time.

Thinking about these mess, he feels his eyes also a little tired. More strangely, though he sees nothing disgusting; the worms, the black and red pools of blood aren't here, yet he feels something stirring in his stomach.

"Shu Are you all right" Elira notices something wrong and stops laughing.

Selen also stops talking and looks at Shu a little worriedly.

INAUDIBLE. What are they talking about Shu shakes his head. His blurred vision gradually becomes dizzy, and all he can hear is a buzz.

"…Elira, I'm sorry, but I need sit down somewhere…" He turns to see if there's any place he can rest.

Elira pats him on the back and says, "Too tired Go and have a rest. There's a bench over there. I'll go with you."

"It's OK, Elira. I'll go myself."

"Be careful." Elira asks, frowning.

Shu greets a quick goodbye to the them and walks to where Elira indicated, but by the time he turns around, he almost loses his directions.

A strange feeling comes over him. His sight are suddenly shrouded in black.

"Doh…"

"Shu"

"Shu"

Shu hears someone calling him and there are footsteps coming towards him before he loses consciousness and falls to the ground.

****

"That's all."

"Yes, madam, I'll go and read carefully." Ike thanks her, takes over the samples, and greets "good afternoon" to the woman before he leaves.

Fortunately, the boss is easy to communicate with. He likes to interact with people like that. He never procrastinates because of all sorts of unreasonable reasons, and he gives him advice in time. There's nothing bad except that sometimes he is a little harsh.

He pushes his glasses a little and walks on.

There isn't much to appreciate along the way, since he has done many times in the past month, so he simply walks with muscle memory while thinking about something else on his mind.

He recalls the note he has left on the bedside table that morning, and chuckles, like self-deprecating. After all, he wouldn't have done such a childish thing a long time ago, and it is just with an impulse. He expects how Shu would tease him about when he returns home.

He can write some stories, but he can not find a breakthrough in description. He was not good at metaphors and references, so he considers his articles not well-written at all.

He doesn't expect Shu to be surprised by the note. In Ike's mind, Shu doesn't always like surprises.

There's a spring-cleaning in the hospital, so Shu told him that he needn't to go to the hospital all the time if he isn't at work, or he would have to write by himself on the side.

But he still goes to the hospital in the evening when he has nothing to do, unless Shu returns early.

One by one, these cluttered routines flood into his brain, temporarily blocking the switch of inspiration. Just throw them away for now, he thinks.

Ike sighs and walks to the door of the abandoned restaurant where he used to frequent. He sits in the same position as before and opens the magazine and his notebook.

****

****

Shu struggles to open his eyes, the light of the candle flame penetrates in, and glares him. He can feel his mask taken off.

Then someone next to him speaks, "Shu, you're finally awake."

It's Elira. She has put on her overalls and her mask. Shu sits up and looks around. He finds himself in a lounge.

Elira has probably just been to the patients. She is still writing something on her notebook that she should report later.

"Selen has returned home. She needs to sing near the church or at the flower market this afternoon. She would have forgotten if I haven't reminded her." Elira comes up to him and continues, "When you suddenly fainted we were so shocked..."

"Suddenly fainted…" Shu repeats in a low voice. He recalls that he suddenly lost consciousness, and he can't remember what happened next.

Shu detects a hint of unease in Elira's voice: "...maybe you've been overworked lately."

NOT NECESSARILY. Shu shuts up when the idea comes to his mind. He does not feel that he will faint from overwork. Furthermore, he is less busy these days than he was in the past.

Otherwise…

Presumably because of the magnified discomfort in the quiet setting, Shu reassures him, "Elira, if there's something wrong, I'll recheck it later in the evening, don't worry."

Elira was prepared to say something, but is stopped by the words. She isn't superstitious, but now she doesn't want to tell her suspicion. It's unfortunate to do so, so she only nods.

It's normal, but no one wants it to happen to them. It needs courage to even guess, but everyone should acknowledge that doctors are the ones most at risk.

Shu sighs.

The incubation period is short, and as a doctor, he knows it.

Maybe he won't be back tonight, until everything is certain.

Considering that Ike might come to the hospital in the evening, he doesn't know what to do…he has to tell Ike by other means.

"Ah, Elira ---"

"Er hum"

"Will Selen return in the evening Or will you go back together"

"Selen…I'll probably stay here over the night, but she may come, see me around dinner time, and then go back home. What's the matter '

"In fact…" Shu opens his work notes. Ike's note almost falls off. He hurriedly puts it back, then flips to an unused page, tears out half of it, and neatly writes an address on it.

He hands Elira the paper, "Could Selen go to this place by the way I need her to tell my roommate…I may not go home tonight. She has met my roommate before, so…"

"Of course…" Elira takes the note with unease.

Shu can't see her face, but instinctively feels that she is frowning. "It's okay, Elira," he repeats. "Maybe I'm just too tired. I am not very well formed, you know."

"…Shu, you're so positive." Worriedly, Elira tucks the paper into her pocket.

"Rather than being positive, in fact, I might already be indifferent to life and death…"

However, Shu wavers as he speaks. Theses would be true more than a month ago, when all he cared about was getting it over with. Either the disappearance of the plague or himself would be a relief to him.

But now, even he himself is a little unsure. He swallows, thinking of Ike and his note in his notebook.

He feels a bit fear.

"May when the spring comes..."

But can he survive this winter

****

****

It's completely dark outside when Ike hears the knock. As he thought, the days are getting shorter lately.

However, instead of the tired Shu, it is another familiar face.

"…Selen" Ike calls out the name by recollection. His smile stiffs on his face.

Clenching the address in her hand, Selen looks nervous, "Oh, ah…I'm in the right place. Mr. eveland, Shu, he...he'll probably be working overtime tonight and spend the night in the hospital… What else should I say… Ah, he said you needn't pick him up from the hospital today, and go to bed early"

"Ah..." Ike freezes, blinks his eyes and speaks with a wry smile, "…I'm sorry to bother you."

"Don't mind." Selen smiles. "It's on my way, it is fine."

"Anyway, thanks for the message."

"You're welcome. Good night, Mr. eveland. I have to go back."

"Wish you a sound night."

After watching Selen walk away, Ike gently closes the door and sighs. Tonight he says and receives good night as usual, but from someone else, so he feels a little lost.

But according to the schedule, he'll do volunteering at the hospital tomorrow. Hope there's something I can do, he thinks.

He once asked Shu if there was something he could do other than dressing and opening windows in patients' rooms regularly, but Shu told him that non-professionals could only do those chores and record, just as Shu had done to him when they first met.

It's simple. He just goes through the process, asks some questions, and pays more attention to the patient's living environment, so that it can be reported in time. However, as this job is so boring and requires contact with a large number of patients, it takes a long time, so most people are unwilling to do it.

Thinking of this, Ike feels there's a lot that he can do. After all, thanks to Vox, infectious disease isn't a big threat to him. Hope Shu won't stop him without explanation.

About the details, he can decide when doing volunteer tomorrow.

****

****

The next day.

Shu sits up with a slight headache. He has spent the night in the lounge. There might not be many people last night, or they didn't wake him up as he seemed to sleep soundly, otherwise he would wake up on the bench.

He hasn't spent the night at the hospital for a long time. Shu lifts himself up and is relieved to find the mask still on his face.

Elira has come here last night. As there are so many patients, the doctors are a little out of place, so to make everything in its place, she brought them here when they waited to do a test, and then checked them accordingly.

Just like the first day Ike came here, as he is a foreigner, they were not sure if he was infectious, so he was settled in the temporary ward first. The incubation period of plague is very short, so if there is no sign for a few days, the patient will be quickly released.

Shu is a little lost. He is in a better state than he was yesterday, when the sudden delirium and vomiting almost overwhelmed him. For him, it's like a notice from death.

He remembers it is the day when Ike comes to volunteer.

I don't want him to see me like this. Shu can not help thinking.

But he can't do anything about it. After all, he will be sent to one of the wards today and be locked up there for a few days. If everything goes well, he will be out in four or five days. He dares to think if it doesn't go so well…

"Click." Someone opens the lounge door.

"Thank God Shu, you're still here." It's Elira.

Shu looks up and confronts a pair of goggles on the mask.

"There are vacancies for observation. I've already told them. I'll take you there."

"Thanks, Elira."

Shu stands up with a heavy head and follows Elira out of the ward, down the corridor and around a number of bends until they reach a narrow alley, where the oil lamp on the wall is no longer very bright, just barely visible.

Elira walks to the side of the wall. If not looking closely, he can't see the door. Its edge is covered with moss or something, so it's hard to notice in the dim light.

As the door open, a cool breeze pours out. Shu feels his nose turn sour. Maybe there has been a long time since someone came here.

He hasn't come here much since sending off the suspected patients like Ike a month or two ago, but if given the choice, he would prefer to stay here. It's not completely safe here, but at least the patients here are still "suspected" rather than "confirmed."

Shu doesn't know whether he should laugh or not when the place he used to visit every day is now his home for the next few days…it's such a comical turn.

"Shu." Elira calls him before closing the door.

Shu turns his head and before he can say anything, Elira says in a slightly heavy voice, "Shu, don't worry. Just rest for a few days and you'll be fine."

These words reminds him of a girl who asked him if she could be cured.

He promised her that she would be fine.

But Elira's words are still helpful as a comfort. He tries to confront without panicking.

After they exchange a look through their masks, the door is closed.

Shu walks into the room. It's so small. He has felt it when he recorded patients' conditions, but with limited resources, he can't expect too much.

He looks up at the rickety table, on which a piece of candle is burning.

It is almost melt.

****

****

"Mr. eveland" Selen's voice comes from behind him.

"Eh Ike turns his head and sees Selen running toward him. "Ms. Selen Oh, by the way, it's so kind of you to send me a message last night. Why are you here"

"Whew, whew..." Selen runs over and doesn't pay much attention to what he is saying. She takes a few breaths and then says, "Sorry, I was just ill-mannered… ah, Mr. eveland."

"Just call me Ike."

"Ok, Ike, er…I heard you usually work with Shu"

"Yeah, what's wrong"

They walk side by side. Not far ahead of them is the hospital gate.

"Elira asked me to tell you that Shu has something else to deal with today, so you have to work with another doctor. Elira said she could help." Selen says, trying to compose her words.

"…" Ike is stunned for a moment and then nods.

At the time, their ways diverge. After greeting goodbye, Ike continues to walk toward the hospital.

****

Ike stays in the common room for a while and doesn't know what to do. Shu used to accompany him, but they didn't often work together. Ike doesn't communicate with other co-workers much, but he never feels intimidated.

Today is supposed to be just like any other day. He just needs to do his job, but he feels a sense of unease.

Then suddenly he hears a noise behind him.

"Vox, there you go again."

"Uh-huh." Vox, standing behind him. He rarely comes to the hospital, at least not so often in Ike's memory.

"…I'm alone today." Ike doesn't like pouring out the bitter, even to Vox, but today he can't help but pour them right out.

Vox doesn't say much, but he is silent for a moment. Instead of making his usual bad jokes, he becomes a little serious. "Ike, that young man has something else to do today, right"

"…" Ike turns around, momentarily blinded by the fog on his goggles. He stares at Vox for a long time and notices something strange: "Vox It sounds that you are not in the condition. …Do you know something"

Vox opens his mouth but says nothing, and then he shrugs.

Ike is about to ask when the door is opened.

It is a female doctor; looks like Elira.

Elira does not recognize him, "Bro, if there is nothing else for you to do right now, the candles in room 52 on the left side of the suspected ward need to be changed, and we have some other urgent business to attend to, so…"

"Ok, I'll go right now." Ike puts on the mask fluently, checks his overalls, and finds a piece of ash and flint from the cargo box. Then he begins to look for the ward Elira said.

"…I said a long time ago that you have to be prepared to live with this young man." Vox says gently behind him.

Ike pauses. He feels his neck rubbed by the heavy clothing. It feels bad. Vox's words triggers him great unease, though he knows Vox doesn't mean to.

But the closer he gets to the ward, the more magnified his uneasiness becomes.

"Number 52..." Ike finds the room and slowly pushes down the door handle.

A familiar figure is back to him.

He looks so thin. Without thick clothes, he appears to have no vitality. It's just a thin body, quietly sitting on the squeaky chair.

Ike has seen this scene before. He met this man for the first time almost two months ago, under the same circumstances. They change each other's identity.

Ike holds his breath for a while. At that moment, he feels himself getting unconscious on his legs. He doesn't know how to step forward and faces the man calmly.

But now he needn't walk closer, the man turns his head. The face he sees every day is as haggard as usual, but it is more desperate.

"…Shu" Ike reflexively calls out his name. He desperately wishes he is working busily in the hospital instead of sitting there, staring at him.

Shu's face glazes over when he hears his voice, "Ike… I…" He pauses, "I'm feeling under the weather, but… It's just suspicion."

Ike doesn't utter anything. He isn't ready to face such a situation. He chooses to go forward, clears away the melted ashes from the table, and replaces it with the one he holds in his hand, which he lights with a flint.

"…Shu, I was told that you stayed at the hospital for work."

"At that time I'm not sure…"

The conversation comes to an eerie pause. Shu turns away from him and stares at the ignited ash slowly melting.

Ike struggles to face it. He always thinks that he is over-scrupulous, always thinking the worst result. He thought he could undertake ups and downs, but when he is actually facing such things, his first reaction is unexpectedly numbness.

As there is no way, and he can control nothing, so he is numb.

After lighting the candle, he stands still for a moment.

"Ike, just a few days…"

JUST A FEW DAYS. Ike himself was released after a few days, but he wasn't worried at all, because he knew he wouldn't get infected. However, Shu doesn't. He stays with patients all day long, and furthermore, he has symptoms. Even if he turns out to be fine, the psychological stress will overwhelm him within a few days.

Ike stops thinking about anything else. Shu says: "Ike, I'll stay here for the next few days. Don't worry. I'll take care of myself."

He is always so calm. He is probably the most thoughtful child in the world. Ike thinks.

Ike closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. All he can feel is moisture and camphor. He does not know what he has said. After he finishes everything, he turns stiffly and walks slowly through the door.

And suddenly, Shu calls him.

"Ike, please take this back and put it in my bedside drawer. I think…I won't use it for a while."

Ike turns around, and finds that it's his notebook.

The notebook that he carries all the time. He never drops it, as it's part of him.

"…"

"OK, I'll."

****

****

"Ms. Elira A nurse walks by and sees Elira in a daze: "You don't look well. Do you need a rest"

Elira comes to her consciousness, shakes her head and says, "It's okay. I'm just absent of my mind."

The nurse nods, and pushes the shelf away. Elira stands there thinking for a while, wondering what she is doing. Most of her friends are doctors are well protected, so even when she is confronted with the careless Selen, she is a little disarmed.

But it happens right in front of her.

Elira looks up at the cobwebbed ceiling with mixed feelings, and sighs.

****

****

By nightfall, Ike has forgotten how he spent his day. It seems nothing different from usual. Shu usually stays a little longer than he does, or he himself leaves early for publication. All in all, the two don't often go home together.

He has been used to days like this, but once thinking that Shu is staying in the hospital, at least for a few days, he still feels bad.

Instead of losing, even the initial uneasiness has turned into numbness, which creeps down his spinal cord and into the nerves.

Such feeling doesn't fade away until he gets home. He shakes his head, puts his stuffs on the sofa, and walks straight into the room.

He throws himself on his bed and tries to cover his face with the sheets. He lays stiffly for more than a minute before he recalls the work notes he has thrown to the sofa.

He sits up with the work note in his lap, feeling that what has happened today is like a vivid dream that he can not wake up from it.

He stands up, walks to the bedside, opens the top drawer, and puts the notebook in. Then he closes the drawer and freezes.

This table, where he left the note this morning…he doesn't get the response from Shu yet.

Ike licks his chapped lips. It's rare for him to think long about something. However, now he begins to think about life and death.

There is no candle or oil lamp in the room. Everything seems so depressing in the dim light. Ike looks ahead and can't help thinking.

Spending so much time in the hospital, even as a nonprofessional, he feels the Black Death a terrible disease that few people can survive it. Watching patients being bloodied and tortured by worms is something he has never experienced and never thought he would experience.

He just occasionally looks on, but doctors like Shu, they probably see this every day. He remembers the scene there if the doctor didn't help, Shu might have been on the verge of death.

Shu is an atheist. He does not believe in god, but he never forces others to be like him. For Ike, he is special.

Now Shu, who is special to him, is in the ward. Ike doesn't know if he gets enough rest at night, if he can sleep peacefully.

Ike looks at the outside.

It's getting colder.

****

****

There is sometimes the squeak of small bugs in the damp corner. Although this is nothing to a man who is not afraid of beetles, it's hard to get a good rest when one is anxious in a noisy condition.

Shu forces himself to close his eyes and forget all the clutter. The quilt is thin, but fortunately, the air is not very circulating, so it is not so cold. At first he thinks.

In the midnight, he suddenly feels a piercing cold in his feet. No matter how he curls up, he can not retain the warmth.

He recalls Ike. As he has been used to sleep on the bench, he cannot help shrinking himself even in the bed that matches his height. Ike would comfort him in his ear "don't worry, just relax".

But now all he can hear is the slight but continuous noise of footsteps outside and the tiresome whine of beetles.

His eyelashes quivers. There is no cold wind, but he can't feel any warmth. He hasn't eaten anything. He barely ate any calories all day, but he feels something rolling in his stomach.

CHILL.

In the end, it's the only word in his mind.

Half asleep, half awake, he hears his two rows of teeth chattering against each other. He wraps himself tightly in the small quilt.

Darkness envelops everything around him. It's as if he were back in his mother's womb. He feels the long-last warmth when sleeping, and plunges into the abyss after waking up.

****

****

Four days later.

Elira goes to meet Selen.

It's relatively a sunny day. The clouds have dissipated. Elira, just out of the hospital, is finally able to shed her mask and heavy costume, travelling in light clothes.

It's break time, but Elira doesn't feel tired. In the morning, Selen told her a good news that there was finally someone willing to give them a site as the temporary shelter. The children don't have to live in the attic.

But for the longer term, they're going to save up and now they go to check out the place.

Thinking of this, the miserable things that happened in the hospital somewhat disperse. Elira has never been walking in the street so comfortably. If passers-by see her at this time, they will be affected by her happiness. What a charming girl

Once there, Elira checks the address and then knocks on the door. No one opens the door for a long time. She bows and finds that the door isn't closed. Just as she tries to push the door, it's pulled open by someone inside.

Selen is smiling at her.

Selen beckons her inside, where several children is sitting.

Elira looks at their smiling faces and smiles herself.

"It's getting cold these days…close the door."


****

****

"Is it getting colder these days" says Ike.

"…" Shu doesn't reply.

"…Shu" Ike whispers.

Shu comes into consciousness and turns around, "I'm here."

Ike frowns. He is worried about Shu's state these days. Shu doesn't get any better but paler and paler. He needn't work, and the only activity for him is rest. In theory, he should be better.

Actually, they both got it. He is INFECTED.

But neither is willing to accept.

Ike met Elira before he comes here. Both of them were wearing heavy clothes and masks, so Ike didn't recognize her at first. She seemed to have something urgent to do.

They only greeted to each other when they were about to change shifts.

Before he left, Elira grabbed his arm and said worriedly, "This patient just asked for a pair of scissors…I don't think he'd do anything out of line, but…please pay much attention to him. Don't let him hurt himself."

These words came out in a row. Ike took some time to absorb it. After a long pause, he realized that it was Shu who asked for a pair of scissors.

Nervously, he enters the room, Shu still has his back to him, just as he did the last time he came.

There's a pair of clean scissors on the table.

Ike tries to shift his attention, only hope he doesn't think about something bad..

For Ike, he believes Shu wouldn't do something drastic. But when he was with him before, he felt he was hanging himself up all the time, and his overall state was not well.

The best way to know it to ask directly. It's Ike's principle.

"Shu, I have something to ask you."

"What" Shu opens his eyes tiredly. These days he doesn't sleep well, partly because of the destruction of his mind.

"You…" When Ike sees his lackluster face, he suddenly feels it hard to start. A feeling of heartache arises, but he has to: "You've asked for a pair of scissors, what is it used for"

Shu reacts a bit when he talks about scissors. He gives a knowing smile, "So you are worried about that, I kind of forgot…"

Rummaging about the table, he gets an old weak hair-cord. Shu clutches it between his lips and runs his hands back through his hair, inexpertly securing his hair.

Then, holding the rope in one hand, he takes a long time to put it together in an unlikely braid, and says with a wry smile, "It might not look good…"

Even now, he is smiling.

"Ike, look, I can get my hair tied up."

Ike nods his head motionlessly. He suddenly feels his sight a little fuzzy, but the blur just appeared suddenly becomes clear again. Shu remembers their conversation that night.

He said when the plague is over, he will have his hair cut.

But Ike said he wanted to see him tie up his hair.

"Ah… sorry. I don't pay much attention on my appearance usually…" Seeing Ike staring at him for a long time, Shu hesitates, and removes the rope.

"Ike, I haven't cut the hair myself." Shu takes the scissors, and says, "I may need you help."

Ike says nothing but nods.

Shu pulls his hair to his chest. It's a little messy now. With a few sound of "click", his hair falls off.

Ike doesn't know how to describe what he is watching. He feels that his ability to describe has deteriorated. No matter how he describes it in his mind, he cannot imprints these pictures perfectly in his mind.

The human brain is useless. It gets confused when we are excited, and gets short-circuited when we try to remember something important.

"Ike, help me." Shu whispers inaudibly, then hands him the scissors and turns away.

He is so thin. He is showing his most vulnerable side to Ike.

"Click…"

****

The door is closed. Ike can see the inside through a small window. Shu seems to find him still watching him outside the door, so he walks over to the door.

The room is somewhat soundproof, so the two are just looking at each other. They open their mouths to say something and then hold back because they know they can't hear each other clearly.

Ike recalls that he hasn't told Shu that he might be transferred to another ward tomorrow.

Shu taps on the window from inside. The sound is almost unnoticeable, but Ike catches it. He refocuses on Shu. Shu thinks for a moment, then raises his hands.

His wrists are so thin that Ike can clearly see the veins. Shu poses unskillfully.

"Follow…"

Shu points at himself with his index finger.

"…Me."

He stutters through a series of movements. Ike is surprised that he remembers the sign language he only taught him few times.

"Follow me."

What does Shu mean

When Ike is confused, Shu clasps his palm to his face. Maybe he wants him to pose following him, so Ike raises his mask a little and imitates it.

Then, perhaps sensing himself a bit childish, Shu frowns with a sheepish smile and presses the palm on his face against the window.

He says nothing, but Ike knows him.

The layer of glass separates the two palms, on which the residual temperature transfers to each other. Ike suddenly realizes that they have not called out love to each other, and their relationship is only depended on feelings.

Before they reverently hold each other's lips, they never look at each other so earnestly

Ike stares at him intently. He finds that his smiling face is gradually losing its grip and his eyes are looking around out of control. Ike has never seen him cry, whether stabbed with a knife or struggling in the rain.

Even then, there's something bright in his eyes lingering.

Shu may be transferred to another ward tomorrow, or tonight.

It's the last time that they has met with each other. The next one is either in a near future or in an inaccessible tomorrow.

It's like a beautiful dream. He loses all the fine memories that he wants to cherish. He will never meet a man like him.

The camphor smell has no effect now. Even if he takes off the goggles, Ike is not sure whether he can see clearly. He feels something blocked in his nasal cavity and he can hardly breathe.

Shu makes a few more moves. Ike is a little confused at first, until he sees Shu looking at him with his wet eyes, smiling, and then waving his hands up and down his chest.

"I'm happy."

…Ike Eveland feels he loses something behind in this winter.

****

****

"As for the price…" The owner said we can negotiate later, but we may need to come more often and clean up here." Selen takes her harp in hand and plays it twice, "If only I can carry my harp to the flower market, more people will come and listen, and then we'll be able to save up more money."

"The harp is too big. It's tiring just to carry it. It's not practical." Elira gets up to send away the kids playing around the table. She picks up the water jug but accidently spills it a little.

"Elira…" Selen yells and stretches out casually.

"What's wrong" Elira turns around and smiles.

"Why are you so absent-minded"

Kids stand there quietly, look this way and run away to other places.

"I'm fine…" In fact, she feels herself much better now. The moment she got out of the hospital, she blamed herself for leaving Shu behind. But she could do nothing.

"No." Selen bluntly pokes her: "…I know you're worried now, but it's all useless, isn't it"

"…"

"I just want you to be better."

"…"

"Everything will be fine, Elira."

"…"

Elira sighs. Maybe she should stop thinking about this.

****

****

Shu stands by the door for a long time.

The wait is not an ordeal for him. He used to love being in a small room alone, just sitting, and dreaming, and what he wanted to do would come true in his dreams.

However, now he has trouble even sleeping. The constant chill and the urge to vomit disrupts him. He feels that his illness is far more serious than others'. No one would be unable to speak in such an early stage.

At least he does not have to struggle for long. One day he may wake up in a little cradle again… he imagines.

He raises his hand, only to find his long hair cut. He smiles, looks back at his hair on the floor and sighs.

"I'm happy."

It's the sign language he has recently learned from Ike. Every time he thinks of this, he can not help laughing.

Suddenly, he feels a little dizzy. He immediately walks to his bed, holds tight on the bed head before falls down. He reluctantly sits down.

Chillness envelops him.

Sweat drips from his head, and the headache lingers. His head is so heavy.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees some black, undulating bruises on his arms.

****

****

One week later.

Ike continues to work as usual, but he has been visibly depressed recently. When he goes to the publishing house, the stern woman asks him if something is wrong with a pitying look.

Rather than depressed, it's more like blank.

So many things happen these days, act by act. It is so dramatic. He doesn't want to experience such.

He can neither improve the words nor further the plot. Perhaps when he finishes the last chapter, he should begin writing the story of himself that doesn't exist.

Such ideas accompany him until he gets home.

Concerning his mental health, Vox often comes to see him recently. Compared with the past when they always poked each other's fun, Vox is now unilaterally encouraging Ike. Ike seems like he has been indifferent, but Vox knows that he is just trying to be brave, he can't let go so quickly.

It's a matter of life and death.

"Vox, I'm curious."

"What"

"Do men have an afterlife"

Vox freezes. He didn't expect his friend asking him this. Honestly, he can't give a definite answer, either. He's just a demon.

Before getting the answer, Ike laughs mockingly: "Anyway, Shu is an atheist. He won't believe this."

Vox does not speak, but lowers his eyes, thinking about something else. He had told Ike that he would regret living with a bubonic plague doctor. Though the troubles he said is the job itself, it does cause troubles, in a different way.

Concerning regret. Vox believes that Ike will not regret it. This writer never does something regretful. He doesn't deny what he has experienced, even if he thinks "maybe it would have been better."

But now Ike is not in good state.

Frankly speaking, Vox doesn't like cutting people to the quick, especially to his best friend. He has to find a more realistic way to get him back.

"You know, Ike, bubonic plague means death."

Ike visibly pauses. For a moment, he looks like a statue, as if the air around him is frozen.

"…I know." His voice is plainer.

"…Ike, I don't mean to hurt you, but you should get prepared for these."

"I know."

"And, you're also faced with…after the Black Death…You know what happens to their bodies, I mean, it's not so decent."

They would be piled up in some obscure corners, and on a dark, windy night, be burned, into the ashes.

Ike takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. "So…," He says, turning his head and his voice is a little out of control, "I want to watch him into ashes."

"…" "I'm sorry to upset you," Vox frowns. It's rare for him speak like this, "But… that's the fact."

Ike can't speak at usual any more. The pressure accumulates these days persecutes his mental health, making him unable to face it numbly. He covers his face with his hands and looks up at the ceiling: "Sorry, Vox, I want to be alone."

The devil doesn’t reply. He just vanishes after a snap.

His tears don't fall off, but he feels himself crying.

When did he cry last time

****

****

"Cough, cough…" Shu feels his throat tickle, his sight vague. He can't hear himself when he tries to speak. The saline solution keeps rolling in his eyes.

HEADACHE. It's so serious that he can't think. He doesn't even notice when the doctor comes in.

NOISY.

It's so noisy. Many people buzz around him, like lice and mice in the wet mud. He cannot hear clearly, but only catches the words such as "serious" and "fast treatment". He shrinks back into his bed. The treatments only makes his scalp tingle.

He almost has no consciousness. After in a stupor for more than ten minutes, he finally feels a little calmer.

He tries to turn his head, only to see his arm gashed and bleeding.

BLOODLETTING.

Due to the temporary loss of blood, his nerve becomes less sensitive to the external contact. That's why he is so calm.

He moves his arm, sees blood seeping through his slender arm, and stops moving.

It's so disgraceful to be in such a scene. Although he has been prepared for this before, it is the first time he has really feared death. He didn't think death terrible before, but he now finds hope in the dark, and he wants to hold on to the hope.

However, in the end, the hope deceive others, and him.

He closes his eyes, thinking of two people in a bed, of all the toil, of the dense-written article, of the brown bread and natto that not very tasteful.

He has not been to other cities except here and at home; he has not read many psalms and works from abroad; he has not heard the harp…and he said he'd donate money to Selen's charity…and buy Ike a tiny lute.

These scenes suddenly appears in his mind, one by one, so vivid and bright that he feels in a dream, where the flower girl on the street invites him to write poems for the flowers, and the passers-by nod and smile at him.

Unconsciously, he sinks in the dream, until finally loses consciousness.

He will find a warm shelter in the sound dream.

****

****

"Ten, nine, eight…" Elira looks at her pocket watch, fixes her mask a little, then closes her watch and stuffs it in her pocket. She looks at the ceiling, getting sad at nowhere. Every time, even unfamiliar colleague, she would be like this.

"Three..." She can barely speak. She is almost sobbing. She walks straight down the corridor to report the news to the superior.

Their colleague, bubonic plague doctor Shu Yamino, is confirmed dead this afternoon.

****

****

Ike feels himself in a long dream.

Where he met a kindred spirit who did different jobs, yet were thrown together by odd circumstances. They rented a decent house and shared life under the same roof.

They talked about everything, about work, about life, about literature. There was some argument, but it's all fine.

However, these things are now past tenses.

Someone's knocking on the door. Ike rubs his face and opens the door. It's Vox. Today, he does not come in directly. Instead, he chooses to wake up his friend by knocking on the door and gives Ike a cushion.

"There's a line burning body to the street."

"…" Ike looks up at him. His pupil contracts.

****

****

It's dark night, but Ike can't fall asleep.

People are not allowed to get close when burning bodies, for they are full of virus. However, thanks to Vox, no one stops Ike as the two approach.

The fire shines on Ike's glasses, reflecting unclear orange and red. With the dim moonlight, it seems to be invaded by a sea of fire.

The bodies are piled together. Most of them are unrecognizable due to the bubonic plague. Between them, Ike can clearly see some dressing in doctor suits. One of whose suit is mended.

It's the medical trouble. Ike remembers Shu's clothes being mended.

Thick clothes gradually vanish in the flame. Ike closes his eyes and feels a bit headache. He needn't worry that he would get infected, but at this time he wants to dive into the fire. His reason pulls him back.

"Vox, my article will be done tomorrow."

"Well."

"I'll resign from the hospital, then pack up and get out of here."

"…what"

Vox turns his head. Ike has walked away, looking like he can't refuse. He barely hesitates. Vox thought he would stay longer. He even planned to get him out of here earlier.

The last time Ike Eveland left an impressive city, it took him more than a week. This time, he decides almost in a second.

Vox looks at his unnaturally walking figure and sighs. His old friend, no matter when, is always bravado.

****

****

"Ike, I didn't think you would be so fast…" Vox stands at the door and looks at Ike surprisingly. He is squatting and packing up.

It's daytime. Ike has sent the last manuscript to the publishing house, and begins packing up his stuffs after coming back. As for the hospital, he plans to deal with it later.

Ike doesn't respond, but packs with a straight face. Everything happening in the last month was a great shock to him, and now he has to resist these with numbness.

"What else should I…" Then he notices the bedside table. It takes him much courage to walk there.

The WORK NOTES.

The work notes that Shu carried with him every day. Ike drags up and slowly opens the drawer. Fortunately, even after almost twenty days, it's still clean. Ike takes it out and carefully fondles the surface.

Vox sighs at the door, and turns to elsewhere.

With unspeakable excitement and grief, Ike examines the back of the note. Shu has always kept everything in order, so the book he has used for such a long time is still new.

It's the only thing he leaves behind. Ike opens the first page.

It used to contain nothing.

But now it has a tattered note stuck on it. The owner seems to be very fond of it and afraid to damage it.

On the note it reads:

"May you still be by my side when spring comes."

Tears wells up in Ike's eyes. He doesn't think he is fragile. Crying all day is pretentious for him, but now he needs to relieve himself in this way.

He feels himself an unreasonable child.

He thought he could let it go, as long as he put everything behind. Now he knows these are more than simple "displeasure".

He won't meet such a person again, nor will he make deep communications with others, let alone share the future. He had never thought that he would one day be able to talk to others about their future.

After crying, he struggles to be sensible. He closes the notes so that it won't be dirted by him.

He wants to write a letter.

Before he leaves here.

****

****

"To Shu Yamino,

It may be my last day in this city. The rain has washed away the blood on the street with my last trace of nostalgia.

How long have I stayed here It seemed like a century, until my friends reminded me that it was only a few months.

When I left the last city, I spent seven days hesitating. It was enjoyable, as I told you, to experience flowers, poetry, music, and wine.

But this time, I only spent one second to make a decision. I had to leave.

I am unsatisfied with every word. Words is so powerful. It can not only cover all kinds of mythological epics, but it can also simply record trivialities of ordinary people… or the daily lives of the sick.

I have been thinking that I should tell you more about my travels in other countries. This may be selfish, but I hope that I can get a special place in your memory.

…maybe that's not good either. If you forget me completely, you might be able to face death more calmly.

There are many things too late to say…like "No great feast I have ever seen in a foreign land was more delightful than your laughter."

I'll do what I have promised. Write an autobiography. I won't write about you in this public autobiography. You may feel confused, but please don't feel sad. I'll write a book just for me, about us two idiots.

I'll buy a lute… and before I leave, I'll donate to the sisters' welfare house.

Forgive me not a born writer. I can't even speak out bad honeyed words. But I think, you're the same. Both of us are full fools, entangled in clumsy relationship, and at end, fail to break out of the cage of the times. We fail to survive in this complicated world.

We are like two helpless lovebirds. Though we can fly into the sky together after embracing, we're pulled apart by the fate and fall down the high cliff.

Then fly. FLY. Together we will fly to a place without darkness, to the place without fire, to the place with the spring sun. When I return, I will stand in the sea of flowers, waiting for you.

Human life is long, but it's also short. It's too short for most of us to fulfill their vows.

I'll live on behalf of you. Travel to new places, and enjoy the new scene.

Will I see you again I've thought about this many times, and maybe I will. Or, as you believe, there is no afterlife, but we still have a million bright, bland futures.

I'm not afraid to get lost in memories, because I know I will finally find you.

Ike Eveland."


****

****

****

"Vox Vox"

The sound echoes in the basement, and at last the devil comes to himself with the letter from centuries ago still in his hand.

"Vox, why are you in a daze"

"…" vox looks at the slightly yellowed letter for the last time and puts it back.

The letter can't survive that long. Vox speculates that his power makes the belongings of this author still exist today.

"Nothing… Have you found any useful information, Mysta"

"Here." The detective flicks the file on his hand, and then stops quickly in case it fall apart. He leans over curiously: "What's special about your friend He should let you stay here for so long."

"I've said that you won't be interested about him."

"Just the general idea." Mysta's eyes light up.

"…" vox squints at him and utters reluctantly, "He lives during the Black Death, travels to a city that isn't very nice, then leaves there and promises never to come back. That's it."

The curious look on the detective's face dims, but he doesn't think it would be that simple: "Are you deceiving me It's too simple."

"I'm trying to concentrate, Mysta…"

"Fine," Mysta stands up and shrugs. He begins to scan other materials. He just found a fine detective story, but it's very old, and a little unrecognizable. He wants a newer edition.

"but…"

"Er" mysta picks up his ears, as if detecting a new story.

"He was in his early twenties when he left. But in fact, when he was probably…let me see… maybe in his 70s or 80s He revisited there with a student, and in the end died there."

"Hum…so he didn't…oh, he is immunized with the Black Death with you around."

"…"

"…so maybe it's not so regretful for him At least he lived for a long time in that times."

"Hum… regretful…"

Over years, Vox can't remember the details, but the only thing he remembers is that Ike Eveland had a lot of regrets.

"Vox, do people have afterlives"

Vox is still reminiscing. When he hears the words, his memory flows over. He recalls that someone asked him the same question before, though he answered himself.

"Vox" Mysta calls him again.

"Hum… I think," Vox replies, "Maybe not…"

Mysta laughs: "You…" he gestures, "but why do supernatural creatures exist"

"Maybe I did too many evil things in my previous life, so I was condemned to be a demon and wander in every corner of the world in this life."

"You just said people have no afterlife."

"Angels are sure not to…"

"What"

Vox turns around and smiles.

"They will meet with each other in the heaven."

****

****

****

【in the 16th century】

"Yugo, move forward a little."

"OK, teacher." Yugo walks over, holds him forward, and helps him sit down.

Ike can feel the wind blow here. He slowly pushes his glasses and tries to look ahead with his poor vision.

"Teacher, I don't understand." Yugo feels confused, but he asks politely, "There is nothing to watch here. Why do you stay here for so long I remembers you said this was the last place you wanted to come back..."

"…you are right, nothing to watch." He turns around and smiles.

The elderly writer is rather thin, but he has never suffered from any diseases. Many people said he was lucky to have reached his age in such an era; the only pity was that he never married and was left to his students to look after him.

"Look, Yugo." He looks into the distance.

Yugo follows his sight.

"The spring has come."

Ike sees spring garden. There is someone with his back against him not far away. He can't see him clearly.

He is unable to remember the details like that person's face.

That person is not the bright spring tide in the hearts of all writers and artists, nor is he the silent autumn across the fields of fragrance. He's just ordinary, even a little stubborn.

…however, he is the only sun in the sea of stars to burn itself into fireworks.

****

****

"…teacher…"

Yugo whispers.

His teacher has quietly closed his eyes.

Maybe he has come to another sound dream.

【the end】