Chapter 66: Belated Mid-Autumn Wishes

Summer holiday, an easygoing trip.

The sea, barbecue, beach, and fireworks.

Before departure, her parents kept daydreaming about the upcoming trip, asking what they wanted to eat, drink, and do.

Jiang Si barely changed expression, standing there blank-faced, never revealing what he was thinking.

But compared to the current Jiang Si, the boy back then gave off a palpable restlessness.

That agitation was so obvious in the summer that Keke couldn’t help stealing a few extra glances.

She had long since forgotten what Jiang Si had been like as a child. That irritation and unease, even a trace of blankness, was something Keke had never seen in Jiang Si before.

“Keke, why are you spacing out? Come on, the bus is almost here.”

Her father’s voice pulled her back. She turned to look: Dad in summer casuals wearing sunglasses he thought were cool, but really didn’t suit him—the design looked silly, which made her want to laugh.

“Dad, Mom.”

She knew it was useless.

Deep down she knew this was probably just an illusion.

Or maybe just a memory.

She was fully aware this was a mirage from the past; nothing could change it.

Yet an impulse forced her, making Keke unable to help blurting out, “Don’t go! Don’t go!”

But nobody paid attention. Her parents hugged her happily and ran toward the bus.

Later, when her father was out of breath and couldn’t carry her, he tossed her to Jiang Si.

Jiang Si carried her on his back and was the first to sprint up the bus.

He grabbed a seat toward the back.

Keke tried to climb off Jiang Si and sit next to him, but her body didn’t obey. Instead she rested her head on Jiang Si’s legs and fell asleep in the double seat.

When Jiang Si wanted to lift her and hand her back to their parents, Keke stubbornly resisted and insisted on lying on his legs to sleep.

Seeing little Keke cling to Jiang Si, she turned away and felt uncomfortable.

She was nearly forgetting.

As a child she had been like this: more eager to play with Jiang Si than with their parents.

“Aiya, look at you, useless as ever. Carrying Keke for a moment and you’re wheezing like an old man. Not as good as Jiang Si.”

“Jiang Si trains at home every day. I work every day, how could I compare? Quit my job, three years of rehab, in three years I’ll absolutely crush that punk. Back in high school I was known on the basketball team—muscled and famous, made so many girls swoon.”

“Come on, spare me.”

Their parents laughed and teased each other. Then Mom looked over and patted her head, “Keke, in future call your dad ‘brother’ and your brother ‘dad’.”

“Don’t lead the kid astray.”

Dad ruffled Jiang Si’s hair, “Look at your mother—no decorum. Right, bro?”

Jiang Si didn’t answer, just sighed and leaned against the window, staring outside.

He had always acted older than his years, trained diligently, and his strength quickly surpassed their father’s, so the relatives always joked and called Jiang Si a brother rather than their son.

“Good bro, spare some time to train me.”

“Bro, come on, we’re practically the same, have a drink!”

“Bro, not to be rude, your wife talks too much…”

She had heard these sorts of conversations many times.

A flood of long-buried memories rose, making Keke’s nose sting.

Her parents really didn’t carry much of that stern adult demeanor.

They said it was because of Jiang Si.

In other families, if a child wasn’t strict, they wouldn’t take parents seriously, but Jiang Si was different: quiet, obedient, even overly mature.

It made them feel a bit immature as parents; sometimes they needed Jiang Si to remind them how to handle children.

So the parents decided to treat the children like friends.

After all, they couldn’t put on a parental aura with Jiang Si around.

Keke had been closer to Jiang Si as a child because their parents didn’t really know how to parent—Jiang Si had needed little attention, and when it came to raising Keke, Jiang Si somehow knew better how to stop her from crying.

Sometimes their parents apologized for not being exemplary parents, but in Keke’s heart, that was never true—her mom and dad were always the best in the world.

Her parents weren’t that old, both a little over thirty, seeming like young people who nonetheless lacked the vibrancy and adventurous curiosity of youth.

Because Jiang Si was so easygoing and Keke didn’t require much care, the couple maintained a young pair’s mindset, wanting to travel and make memories.

Sometimes they’d leave Keke with Jiang Si and have time for themselves.

Like now: Keke sleeping against Jiang Si’s legs, Jiang Si silently watching the window, deep in thought, while their parents whispered behind them.

“Look at our Jiang Si, he’s really a bit short.”

“You noticed that earlier. Old Li’s kid next door is already about Jiang Si’s height at only ten. This kid trains too hard; he’ll probably stay this height.”

“It’s your fault; you can’t stop him.”

“What can I do if the kid wants it? Besides, I can’t beat him yet.”

“You, as a father, shame on you. If you don’t get a wife later, good luck.”

“Jiang Si’s handsome too—got his dad’s genes. Those brows are a bit like you. There’ll be girls who don’t care about height; don’t worry. Maybe he’ll have girls chasing him and then you’ll have to worry about him being a jerk.”

“With his personality—doesn’t even fart—if I were his age I wouldn’t spare a glance. How would a girl go after him? He needs to be proactive, start talking to girls.”

Keke glanced at her parents.

She didn’t remember this.

She must have been asleep then, so she couldn’t possibly recall this.

So this illusion was made of someone else’s memories, or perhaps images recorded inside the Disaster Beast’s vines…

“Jiang Si, Jiang Si.”

Her father suddenly beckoned sneakily and pointed to a pretty girl a few seats over, “Isn’t she good-looking?”

Jiang Si glanced, “Mm.”

“Mm? What does mm mean? I asked if she’s pretty.”

“Probably pretty.”

“This kid of yours…” Father lowered his voice, “Go say hi?”

“You bored?”

“Your mother keeps nagging: you train all the time, won’t grow tall, what if you can’t find a girlfriend? Go make a friend, prove it to your mom.”

“No time.”

“You clearly have time.”

Mother hugged Keke, trying to pick her up, but Keke clung to her brother’s shirt and wouldn’t let go.

Internally Keke wished she could bore a hole and bury herself.

Let go, you idiot!

Mother tugged and finally pulled her off Jiang Si.

Father leaned over, “Come on, don’t be shy. Guys gotta be bold when wooing. Everyone likes pretty girls when young. Your old man got your mom’s number in the car back then…”

“Cut the nonsense.”

“Same difference.” Father nudged Jiang Si, “Go talk to her.”

“No.”

“You said you’d go, so…”

Father thought a moment, “Fine, let’s bet. If you can go tell her you like her and she answers you back, I’ll buy you the dumbbells you wanted—the one that’s a total of 160 kilograms.”

Mother shot Dad a fierce glare.

Obviously she disapproved. Jiang Si wasn’t going to grow any taller, and Dad even offered that heavy dumbbell.

But Dad waved her off, ignoring his wife.

Jiang Si finally looked at him, “Keep your word.”

“We’re bros, I’ll keep my word.”

Jiang Si stood and walked straight to the girl.

Keke seized the chance to look.

Very pretty—reddish hair, glassy pupils, not tall, about twelve or thirteen, essentially the same age as Jiang Si.

Startled by Jiang Si’s sudden approach, she leaned against an adult nearby.

A woman sat with the red-haired girl, smiling at Jiang Si. She had heard the earlier conversation; they were close enough to have overheard it and now watched playfully.

“Okay, I’ll give you three seconds to prepare. If you don’t answer within three seconds, it’s an automatic refusal.” Jiang Si spoke fast. “I like you. Be my girlfriend. One, two, three—time’s up. Thank you for your answer.”

Jiang Si returned to his seat and looked at his father, “Heard that? Buy the dumbbell.”

“Hey, does that count?”

“You didn’t specify the process. I’m not at fault.”

“You, my bro…”

The red-haired girl’s guardian and Keke’s mother both laughed.

Bored on a long trip, the neighbors started chatting. The red-haired girl blushed and came over to hand Jiang Si some biscuits, which he instead fed to Keke.

Keke fell back onto Jiang Si, resting on his legs, watching his drowsy expression.

She suddenly felt something.

A seed in her hand.

A Miracle Seed, appearing out of nowhere.

The Miracle Seed was the medium that manifested when a girl facing a Disaster Beast called out in despair, a wish so strong it birthed a miracle.

But there was no Disaster Beast on this sleepy bus, and there was no desperate wish.

Still, the Miracle Seed appeared in her palm for no reason.

Keke remembered what the Disaster Control Bureau had said.

They said Disaster Beasts are born from people’s negative emotions because of the existence of Magical Girls.

So originally, which came first: the Magical Girl or the Disaster Beast?

Her thought dissolved quickly.

Because the Miracle Seed didn’t summon a miracle— it summoned a calamity.

Her parents chatted happily until some of them began to snore.

The bus was filled with an eerie, nerve-wracking peace: whispers, snores, faint smoke smell and cold air, until, in the silence before chaos, the vines of a Disaster Beast’s tendrils tore the bus aside.

Even though she had already known this moment would come, when it actually happened Keke couldn’t help flinching.

Fear made her reach for her parents.

Jiang Si pinned her down hard, telling her not to move, and used his body to create a safe pocket inside the bus.

No matter how the bus rolled, her body stayed held within that small protected space.

Little Keke hadn’t had time to do anything—she had lost consciousness.

Now she watched the Jiang Si who had forced a safe space around her. For a moment she was stunned.

She had always assumed Kingfisher had descended and saved them on the bus.

She had assumed Jiang Si hadn’t done anything and just protected himself.

When the bus finally finished rolling, Jiang Si opened the window, carried her from the wreckage, and set her down in a safer spot.

His right leg was shredded and bleeding, skin flayed off, flesh mangled. Then he, acting like nothing had happened, staggered back, yanked open a door, and searched among the wreckage and the injured for something—looking for Mom and Dad.

After searching a long time and confirming they weren’t there, he sat among corpses, tired and bewildered, scanning the scene.

He looked up at the Disaster Beast on the building.

When a blue arc of light streaked across the sky, Jiang Si picked her up and carried her toward rescue teams, then ran toward the Magical Girl without hesitation.

He ignored the blood splashing on his leg and his wounds, forgetful of her and their parents, recklessly and frenziedly sprinting!

Keke didn’t chase Jiang Si. Instead she controlled little Keke’s body to stand shakily and stagger in a direction.

Something faintly guided her forward.

She walked until she was far from where the bus had come to rest.

In her ears rang the sounds of the battling Magical Girl and Disaster Beast.

The girl shimmering in the sky brought miracle and happiness, constraining the Disaster Beast and protecting the surrounding area.

Anywhere the Magical Girl’s light shone was safe.

Keke looked up at the blue Magical Girl above.

A Magical Girl who brought miracle and happiness.

She ran forward on trembling knees, clutching the Miracle Seed tightly.

On the scorched, pockmarked road she finally saw the “miracle” she had created.

Her father, whose head had already been crushed in midair, lay silently in the rubble caused by a collapsed electric pole. Sparks and electric flashes flickered across his body.

From his tattered clothes and build she could tell it was her father.

She stared at him, helpless, the Miracle Seed clutched in her hand.

A seed that called forth a miracle…

Stumbling forward half out of her mind, wanting to get closer to her father, she heard a faint, weak call.

“Keke, Keke…”

She forced open eyes blurred by tears and searched around, finally spotting her mother calling under a car.

Her body had been sheared open—her lower half crushed under the car, the upper torso missing an arm. The mother who had just been holding her gently on the bus, teasing her about clinging to her brother, now had fading pupils.

She breathed weakly, barely holding on, looking at Keke with heartbreaking reluctance.

“Keke, be good.”

Keke heard the lullaby her mother used to sing when she soothed her to sleep:

“Be obedient, close your eyes.”