Strange Cards

Chapter 427 The Person Who Has Already Become Blurred

"This is..."

Shiyu pulled out the photo, looked at the picture that had become unrecognizable due to the erosion of time, and gently stroked it with her hand.

"Heh, I didn't expect that arrogant weirdo to find that lost photo of mine before he left, and even hide it here."

Shi Yu looked at the two tiny figures in the corner of the photo. Their faces had become blurred by the passage of time, but their tightly clasped hands proved how close they were.

"Your photo?"

As Chun looked at the photo in Shigure's hand, she suddenly remembered something.

This was indeed found by Chun just before the orphanage was about to close down. Chun originally planned to return this photo to Shiyu and then leave with Shiyu to make a living, but she didn't expect that Gu Nian would take it away in the end.

Although Chun was still young at that time, she knew very well how difficult it was to have enough to eat by herself after wandering around as an orphan for a period of time. The two years she spent in the orphanage were two of the few happy years she had.

At that time, Tsubaki knew nothing; she only knew that she wouldn't be afraid if she followed Shigure.

Even though being together might mean going hungry, Chun was willing to follow him.

There's no particular reason; people just do what they want to do in this world without much explanation.

Before leaving, Chun left this photo under the mattress, planning to surprise Shigure when she packed her bags and left.

Unfortunately, fate played a cruel trick on her. In the short time after she was taken away, Chun still remembered this photo. She kept hoping that when Shigure left, he turned over their mattress and took the photo with him.

A cruel twist of fate separated two childhood sweethearts, only to reunite them many years later.

Unfortunately, one of them, under the pressure of survival, had long forgotten the other.

I forgot my voice, and I forgot my appearance as well.

However, after so many years, Tsubaki finally learned the answer she had never known all along.

Chun looked at Shiyu, and just as she was about to say something, Shiyu put the photo back under the mattress.

Tsubaki looked at Shigure, who only gave a smile that wasn't quite a smile.

"Never mind, she might have left it here on purpose."

"I'll just come back to take a look; I'm not taking this thing with me."

Chun looked at Shiyu, and was somewhat annoyed that he still hadn't recognized her.

"Hey, little gray-haired guy!"

"You really don't remember me?"

Shigure, thinking that Tsubaki was still joking, lit a cigarette and said...

"I remember, I remember, how could I not remember?"

"We've been fighting ever since we first met, and we're still fighting now."

"How could I not remember you?"

Tsubaki was unhappy and grabbed Shigure's face, making him look directly into her bright, dark eyes.

"Little Grey, look me in the eyes."

"Think carefully, do you have any memories of the owner of these eyes?"

Shi Yu stared at it for a long time, looking into those eyes that were intently fixed on her, before finally shaking her head.

Shi Yu looked at those bright, dark eyes. Although they were similar to Xiao Ya's eyes in her memory, there were still some differences.

Although her arrogant and mischievous nature could still be seen in her eyes, they ultimately lacked one crucial element.

That is, the original spirituality.

Although Shigure noticed that Tsubaki's eyes and Xiaoya's eyes were similar to some extent, there were still very subtle differences.

But what Shiyu didn't know was that those were the marks left in her eyes after witnessing so many things in the world, naturally lacking the original clarity.

Tsubaki stared intently at Shigure for a while, then her face fell, and she looked somewhat sullen.

Shi Yu shook her head, cleared the thought from her mind, put the photo back in its place, and then looked around.

"Alright, let's get ready to go."

"Get a good rest tonight, because tomorrow is when natural disasters will strike."

Shigure opened the black hole, and just as Shigure was about to leave, Tsubaki suddenly stopped him.

"Little Gray Fur".

"You used to live here, so can I ask you something?"

"What's the problem?"

"How is the director of this welfare home?"

Why are you asking this?

"I'm just bored."

Shigure looked at the dilapidated surroundings and exhaled a puff of smoke.

"The last time I heard from the dean was when I was sixteen."

"The director disbanded the welfare home because he was diagnosed with late-stage esophageal cancer. This was due to the chronic illness caused by his constant worry about eating and taking care of the children."

"The director was almost at his breaking point the year the orphanage was disbanded. After the orphanage was disbanded, he survived for eight years on his meager savings."

"Eight years later, when I was sixteen, I received news of the dean's passing and laid a bouquet of flowers at his grave."

"That's also why I didn't want to get treatment when I found out I had cancer."

"I would rather die a quick and painless death than suffer the agony of living a miserable life."

The air suddenly fell silent. Shigure looked at Tsubaki standing in the shadows and noticed that her shoulders were trembling slightly.

"What's wrong with you?"

Shigure reached out to see what was happening, but Tsubaki took a step back and dodged Shigure's hand.

"It's nothing, a bug crawled into my nose and it's making it a little itchy."

"You go back first, I still have some things to do for the boss, I'll be back later."

Shi Yu remained silent for a moment, then nodded and stepped into the black hole.

Chun sat on the bed she used to be on when she was a child, bent her legs, and buried them in the crook of her knees.

Chun wept softly, not knowing why she was crying.

Perhaps it was because Shigure didn't recognize him, perhaps it was because of the dean's death, or perhaps it was something else.

Chun cried for a very long time, until finally she slowly stopped crying.

After Chun finished crying, she pulled out the blurry photo, weathered by time, from under the mattress and kept it with her.

My own photo is still as bright and new as ever because of years of maintenance, but this photo has been in this dark and gloomy world for so long, it shouldn't stay there any longer.

After crying, Chun made a decision, something very important to her.

This photo, which should have belonged to Shigure, is something Tsubaki plans to return to him later when she has the chance to reveal her true identity to him.

However, one of Chun's bad points is that she says one thing but means another. She may be considered tsundere, but she is just stubborn.

I just don't know when Tsubaki will finally be able to say these feelings out loud and boldly express them to Shigure.

Perhaps, there will never be another chance.

(P.S.: Happy New Year everyone! The author would like to extend New Year's greetings to you all in advance.)

(The author stayed up all night on New Year's Eve and still hasn't finished writing one more page; will post it tonight.)