SWNOVELXO Chapter 35 - Night Demon's second attack
Though an awkward atmosphere surrounded the three when they first sat down, after some casual conversation, things began to improve. Soon, their food was served, and the conversation naturally shifted to other topics.
“Hey, hey!” WuYue chirped, her mouth full of food. “This food tastes a lot like what my grandma used to make for me!”
“My grandma… the food she made was pretty similar to this!”
Intrigued by her comment, YouYu replied,
“Oh? Your grandma must be pretty amazing, then. If I remember correctly, the chefs here are supposed to be award-winning, right? To match their level, that’s impressive.”
WuYue grinned at his remark and said,
“Of course! After all, she’s the one who raised me all on her own since I was little. If she didn’t have some skills, how would she have managed?”
“That’s true… Raising you to be who you are now must have been quite a challenge.”
“Right? Right? The reason I’m so good-looking now is all thanks to my grandma!
“As for the future… well, I will be counting on your help, YouYu!”
“Oh, come on…”
“…?”
Sitting off to the side, Bai Yu’s curiosity was piqued as she listened to WuYue talk about her family. She asked, “WuYue, what kind of person was your grandma?”
“Hm? You’re interested, Bai Yu? Well… alright, I’ll tell you!” WuYue paused for a moment, then smiled.
“My grandma was the one who raised me all by herself since I was young. You see, my parents disappeared when I was little, so the responsibility of raising me fell on my grandma.”
“Even though my grandma was always that small, frail old lady the time I last saw her… despite her small size, she could still muster tremendous strength.”
“Back then, life was quite tough… even harder than it is now.”
“Since my grandma was the only one at home, she had to handle all the expenses—tuition, utility bills, food… everything. She couldn’t enjoy a peaceful retirement like other elderly people. She had to work every single day.”
“Because of that, other than when I was going to and from school, I hardly ever saw her. She was working all day long.”
“I often wondered how someone so frail could keep going on like that.”
“…”
“After she passed away… I understood. It was her love for me that gave her strength.”
“Her love for me sustained her until I was 16 and able to take care of myself before she left this world.”
“Even though she looked at me with reluctance when she was leaving… she still said goodbye to me properly in the end.”
“That’s the kind of person my grandma was.”
WuYue forced a smile, trying to hold back tears. She knew her words were scattered and disjointed. Talking about her deceased grandma always left her feeling overwhelmed and emotional, making her thoughts and speech messy.
“So… I’m sorry, Bai Yu. You might not fully understand what I said. I didn’t explain much. If we get the chance in the future, I’ll tell you more in detail.”
“…No, it’s alright.”
“I can understand your feelings.”
Although what WuYue just said …… was indeed very sparse and chaotic, from the expression on her face, Bai Yu could still see that–She, with all her heart, thanked her grandma who had raised her and was deeply moved by her memories.
“……”
To be honest.
She was somewhat envious.
She envied the fact that WuYue’s family had at least a happy ending and a good resolution.
At least it wasn’t like hers, who either left without saying goodbye or somehow …
“Bai Yu?”
After WuYue finished talking about her grandma, YouYu, who had been silently observing Bai Yu, noticed her clenching her fists and her expression turning unusual. He called her name.
“…It’s nothing.”
Hearing YouYu call her, Bai Yu composed herself, sighed, and said, “Just remembering some things. I need to use the restroom.”
With that, she stood up and left her seat, disappearing from their view.
“Eh?… Did I mess up?”
Seeing Bai Yu leave, WuYue felt at a loss and turned to YouYu, asking.
She initially shared these personal stories, hoping to evoke a sense of empathy in Bai Yu. She wanted to encourage Bai Yu to talk about her own family, hoping to learn more about her background and help her resolve her emotional issues.
But now it seemed that… Bai Yu didn’t accept it quickly and ended up ‘escaping’ the conversation, just like before.
She felt that perhaps she had messed things up. Maybe it wasn’t the right time to bring it up after all…
“No, perhaps this is a necessary step,” YouYu shook his head, disagreeing with WuYue’s self-reproach.
“After all, for her, memories of family loss are likely filled with pain rather than the peaceful memories you have.
“So, for now, she might need some time to come to terms with it.”
“What should we do now?”
“Let’s wait for now.”
At this point, there was no need to rush. As long as they stayed patient, the results would eventually come…
However, just as YouYu was thinking this, a familiar sense of hostility appeared around him.
Sensing the hostility, YouYu was momentarily stunned but quickly realized what was happening. He turned to look at WuYue, who had already adopted a serious expression.
“It has appeared.”
“Yes, it has appeared!”
WuYue nodded, confirming.
“And… it’s very close!”
It was like, it was right around this shop!
“Boom!”
“!!”
As expected, the next moment, a violent explosion erupted from outside, shattering the restaurant’s glass with tremendous force. Black flames ignited immediately afterward!
“What’s happening?!”
“Run for your lives!”
The sudden chaos struck fear into the patrons of the restaurant. They scrambled to the exits, trying to escape the unfolding disaster.
“……”
“It’s okay. Let’s get up first.”
“……Okay.”
After releasing WuYue, who had been huddled in his arms, YouYu stood up and looked out at the black flames through the window, thinking:
“Night Demon… has started its second attack.”