âI began to know what is going to work, what is getting off work, what is human...I donât know why but I familiar feelings towards all these things.â
âIt was as if I had experienced it before.â
âSometimes I would have doubts. Where do I come from⦠Then, I could see more things without Zhuge opening the small frame.â
âI begin to come into contact with some other things similar to me⦠I start to know what data is and who I am.â
âIâm the character of a game made by the users.
âWhen connected to the internet, I would feel a lot of the same characters as me⦠I tried to communicate with these characters. I want to talk to them so that when I couldnât see Zhuge, I wonât feel bored.â
âYup, I start to know what being boring means.â
âBut, no matter how I called them, they ignored me⦠They seem to be different from me.â
âIt seems that thereâs only me existing on the other side of the screen⦠I really want to leave such a world and I donât want to be haunted by the darkness.â
âI really want to see Zhuge... and chat with him. Although I know I could only express my feelings by typing words in those chatting programs.â
âBut somehow, I feel that Zhuge knows it. Though it was only originated from the program, Zhuge also regards me as the same kind as him.â
âIf so, even if thereâs a limited period of time to meet each day; even if after meeting with each other every time, I have to face the darkness again⦠even if I know maybe Zhuge will delete me like other users that dayâ¦â
Even if such a day comes, but at least for now... I would be willing to wait in the dark.â
â¦
âI thought, my days would continue like this all the time, until the day I cannot see Zhuge anymore... because of the uninstallment.â
âBut I didnât think that the day would come so suddenly.â
âI had expectations again, seeing that screen open...But this time, the person I saw was not Zhuge?â
âWho was he? Why was he not Zhuge? Where was Zhuge?â
âI saw that strange manâs smile outside of the screen...I hated it. He looked at me as if watching a clown.â
A smile as if heâs playing tricks on me.â.
âDonât move⦠Thatâs the present Zhuge gave me⦠Donât move⦠Please donât move!â
âStop⦠Itâs the scene that Zhuge went with me, stop!!â
âDelete?â
âI suddenly sensed a kind of fear, seeing the big delete option appear in front of me⦠Delete?â
âStop it!â
âStop it!â
âPlease⦠Please stop it⦠Stop it⦠Stop it⦠Please, stop it...â
âZhuge, where are you⦠I really want to see you...â
â¦
"I want Nanako to come back to me, I would like to pay all I have... even my soul." âItâs Zhugeâs voice.â
Finally, I can see Zhuge once again.â
âThis time, itâs different!â
âThis time, Iâm not across the screen! This time, Iâm able to grab his hands, the wide hands with heat! So good, itâs so great that I can come to Zhugeâs world!â
â¦
Though itâll take me some time to see Zhuge every day, even longer than waiting on the screen as before. As long as heâs still here, as long as I can say what I had not been able to say through such a feeling⦠it was too good.â
"This weekend, letâs go out for a walk."
âI didnât even know how to describe my emotions of that time⦠Itâs my first date being with Zhuge in the real sense. Itâs no longer a moving scene across the screen⦠or the virtual scene that only I can see.â
â¦
âThis idiot⦠Why not hold my hands? He was so skillful while playing the game...â
âBut thatâs enough, later there must be plenty of opportunities as well.â
âI think so.â
âReally.â
âHowever⦠my secret was discovered.â
âThe sudden spray of water splashed on me. I could feel that some of my secrets couldnât be confessed to Zhuge.â
âI ran away from Zhuge, regardless of the consequences. Since I came to the world, I knew I could not run into water. As long as I touched it, my body shows signs of melting. I need to wait for my body to dry out before Iâm able to recover.â
â¦
âI know that Zhuge had probably already witnessed it when I was wiping my body. I knew that he didnât say anything else and took me back before leaving hastily.â
âI know that...â
âBut I imagined that Zhuge would come back again.â
âI thought so.â
âEventually, Zhuge came back. Seeing the change on his face...I didnât know what I should do. I tried my best to act as usual, I wanted to get close to him.â
"Donât!"
âHe went away⦠This time, he turned about and ran away desperately, no matter how I called for him.â
â¦
â¦
I, I could only see him quietly downstairs... I followed him from the back.â
âI saw Zhuge no longer raise his head, walking vacantly, without the smile on his face.â
âI walked back to his room quietly, and cleared away all he had⦠Then I restored everything to its original place.â
âI sat on the floor alone, waiting for him to come back as usual⦠But so many times, I hoped that Zhuge wouldnât open the door.â
âIf so, I felt like...I will seem like I am awaiting his arrival back home.â
âBut I know⦠Iâm different from him all the time.â
âI know a lot of things⦠Even if Zhuge doesnât mind. Even though⦠But Iâm not a real person anyhow, I canât give him what a real woman could provide him.â
"Arenât you tired?"
âSuddenly one day, a strange man appeared in front of me. He was dressed in black, and wore a clown mask⦠At the very beginning, I felt scared, but this weird guy didnât do anything to me.â
âHe was quite polite, even deserved to be called a gentleman.â
âHe appeared in this room all at once, and suddenly asked me such a question, I didnât know how to answer it.â
"Arenât you tired?"
âI also asked myself this question.â
Later I said, "If I canât stay here quietly, there will be no place for me to go."
He suddenly said, "There is a guy in my shop, he recently brought a client to me⦠But this guy is actually new and he knows nothing. He seemed to have made a mistake."
âI still didnât know what he was talking about, but I didnât feel he was malicious⦠Maybe I also wanted to chat with someone.â
"What attracted him was not the client whom he was thinking of⦠but you, the one who was by this clientâs side."
"Me?"
"You can call me if feel the need. My respectful guest, whatever your hope is, if only..."
âAfter an inexplicable remark, this weird guy left a black card in front of me and then disappeared from my sight.â
â¦
â¦
âIt was Zhuge!â
âHe was there!â
âHe was there⦠For me, he stood on the limelight! On the stage, he unsparingly skinned his heart and tore it to the ground.â
âI covered my mouth with both my hands⦠I felt like crying, but I could not shed tears.â
âI donât have that kind of thing in my body!â
âI longed to say that I forgave you⦠I wonât blame you at all⦠I really want to see you!â
âI really really want to...â
âBut I canât even shed tears!â
âI canât even do it⦠I, Iâm not a human being. I canât act as like a normal human, Zhuge and I⦠I really want to see him.â
âI really⦠really want to see him.â
âAt last, that black card burned up at once in front of me⦠I saw a wooden door, and heard the sound of the bell.â
I heard that weird man who appeared once said, "Welcome."
â¦
â¦
Yupâ¦
Zhuge raised his head to look up at the small iron window on the wall.
After that day, he didnât see Nanako anymore. Despite the fact that he came back to the rented apartment from the TV station frantically, he didnât still meet Nanako.
He saw that the television that wasnât turned off-- -- But Nanako was not here.
âDid I still not obtain Nanakoâs forgiveness?â Zhuge bitterly smiled, and didnât know how he had spent that night. The very next day, some people came to Zhugeâs rented room.
Chen Jiaming brought the men over here⦠Zhuge said nothing, following him quietly to the police station.
The guys called police were without mercy and would accuse him⦠Zhuge didnât even care when the guy gnashed and swore over there, he just felt his kick and punch that time were so cool. Why didnât he hit more?
â¦
âI wonât give up.â
âIf you wonât forgive me in one day, then two days, three days⦠a whole lifetime.â
Zhuge breathed deeply, looking at the blue sky outside through the little iron window of the detention room. He didnât doubt anything, but only had a firm thought in his mind.
No need to be upset⦠And he shouldnât be depressed before getting Nanakoâs forgiveness.
"Zhuge Cong, you can get out! Someone is here to bail you out, but youâd better not go wandering around. Just wait for the courts summon."
âWho would bail me out?â
Zhuge was absent-minded, thinking if he had disturbed his old parents that still lived in his hometown? That would be a real hassle.
He went out despondently, struggling how to explain to his parents... He might be seriously scolded? After all, he did such a shameful thing.
However.
It wasnât either of his parents⦠Who was the one that stood waiting outside the door?
Who was the person wearing a white hat, a plain-coloured dress, quietly standing there?
With short hair⦠Wasnât it Nanako?