The next day, the forum was abuzz with clips of her fierce final battle, especially when she smiled during the most exciting and tense moments, even beginning to hum a song.
"Such a scene has a strange impact, it's like there's a hint of gentleness within the cruelty, making it irresistible." This was the most upvoted comment, and underneath, people started asking questions.
[Does anyone know which song the melody she hummed is from?]
Perhaps Clara hadn't expected it, but after that night, her popularity on the internet had expanded once again.
When Clara finally had time the next day, she browsed the forum's posts and discovered the inquiries below.
After thinking hard for a while, Clara typed out her response.
"I can't remember where I heard this melody before, probably something from when I played with classmates as a kid, and it just stuck with me without realizing."
It was many years ago during the height of summer when Clara was eight years old that a group of children went on an outing led by their teacher.
They wandered through the large botanical garden of the Northern Seventh District, with its grass and trees, and birds flying under the tall glass dome.
Clara vaguely remembered the sun being so intense that she could hardly open her eyes, with the figures of her teacher and classmates swaying in front of her.
Before she knew it, she had tripped on a stone and fallen to the ground, scraping her knee on the little rocks in the grass and forming a swollen red mark.
"Wah wah wah—" At that time, she couldn't help but cry.
After a while, someone stood in front of her and helped her up.
"It's okay, there's no bleeding. I'll go call the teacher," said Yilin, a precociously mature girl with light chestnut hair who was both pretty and graceful; many children in the class orbited around her.
"Hexia, you stay with Clara, I'll go call the teacher," Yilin said after looking around and summoning Hexia, who was not far away; the two of them had a good relationship, so it was quite convenient.
The young Hexia was introverted and usually spoke little to Clara, leaving the two in a somewhat quiet coexistence.
At that time, Clara, holding her knee and intermittently wiping tears from her eyes, wanted to touch the wound but feared the pain. Watching from the side, Hexia wanted to comfort her but hesitated, her lips moved, but she seemed unsure of what to say.
Finally, after much hesitation, Hexia mustered the courage to say, "It will get better," before quickly deflating again.
Clara was entirely unaware of of her feelings, just feeling sweaty from being in the sun, a bit dizzy, and with a painful knee, she just wanted to be sad and go home.
Later, Hexia, waiting for Yilin who had yet to return and seeing Clara continuing to cry, grew anxious. Perhaps feeling the urge to do something, she gently blew on Clara's wounded knee and started to hum a simple melody.
With that year's summer heat, sweat, cicada sounds, and pain, the melody lingered in her mind. After that, Clara still rarely interacted with Hexia, who mostly stayed by Yilin's side, while she herself was more lively and energetic.
Why did she remember this incident now? Clara asked herself.
It probably had to do with the video that night, where Hexia, engulfed in flames, defeated Prin Coco— that must have touched and shocked her.
Even Hexia, who had been so timid and young, had grown up to be admirable. Suddenly, Clara no longer had excuses for slacking off or avoiding things.
From now on, she must start practicing singing. As an idol, being unable to sing was like being unable to speak, an essential skill that couldn't be neglected. Clara's goal wasn't merely to be a short-term internet celebrity; she intended to solidify her position and become an enduring superstar. Only then could she play games at home every day, free and unbound!