The cemetery in winter was even more desolate than usual, stripped of the greenery brought by plants, leaving only a monotony of black, white, and gray in sight. The few people strolling through the cemetery wore monochromatic clothes, which, though not sackcloth, were a modest expression of their sentiments. Being in such an environment felt like stepping into an old, colorless photograph.
And in such a cemetery, there was one tombstone that was slightly different from the others.
All made of grayish-black rock, all with simple decorations, yet there was something about this one that made it stand out. At first glance, the tombstone did not catch the eye, and even the gifts placed before it were sparse, suggesting that the person buried there hadn't been widely social in life. There wasn't anything particularly eye-catching about the gifts' quality either.
If one were to ask what made it distinctive to passersby in the cemetery, the answer might revolve around "atmosphere."
Many people have a similar sense: a room inhabited for a long time has a different "atmosphere" from a room that has been abandoned and uncared for. Often, just by this "atmosphere" alone, people can vaguely perceive whether or not a place is lived in.
In the Donghua Region, older people might refer to this "atmosphere" as "vitality."
The sensation that this particular tombstone imparted was one of a different kind of atmosphere, simply noticing it left an unusual impression on people.
Lin Yun gazed at the tombstone.
His hands hung at his sides, his face expressionless, his gaze slightly downcast, silently watching.
The gray tombstone in the cold wind seemed harder and colder than usual, a layer of frost glazing its surface, the cherry blossom crystal necklace hanging at one corner also encased in a layer of ice, appearing exceptionally bleak.
This was why Asou Haruka, dressed in a trendy trench coat, and Lin Yun, in casual clothes, seemed somewhat out of place.
"Should we have changed into different clothes before coming here?" Looking around, Asou Haruka, wearing sunglasses, couldn't help but rub her hands, feeling the subtle, oppressive atmosphere even though she wasn't local to Fangting City.
"... The intention is what matters," Lin Yun's voice held a slight pause, then turned into a murmur mixed with a sigh, "But I suppose if she were here, she wouldn't care about such things. It's all just self-comfort, after all."
Having sent the girls back to the base, Lin Yun naturally had no reason to keep the guise of Emerald Sparrow, thus reverted back to his true form.
Next to him, Asou Haruka also slowly knelt before the tombstone, staring fixedly ahead.
Since getting out of the car, the two had exchanged only a few words. Lin Yun, having led her here, had even less to say.
He did not know what Asou Haruka was thinking at the moment, but it did not hinder his choice to remain silent. Had it been nineteen years earlier, he might have tried to find topics to break the ice, but now was no longer that time, and they were no longer young. For adults, sometimes the right silence is more fitting than words.
—"So this is what it's like."
After a long silence, Asou Haruka slowly spoke, "Seeing a friend's tombstone, this is the feeling I get. It's so... surreal."
"What did you expect?" Lin Yun asked.
"I thought I would cry."
She still did not look up, her expression tinged with a touch of wistfulness, "But when I arrived here, it wasn't as sad as I imagined. It's more like regret. I feel like my emotions are veiled, unclear even to myself."
"After all, it's been a long time," Lin Yun wasn't surprised by her words, "And you hadn't seen her for a while, right?"
"Haven't seen her for a long time... maybe, 8 years? 9 years? A bit shorter than the time since we last parted."
Asou Haruka sighed, "When I was an examiner in the Magic Kingdom, she had brought newcomers from Fangting City to take the tests. I never thought that would be the last time."
"Did you keep in touch privately?" Lin Yun asked.
"At first, we did, but later on... as common topics dwindled, our one-on-one conversations became rare," Asou Haruka chuckled softly, "She knew I wasn't interested in her daily domestic trivia, and I knew she didn't care about the nonsense at my workplace. She was content being a full-time housewife, while I focused on my singing career. We both knew we were still sisters, still nostalgic for the days when we shared everything, but we just couldn't understand each other's words anymore."
"People are strange sometimes. We both long for that affectionate connection, but still, our souls drift further apart."
Asou Haruka continued, "I've often thought about arranging a get-together to catch up, to share what we've been doing all these years, but it always seemed like 'there was time,' 'no rush.' Until that day, when the principal suddenly called me in and told me 'Yuan Xiang died.'
Lin Yun stayed silent.
His right thumb was tucked into his pocket, his exposed fingers tapping against the fabric, his lips moved slightly but he said nothing.
Because suddenly he remembered, a few months before An Ya's death, she had proposed to him, "Should we call up the old teammates for a reunion?"