On the day of the parent-teacher meeting, Lin Yun noticed Xia Liang standing alone under the porch of the library.
It was purely by chance.
Had he not glanced in that direction while passing the library, preoccupied with thoughts of his daughter's education after the meeting, he would never have realized that Xia Liang was leaning there alone, displaying a gloomy expression so different from her usual demeanor.
It was precisely that scene that led him at the time to decide he must find time to properly understand Xia Liang's situation.
After all, having known Xia Liang for only a month as Emerald Sparrow, he had vaguely perceived many peculiar things about the child.
The subtle attitude when they first met in Electric Street; the personality entirely different from the one Lin Xiaolu described from her school; the hesitant words when she claimed she had run away from home; and the lonely expression she showed when alone at the parent-teacher meeting... all these concerning behaviors seemed to point to a fact: Xia Liang's relationship with her family did not appear to be optimistic.
This led to today's visit, under the pretext of a study session, when Emerald Sparrow decided to take a look at Xia Liang's home.
Xia Liang's house was also in the Sunset District, in an old neighborhood on the edge of the third ring road around Fangting City, said to be built over twenty years ago.
She was unwilling to fly, so Emerald Sparrow did not ask, silently following behind her. They entered the neighborhood, turned a corner, and saw rows of worn six-story residential buildings.
The buildings were spaced apart, with older housing structures that seemed suitable for installing exterior elevators, easier to maintain, perhaps?
A variety of thoughts sprouted in Emerald Sparrow's mind as she looked at the rows of buildings, and then she shook her head, dismissing the messy ideas from her thoughts.
Walking up the stairwell into one of the buildings, they soon arrived at Xia Liang's home.
Xia Liang opened the door, pressed the light switch in the entrance hall, and motioned to Emerald Sparrow, "No one wears these slippers by the door, so you can just pick any pair you like."
Emerald Sparrow looked down at the ground and indeed found several pairs of slippers of different sizes arranged neatly as Xia Liang had said.
Is there no one at home?
This scene raised doubts in her mind, but she remained silent, just nodding to Xia Liang.
After changing into the slippers and walking into the living room, the entirety of the house came into view: The interior space was not large, and though it was the common layout of three bedrooms and a living room, the total area was relatively small. The home's decor and furniture were somewhat outdated, but clean and tidy, which gave it a somewhat austere warmth.
What was particularly strange was that Emerald Sparrow hardly saw any household appliances in the house.
Not only was there a lack of white goods, but there was also no television in the living room. In front of the wall where a couch faced, there clearly was a TV stand, yet only a vase sat atop it.
Furthermore, this setup rendered the house somewhat lifeless, or to say, without the breath of living.
If there were no voices, the entire home was silent, only the hum of the fluorescent light in the living room ceiling was audible.
"Would you like some tea?" Xia Liang asked with a smile as she walked to the tea cabinet in the dining room.
"No need," Emerald Sparrow, still looking around, responded casually.
"Then you must be too tired and planning to rest?"
Xia Liang blinked and said, "But before resting, you should take a bath, right? Though heating the water might take a little time."
"No rush..." replied the distracted Emerald Sparrow.
"Where would you like to sleep if you're sleeping over?"
Before she could finish, Xia Liang interrupted, "There's a spare room, and the bedding has been washed. But if you like, you can sleep with me, though?"
"I'm more comfortable sleeping alone."
"Eh? Since you're here already, isn't it better to sleep together? I actually quite fancy sleeping with you."
"No trouble, I'm just simply staying for one night."
"Should I go and prepare the bedding in the single room then?"
"We don't need this for now."
"Ah, why don't you sit down first?"
Interrupting Xia Liang's rapid-fire questions, Emerald Sparrow calmly looked at her and asked directly, "Is there no one else at your home?"
Her question plunged Xia Liang into silence.
Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that Xia Liang had been relentlessly asking questions, even willing to interrupt Emerald Sparrow in an attempt to change the subject, as a form of avoidance. She had guessed the question Emerald Sparrow might ask next and had been continuously evading, not wishing to touch upon the subject.
Xia Liang kept the smile on her face, but it became unnatural. After a long silence, as if resigned to her fate, the smile that seemed to be for show finally collapsed into a look of helplessness: "They're not here."
"Not here as in...?" Emerald Sparrow couldn't help but frown.
"Not here means not here; they're not in this house, and they will never return," Xia Liang said lightly.
She looked at Emerald Sparrow with a complex expression, and Emerald Sparrow also silently looked back at her. The buzzing sound from the light overhead continued, annoyingly loud.
After a while, Xia Liang averted her gaze and sat down on the sofa, letting out a sigh as if she had shed some burden, and asked, "Did you come over here because you wanted to confirm this?"
"That's right." Still pondering the meaning of "not here," Emerald Sparrow responded without hesitation.
"Why did you notice?" Xia Liang turned her head to look at her, "Was it because of the conversation we had in Lin Xiaolu's living room before?"
Emerald Sparrow too walked to the edge of the living room sofa and sat down along the armrest: "Rather than that conversation, a more significant reason is that you seem very lonely."
Reaching a hand to her cheek, Xia Liang first appeared a bit dazed, then broke into a bitter, self-deprecating smile: "Why would it be loneliness... Could it really be that obvious?"
"Consider it an adult's intuition."
Emerald Sparrow looked down, swiftly moving past the topic: "After all, we're comrades now, so I felt I should know more about you. I hope you're not offended."
Xia Liang was, without a doubt, a member of Fangting City's Magical Girl squad. In theory, everyone should let their guard down and become more united. However, Lin Xiaolu harbored unilateral hostility towards Xia Liang, which meant progress in their relationship was always minimal.
Emerald Sparrow initially thought she should let the younger generation resolve such emotional issues on their own. But seeing how the situation was becoming increasingly severe, it wasn't wise to continue to ignore it, and she had to take matters into her own hands.
At this moment, having decided to act, it was even more necessary to delve deeper and understand the real answers.
"...Junior, that's a pretty sly way to put it."
Hearing Emerald Sparrow's explanation, Xia Liang's smile turned a bit more bitter: "You put it that way, and now I really have no room to avoid answering, do I?"
She leaned back on the sofa, looking distracted, then closed her eyes: "But I also feel, both Junior and Lin Xiaolu are trustworthy. I shouldn't keep these things buried in my heart."
"So, please don't take it too seriously, just take it as a diversion and listen to my story."
Her tone slowed down, almost nostalgically, as she began to recount: "This is indeed my home, the place where our family of three once lived, but now, I am the only one here."
"My father is dead." Xia Liang slowly lifted her head, "My mother is in prison."
At her words, Emerald Sparrow's eyes gradually widened.
The fluorescent light overhead was still bright, but at that moment, even the irritating hum of the electricity briefly vanished.
After another pause, Xia Liang turned to look at Emerald Sparrow, her voice rough: "The reason is, she killed my father."