Endless Silver Machine

Aika sent Senior Lilith back to the downstairs of the girls' dormitory. There was no sensational farewell hug, only a gentle farewell to each other.

Walking home alone, Aika didn't think about anything.

There are still people at home waiting for him to return, and Lan Ming is still tortured in August... Even if he throws these things out of his mind, he cannot think about it, and Aika simply chooses to kill time on the night road.

The surveillance cameras in Shimozuki Academy may have recorded him wandering around the academy at night like a ghost, but no one would make irresponsible remarks about the students' night talk.

Even if there is, I don’t know it. Not knowing is equivalent to non-existence.

I can walk home on a familiar road with my eyes closed. The wind blows the leaves, the river water hits the stone, but these sounds will not enter my mind.

It actually feels wonderful to escape into your own world like this.

It's just that when I came out of my own world, no problems were solved.

The world is still functioning, but it is just a waste of your own time and the time of those who need you.

I don’t know how long I walked on the night road, but it seemed to be shorter than when I left, and I could already see the lights of the administrator’s cabin.

It's already the second day, and Ling hasn't slept yet.

She was not wearing the woolen pajamas she had worn before going out, but changed into light strapless pajamas. It seemed that she had taken a shower again during this time.

In front of Ling was a hot coffee for herself, and the entire hall was filled with a faint bitter taste and subtle aroma.

"Wei Xi has gone to bed." Hearing the sound of the door opening, Ling leaned against the back of the chair and met Aika's eyes, "Luoluo has also gone back to the room, he should not be asleep yet."

"Thank you."

When he was away, both of them must have been in a calm and soothing mood.

Walking into a familiar environment, questions that had to be thought about came flooding in, and Aika only had the energy to say thank you to Ling.

"Is this distraught appearance because of Senior Lilith?"

Ling didn't serve Aika coffee, just ordinary cold water.

Because there is no need to keep Aika up all night anymore.

"After you finish drinking, go to bed."

She sat down opposite Aika again and drank the remaining brown liquid at the bottom of her cup.

While holding the cup, Ling's eyes still stayed on Aika, until he also picked up the water cup and drank it in one gulp.

"Did you send Senior Lilith back to the girls' dormitory safely?"

If it were her in the past, the question would not be so simple, and Aika would have to think of a proper answer in advance.

But this question is just as simple as good night, and the answer is very simple.

"Yeah……"

Ling's questions ended here, and then she took away her and Aika's cups and walked into the cooking room. The slight sound of water came immediately.

Aika walked into the bathroom and took a shower casually.

Although the cup of cold water just now is not as good as coffee, it actually has a refreshing effect.

After coming out of the bathroom, Ling was still sitting in her original position, sliding her fingers across the PDA screen.

"Do not you go to sleep?"

"I just drank something like that, how could I possibly sleep. But the effect won't last long."

"oh……"

Aika also sat down at the spot where she left not long ago, and now the two of them were facing each other when they first entered the house.

"I said..." Ling's eyes did not leave the PDA screen, but she did ask Aika, "Are you really ready to go?"

"I want to find out. If Lan Ming is wronged, I want to help her."

"What can you do even if you go? It's a problem that even the princess can't solve, even if all of us put together are useless, right?"

"...That's why I said we need to find out August's situation first."

"Are you really planning to act in the name of your family?"

"If necessary."

"Then I won't agree. Even if we don't hide it now, we are not using the family name as a convenient tool."

Is it Ling's principle... "In the name of the family", the meaning of this word is too different for herself and her.

In Aika's view, "family name" is indeed just a title that suddenly fell from the sky, and it is more like a hot potato for now.

"I understand what you mean. This time I just want to help Lan Ming. You also know that she is not the kind of girl who will do whatever it takes, right?"

"That's possible..."

Ling murmured softly, and coupled with the sound of chairs moving on the ground, Aika naturally didn't hear it.

Ling couldn't completely trust someone she had only dated for a short time. At best, she just wanted to trust her.

What's more, Lan Ming's status is that of a royal family, and the "mask" must accompany her throughout her life. She can understand this point as well.

"After you and Senior Sister Lilith left, Luoluo told me that she would go with you."

"If Luoluo just thinks she should listen to me, then I don't want to force her to do so."

Aika deliberately lowered his voice so that even if Luoluo was hiding in the stairwell on the second floor, he wouldn't be able to hear what he said.

"I don't know what Luoluo thinks. Only you can change her thoughts. I'm also very tired, in every sense... Anyway, I'm going to bed first."

"Well, let's not stay in bed tomorrow morning."

"Maybe everyone will skip class tomorrow, and then there will be rumors flying all over the class again. Maybe we can temporarily forget about these troublesome things now."

Ling, who used to be troubled by unfounded rumors, now also makes such jokes casually.

But Aika, who was usually good at making jokes to lighten the mood, found it difficult to laugh at the moment.

"Really spare me, I can't have the energy to deal with that kind of thing now."

"...So now you lie down on the bed and count the black spots on the ceiling. You might fall asleep right away."

Aika had heard of this "home remedy" to promote sleep when she was a child.

"Have you tried this method yourself?"

"No, you can't see any black spots when you turn off the light, right?"

"Don't you know this?"

Whether you count the numbers in your mind or not, it's not difficult to fall asleep in the darkness near the early hours of the morning.

Aika temporarily equated the unanswerable question with the black spots on the ceiling, and after turning off the lights, she merged into the darkness.