The stall was crowded as Kazou had expected. He waited for the crowd to disperse so he could see Cedric.
"What are you selling, Cedric?" Kazou placed his hands on the empty stall and fixed his gaze on Cedric. "I thought you'd be here for this." Cedric pulled out a box from under the stall and placed it in front of Kazou. "Would you like a new fruit?" There was a smirk on his face, too intimidating for a child. Kazou composed himself. "What's your purpose, Cedric? What are these fruits?" Cedric put his finger on his cheek and pondered. "I don't think it's the right time. My job is to be a seller."
"A seller?" Thoughts raced through Kazou's mind. The storm in his brain triggered the pain again. "Ahh!" He walked towards Cedric. "Tell me, Cedric, what is this fruit?" Cedric recoiled. "Hey, slow down, please. You know I'm just a kid." Kazou took a deep breath. The pain gnawed at his brain. Cedric reached into the box and pulled out a fruit. "I guess you have pains, I have the remedy here." He offered the fruit to Kazou. "No, Cedric, tell me the truth. You know these pains are caused by this fruit."
"Okay, okay." Cedric threw the fruit back into the box and raised both hands. "I surrender. You're right, this fruit causes a kind of pain in us. An annoying pain but it also brings us real happiness; a burst of energy, great joy, power, and most importantly, it brings out our true selves." Kazou felt strange about a child speaking like this. Cedric pulled out another fruit and offered it to Kazou again. "With this fruit, imagine everyone could be happy, no one could lie, everyone would present their true selves."
"Cedric, you're talking about really interesting things for your age, but believe me, life isn't that simple." He remembered the incident from last night. The stabbed man and the woman with the fruit. "You may be right, Cedric, but this fruit has terrifying aspects." Kazou pushed away the fruit Cedric offered. Cedric suddenly fell to the ground in fear. "But, but... you don't know what happens without this fruit. Once you taste it, you need to keep consuming it. You experience milder pains. I tried, but I couldn't quit. I need this fruit; everyone needs it." Cedric's fearful eyes softened. He looked like a real child now.
"I need to eat." Before Cedric could take a bite of the rejected fruit, Kazou stopped him. "Don't treat yourself like this, my child."
"But I miss my mom and dad like this..."
Kazou hugged Cedric. "Don't worry, you're a strong child, you can overcome everything."
Cedric started crying. "That's it, cry like this. Crying will relieve you." Kazou slowly stood up. "You'll make it, Cedric, I believe in you." Cedric hugged his knees. "But they won't allow it, and you won't succeed, no matter how hard you try; everyone who tastes this fruit..." Kazou hugged the box of fruit. Cedric's eyes widened. "NO, PLEASE STOP." He reached out to Kazou. Kazou didn't hear Cedric. The headache had completely taken over him. "I'm sorry, Cedric, these come with me." He wanted Amy. Amy could heal him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't affect the headache.
Cedric clung to Kazou's pants. "Please, please, if they see my hands empty-"
"Don't worry, Cedric, you can do it, I believe in you." Kazou smiled at Cedric. Cedric was filled with fear, Kazou didn't hear him. "PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, MR. KAZOU..."
Some onlookers stood in shock at the scene; others were enjoying the taste of their fruits.
When Cedric noticed the people around him, he remembered he needed to stay quiet. Everything was progressing horribly for him. He let go of Kazou. There shouldn't be any trouble. He accepted his fate.
"Goodbye, Cedric." Kazou couldn't bear the pain anymore, he quickly arrived home. He would decide what to do with the box later. Right now, he just wanted to lay in Amy's arms. He left the box at the door and entered.
"Kazou, you're finally here." Amy stood up with concern. "Amy..." Kazou threw himself onto Amy. "What's happening, Kazou?" Amy started stroking Kazou's hair as he leaned on her. "Please, heal me, Amy." Amy's expression fell. "Alright, Kazou..." Amy laid Kazou down on the bed and began to massage his forehead. She felt sorry for Kazou, but what saddened her more were the unanswered questions.
"Your choices will only bring you more pain, Kazou, you should have accepted the truth from the beginning. It's too late now." Kazou didn't understand the nonsense the voice was spouting. Amy had healed him; she had saved Cedric from the fruit. Everything was slowly getting better.
"I'm leaving, sweetheart."
"Ah, goodbye, Kazou." Amy bid Kazou farewell with a bittersweet smile.
Seeing the box still in front of the door, Kazou felt like everything was going perfectly. Now it was time to visit Cedric. He made his way to the market square.
When he arrived at the market, he was surprised. A huge crowd had gathered around Cedric's stall. Was Cedric still selling fruits? Kazou began to rush towards the stall through the crowd.
As he reached the front row, he fell to his knees at the sight before him. His teeth began to chatter. His head, once filled with simple thoughts, now exchanged them for real ones. How could he be so foolish? Thoughts brought back the pain. Tears filled his eyes. "Ohh, it's all my fault."
The crowd had dispersed, but Kazou still stared at Cedric hanging there. What had he caused? He was filled with self-loathing. "I... I'll fix it, but what should I do?" The pain in his head prevented him from thinking. "Hehee, medicine... yes, if I just consume a little, just a little, if my head clears up, I can fix everything. Yes, definitely." Kazou was in no state to evaluate the correctness of his actions.
He quickly approached the box in front of his house and took a fruit in his hand. "I'll get rid of it, yes, yes, I'll fix everything." He took a bite of the fruit in his hand. A bite of purification fruit...