It was the day of An Ya's funeral.
Dark clouds filled the sky, chilling winds gusted, and a fine, drizzling rain whispered down in a mist.
Lin Yun, holding a black umbrella, walked straight ahead without looking sideways, not even noticing as his feet stepped in puddles. His solitary umbrella drifted in the wind like a black mandala flower.
Splashes flicked from beneath his shoes, scattering across the ground, as he looked ahead to see a woman waiting for him.
She stood in the rain with no umbrella, the relentless drizzle borne on the slanting winds pelting her, trickling down her hair.
The woman was in her twenties and, since it was a funeral, wore a black women's suit. The lines of her face were somewhat stern, giving her an air of valiance.
When she saw Lin Yun approaching, she lifted her head, her pale face streaked with paths of rain.
"I'm sorry,"
she muttered, her voice hoarse, "We were late."
Lin Yun said nothing.
He didn't know what to say, or perhaps, what he wanted to hear wasn't "I'm sorry."
Everyone who knew An Ya started their conversations with apologies. It was as if everyone had taken on the blame for An Ya's death themselves, and more importantly, their grief was genuine.
But if An Ya's death was their fault, what then was the murderer who had killed her? And what was he, powerless to apologize to nothingness?
Starting conversations with apologies like this, to whom was he to pour out this unbearable emotion?
At 16, he might have wept loudly, at 26, perhaps shed tears. Now over 30, as the sole remaining head of the family, in front of his daughter, in front of all the guests, there was no longer any room left for tears.
What remained was silence, it could only be silence, after all, even speaking one more word might choke him up, how was he supposed to speak?
His silence, however, did not mean the woman in front of him would not continue.
"We trusted too much, relied on senior Cherry... or rather, we underestimated the enemy and became complacent,"
the woman said, clenching her fists, her face filled with remorse, "She told us as usual that 'she could handle it alone' and that we shouldn't get involved. We all believed that someone as strong as a Magical Girl like her couldn't possibly encounter any mishaps, but in the end..."
Please, no more.
Lin Yun wanted to tell her he didn't want to know how An Ya died, but he understood that it wasn't possible.
"By the time we got there, senior Cherry had already been... and the enemy fled right in front of us."
Her voice grew increasingly soft, her tone somber, "I'm sorry, we couldn't do anything, we were utterly useless. As her companion, I am a sinner."
The sound of the rain persisted.
Lin Yun took a step, walking towards the woman's direction.
The woman remained standing in place, but her hands clenched tighter, and she closed her eyes.
As comrades in battle who had left a companion to die alone, one who had always cared for them, such a despicable act would understandably be met with a violent response from the family, and she was prepared for it.
But Lin Yun didn't react that way.
He simply extended his umbrella over her head, gently embraced her, and patted her shoulder.
"Don't blame yourself, you all did your best, Tumi,"
he said, his voice rough and his expression detached, but with a soft undertone, "From now on, just do what you need to do."
The woman addressed as Tumi stood under the umbrella, at first widening her eyes in shock, then after a brief pause, tears began to flow, "Cornflower..."
"Don't,"
Lin Yun shook his head, interrupting her, "I don't like that code name."
"...Then, senior Emerald Sparrow."
Tumi tried to hold back her sobs, covering her mouth and keeping silent for a while. After a long breath, she looked at Lin Yun, attempting to steady her voice, "No, Mr. Lin Yun."
"We're planning to leave Fangting City," she declared.
Clearly, that was the message she had truly wished to convey.
Lin Yun's fingers twitched slightly, but his face remained expressionless; he simply nodded and asked, "When?"
"It should be within this week."
Tears still gliding down her cheeks, Tumi reached up to wipe them away. "Even though we let the enemy escape, we have determined from their appearance and behavior that it wasn't just Remnant Beasts that killed Senior Sakura, or at least, not only Remnant Beasts."
Not just Remnant Beasts.
That statement captured Lin Yun's attention.
"Behind this matter, there seems to be a mysterious organization that our country has been investigating. They appear to have some means of cooperating with the Remnant Beasts."
Sniffling, Tumi's red-rimmed eyes began to show a determined light: "So we're going to join the special investigation group organized by the Abnormal Strategy Bureau, following the murderer's trail to root them out."
"...Very dangerous?" Lin Yun asked, his eyes lowered, sensing the hidden implication in her words.
"It seems so. It appears to be the investigation group with the highest casualties in the Bureau."
With a twisted smile, Tumi forced out a somewhat unsightly grin: "But if we don't do this, we probably won't be able to face ourselves again."
"After we leave, a new Seeder will come to Fangting City, and it will choose a new Magical Girl. The new one will protect the city, and it's time for us old-timers with not much time left to step down."
"There's also Senior Chaoyan... she retired many years ago, and is now known as Hong Siyu, an employee of the Abnormal Strategy Bureau. She will also come to Fangting City through a transfer."
She rambled on, listing one thing after another, meticulously covering everything she knew.
Lin Yun listened to her for a long while, neither taking a stand nor interrupting.
"I wish you success."
Only after she finished did Lin Yun nod, extending the umbrella in his hand towards Tumi: "Take it with you."
Tumi didn't accept it.
She looked at Lin Yun, giving a bitter smile and shaking her head.
After exchanging long looks, Lin Yun understood her intent; he silently retracted the umbrella, gave Tumi a deep look, and turned to leave.
"...Mr. Lin Yun, you don't need to respond to what I'm about to say."
Yet, as he took two steps away, Tumi's voice followed from behind.
This time, her voice carried a hint of hesitation: "After I applied to join the special group, someone found me, claiming to be an officer under Lord Golden Green Cat's Eye."
Hearing the name mentioned by Tumi caused Lin Yun's pupils to constrict.
But Tumi had said no response was needed, so he didn't turn around; he just stood still, listening quietly with his back to her.
"She told me that this matter is now deeply entangled. In fact, just this week, a Flower Card certified official disappeared during an investigation. So she asked me to pass on a message from Lord Golden Green Cat's Eye to you:"
——"'Think clearly about what you're shouldering now, don't do anything rash.'"
After those words, there were no more sounds from behind him.
Realizing this marked the end, Lin Yun paused for a long time before finally, following Tumi's earlier instructions, he didn't react and continued walking away instead.
After he had left, a faint yellow Magic Power flow erupted from an empty corner, a weak rainbow light piercing the rain-shrouded sky.
A year later, Tumi joined the Abnormal Strategy Bureau's extramural investigative squad and encountered unknown enemies during an operation.
Following a brutal battle, in order to ensure the secure transmission of information, she volunteered to cover the retreat and sacrificed herself in the coastal city.
After her death, a teammate, also from Fangting City, took over her position and launched a new round of investigations.
As for this, Lin Yun was yet unaware.