"Hmm, I know."
"It's not the kind of liking one has for a friend, it's the kind of liking one has for the opposite sex."
"Hmm, I know that, too."
"So, do you know that I've actually had a crush on you since my second year of junior high?"
"...I'm sorry."
"But you know, I'm already thirty-five now, no longer the young and beautiful girl of that time. I've grown old like this and turned into such a disgusting monster, you wouldn't like me anymore, would you?"
Sniffling slightly, Hong Siyu forced a somewhat unsightly smile: "I can only muster the courage to confess under these circumstances, and even then, it's such a troubling confession. Pretend you didn't hear it and don't reply, okay?"
"...Hong Siyu."
"What is it?"
"You don't have to pretend to be An Ya anymore, you are not her," Emerald Sparrow said softly.
Hong Siyu paused for a moment, looking at Emerald Sparrow's face, and fell silent.
