Chapter 59
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Someday, Together
Someday, Together
Sunlight poured in on a peaceful, lazy afternoon. Lena and I were alone in the secret base.
We were practicing our singing.
It was Lena’s wish to sing with me.
Singing for hours was exhausting.
I flopped onto the floor, sprawling out my exhausted body. The floor was cold, but the sunlight pouring in was warm.
Lena offered me her lap as a pillow.
As an adult, my pride and a sense of apology made me hesitate, but Lena forcefully lifted my head and placed it on her lap.
As Lena hummed a tune, a gentle melody filled my ears.
My body and heart grew warm.
“Hee hee. It’s so much fun singing with you, Lily.”
“Is that so…?”
“Yeah.”
Lena looked at my face. She cupped my cheeks with both hands. Her slightly serious expression felt a little strange.
“That Song of an Angel I heard at the shop back then… you were the one singing it, right?”
The unexpected question came out of nowhere, and I barely suppressed my shock.
I was bewildered, but I didn't let any emotion show on my face.
“No.”
I denied it with my usual tone so she wouldn't notice the lie.
“Why would you think I sang it?”
“Your voices are identical….”
When I looked at her with half-lidded eyes, Lena pointed to her own ear.
“I’m good at listening, you know.”
“Is that so…? But you’re wrong this time.”
“Hehe.”
Even though I denied it, she didn't seem to believe me. Her face was filled with the joy of being with someone she admired.
“Let’s practice hard now and surprise the other kids.”
“That wasn't the wish. The wish was for me to join you, not to sing in front of everyone.”
“Hmph.”
I was just stating the facts.
Lena puffed out her cheeks like a balloon and glared at me with menacing eyes.
An unsettling aura seemed to emanate from her, and just as I tried to quickly get up and escape…
She started pulling my soft cheeks in opposite directions.
Aah, that hurts.
I was only able to escape after promising that someday, we would sing together in front of the other kids.
*
Late at night, with the moon high in the sky, in the orphanage office.
While the children were off in dreamland having a wonderful time, the sound of a keyboard tapping broke the night's silence in a lit room.
Despite the late hour, Rene was working diligently.
She was, after all, the orphanage's director. And on top of that, she was responsible for handling many other tasks.
Just then, Red approached Rene's side.
“Here, coffee.”
“Thank you, Ms. Red.”
The coffee mug was a bit hot, as if it had just been brewed.
Rene blew on it lightly to cool it down before taking a sip.
The aroma and taste of the coffee spread through her mouth, somehow waking her slightly hazy consciousness.
“I’m sorry. You’ve gotten busier because my work has piled up on you.”
“It’s alright. I’m doing this because I want to. It’s nothing compared to the hardships you face out there, Ms. Red, and I’m happy I can help you even in this small way.”
At her pure smile, full of joy, Red looked a little awkward and brought the coffee mug to her lips.
Seeing this, Rene chuckled softly.
Red turned, walked over, and perched on a chair.
After gently placing her mug on the table, she began to look through the pile of documents stacked beside it, one by one.
The two of them started working diligently again.
Time passed slowly.
Rene, noticing her empty coffee mug, stood up from her chair to refill it.
Humming a tune, she turned on the electric kettle.
After putting coffee grounds into her mug, she asked Red if she wanted another cup, but Red declined.
As Rene poured the hot water and stirred with a spoon, she said, “Ah,” as if she’d just remembered something.
“Ms. Red, by the way, how is the investigation going? Is it progressing well?”
At the question, Red’s hand, which was about to put down a finished document, paused before setting it down gently.
“There’s been some progress.”
“Really?”
Red tilted her head back and stared at the ceiling.
Silence followed. Her expression seemed calm.
But the heavy silence hinted that something was amiss. Her lips remained firmly shut, like a locked box.
As if she had finished organizing her thoughts, her heavy lips slowly parted.
“I’ve gathered enough pieces of the puzzle. All that's left is to put them together to reach the truth.”
Red had been investigating the relationship between Lily and the Cult of the Grim Reaper.
During her investigation, she had discovered a few suspicious points.
One prime example was that the Grim Reaper hadn't appeared since Lily came to the orphanage.
The being, who had been like a natural disaster, had suddenly vanished without a trace, just as she had first appeared in the city.
It was too suspicious to be a coincidence.
If she pieced together the information she'd gathered, she could learn about Lily, but Red was just holding the puzzle pieces, doing nothing.
She was just staring at the empty spaces.
Was she hesitating? Or did she need to steel her resolve? Or perhaps she thought she still lacked enough to draw a conclusion?
After a self-deprecating, bitter smile, Red continued.
“But a crucial piece is missing. If I can just find that, I'll know for sure. Until then, I’m trying not to jump to conclusions.”
“I see.”
Rene sensed something odd in Red’s voice but said nothing.
Silence fell over the room again.
It sank even heavier in the quiet of the night.
“Ah, speaking of which, you haven't seen the video of the play from back then, have you?”
“I’ve been meaning to, but I’ve been so busy I haven’t had the chance.”
“Then let’s watch it together now. The kids did so well. I’m sure you’ll be surprised.”
“You think so?”
Red cleared the pile of documents on the table to one corner.
Rene brought her laptop over to the table. After placing it down, she pulled up a chair and sat next to Red.
She then took out a USB, connected it to the laptop, and played the recording of the play.
The video of the children’s play began.
The music that matched the scenes on stage, the children's acting, and their singing.
Red watched the monitor with a pleased smile.
Rene also chuckled, enjoying it.
Both of them kept their eyes glued to the screen, completely focused on the video.
Before they knew it, the final scene was over.
The video ended with the sound of cheers and applause pouring down on the children.
In Red's eyes, the play she had just watched was better than any other performance.
Rene, in particular, was genuinely impressed by the scenes with Lily.
“I never knew Lily could sing so well. I was so nervous she might make a mistake since she couldn't speak. With that kind of talent, if she became an idol, people would flock just to hear her voice.”
Red nodded in agreement.
“It’s a voice so good, it’s a shame she couldn’t use it until now.”
A voice that healed the heart and warmly embraced it.
Combined with looks that seemed to have sprung from a fantasy, that voice revealed the little girl's presence.
It was only quiet because the performance was in an outer city district; it was dizzying to imagine what might have happened if she had performed in the city center.
Even now, exaggerated rumors about Lily were circulating around town after the play.
Unreasonable beauty is truly terrifying.
At the same time, she thought about how in a world like this, such looks and voice at a young age would be more of a curse than a blessing, attracting unwanted attention and leading to troublesome situations.
Red gave a bitter smile.
Then, something suddenly occurred to Red, and she raised a hand to cover her mouth.
Her previously soft eyes turned quite serious.
Lily's voice sounded familiar, as if she'd heard it somewhere before.
She thought hard, and then her eyes widened slightly as if she'd remembered. “Ah.”
“Rene, you’ve heard of the ‘Song of an Angel,’ haven’t you?”
“That urban legend? I know it.”
“What do you think about that song?”
“I haven’t really thought about it, but if you’re asking whether it’s real or not, I think it is. In this line of work, it’s common for unbelievable rumors to turn out to be true. But why do you ask?”
“Actually, I once heard a recording of the angel at a shop I visited. I don't know if it was real or not, though.”
“Really?”
Rene was startled.
Why bring this up now? She fell into thought, trying to read Red’s intentions.
Then, her eyebrows twitched as if she'd realized something. With a slightly strange expression, she asked Red.
“It’s not what I’m thinking, is it?”
“The voices are similar.”
“So, you’re saying Lily is the one who sang the ‘Song of an Angel’?”
“Who knows… It’s all in the past now, and it would be hard to uncover the truth since gathering information on a rumor that has already died down is difficult.”
Though Red said that, she believed the two were closely connected.
It was only natural, as Lily had shown a strange reaction upon hearing the recording of the ‘Song of an Angel.’
Seeing her emotions and actions back then, it was clear there was something to it.
But she kept that part to herself. Even if it were true, it was a case that could no longer be solved. There was only circumstantial evidence, no proof.
Unless the person involved came forward and confessed.
Rene packed up the laptop and took it away.
Red began to organize the stacks of documents.
“Come to think of it, not long after the rumors about the ‘Song of an Angel’ died down, a series of unsettling events happened one after another, keeping us busy. And after that, the Grim Reaper appeared. Do you think they’re connected?”
“……”
Red's eyes narrowed.
The word 'definitely' hovered in her mind but didn't leave her lips.
For a coincidence, things were lining up too perfectly.
As a new puzzle piece emerged, Red’s mind unconsciously started fitting the pieces together one by one.
Just as she was about to get lost in thought, she felt a gaze from the door and was pulled back to reality.
Red gave a light smile and spoke.
“We already know you’re there, so come on in.”
Three seconds later.
The door slid open, and Lena stepped inside.
“I got caught….”
Lena scratched the back of her head with an awkward expression.
“What are you doing up?”
“I was on my way to the bathroom and saw the light on in this room, so I got curious.”
“We were working.”
“This late at night?”
“We’re just about done. You should hurry up and go to sleep too, Lena. Otherwise, you’ll be too awake to fall asleep.”
“Okay. You two should get to bed early, too. Don't stay up too late.”
Lena let out a big yawn and headed for the door.
Watching her small back, Red was reminded of the play she had just seen and spoke, though it was late.
“The play was great.”
Lena stopped in her tracks, turned her head, and giggled.
“It’s because we all worked hard together.”
In a good mood, Lena started humming a tune.
Just as she was about to open the door and leave, Lena's humming stopped abruptly, and her face lit up with surprise.
“Ah! I remember now!”
“What is it?”
“Red, I just remembered something. Lily was the angel I met back then.”
“Huh?”
“You know how I said I met an angel when I was kidnapped before?”
“You did.”
When Lena was kidnapped, she had said she met an angel.
Later, when Red asked Stal about it, he suggested that Lena might have seen a Winged One and mistaken them for an angel.
Red had agreed that it made sense and let it go, but she never expected it to come up so suddenly.
“To think the angel I met back then was Lily! What a coincidence. It feels so strange.”
Red, too, was inwardly amazed, but then an ominous thought flashed through her mind.
In that moment, she was struck as if by lightning. Confused, her red eyes trembled violently.
Red quickly regained her composure, put on her usual expression, and sent Lena up to her room.
Lena, not noticing anything strange about Red, went off to bed with a bright expression.
After Lena left, Red slumped into her chair and pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose.
She closed her eyes and began to sort through her thoughts.
The Grim Reaper appeared near the place where Lena was kidnapped. And Lily was at that same place.
Lily possesses a special power different from others, and it is similar to the Grim Reaper's magic power.
Song of an Angel, Lily, the Grim Reaper, the Cult of the Grim Reaper… the pieces were being forced together.
“Ms. Red.”
At that moment, Rene’s urgent voice snapped Red out of her thoughts.
Rene's usually gentle eyes were now sharp, gazing out the window.
Red realized it too. A considerable number of suspicious presences were approaching.
The two of them stopped what they were doing and hurried outside the building.
Their footsteps were quiet, so as not to wake the children.