Parting

Berdette Happy World, Statue Restaurant. Ordering here was done at the front counter. After a quick round of rock-paper-scissors, Yaxiu had no choice but to go up and order with Banjie. Losing to Igola was one thing, but Harvey, that bastard, had actually used the Ghost King Shackles to temporarily transform into a mech spirit with peak computational capability to cheat, pulling off a clean sweep in a best-of-five! As Yaxiu ran through everyone's orders in his mind and walked up to the counter, about to speak, a staff member presented two trays. "Ultimate Conquest Lalafell, black pepper steak, Lalafell with beef brisket and fried bean sauce, coconut jelly egg tarts... As for drinks: lemonade, bitter citrus tea... Here is one pack of tissues and one pack of wet wipes. Please enjoy your meal." While Yaxiu was still standing there dazed, Banjie had already paid and walked off with the trays. Looking around, Yaxiu discovered that the counter area was actually quieter than inside the restaurant. The moment visitors stepped up, the staff immediately brought out the exact meals they needed, shrinking the entire transaction to under five seconds. The front counter seemed like a silent, precision-machined gear train. Returning to their table, Igola asked, "Once we finish watching the fireworks show, it should be time to head back, right? You idiot, Yaxiu, don't tell me you still have rides you want to try?" "It depends on Lisi and the eldest miss. Anyway, as long as we make it back before eleven, I'm fine," Yaxiu said. "Speaking of which, Igola, do you regret it?" "Regret not kicking you off when we were riding the Speed Flywheel earlier?" "Regret not becoming a Burdette son-in-law!" Yaxiu reached over and snagged one of Harvey's fries. "If you'd married Anfiel, this entire amusement park would be your family property! Not just this amusement park—half the entertainment venues in Gospel would belong to Leya in the future, which is to say, your daughter!" One could tell from the name alone that this theme park's owner was the Burdette family, which meant Evalin. In truth, the Burdette family was Gospel's foremost entertainment giant. From virtual games to physical amusement venues, the Burdette Conglomerate had pushed development to the absolute limit, standing unrivaled in the entertainment sector. The virtual games Yaxiu used to play were merely a minor side business for Evalin's family. After all, under the sway of the Domination faction, the Burdette family held a consumer base of several million people. From young children to the elderly, every citizen would spend everything they had. This was not only a cash cow; it also meant Burdette had unlimited room for trial and error in the entertainment industry. Enduring for centuries, they had naturally outlasted all their competitors. "No regrets," Igola said faintly. "Those sisters, Evalin and Anfiel, are far sharper than you. Even now, I wouldn't dare claim I could completely resist Evalin's domination. Besides, the Burdette family's most powerful domination miracle is probably a curse of destiny rooted in their bloodline... Thinking about it now, the reason Gospel believed I would make a good father in the future was probably because it expected me to be inversely dominated by Leya." "Generally speaking, we call that sort of bloodline domination 'love.'" Yaxiu reached out and snatched some of Igola's popcorn. "Why don't you just give in? Look how old you are. If you hadn't gone to prison, you'd probably still be loitering on the streets. Isn't it great to be a kept man living off a wealthy woman? I'd love to, but I don't even have the chance!" "Not interested." "Tsk. Think about it, male veela. If you can keep your wife happy, then if your brothers hit hard times later on, you can look out for us. And if we make it big, do you think we'd ever forget a cellmate who went through life and death with us? Not a chance. So no matter how you look at it, living off a rich wife is your most cost-effective option... Oh, wait. Every time 'Revelation' strikes, you suffer so much—could it be that you're resisting the 'correct' choice in your heart to become a kept man?" "I'm not choosing it." "What about Leya, then? Don't you like your future daughter? Harvey is beyond hope—he has to sculpt his own wife—but as long as you're willing, you could have a cute and brilliant daughter who inherits every one of your strengths. Could you really—" "Can you shut up already?!" Lisi, who had been busy wolfing down her kids' meal, looked up to find the adults trapped in an odd atmosphere. The sisters wouldn't fight the little witch over food, but when it came to watching the fireworks later, that would be another story. Banjie looked somewhat surprised, Annan appeared thoughtful, Harvey was utterly indifferent, and Yaxiu wore a face that practically said, *How dare you shout at me?* The Swindler took a deep breath, swiftly composing himself to steer the topic away. "You've almost eaten all my popcorn. If you want some so badly, can't you just buy another portion yourself?" "No way. Food you pay for never tastes as good as freeloaded food. Besides, it's not like I'm not paying you back." Yaxiu picked up a fried shrimp and held it out. "Repaying you with a fried shrimp. Open wide, say ahh~" Igola stared wide-eyed at Yaxiu, his lips sealed tightly. Yaxiu blinked, gesturing for the swindler to hurry up and open his mouth. "I..." A few words squeezed past the swindler's lips. "don't really like..." Right then, Annan reached over from the side, deflected Yaxiu's hand, and bit down. "If he won't eat it, I will," the Purple Moth chuckled. The Swindler gave Annan a cold glance, looking partly relieved, yet somewhat displeased. "Igola, you didn't like shrimp all along?" Yaxiu asked in surprise. "Back in prison, I never saw you being so picky..." "Don't talk as if you know me so well," Igola snapped in annoyance. "You don't even know where I slept back in Feidengla—" "The wardrobe in the bedroom, the sofa outside, and the kitchen cabinet. Those were the only three places, right?" The Swindler froze. "Huh?" "Did you forget? I had to clean during the day," Yaxiu said. "Even though we all used the same shampoo, your scent was somehow a bit different. Maybe it's a chemical reaction from your veela bloodline?" "I've told you, there are no male veelas. I'm human..." Perhaps lacking confidence, Igola murmured his reply in a quiet voice. Unable to meet Yaxiu's gaze, he lowered his head to focus on his food instead. Having eaten and drunk their fill, they planned to take a park tram to the Fireworks Plaza. But the moment they stepped out of the restaurant, a six-seater tram pulled up right in front of them. * * * Setting off fireworks underground sounded rather bizarre. After all, fireworks were meant to paint the night with bright colors, whereas the underground city was trapped in eternal night. To draw an analogy, it was like nursing an unrequited crush on someone completely out of reach—daylight would never arrive underground, and after the fleeting fireworks, only wishful emptiness remained. Yet the moment the fireworks bloomed, the dazzling colors made everyone forget they were beneath the earth. The fireworks were magnificent, raining down like shooting stars. The members of the Funeral Agency sat on the lawn of the Fireworks Plaza. Banjie even retrieved the coffin from his suitcase so Alice could keep Harvey company, and the seven of them sat in a small circle, taking in the radiance. The fireworks blossomed in their eyes, stunning their fleeting hours. "Lisi," Yaxiu patted Lisi's head, "are you happy today?" "Yes!" Lisi nodded vigorously with excitement—the little witch had claimed the seat for the final fireworks display. "If only we could come often... no, every month!" Yaxiu smiled and gathered her into his embrace. "There will be chances, but not underground." There were theme parks underground, and fireworks shows underground, but what made everything so beautiful was their longing for the daylight outside. Yet Lisi found it strange. This was the first time Yaxiu had ever been so affectionate toward her without any particular reason. "Of course! Wherever Daddy goes, I'll go. Let's visit theme parks in other places later!" Yaxiu lowered his eyes, then turned to look at Annan. Catching his gaze, Annan glanced at Lisi. An indescribable panic welled up within the witch sisters. Yet Annan didn't speak to Lisi. Instead, she looked toward the young butler beside them. "Banjie." "Yes?" Banjie, who was preparing drinks, looked up. "Miss, are you thirsty?" "No," Annan said. "I have a favor to ask of you." Banjie froze slightly. Just then, a firework bloomed, illuminating his somewhat pale face. Unlike Lisi, he had actually sensed it long ago. Perhaps it was when Annan had suddenly proposed visiting the theme park, or perhaps when Yaxiu had tried so hard to convince Igola to become a Burdette son-in-law. "Take Lisi back to Azula, and take good care of her."