Page 98
Page 98
"Aiyin, are you alright?" Deng asked with concern.
"fine...."
Aine didn't look directly at the light pressing down on her.
"Is it ready now?" she asked again.
"Um...that..."
After thinking for a moment, Deng grabbed Aine's hand: "Aine can touch mine too."
"Huh? Isn't that unnecessary?"
You can't exactly say that this can inspire creativity, can you? The source of inspiration for that lamp is just too ominous.
"some!"
The lamp responded forcefully, but the next second it lowered its head and became hesitant.
"Isn't Aine curious about the differences between others and herself?"
"Well... I am a little curious."
But not all of her teeth are canines; the rest are quite ordinary. Is it really necessary to touch and confirm them?
Aine wanted to get up, but she couldn't sit up unless the lamp was moved.
“I… want to know how Aine feels about how she is different from others,” the lamp said softly again.
Deng was very concerned about how she differed from ordinary people.
She had previously said that she wanted to become human.
It's different... Aine doesn't really have any particular feelings about it, but since Akari wants to hear her thoughts, she's naturally happy to share.
"...All right."
"Thank you, ah—" Lamp opened her mouth slightly, mimicking what Aine had just done.
Her white teeth were round and smooth, without any defects. Ai Yin stared curiously at the area next to her front teeth, feeling no sharpness at all. It was something she was born with, something others didn't have.
It's truly amazing.
"It feels so strange."
“Strange…” the lamp murmured.
"Yes, I've had canine teeth since I can remember, but the other kids don't. Tomorin doesn't have them either. Things I see every day, I don't see in other people."
Deng nodded, she understood: "Don't you feel strange? Like you're different from everyone else."
Unlike everyone else.
Different colors make the world appear different.
It's like a group of pink candies, with only one blue one.
"It's precisely because it's different that I can show off!" Ai Yin said with a smile.
"Show off?" Deng blinked.
"Yes, yes, Tomorin also said it's cute, right? And this kind of cuteness is unique to me, shouldn't I show it off? Being unique is very precious."
Showing off its uniqueness—the lamp had never thought of that before.
Aine is undoubtedly a "human" in her eyes, but she has something different from many other people: pink hair, cute canine teeth, a unique voice... which cannot be copied or imitated.
Upon closer reflection, Su Shi, Li Xi, and Le Nai are all quite special. No one else is like them.
If the human being I aspire to be is an existence composed of all sorts of colors.
There was no accurate answer or standard to tell her: This is what humans are like.
How can I become human?
When will I be able to become human?
The lamp wasn't saddened or bewildered by this; she had already decided to move forward with everyone of different colors, but she wanted to know the answer.
How do I go to the universe? How do I become human?
"Aiyin"
"Ok?"
The lamp whispered, "Can we hold hands?"
"That's possible, but I hope Tomorin can get up first."
Holding hands in such a pinned-down position is just awful.
Deng realized she was still pressing down on Aine, so she quickly moved away: "Sorry..."
"It's okay, come on, let's hold hands."
Aiyin reached out her hand, and the lamp gently grasped it. The warmth of her body against her palm was as gentle and comforting as ever, like the spring sun.
Simply holding this hand cannot make one human, and the lamp knows this very well. But even so, as long as it holds this warmth, the world in its eyes will be tinged with vibrant colors and shine brightly.
"I've thought of some lyrics, but perhaps they don't really qualify as lyrics..."
"Why don't we just write it down? It'll come in handy eventually," Aine suggested.
"Ah."
The lamp nodded and started playing Ai Yin.
Ai Yin was completely confused: "Wait, why did you pull me up?"
"When I'm being guided to write, I feel like I can actually write it."
"Does that mean we have to hold hands the whole time while writing lyrics?" Aine asked in surprise.
"Ah."
Can she really write it? Ai Yin became more and more confused, but since Deng had said so, she stayed by Deng's side and watched her put pen to paper, and the fragmented lyrics emerged word by word.
"By the way, Aine... are you free tomorrow?"
"Yes, what do you need me to do?"
The lamp looked at Aine and said, "I want to play with Aine at home."
Of course, it's her home, not Aine's.
Chapter 100 Yes, I love you too.
Upon returning to the room with the lamp, Aine immediately noticed the T-shirt hanging on the wall.
The words "quasi-human" are prominently printed in the center of the T-shirt.
Why didn't you put it in the closet but hung it up instead?
Ai asked curiously, "Does Tomorin really like this outfit?"
"Yes. I like it. It's very important to me. I will cherish it for the rest of my life."
"Indeed, looking back now, what we did back then was really rock and roll, but it's definitely a wonderful memory! But won't Tomorin's mom say anything if she sees it?"
Deng shook her head slightly: "I told her it was AnonTokyo's trendy brand... and she accepted it."
Although Ai Yin came up with the brand name, even she didn't know where to begin criticizing it after hearing it.
"So what do we need to do now?" Ai Yin asked, putting down her schoolbag.
"What should I do?"
At this moment, Deng fell into deep thought. She just wanted Aine to keep her company, but she had no idea what to do with it.
Ai Yin seemed thoughtful: "Should we watch some videos first?"
"video...."
“Yes, yes, there aren’t many things to do at home anyway. Watching videos, doing homework, and then having something nice to eat makes for a fulfilling and perfect evening,” Aine smiled.
After thinking it over and over, he couldn't come up with a better suggestion, so he nodded in agreement.
Climbing into bed, Ai Yin pulled out her phone: "What do you want to watch? Anime? TV series? Movies? Documentaries?"
"The penguin documentary is very interesting."
So Aine clicked on one of the documentaries about penguins.
Penguins were everywhere on the endless snowfield, but for some reason they were all looking up.
“This is… a male penguin,” the lamp said.
Aiyin asked again, "What are they doing?"
"That...finding a mate. Penguins build nests with stones and then use songs and dances to attract other penguins, which is probably similar to dating in real life, although...I'm not very clear about it."
That's not much different from reality, Aine thought to herself. She could always feel the gazes directed at her from the people around her.
Is it interesting? — The lamp's eyes seemed to ask that question.
Ai Yin laughed and said, "Penguins are so cute! It's been so long since I've been to an aquarium. Let's go together next time!"
"Ok!"
Suddenly, a human voice came through the video, a magnetic voice began to narrate, introducing all aspects of penguins.
"When a male penguin is proposing to a female penguin, he will often choose a beautiful stone as an engagement ring." As the narration slowly unfolds, the scene changes accordingly.
Aine suddenly remembered the stone that the lamp had given her before.
But humans aren't penguins.
"By the way, how does Tomorin practice singing? By going to karaoke?" Ai Yin asked, trying to make conversation.
"No, going alone feels... terrifying."
"Terrible? Ah—are you worried about being hit on?"
The lamp denied it, saying, "No... It's terrifying to have only my own voice echoing in this world. I don't want to be alone."
This is what I was talking about.
Just as Ai Yin was about to respond, she saw the lamp slip inside the blanket, clutching the edge of the blanket, with only half its face showing.
"That's how I always sing... under the covers."
"The room isn't very soundproof, and if it's too loud, it might disturb Mom and Dad's rest. What about you, Aiyin?"
The lamp, which resembled a large caterpillar, asked curiously.
Ai Yin nodded her chin: "I'd say karaoke! By the way! If Tomorin wants to practice his singing to his heart's content, let's go to karaoke together! It's not scary to go with two people, and it'll be cheaper if we split the bill."
It seems that if you spend just thirty minutes with Aine, her calendar will immediately be filled with three days of her presence.
But Deng doesn't dislike this feeling; the more agreements they make, the more people look forward to each day to come.
If Ai Yin hadn't stopped her and let her listen to the band members, and hadn't brought her onto the stage, she certainly wouldn't have had such a wonderful experience.
"Aine saved me."
"Eh?"
Why are you suddenly bringing this up?
Lamp sat up, but still covered herself with the blanket: "Without Aine, I wouldn't look forward to today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow... or any day after that. The time I spend with Aine and everyone else is so warm."
Bright but not dazzling.
"I like Aine."
When I came to my senses, those words had already slipped out.
Aine smiled, her face slightly flushed: "I like Tomorin too! But actually, it wasn't me who saved you, it was Tomorin who saved himself."
She pulled the lamp by the hand.
“I did reach out to Tomorin, but it was you who decided to come with me.”
It's pointless to reach out to someone who's determined to sink.
"Tomorin always wanted to be human, didn't he?"
"Hmm. I want to be like everyone else, but yesterday I suddenly realized that not everyone's color is pink, there's brown, black, silver—and blue, green."
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