The next morning, when Yanagihara woke up, Al had already woken up, and the girl was lying on the side of her bed, as if secretly looking at something.

Yanagihara's suddenly opened eyes startled the girl, but she didn't get up and run away immediately, but continued to squat on the side of the bed, looking at Yanagihara with a weak heart.

"What's the matter?" It should be that the girl looked a little uncomfortable, Yanagihara moved his shoulders and sat up from the bed.

"Yanagi, Yanagihara, I'll help you tie your hair." Standing behind Yanagihara, the girl said nervously.

"Huh?" Yanagihara glanced at the girl in surprise: "Yes, yes, but what's wrong with you, why do you suddenly want to comb my hair?" ”

"Because, Yanagihara has always taken good care of me, so I want to help a little more."

The girl whispered, but it made Yanagihara even more strange.

Al is usually very well-behaved, and he helps out with some things, but this is the first time he has taken such an initiative.

With permission, the girl took a headband from the bedside table and carefully tied Yanagihara's hair.

Her fingers were slender and her movements were gentle, which made Yanagihara gradually calm down, and even unconsciously squinted her eyes, like a lion basking in the sun, lazily fanning her ears.

It should have been a moment later, maybe something suddenly came to mind, Yanagihara turned his gaze sideways and said to Al behind him.

"Do you have something to ask me for?"

"Hmm." The girl who was told what was in her heart blushed and nodded, then hesitated for a moment before opening her mouth to make her request.

"Yanagihara, can you tell me more stories in the future?"

As it turns out, Yanagihara may have a talent for storytelling.

Because in her story, there seems to be something that a girl born in the post-disaster era has never understood.

Faced with the girl's request, Yanagihara raised his brow and responded flatly.

"Is it just that, yes?"

"Great!" The girl snorted happily, not making much movement, but she did not hide her joy.

She reached out and hugged Yanagihara, and then ran out of the room in a hurry.

As for Yanagihara, he sat on the bed in a daze with his half-combed hair, and only after half a sound did he shake his head helplessly and tidy himself up.

······

Today's wind and snow have stopped, and the old man is still writing his report in the laboratory.

The view from the observatory is so good that it always feels like you can see the end of the ice field at a glance.

After taking care of the affairs on the first and second floors, Yanagihara and Al were also staying in the laboratory to do a simple cleanup.

The old man is a very organized person and basically does not get dirty, so the so-called cleaning is just to prevent dust accumulation.

It's as simple as taking a cloth and wiping down the dirty area.

Probably because of Yanagihara's relationship, Al is happy today. As she cleaned up, she hummed a song in her mouth, and if you listened carefully for a while, you could tell that it was the one that Liz often played on a loop in her room.

However, the old man was a little surprised by this, he did not know why the girl's mood changed so quickly.

Obviously, yesterday there was a bitter and bitter appearance, why is it sunny today.

Sure enough, the old man thought and shook his head.

Have I lived alone for too long, so that I can't even understand other people's emotions?

Yanagihara stood beside the old man unhurriedly, sorting out the documents and items on the laboratory table, she seemed to have changed her hairstyle today, and the old man had just noticed this.

In the past, she didn't tie her hair much, but today she had a rare hair tidied and tied a simple ponytail.

Well, it looks like a lot of energy, which is pretty good.

After a few glances, the old man didn't pay much attention and continued to write his report.

With the sunlight streaming in from the outside, there is a hint of tranquility in the laboratory.

Time passed little by little, and while cleaning the experimental table on the left, Yanagihara suddenly saw a calendar in front of the old man. The mark on it marks the days that have passed, and today, it happens to be the second of September.

"Is this the right time?" Perhaps thinking of something, Yanagihara suddenly asked aloud into the calendar.

"Huh?" The old man raised his head, followed Yanagihara's line of sight to the calendar in front of him, and then smiled knowingly and spoke.

"I guess it's accurate, I'm worried that I'll lose track of time when I'm alone, so I ask the greenhouse to send me a copy every year."

Even Yanagihara himself couldn't remember how long it had been since he had distinguished the current years, so he only suddenly saw it and suddenly remembered it.

September 2nd, do the math, it seems that it is almost the Midyear Festival.

It's not a very clear memory, Yanagihara seems to remember some of the past.

So, she looked at the old man again and asked with a moment's hesitation.

"Wait a minute, can I borrow something from the lab?"

"Yes." The old man [the man] said unconcernedly, "But what are you going to borrow?" ”

"Paper, glue, wire, and cotton balls." Yanagihara thought for a moment and roughly stated his needs.

"No problem, it's in the paper and glue lab. As for the steel wire and cotton balls, I think there should be some in the warehouse. ”

······

At night, under the curious eyes of the old man and Al, Yanagihara made a strangely shaped paper lamp out of the materials she had taken.

It appears to be an irregular rectangle, closed on all sides and above, with a cotton ball held in place with steel wire underneath, making it look like a small hot air balloon.

"What is this?" Looking at the things in Yanagihara's hand, the old man sat aside and asked.

"Sky lanterns, also known as Kong Ming lanterns, are a small custom in my hometown." Yanagihara fiddled with the paper lamp in his hand and replied softly.

"At this time of year, we make some of these paper lamps and put them in the sky to sacrifice the dead."

"Will it fly into the sky?" Al asked in surprise, apparently this was something she had never seen before.

"Hmm." Yanagihara glanced at the girl, smiled and picked up the paper lamp and said.

"We're going to write something we want to say, rumors, so that people who are dead can see it."

"Really?" Hearing this, looking at the paper lamp in Yanagihara's hand, the girl's eyes seemed to light up with some inexplicable brilliance.

"I don't know." Yanagihara shrugged his shoulders: "It's just that my elders told me so." ”

"Then your hometown is really a place full of romanticism." The old man said with a smile.

Al, on the other hand, glanced nervously at Yanagihara and cautiously made a request.

"Then Yanagihara, can you make one for me too?"

"Of course." Yanagihara nodded casually: "It's not that difficult, is it?" ”

It can be seen that she is in a good mood.

It seems that the feeling of reliving customs reminds her of some good old days.

So she looked at the old man again, and under Yanagihara's gaze, the old man smiled and raised his brow.

"Give me one too, it looks like a lot of fun."

It was already late at night, and when Yanagihara and the three walked out of the observation station, they all held a paper lamp in their hands.

Standing in the snow and watching the windless night together, Yanagihara used a lighter to light the cotton wool under the three paper lamps.

In the faint yellow firelight, the paper lamps slowly flew towards the sky.

Al stared at the point of light slowly rising under the starry sky for a long time, revealing a shallow smile.

Sister, can you see it?

I'm living a good life now.

Please don't worry, even if my journey is to die······