I, who advocate giving up, feel like a disqualified person

This skill will be completely useless later.

"It can't take that long to leave..." A worried look finally appeared on her face. "What if we get discovered?"

"Ahem! You...you also know you'll be discovered!"

In that case, it would have been better if I hadn't climbed in in the first place!

"It's okay, it's okay. At most I'll get a fine, criticism and education."

"... whatever you want."

Anyway, there are more than one or two embarrassing things in life, so it doesn’t matter if there is one more.

"Well, take out the camera first."

...............

A rare cool breeze brushed across my forehead, gently ruffling my hair.

The only thing that came to my mind at the moment was the scene in the animated film The Lion King where Simba's father stood on the edge of a cliff and raised it. Because this area had always been separated, I had never noticed that this place would give people the feeling of standing in front of a cliff.

"It's amazing... you can even find a place like this..."

I excitedly used my camera to capture the buildings in the slanting sunlight. Why was I so excited? I don't know, perhaps it was a sudden impulse, or perhaps it was because I saw a side of the city I had never seen before, which felt very fresh.

"Are you starting to like it here?"

“Hmm…?”

Why did she feel that way? I didn't seem to have said anything explicitly. Unsure of why, I froze there, my head still turning to look at her.

"No, it's nothing."

She shook her head, took a few steps back, and then stood still.

"After taking pictures of the scenery for so long, it's time to turn the camera to me."

The golden hair danced with light under the combination of sunlight and breeze.

"......"

The camera focused on her without any deviation.

At this moment, the only thing I want is for the device in my hand to record everything I see without omission.

The direction of topic shift

"Thinking about it, all the places we went to were so high..."

As she focused on the footage I'd just captured, I suddenly realized something. "Could it be some kind of hidden meaning? Let's look at these things from different angles and heights... and then connect the coordinates together, maybe we can create a code or something..."

"You think too much," Ling Can, who was watching the video, interrupted me impatiently. "With such imagination, it would be a shame not to write a novel."

"...I'm not good at writing. I can't write it."

For such unintentional questions, just deal with them perfunctorily.

"As long as the content is in place, the writing style isn't a problem at all." She continued to stare at the small screen as she spoke. "It's like assembling products on an assembly line. As long as the core is correct, changing the exterior model won't matter at all."

This metaphor is really...

"...Where did you hear that..."

I couldn't help but scratch my head.

"No matter where you start, it's like this, right? As long as you sell what people need, you'll definitely make money." She seemed to have finished reading and closed the screen. "This theory doesn't just apply to products... Speaking of which, so-called culture is already being treated as a product these days. You could definitely find a company to write novels."

"...Give me a break..." I replied with a wry smile. "Besides, if success were as easy as you say, wouldn't everyone be writing novels..."

"...Maybe those people didn't participate because of this idea... Or maybe, those people are so incompetent that they can't even change the appearance and model." As she said that, she threw the camera to me. Yes, it looked so dangerous (for a machine), but she threw it to me with a calm expression.

"Ugh...that's enough."

I quickly stepped forward and caught it. Incidentally, we were now sitting on the ground, leaning against the fence we had stepped on not long ago... Otherwise, I would have started to suspect that she was going to take this opportunity to kill someone...

"Nice, that's a beautiful catch."

He actually gave a thumbs up in praise.

"You're really reckless." I sighed and sat down where I was before, trying not to lean against the rusty railing. "What if I really don't catch it, are you really going to ask me to pay the price as compensation?"

"Hmm? Hasn't this happened yet?"

On the other hand, Ling Can didn't worry about the rust stains on her clothes at all, and leaned on it very relaxedly. "Besides, isn't your principle to "no matter what happens, we'll deal with it later"? Why do you seem so fussy now..."

"If you had half the mentality I have now, you probably wouldn't say such things." After all, I am a person who cares about others. "Don't make it difficult for me like this...Please think of me a little bit once in a while."

Hmm... I think I accidentally let some of my true feelings slip... It shouldn't be a big deal. Feeling a little worried, I glanced in her direction.

"Oh no..."

Oh no... her eyes seemed to show a keen interest in something. If this is hard to understand, imagine the look a cat gets when it sees a moving ball of yarn.

"...What's wrong."

It must be because the temperature is too high. Now I can feel beads of sweat rolling down my forehead.

"Can I take it that... you're seeking comfort?"

"Of course not." I rubbed my brows, "What are you thinking about all day long?"

"So what do you mean by asking me to think about you?"

"...nothing...maybe just means, don't throw the camera away so carelessly. It looks pretty pathetic."

"I actually developed feelings for a cold machine... Oh, maybe I think I'm the protagonist of some anime?" She couldn't help but laugh. "My brain is out of control."

"You..." I was beginning to doubt that the camera in my hand was not hers at all. "If you broke the camera, wouldn't you feel bad?"

"That won't happen because you have the machine in your hands now."

Oh... Is this what they call... trust? Because I'm here, there's nothing to worry about.

"So even if it breaks, it's not my fault."

"..."

Chapter 12: The direction of topic change

"Huh...I wasn't discovered."

I said as I jumped down from a short distance. It was actually a bit dangerous, as it was already dark, and this remote area didn't have streetlights like on the main roads, so it was hard to gauge the distance to the ground.

"It's not a profit-making park... Even if I had the spare money, I wouldn't come to guard a place like this."

"..."

I didn't say anything and just followed Ling Can in front of me silently.

So... has this place actually been forgotten? No, if I had to say it... it's been artificially isolated. If it weren't just a simple netting, but something like an observation deck... wouldn't it be better?

"Wow..."

Without warning, my feet suddenly felt empty. It was then I remembered that since we had come uphill, we had to go back downhill. I was so lost in thought that I hadn't even noticed where I was stepping.

But after some effort, the balance was restored.

"You scared me. At least watch where you're going."

"Sorry sorry..."

She stretched out her hands, as if to catch me. But... in reality, I would have knocked her down, and then... we would have slid down the slope together?

That's really scary.

"Luckily I didn't throw the camera away, otherwise I would have reached out to catch it in this light." She breathed a sigh of relief and put her hands down. "Be careful, and don't do it again."

"........"

What she said...is it true?

. . . . . . . . .

"Hey, why are our cars locked together?"

She seemed to have just realized that she hadn't locked the car when she left. Because I noticed the key in her hand, which couldn't open my lock.

"...How dare you ask..."

Turning the key in my hand, I walked forward and prepared to unlock the door using the light.

"Oh my, could this be the legendary..."

Is there a legend about this thing? Curiosity made me stop what I was doing.

"Match lock?"

“Don’t modify nouns casually!”

With a "click", the chain connecting the rear wheels of our two cars was opened.

"How can this be considered a random modification? It sounds normal." She retorted, while getting on the bike and gliding forward for a distance.

"Just because something sounds normal doesn't mean it exists... ah, never mind, whatever you say."

Anyway, the syllables of "umbrella" and "lock" are similar. Comforting myself with this, I got into my car. Then I found Lingcan already walking on the flat concrete road.

"Hey, a little..."

"Wait a moment." A voice suddenly sounded in my ears.

"Yeah, wait a minute!" After this kind person reminded me, I finally said what I wanted to say... Hmm? Something seems wrong.

I noticed something and looked to the side.

"Uncle, who are you..."

“To collect parking fees.”

. . . . . . . . .

"It turns out our car has been watched the whole time."

"...Why is this what you're lamenting?"

After listening to my explanation of why it took me so long to catch up, she came up with this... She wasn't like me, caring about where that uncle came from.

Maybe it's because I've read too many spooky stories, but I have to say, it's really scary when someone suddenly talks to you under a streetlight in such a deserted place...

"What else? What should I lament?"

She turned her head and stared at me questioningly.

"No...nothing..."

Maybe some things just don't make sense.

"It's already evening..."

Thinking about this morning's events, time seems to have flown by so quickly. Compared to the often early nights of winter, the night that's only now slowly descending feels like a true night to me. How should I put it... hanging out with others is a bit tiring, but it also alleviates the boredom. It's much better than being alone in the afternoon, getting bored and falling asleep, then waking up to find it's night and having to go back to sleep.

Maybe... I will gradually accept hanging out with her.

But it shouldn't last long...you'll eventually run out of markers on the map.

"Speaking of which...are you going home now?"

I remembered something and asked her tentatively.

"Of course, it's already this late." She looked around, "It looks like it's around eight o'clock."

...How did she figure that out?

"By the way...there should still be no one at your house."

Is this a question I ask despite knowing the answer? But I feel like there's nothing else I could ask. And what if someone's waiting for her?

"Wait, you... do you want to come to my house?"

"Of course not. And why would you think so."

As a person, I wouldn't do anything extreme...so why do you have such a terrified look in your eyes? Don't tell me I'm not going. Even if I went, the most I'd do is play a game with you...well, if nothing unexpected happens.