The crowd was swelling, yet Emma and I were still together, wandering through the vast plaza.
I still couldn't believe Emma had confessed to me. The reason she hadn't told me she liked me before was because she was too shy.
It was unbelievable. I also hadn't expected her to kiss me at that moment. I wasn’t sure what to feel then.
"Do you want some grilled squid?" she asked, still holding my hand, and pointed to a vendor. "There's a stall over there," she said to me, and I just nodded.
We approached the vendor selling grilled squid and made a purchase. "Grandfather, how much for one squid?" Emma inquired.
"Just three bronze coins, buy some, my dear," the old man joked.
Emma grabbed two grilled squids each for us and we walked to a secluded spot where no one else was around.
We sat down on a bench there, and after a few minutes of my silence, Emma's frustration grew.
"What's the problem?" she exclaimed suddenly. "Just tell me if you don't want to be with me, I can find someone else to accompany me at the festival."
"It's not like that; I just don't know what to say," I responded, scratching my head with a feigned smile.
"Ah, so you mean you're not comfortable being with me, is that it?"
"That's not it, I've just never been on a date with a girl before."
"Me neither, I don't know what to say either. I've been wanting to start a conversation but you haven't said a word. But this is okay, isn't it? It makes things less awkward."
"You're right, Emma."
"I met my parents again yesterday".
I smiled. "Really? That’s good to hear."
"Thanks to you. If I hadn't gone to your house yesterday, I wouldn’t have seen them."
"By the way, my sister said you came over yesterday. What did she tell you? Let me know if she did anything bad to you."
"Heh... heh... she didn't say anything, let's just say she gave me some advice."
"Advice? What kind of advice?"
"Never mind, forget it."
"By the way, earlier, you said you like me, right? Are you my girlfriend now?"
Emma then pressed her index finger to my lips. "Obviously not yet. Just because I said I like you doesn’t mean I’m completely your now."
I looked away. "You already gave me a kiss earlier, and now you're saying that you are not completely mine," I murmured a bit loudly.
"What did you say? Wait until we graduate from the academy, then I'll answer you."
"Okay."
"Looks like you're done with your food, shall we go?" She reached out her hand to me as she stood up in front of me.
I smiled and placed my hand in hers. "Yes, let's go, the award ceremony is about to start."
When we returned, the crowd had thickened further, and I scanned the surroundings.
That's when I spotted him, a man in a coat with white hair tied back, his eyes a stark blue yet utterly lifeless.
He was about seven meters away, hands pocketed in his slacks, continuing on his path without a glance to either side.
He just stared straight ahead, and I stopped dead in my tracks, my eyes widening, words failing me.
Emma paused as well, "What is it, Lilith? Come on, we're going to be late!" she shouted.
I pointed at the man then turned to look at her.
"What about that man?"
"Impossible," I muttered, though Emma heard me.
"What's going on with you?" She came closer.
I bowed my head, "That man? That's Kill."
"What are you talking about? Kill has been dead a long time, it's impossible that he's still alive."
"But it is him, but why are his eyes so lifeless?"
"What are you saying, Lilith? Kill is long gone."
"Yes, I know it's impossible, but I saw him clearly."
Suddenly, Emily and her companions arrived, running breathlessly toward us.
"Did you see him?" Emily gasped, struggling to catch her breath from the exertion of her sprint.
"See who?" Emma asked.
"I know it sounds impossible, but Emily claims she saw Kill," Conrad interjected.
My eyes widened in shock upon hearing this.
"That’s exactly what Lilith has been telling me," Emma replied.
"So, you saw him too? Wearing a coat, with his white hair tied back, those cold, lifeless eyes?" Emma described.
"We saw the same thing, Emily," I turned to her, "He's the one I saw too."
"Could it just be someone who looks like Kill, or maybe his ghost is haunting us?" Conrad joked.
Emily shot Conrad a sharp look. "Make sure that's your last joke, Conrad."
"No, just kidding," he replied, scratching his head with a forced smile.
I sat down, covering my mouth with my hands in disbelief. "Could it really be him? I can't just forget his face; it was him."
"If what you're saying is true, should we tell Aika about this?" Emma pondered.
"No, let’s not. We don’t have enough information or proof yet; just leave it for now," I advised.
But it was indeed him; it was Kill. I couldn't be mistaken. I knew him better than any of our friends.
But if it was really him, why hasn't he come back if he escaped from Oquilonia?