Endless Silver Machine

Chapter 6 Past Memories (6)

Xiaoling was holding a black garbage bag and moving slowly behind Aika.

It was clear that Aika was the guest and Xiaoling was the host, but she still silently kept a distance from Aika, and their identities seemed to be reversed.

"Ling..."

"Is there something wrong?"

Xiaoling raised her head in panic.

Aika looked at her sideways, thinking about what they could talk about to break the silence.

"Can I just call you by your name?"

"OK……"

"oh oh……"

This topic ends here. Now that things have happened, Aika hopes that the Ling of the past can be as straightforward as the Ling of now, so that Aika can speak without any scruples.

I have always said that there is no trace of the eldest lady in Ling at all, but the Ling in front of me looks unexperienced. Compared with the Ling of the future, they are completely two extremes. This earth-shaking change, if Ling hadn't said it himself, Aika couldn't believe that the girl with long pink hair and the girl with long blond hair in front of her were the same person.

The different hair color is due to the influence of the Light Flame Sword in the body. Wei Xi told everyone this fact very early.

"Can I just call you by your name too?"

Xiaoling suddenly made a request to Aika.

"I don't mind..."

If Ling hears it, it will definitely cause unnecessary misunderstandings.

It's obviously the same person, why did he have such a troublesome personality now!

After receiving permission, Xiao Ling just nodded without saying a word.

"Ling."

"I-I'm listening!"

For her, calling him by his first name was a bit too forced. Aika usually calls Ling like this, so this name is very smooth.

"What do you usually do in your normal time?"

Let’s start with this simple question. Aika wants to know Ling, both now and in the past.

"Well... I have some old painting tools at home. I just tried painting at first, and I fell in love without knowing it."

"Although I don't know much about art, I think the painting last time was really a beautiful work."

"Thank you...I'm still only at the level of a beginner..."

"Are there any other completed works?"

"Those are not finished products yet..." In order to let Aika hear her words clearly, Xiao Ling drew closer to him, "I will read books for a while at other times, but I can't understand a lot of the content. It's difficult. Stick to it."

"By the way, have you ever been exposed to swordsmanship?"

"Dad taught me how to swing a sword, but I didn't have any use for it, so I gradually gave up."

Aika thought that Ling would be so proficient in swordsmanship because he had been practicing since he was a child, but it turned out that was not the case.

"Are all the people living in this village your family?"

"No, there are also people from some surrounding villages who have all moved here."

"So that's it..."

The Heinz family sank underwater immediately after the war, and it has been nearly a hundred years since they moved here. Bringing together surrounding villages of all sizes can help each other in daily life, which will be of great help to the development of villages in remote areas.

Xiaoling had already answered all the answers she wanted to know honestly.

But, is she too lack of vigilance...

"I quite like this place."

"If Brother Aika and Sister Liang can stay here forever, everyone will be happy."

In Xiao Ling's heart, he and Ling were just ordinary travelers who could say such relaxed words.

But once their goal is achieved, they must return to reality, and the village will cease to exist.

So this is an impossible dream.

Even though he is very aware of this, Aika can only protect Xiaoling's world against his will.

"Well, thank you for your kindness, Ling."

"...Sister Liang, what's on her mind?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Maybe it's because she looks a lot like me. Sometimes I feel like I can tell what she's thinking."

Xiao Ling probably put Ling and himself together based on intuition. It is the same person, even if there is a gap in the middle of the change of mood, but emotions such as troubles can be conveyed through only subtle changes in expressions and movements.

"Leave her affairs to me. We are childhood sweethearts."

"Is this my childhood sweetheart?"

Aika then remembered that Xiao Ling did not have the concept of childhood sweethearts, but only longed for such a relationship. So she would use Aika and Ling as reference objects like this.

"It's easier to understand as a family."

"Um."

"You can consider Liang and I as friends. We are only one year older than you, so we don't have to worry so much."

"Uh-huh!"

Xiaoling smiled happily.

"Oops, it's getting dark..." The pace of the two of them slowed down a lot. The main reason was that Aika was taking care of Xiao Ling. "It's not far away, come on!"

When carrying heavy objects, walking slowly is more difficult than walking fast. This is the experience Aika gained when she helped the family when she was a child.

"Ai, Aika..."

"Are you tired already?"

"No, it doesn't matter to me." Xiao Ling shook her head, "I know there is a shortcut, if possible, let me lead the way."

"Then it's up to you."

"Um."

This time, it was Xiao Ling who walked in front of Aika.

Passing through the hidden path, we soon arrived at the designated recycling location. There is still some time before it gets completely dark, so we can definitely rush back at the appointed time.

…………

After returning, Ling and Aunt Sophia had completely tidied up the house.

Sure enough, it was the right choice to let Ling spend some time alone with her mother. Ling's attitude was no longer as rigid as before. This is what Aika wants.

At night, in the village square, all the villagers gathered together and held a lively welcome party for Aika and Ling.

This was Uncle Lehman's plan, and he secretly made arrangements in the afternoon.

As expected, the people in the village were not generally enthusiastic. There was also a group of uncles who kept encouraging Aika to drink. In the end, they were all driven away by Uncle Lehman.

Ling also received the same warm reception from the women, but Aika couldn't even take care of herself and was helpless.

The welcome party lasted until very late. Uncle Lehman and his family sent Aika and Ling to the door of the room and left. Because they were so excited at the welcome party, both of them were now feeling sleepy.

"You already knew this would be the case..."

"I, I don't know, I've never been here before..."

"So no one mentioned this when you and Aunt Sofia were cleaning the house?"

"Even if it is raised, it cannot be solved immediately. I can tolerate it, why do you still have so many opinions?"

Ling finally became impatient with Aika's nagging attitude.

"Since you have agreed, then I have no objection. I said this out of concern for your feelings."

"Thank you very much. If you didn't say anything, I wouldn't care so much."

The current situation is that the two must sleep in the same bed. Aunt Sofia asked the young people in the village to temporarily move this bed in, so it was impossible to prepare a second bed.

After turning off the lights in the room, the two lay down back to back. The warm touch on her back forced Aika to pay attention, and all the sleepiness that came up was blown away.

"I said, are you still awake?"

"Don't talk, I'm going to fall asleep soon."

Ling's close voice came from behind, and she moved slightly, unintentionally emphasizing her presence. Aika could only rest her arm on her head, not daring to move around even if it was a little numb.

Ling's answer was still very energetic, and she didn't look like she was going to fall asleep any time soon.

"I had a little chat with her today."

"Um."

"It's nothing like you now."

"Then I'm really sorry."

"How long will it take for people from the Holy See to come to this village? Do you know?"

"You found my past self on the edge of that cliff, and the painting is almost finished, so there are only two or three days left."

"If I have a chance, I'd like to see your previous paintings."

"They are all half-finished products, just graffiti, nothing interesting to look at."

"You probably haven't forgotten how to draw now, right?"

"Remember a little bit."

"Then why don't you try to finish them? Can you keep them all in your room?"