Expectation and Variables

Oda Sakunosuke drew a sharp breath.

Never before had Oda so clearly realized—Li Nai was not human. This feeling of dread and coldness was even more intense than when he saw those bizarre ghosts or strange monsters.

He had grown lazy in concealing himself... because his interest was gradually fading.

Li Nai was an existence that humanity could not possibly comprehend.

No matter how indifferent a person might be, merely standing here, facing Akutagawa's burning effort and obsession, one couldn't help but feel moved.

But Li Nai... beneath that beautiful skin, there was not a shred of empathy. Humanity in his eyes was no different from dust. How could one ask a child engrossed in building sandcastles to empathize with a grain of sand?

Regardless of who they were, everyone was deeply imprisoned by time. Past, future, birth, old age, sickness, death—humanity struggled and perished in the river of time, with only a very few able to overcome that torrent through sheer willpower—like Akutagawa at this moment.

But even so, whether it was admirable willpower, profound obsession, or extremely strong adaptability and action... all of it was only enough to earn a fleeting glance from Li Nai in the river of time.

It wasn't even a look of condescension. He simply... didn't care.

Regardless of human hearts or time, to Li Nai, everything was merely a toy to be molded at will, and not a very interesting one at that.

Oda Sakunosuke almost dared not look at Akutagawa's expression at this moment.

The sun had risen, the space slightly warped, and the entire little shop began to blur. Akutagawa desperately clutched at the fading bubbles, shouting in despair, "Mr. Li Nai! Could it be, could it be that I will..."

Oda couldn't bear to watch and closed his eyes.

But unexpectedly, seeing Akutagawa's expression, a mix of panic and despair, Li Nai's pupils subtly shifted, and he smiled as if amused.

Then, he actually reached out and lightly patted Akutagawa's head in the air.

Akutagawa was stunned.

"Not a bad expression. In that case, I'll give you another chance."

"Act as you please, use all your strength, and then come before me once more. By then, you will receive my recognition."

Li Nai curved his eyes, smiling as he placed his index finger on his lips.

"I look forward to it," he blinked, "—on that final stage."

As soon as he finished speaking, the scene of the little shop completely vanished, even Li Nai's mysterious smile gradually fading into the hazy dawn.

Akutagawa, who had just recovered from the head pat, instinctively reached forward, but the last faint colors slipped through his fingers; he only grasped emptiness.

"Mr. Li Nai—!"

Akutagawa's final outburst seemed to still echo in his ears. Oda Sakunosuke silently turned his head, looking at Li Nai humming a tune, idly tossing dice. After a moment of silent hesitation, Oda let out a heavy sigh.

"Shop Manager," Oda said in a low voice, "...I hope the hope you give will not only plunge that child's future deeper into the abyss of despair."

How could an ordinary person cross world barriers, and simultaneously transcend time and space to stand before Li Nai?

"If everything followed the usual course, where would the fun be?" Li Nai smiled. "I told you—I look forward to it."

Look forward to it, huh...

"The Shop Manager's anticipation doesn't feel like a good blessing," Oda remarked.

"Of course not, I look forward to you too, Oda."

Oda gave a wry smile.

"Me? What is there to look forward to...? I no longer have anything that could be called a variable," the young Oda Sakunosuke sighed. "Aside from this shop, aside from being by your side, where else could I go?"

"...I can no longer return to the world that belonged to me."

Speaking of this, the red-haired youth's eyes were a little vacant. It wasn't related to the restrictions of being a "shop employee"; even if Li Nai were to say "you're fired" right now, he would surely be bewildered, not knowing what to do.

Because he truly had nowhere to go. He and Akutagawa both belonged to that night world, but now, Akutagawa, who was younger than him, was now older than him. The room he once lived in was probably rotten or occupied by others; he didn't know.

The world had arbitrarily moved on for several years, while he was left behind by the torrent of time, becoming a forgotten wanderer. That place was no longer his home.

"If the main world is destroyed, will other parallel worlds also be destroyed? Will I die then?" Oda suddenly asked.

"No," Li Nai replied casually. "After all, the essence of your current life belongs to this shop, not that world."

"Ah..."

Oda Sakunosuke was stunned, then a hint of melancholy appeared in his eyes, and he let out a long sigh.

"What's wrong?" Li Nai asked curiously. "Aren't you happy to be alive?"

"...No," Oda said. "It's just that thinking about the future, though it's a drop in the ocean compared to yours, for me, it will surely be an immensely long period, bordering on eternity... Thinking about it makes me feel a little despair."

"Relax a bit," Li Nai leaned on his cheek, speaking lazily.

"Eternity? It's not that long."

Li Nai blinked, then gently smiled and said—

"Just enough time to play a prank."