Chapter 45: A love letter expresses their longing for each other.
The lively afternoon tea ended, the players left, and the fun and relaxation went with them, leaving only emptiness.
East lay on her side on the soft couch, one leg dangling down, revealing her golden anklet and white leg warmers, along with her flawless, jade-like legs. Her attire was rather revealing; her hands and legs were easily exposed, which was unavoidable.
Unfortunately, the only person he could openly admire was not here. I wonder what kind of interesting expression Arip would have when he found out.
East rose from the couch and stood by the window, watching the sun slowly sink below the horizon. The brilliant, decadent crimson-gold hue painted the sea with its own color—a magnificent and wondrous sight, one that should have captivated the soul.
East thought of Areper, perhaps untimely or perhaps just right, his long, wavy hair, like the molten gold of sunset, just like this magnificent scene; and the blues after sunset seemed to be the color he had captured in his pupils.
Arriber himself is a collection of this natural scene. He is like the most intense and brilliant sun hanging high in the sky, his hair is the sunset, and his eyes are the blues moment after sunset. He is the most unique sunrise to sunset.
Easter placed his hand on the wooden windowsill, gently tapping the weathered surface. He suddenly longed to see Arip, more than ever before.
East turned and sat back on the soft couch, picking up a piece of fruit from the table along the way. It was a bright red apple, called a "peace apple" in this world. It wasn't much different from the apple on Earth; both were associated with peace and safety.
East opened his lips and took a bite, making a crisp sound. It was crisp, sweet, and juicy, with a slight tartness, but mostly sweet.
"System, I miss him so much," Easter said calmly in his mind. It didn't sound like he was saying he missed someone, but the factual tone made people feel the weight of this longing even more.
[Host, you can write him a letter,] the system suggested. [Wait a little longer. Once I unlock more features, I can set up video chat for you; when I become more powerful, I can probably let you teleport like the other players.]
“Wait.” Easter chewed on the word, just as he was chewing on an apple, crushing it and swallowing it.
[Host, we've already taken the first step towards success, don't rush.] The system mimicked a creature, hopping to Esther's side and rubbing its soft, furry head against Esther's hand. [Host, as long as we proceed according to plan, we'll achieve our goal soon.]
Easter placed the gnawed apple core on the table. Under the dim light, even the apple seemed to oxidize faster.
East wiped his hands clean, picked up the System Rabbit, and rubbed its long ears that felt wonderful to the touch. "I'm not a very good liberal arts student, and I can't write very moving and beautiful love letters, but I still want to write him a childish and immature love letter, just to tell him how much I miss him."
East, formerly Lan Qingju, was a dull and boring liberal arts student who could rival science students (judging by stereotypes). He attended classes in an orderly manner, maintained the proper distance between classmates, would lend a helping hand when needed, and would never lend a hand when not needed. He had excessively little social interaction, and his friendships were limited to casual acquaintances.
He never spares a single thought for things he shouldn't be interested in; he knows nothing about hit TV dramas, best-selling novels, popular music... he has no interest in any of them, he's practically a "bookworm."
Such a person naturally never experienced the stirrings of youth. Even if a girl or boy were to give him a love letter or confess his feelings to him in person because of his face, he would only politely but firmly refuse, leaving no room for misunderstanding.
So writing a love letter to someone was a first for East. He picked up the pen and prepared the paper, but the pen remained suspended for a long time, unable to fall.
"System, do you know how to write a love letter?" Having no other choice, he had to ask the system for help.
[Host, you're making things difficult for me,] even the system's mimicry drooped dejectedly. [I'm just a system; I can't describe the subtle emotions of humans. If you want me to find some online and write them for you, that's fine, but you definitely won't like it.]
As a language arts teacher, Easter has literary knowledge and can find countless poems that are suitable for expressing his current feelings and thoughts. The most famous one is "A day apart feels like three autumns"①, which corresponds to the scene just now: "I look at the sky at dawn and the clouds at dusk, I think of you whether I am walking or sitting"②. Even the words of advice are "If love between two people lasts forever, why should they be together every day and night"③. They are all very appropriate, but he feels that none of them are quite right.
East made the same dejected gesture as the system, put down his pen, and tugged at the system rabbit's ears, shaking it back and forth. "System, I feel like I don't like him that much, but I also feel like I love him deeply. I've never been so troubled by anyone before."
[Host, are you trying to find answers about emotions in artificial intelligence?] The system shook its head in sync with Easter's movements.
"I need a rose."
[Host, it can't be delivered.]
"Where to send it?" East spared the system rabbit that he had ravaged, and even helped it straighten its fur. "I remember I once saw a very old-fashioned but famous metaphysical practice: picking the petals one by one, and the last petal is the answer to what you are asking for."
What Easter said left the system speechless for a moment. [Host, this is one way, but isn't the answer you really want right in your heart?] Hesitation is, in fact, also an answer.
“No, are you still my little system?” Easter asked sharply. “Back then, he would have been lucky if he hadn’t spoken up for Aripor behind his back.”
System, [...] Who understands? Because it no longer expresses hostility towards the host's target, the host suspects its authenticity.
“Love…” Easter murmured. He picked up his pen again and wrote his first love letter on a piece of white paper printed with roses. It was written to the person who connected him to the world, to the person with whom he was bound for the rest of his life before he knew he was in love.
Uncertain feelings don't mean he can't love seriously. Treat it as an adventure. Even if he doesn't find the treasure in the end, what he gains along the way is a special kind of reward. He's never been young and impetuous, never had a crush. It turns out his belated rebellion is here.
To maintain politeness, the system didn't peek. Despite being a system, it surprisingly felt a surge of curiosity, like a kitten scratching at its heart.
The soft rustling sound of the pen against the paper is the sound of writing lines smoothly without much pause or hesitation.
East took out the pull-out box, waited for the ink to dry, and then carefully placed the undisturbed paper inside. After doing this, he didn't rush to wait for Arip's reply. Instead, he tidied up his messy desk, and then, carrying the System Rabbit, went into the small meeting room to prepare for dinner.
...
...
"What are you looking at? Your laughter is disgusting." Randall almost cast a healing spell on him, but remembering that he didn't have a healing spell for the brain, he had no choice but to give up.
"Now I finally understand why 'love' is described with the word 'sweet'." Arip carefully held the letter in his hands. After waiting for so many days, he finally received Mr. Rabbit's "love letter." How cute!
——
[Dear Mr. Sansette, Greetings!]
Well... although there may be no act of sending a letter, I still wrote this letter with the hope that everything is going well for you. I can't write love letters, so I can only call this a letter. Please don't mind.
The pen hovers in the air, hesitant to put pen to paper. Ancient poems and songs flash through my mind, their beautiful verses rippling gently. But I feel that no matter how beautiful, magnificent, or moving the words I write, I owe it all to them, and I'm not so willing to accept that…
So this letter simply expresses my urgent desire to write to you.
Standing atop the tower, I witnessed a magnificent sunset merging into the sea. The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful, truly stunning. But gazing at the radiant crimson hues, I had a fleeting illusion of seeing you. The magnificent sight paled in comparison, for you resided in my heart.
At that moment, longing surged like wild grass, filling my desolate world.
I miss you, I desperately want to see you. This feeling is agonizing. For me, it is an incredibly novel feeling, so novel that I can savor it for a long time. The more I savor it, the deeper my longing grows.
Arribel, I ate a peace apple; it was crisp, sweet, and delicious, but unfortunately, the pit oxidized too quickly.
That's all.
This letter only records the emotions I felt when I wanted to write to you; consider it a collection of musings I dared not utter in front of you.
Don't rush to reply. Be careful while you're out and about, take good care of yourself, eat three meals a day on time, and remember to keep warm as the weather gets colder.
Your Mr. Rabbit: Easter Felix.
——
Arip carefully put the love letter away. The adorable Mr. Rabbit was clearly a good writer; the words flowed into his heart, stirring up both bitterness and tenderness within him.
"Longing seems a little too unbearable," Arip said with a mix of melancholy and emotion.
Randall tightened his grip on his wand. It didn't matter if he didn't have magic to cure brain damage; as long as he had magic to keep people from speaking, that would do.
Randall looked around. Not far away were other swordsmen and mages preparing to set up camp and rest. He cast a spell—not to cure their brains, nor to silence them—but an isolation spell. His brow furrowed. "Are you serious?"
Arip raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Could it be that I'm just playing around? If I only wanted to play around, there are plenty of other people out there, why would I bother with the most troublesome one?"
Randall's brow furrowed even deeper. "You know he's the most troublesome, don't you? Don't forget..."
Arribel: "I haven't forgotten. How could I forget something so important?"
"Then you...?" Randall gestured with his eyes towards the letter from Aripelago's baby.
"I cannot defy the arrangements of fate."
Randall raised his wand, then slammed it down again. "'Fate,' what a nice-sounding word. It's nothing but the behavior of despicable people."
"But Mr. Rabbit just happened to appear there, isn't that 'fate'?"
“You’re not afraid of ‘fate’ that could take your life?” Randall’s cold gray eyes were fixed on Areper, unwilling to miss any change in his expression.
"Aren't we already caught up in a deadly 'fate'? We don't need that."
Randall only saw indifference and nonchalance on Arribel's face. And rightly so, if it weren't for Arribel, this maverick, who knows what their fate would have been? His obsession with Easter's maverickism was not surprising at all.
“The center of the vortex may not be calm,” Arribel said. “Of Felix’s bloodline over the millennia, only Mr. Rabbit has survived. You must have investigated how his branch managed to survive, and I have too. An illegitimate child’s illegitimate child, unless there is a special method, cannot confirm that he is Felix’s bloodline. He’s too ordinary. He survived to the end by being ordinary. But look at Mr. Rabbit’s performance. Do you still think he’s ordinary?”
“What are you trying to say?” Randall asked. “The more unique you are, the more attention you’ll attract, right?”
“Isn’t it good to be in the spotlight?” Arip asked rhetorically.
"Don't play with fire and get burned."
“No, we will definitely have a smooth and safe journey,” Arip laughed nonchalantly.
“Whatever you want,” Randall said.
“Everyone dies eventually, whether they die sooner or later. No matter how special, unique, or powerful they are, as long as they are still human, they cannot escape the fate of death,” Areper put away the carefully placed letter and looked up at the dark sky. “I have no requirements for how I die, but I do not wish to die for them,” he smiled at Randall. “Isn’t that a rather arrogant idea? That is the highest honor!” He drew out the words with a sarcastic tone.
Randall scoffed, "Ha!" "I thought you'd be indulging in a life of pleasure."
“I should think about how to reply to Mr. Rabbit,” Arip murmured, then burst out laughing when he saw Randall’s darkening face. “We are on the same side as Mr. Rabbit. Instead of confronting him head-on, why not talk about cooperation calmly?”
“He has no leverage to negotiate with us,” Randall stated the facts. “You can side with him, you can play a love game with him, as long as you don’t forget the promises you made to us.”
“There will be chips,” Arip said with amusement, as if he had just thought of something. “A love game? No, no, no, I don’t treat it as a game. Such a sweet taste is worth savoring.”
“He’s hopelessly ill.” Randall had long known that Areper wasn’t a normal person. If he were, he wouldn’t have approached them in the first place and persuaded them to accompany him on this gamble with their lives, with a near-zero chance of winning.
“You don’t understand.” Arip took out a blank sheet of paper and wrote casually and freely. In just two minutes, he filled the paper with his own words.
Randall glanced down and immediately saw the words on the letter. He looked away, unable to bear it any longer. "Yes, I don't understand. I never imagined that Aripelago, who was so arrogant that he didn't even... take me seriously, could write such a cheesy letter for someone. If those men and women you rejected so ruthlessly knew about this, what astonished expressions they would have?"
“What does this have to do with me?” Arip took out a pull-out box and put the letter inside. “They’re after too much…” he said, his expression showing displeasure.
“Human nature is inherently greedy,” Randall said indifferently. “If we weren’t greedy, we wouldn’t be human. Even they are like that. They say they are… but their emotions and desires are no less than those of humans, and perhaps even more so.”
“But Mr. Rabbit is different,” Arip said, his expression pausing and his brow furrowing slightly. “I can’t detect much desire in him.” He hadn’t realized it when they were together, but now, looking back, it was a bit strange. From the strategic provocation at the coronation to the skillful socializing at the banquet, he hadn’t found much of a desire for power in Mr. Rabbit. He just acted methodically, which was not as lively and emotional as he appeared in front of him.
"Human nature is complex." Randall disagreed. Easter was indeed interesting, but that was about it.
Arriber couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong, but he had some doubts in his mind.
Randall removed the magic that created the barrier, "Don't get so caught up in love, there's still a battle to come."
Arip replied perfunctorily, "I know."
Randall didn't say anything more. Arip was not someone who couldn't distinguish between important and unimportant matters, so there was no need for him to remind him.
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The author's note: ① This is from the Book of Songs, "Wang Feng, Cai Ge";
②From Tang Yin's "A Spray of Plum Blossoms - Rain Beats Against Pear Blossoms, Doors Closed Deeply" (Ming Dynasty);
③From Qin Guan's "The Magpie Bridge Fairy - Delicate Clouds Weaving Patterns" (Song Dynasty)
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