"I remembered something. One day, a playful girl suddenly said to me: Goodbye, I'm going to chase my dreams."
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When people are old and frail, bedridden in their twilight years, they will inevitably recall their youth, that uncertain and uncertain time.
Now, my limbs are paralyzed due to the disease, but my mind remains as clear as ever. Yet almost every day, I can only face the withered yellow ceiling, recall the past, relive the laughter and tears, savor the bitterness and sweetness, and thus, little by little, step into the embrace of death.
Of all the memories, the one that I cherish the most and that left the deepest impression was the short time I spent working at the Adventurers' Guild.
Because there, I met a special girl.
This busy yet empty working life became shining only because of her presence.
Because of the relentless passage of time, I can't even remember her general appearance. Nevertheless, I can still clearly remember one thing—she was beautiful, because girls with dreams are all beautiful.
That was probably sixty years ago, during the Valentino era. At that time, I was still training and had temporarily settled in a peaceful town, where I obtained a job as a waiter from the local adventurers' guild. I knew no magic and had never studied martial arts, so I couldn't hunt monsters and earn rewards like other adventurers.
I began to integrate into the union's life as a waiter. I was very busy during the day, with almost no time to rest; and very idle at night, with almost nothing to do.
I had a habit of keeping a diary since the beginning of my journey, but I had to give it up after losing my expensive fountain pen. To fill my free time each day, I borrowed a pen from the union leader and started writing in my diary again, recording things I found new, people I met, and experiences I had. Sometimes, when I encountered something strange that I couldn't describe in words, I would simply draw it. So my diary looks more like a sketchbook. Picking up the habit again has kept my life from becoming utterly boring.
Thanks to this job that involves interacting with people, I gradually became familiar with the people here. Among them, a little girl who often appeared in the union caught my attention.
She still remembers that she was too young to become a novice adventurer at the time, but she loved to play, so she often mingled with a group of young adventurers and fooled around in the guild.
This group of children often occupied a small round table tucked away in a corner of the union compound, piling up various odds and ends on it. Because the table was too small, it was rarely used, and over time it became their playground.
I would occasionally peek over out of curiosity to see what games they were playing. And that girl was often among them.
To my surprise, the girl knew how to play chess. And coincidentally, the guild had a complete wooden chessboard. This sophisticated game of strategy was beyond the understanding of most children, and adventurers wouldn't waste time chatting about it. It seemed she had memorized the complex rules from elders, but she played according to her own created rules. Each piece was exquisitely carved, which made the children more interested in the pieces than in the game itself.
They would also imitate adults by playing poker and blackjack. The girl quickly learned these games and her skills were just as good as the adults'. However, the children never gambled with real money; at most, they would use small stones they found on the road as chips.
The girl even had some swordsmanship skills and was able to defeat some novice adventurers. She often secretly played with the wooden sword hanging on the wall and showed off her impressive swordsmanship skills in front of her companions.
I heard she possesses a real sword, the kind only a samurai would use.
Although the girl often played around in the guild, she didn't bother anyone much. She would be more active when the guild was noisy and quiet when it was less crowded.
She was inconspicuous like any other adventurer, and since the guild was a mixed bag, no one paid much attention to her.
Perhaps only a waiter like me, who spends his days in a state of empty busyness, mechanically repeating the actions of serving tea and water, would have the interest to observe her daily routine.
She was different from the other children, but I couldn't quite put my finger on why.
I envy her; she can play freely every day, without worries or troubles. Meanwhile, I have to work tirelessly to make a living.
The opportunity that led me to become familiar with the girl was when I accidentally left my diary on the union table.
She looked through the doodles I had written on them, and was very interested and curious about their contents.
She noticed me and gave me an apologetic smile.
"It's okay, it's not a secret." I wasn't angry, and at the same time, I thought that it might be a nice thing to share what I've seen and heard with another person.
It was already evening, and few people were coming and going from the union, so we gradually started talking more. She had a name full of meaning: Jielu. She said that the meaning of this name was taken from the number "zero"—meaning the beginning of everything.
The two, having just met, had plenty to talk about, but mainly revolved around the contents of the diary. Their conversation was relaxed and joyful, and time flew by. She forgot about going home, and I forgot about the fatigue that had accumulated throughout the day.
She still comes to the union every day to play. When I'm busy, she and her companions huddle in a corner to play cards or chess; when I'm free, she comes to me to listen to my stories of strange tales from all over the world. My storytelling isn't very good, but she still listens with great interest.
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