Back to the present moment...

After listening to all the stories of his class and his late friend Tomoyo, Kiyo's face turned pale, stiffened, unable to say anything more.

Everything.. happened so fast and so unexpected.

There was no yearbook shoot with everyone, only despair and grief over the students.

Everyone left silently, and the classroom with the teacher also turned into smoke.

Their future.. was nowhere to go.

It was all Cosmic Vietnam's faults. He was the one who caused suffering on innocent people and deprived the children of their future. Kiyo thinks so.

His hatred was not directed at Sunny or Angie, but at Cosmic Vietnam himself.

He was the one who started it all.

"Unbelievable.." - Kiyo muttered.

"Unexpected, isn't it?" - Sunny said. "You're lucky you didn't go to school, thanks to that broken arm incident."

"But... why do you have to kill three people?! Why don't you refuse his offer?!" - Kiyo said helplessly out loud.

"Despair. That's all." - Sunny said coldly.

"Don't tell me.. you're on that bastard's side.?"

Sunny rolled his eyes, stamped his feet, and said grumpily:

"How dare you criticize our greatest superior being?!'

"The superior being?! Have you been insane???" - Kiyo asked surprised.

"Ah yes, how can an assassin like you understand how great Cosmic Vietnam is. Wanna fight?"

Kiyo sighed, frustrated at how Sunny was behaving. To him, Sunny is now like a different person, frankly, like a crazy person who doesn't know right or wrong.

He stood up, took a stick, and said:

"Fine, if you want."

Sunny took out a scythe, green in the tougue and brown in the body.

Where did he get it?

The CVP didn't seem to want to get caught up in this (despite liking the conflict), so he turned away, flying into the room.

Sunny began to charge, aiming for Kiyo's right hand first.

What do you think when you fight an assassin?

Kiyo quickly guessed the attack path and blocked the scythe.

Both sticks shook, in both hands trying to hold the stick steady.

Sunny took over, kicking Kiyo in the stomach, knocking him to the wall.

"Hupf.."

Sunny stepped forward, took out his scythe, and swung it:

"Perhaps I should finish you off here.."

Not willing to die, he suddenly remembered that there was pepper spray in his pocket, picked it up, and sprayed it directly on Sunny's face.

He fell down, coughing.

"Ugh! Pepper spray?!"

"Don't fucking mess with me when your fighting skills are still immature." - Kiyo coldly pulled away the scythe.

"Heh.. then..."

Sunny suddenly grabbed a gun and grazed Kiyo's face, even though he couldn't see anything.

"The-"

"Don't think I'm just that." - Sunny panted, gradually regaining his vision.

He started shooting, Kiyo flipped the table over to avoid the bullets. Wherever Sunny caught, he avoided coming here.

Calm down... I have to think of a plan to turn the tables...

Or... throw this table straight at him? Then there's no other way...

Kiyo threw the table at Sunny, causing the gun to fall out and Sunny injured, breaking the table leg.

He picked up the gun and unloaded the ammo.

"Looks like you stole my gun." - Kiyo snapped.

Sunny struggled to sit up, blood falling from his face to the floor.

"You're decent.."

Before he could say anything, Kiyo squatted down, pulled his hair, and slapped him hard.

"I didn't expect you to become someone like that, just because of his influence." - Kiyo got angry and slapped him again.

Sunny brushed his hand away and slowly stood up.

"Okay..."

He angrily shouted:

"Then..GET THE FUCK OUT OF THIS HOUSE! NO NEED TO COME BACK, NOT TO BE FRIEND EITHER, I don't care."

Sunny's voice just now sounded hoarse, mixed with bitterness and pain.

Kiyo didn't say anything, went inside the room, grabbed the CVP and his belongings in a suitcase.

"If you want. I'm leaving now. Goodbye. We'll apart here."

He quietly opened the door, pulling the suitcase away.

The door aggressively slammed shut right after that.

Kiyo went to another room that hadn't been rented yet, so he signed up to stay there.

As soon as he moved in, he slammed the door shut and sat down against the wall. Sit back and think about what just happened.

And their past. A past where he felt happiest when he was with Sunny.

And a picture of his whole class having fun together. And also Ryota.

But now all of that was gone from his hands.

There's no one else with him, but this robot. But is it programmed by Sunny? Somehow he'll install what Kiyo considers toxic.

Kiyo might not even remember how to program it.

If only Sunny and I had never come to this city.

If only I had known about his plans in advance.

If only Tomoyo had never come here.

If only I hadn't been put in that orphanage.

If only...

My parents are still alive.

The more Kiyo thought about those things, the more agony Kiyo felt. Unable to hold on any longer, he broke down and sobbed.

His cry was like a hopeless sound in the night, a cry for all that he had lost.

And all that he had been holding in his heart for so long.

CVP hovered around Kiyo, slightly worried asked:

"Dad, why are you crying? Where's my mom?"

Kiyo couldn't answer CVP's ​​innocent question. Does he need to know that his "parents" have left each other?

Even trying to wipe away the tears didn't help to stop this feeling. He couldn't think of anything better.

At midnight, without saying a word, he went to sleep.

But for two days straight, he did not eat or drink anything.

CVP couldn't call him forever, had to leave him there in the end.

On the third day, he started eating.

"Dad has eaten!" - CVP happily flying.

Sighing, he changed his clothes and went back to work.

Now I don't want to go at all.. But if I don't go, I won't get any money.

But because of the previous day, he did not perform well and was reprimanded in the office.

The director did not seem very happy, somewhat angry, said:

"Listen, Kiyo. You've been working quite slow lately, not as efficient as before, which made our product was almost rejected. If you let this continue, I will deduct your salary this month; if it is still continued, then write me your resignation letter."

"Yes. I'm sorry. I'll check it out myself." - Kiyo said.

"Do as you promised." - He went out.

Kiyo sat down in front of the computer screen, sighing.

He was right.. I shouldn't have let my personal feelings interfere with my work, otherwise I'd be dead from this.

He tried to return to the same intensity of work as before.

When he got home, he opened the door.

"I'm back- Oh oops,I forgot."

He picked up the CVP from the floor. Because he didn't want unexpected incidents to happen, he turned it off.

Kiyo locked the door and pulled the antenna.

"Wow, why am I here all of a sudden? Ah, Dad is back!" - CVP flew into your lap.

"Yeah, I'm back.." - Kiyo laughed.

Should I call him my child..?

***

A month later, Kiyo overheard people saying that Sunny had moved out of this neighborhood.

Whatever, if we see each other, something will happen.

He tried not to think too much about it by focusing more on his work and playing with CVP.

But sometimes he also wants to go somewhere far away.

Or visit Machi...? I wonder what the town is like now...

"Hey, CVP." - He called it back.

"Yes?" - It came flying.

"Do you want to go out?"

"Ye! But.. where?" - CVP is a bit interested.

"Machi Town."

"Machi..." - CVP was silent. "Ah, I know!"

Did he put smart maps on its microprocessor?

CVP itself read all the basic information about Machi from the geographical location to the history of the town.

"Okay, great! Then I'll book a bus ticket back there."

It's embarrassing to call myself its father..

"Yayyy! I love going out!" - CVP hovers around the room.

A true child... But artificial intelligence...

The next day, which was also Sunday, he took three days off work to return to his hometown.

He booked a one-person ticket for a bus ride from Chushin to Machi. While waiting for the bus to arrive, Kiyo said this:

"CVP, we're going to Machi. To avoid disturbing the passengers, I'll have to turn off your power. Is that okay?"

"Eh? But I want to see the scenery!"

Robots also like to see the scenery?

"I won't do anything."

"Can I believe it?"- Kiyo is still a bit skeptical.

"I swear! I swear!" - CVP still insists.

"How reliable. Okay, when you get in the bus, shut up ok?"

He let the CVP hover in front of the window, and he was about to take a nap.

The bus passed two cows and a sheep, CVP shouted:

"Sheep!"

Kiyo suddenly woke up, saw everyone looking at him. Embarrassed, he turned it off and apologized to everyone.

And take a short nap.

Thirty minutes later, the bus stopped, the driver said loudly:

"We've been to Machi."

Kiyo woke up, took his briefcase and held the CVP, then turned on the power when he went out to a place with few people.

"Daddy, there's a sheep!" - It wakes up.

"I know. You annoy other people so I turn off the power. Do you know how embarrassing it is?" - Kiyo said annoyingly.

"Yes, I don't scream anymore!"

Where do I go now? Or go to the old orphanage, then visit the graves of my parents and Tomoyo, then go back to the old neighborhood...

"Let's go. Follow me, be careful not to get lost." Kiyo started walking up.

Because of walking, it took them more than fifteen minutes to get there.

The green gate appeared in front of both of them.

This is exactly where my neighbor and I passed...

Looks like the door isn't locked. Kiyo then opened a door and entered the courtyard.

Still the same row of houses from before, but painted in a different color. That secret passage is gone. The flower garden is still there, but with more fruit trees.

A child ran out, accidentally bumping into Kiyo, falling down.

Startled, he bent down.

"Oh my god, are you okay?"

The child looked up. A child with long straight brown hair, wearing a blue dress, with beautiful glittering golden eyes.

A girl?

"Chiko, where are you going?"

A rather familiar voice rang out, running to the baby, picking her up. It was a woman of about middle age, with brown hair with a hint of silver.

"Excuse me, you are..?" - She looked at Kiyo.

Kiyo slightly recognized the person.

"Is your name.. Yuri?"

"Yes, it's me. What's matter?"

Apparently Kiyo didn't get the wrong person! But Yuri doesn't seem to recognize Kiyo, after all, more than ten years have passed.

He said excitedly:

"It's me, Kiyo - The orphan you got here from 2003 to 2013. Do you remember?"

"Kiyo..." - Yuri pondered thoughtfully.

Then she looked at his hair and remembered:

"It's you!"

"If you have some free time... can I sit down and talk to you?" - Kiyo asked.

"Okay, feel free."

Taking Chiko into the house, the two sat down on the stone bench that Kiyo used to sit on before.

"For more than ten years.. where have you been?"

Kiyo lowered his voice:

"Since seventh grade, I've had to earn a living with a gun, rent an apartment, go to a regular school, have a friend and an adopted brother. Then we were both called up to Ikusaba school, met a lot of new people.."

Yuri listened attentively.

"Then I graduated from school, got a stable job."

"Wow, you've grown up, Kiyo. You must be over twenty by now."

"Miss, I'm only 19." - Kiyo laughed.

Yuri was a little curious about the friend he just mentioned.

"Kiyo, who is that friend..?"

He was silent for a few seconds, then replied:

"A boy who knows how to code.."

"Is that so.."

Should I say that I don't have any friends now?

Yuri looked away, not asking about Sunny anymore. She didn't seem to wonder about the flying robot, because she probably knew about it on TV.

Kiyo looked towards the alley:

"Now this area...does any more assassin training?"

"No. The people in Machi protested so strongly, they took it all down."

Well, if only I was born later...

They sat still looking at the surroundings, they seemed to bring them back to the days when Kiyo was a child.

"Do you remember.. Tomoyo? - Kiyo broke the silence.

"Tomoyo..? Yeah, I know she used to be the most famous pianist in the North of our country, she was very kind, but she's gone so fast. Just finished high school. Heard her had an accident.. Her house had no one either." - Yuri's voice was half-hearted, expressing grief for the sudden death of the person she once adopted.

Accident? Wasn't she killed by Cosmic Vietnam?

Yuri sighed, so did Kiyo. Suddenly from the classroom door, Chiko hugged the CVP out.

"Miss!"

"Chiko?! That robot.." - Yuri stood up.

"Pipipipipipipipi.." - CVP exclaimed in panic, then it was thrown into the sky.

"Give it to me, I have to go now." Kiyo bent down.

"Ugh! Lend me a moment, it can transform.."

What? Transfiguration??

"Hey, stop lying, I don't know how to transform!" - CVP flew back to his "dad".

"But you just turned into a stick.." - Chiko was disappointed.

"Okay, let Kiyo go, alright? He'll see you later." - Yuri patted her head. "By the way, Kiyo."

She pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to him.

"Yes?"

"This is the address of your grandmother's house. Since you moved, I have only received this, kept it for a long time. Just take it home and see how it goes."

House number 127, Cobblestone area, Neva town, capital of the Republic of Xenoge..

"Thank you. I'm going back." - Kiyo bowed.

"Bye." - CVP spoke with a voice like a real child.

"Bye kids." - Yuri waved her hand, watching the two leave.

Kiyo returned to the neighborhood he used to live in. Things haven't changed much.

Ryota's father passed away from alcohol abuse two years ago.

The landlady is over sixty years old. Seeing Kiyo, she recognized and welcomed:

"Wow Kiyo, you're back? Already this tall!"

"Hello, ma'am. Let me rent the house I used to live in. Only one day. I'll be on my way to Xenoge tomorrow."

"Going abroad? Okay, you don't have to pay today, make yourself at home!" - She beamed with joy.

"Thank you."

"It's okay. Just relax. Ah, my back!" - She slowly left.

So Kiyo stayed there for one night, taking the time to learn some basic sentences of the neighbourhood country and a little about the law and culture, maybe he needed to use it.

Now I know my mother's hometown is Xenoge...

The words look so difficult, but easy to learn.