When the first tear of Kula's life fell because of a "Shiroi Koibito" cookie, Cloud knew it was time to show this poor child what real "human life" looked like.
"Angel, go find something to do on your own for a while. Maybe play a few rounds of mahjong with K' and the others. And remember—no causing trouble." Cloud gave instructions to Angel, who was still in "oh wow, she's actually crying" spectator mode.
"Tch~ Fine, fine, you nag." Angel pouted but obediently shouldered her baseball bat and bounced off around the corner.
Then Cloud took Kula's small hand—slightly cold from nervousness.
"Let's go, little Kula." He gave the still-dazed girl a gentle smile. "Today, I'm taking you... to play hooky."
"Play... hooky?" Kula tilted her head. This was yet another entirely new concept for her.
"That's right, play hooky." Cloud pulled her along and, like a gust of wind, instantly departed from this gunpowder-scented pier, temporarily escaping NESTS's omnipresent surveillance.
When the two reappeared, they were standing in South Town's most bustling, liveliest commercial pedestrian street.
This was a completely different world from Kula's monotonous "weapon" existence.
Neon lights of every color lit up the night sky like daytime.
Lining both sides of the street were dazzling shops, fragrant food stalls, and arcades pumping out energetic music.
People wearing all sorts of beautiful clothes walked in groups, faces full of smiles, brimming with vibrant life.
Kula was completely mesmerized.
She was like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden for the first time, or an alien visiting Earth.
Her ice-blue eyes were filled with curiosity, bewilderment, and a hint of timidity.
Instinctively, she gripped Cloud's warm hand tighter, as if it were her only anchor in this strange, noisy world.
"Come on, little Kula. Our first stop today—the claw machine!"
Cloud led her to the entrance of an arcade. He exchanged a big handful of tokens and pressed them into Kula's hands.
"See those cute plushies inside? If you like one, use this claw to grab it out." Cloud pointed at a machine stuffed with adorable toys and began his "beginner's tutorial."
Kula nodded, seeming to half-understand, and mimicked Cloud's movements—inserting tokens, moving the joystick.
But this was her first time playing. The "disobedient" claw kept going limp at the last second, letting the cute blue dolphin plushie she had her eye on slip away again and again.
After more than a dozen attempts, Kula's little mouth puckered in frustration, looking like she was about to cry.
She looked like an elementary schooler who'd just gotten a zero on a test.
"Ah, what a silly girl." Cloud shook his head indulgently, then gently wrapped his arms around her from behind.
He guided her hands, helping her move the joystick again.
"Watch—first you predict where the claw will land... then, at the highest point, press the button decisively... yes, right now!"
Click.
With a soft sound, the blue dolphin was securely grabbed and dropped into the prize slot.
When Kula retrieved the soft, cuddly dolphin plushie from the slot, her face blossomed into a radiant smile.
That smile was more beautiful than the aurora over Antarctica, capable of melting all the ice in the world.
"Do you like it?" Cloud asked softly, watching her.
Kula hugged the plushie and nodded vigorously, her ice-blue eyes sparkling like they were filled with starlight.
"Alright, next stop!"
Cloud took her hand and began a wild "street sweep" adventure.
They ate cotton candy so sweet it was almost sickening—Kula got it all over her face, looking like a little cat who'd stolen some sugar.
They rode a thrilling roller coaster—Kula screamed with her eyes squeezed shut the entire time, yet clung desperately to Cloud's arm, refusing to let go.
But what captivated Kula most was the ice cream shop.
Cloud generously ordered one of every single flavor in the store for her.
Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, matcha, rum raisin...
Kula sat before the mountain of ice cream scoops like a little mouse that had fallen into a rice bin, so happy she nearly fainted.
Her little spoon darted ceaselessly between flavors, her cheeks puffed out with ice cream, her face smeared with multicolored cream.
Watching her satisfied, adorable eating face, Cloud's heart melted completely.
He knew this was what a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl should look like.
Innocent, carefree, curious about the world, happy over small things, content just from eating something delicious.
Not some "weapon" with empty eyes who only knew how to follow orders and kill.
"Little Kula." Cloud wiped cream from the corner of her mouth while speaking in an utterly serious tone. "When all this is over, I'll take you to eat ice cream from all over the world. Handmade Italian gelato, Turkish ice cream that dances, Japan's sakura-season limited edition... You can eat as much as you want."
This was a promise.
The sweetest pledge a man could make to a girl.
Kula paused her ice cream assault. She raised her head, those ice-blue eyes fixed steadily on Cloud.
She could feel that this man wasn't "tempting" her or "issuing orders."
His gaze was sincere, gentle, full of affection.
Her heart—that frozen heart that had only just begun to crack—shattered completely in this moment with an audible crack.
She was no longer an emotionless "weapon."
She was beginning to become a real "person."
A girl whose heart could flutter at a promise, whose face could flush and pulse race at a man's tenderness.
...
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