"What are they doing?"
Standing in the corner of the narrow street, Sally looked at Jinn, who was standing beside her with a disgusted look on her face.
One second she heard a shout from behind her, and the next second she saw a mag running away carrying another man who had his limbs wrapped around his back.
Unlike what they believed, the two ruffians did not enter a dark valley, but they were rushing directly toward the spot where an officer would appear, according to Jinn’s analysis.
"Maybe they are trying to relive the memories of their childhood." Jinn shrugged and turned around to leave.
"So where are we going to eat?"
After having their fill at some random Tavern, Sally finally agreed to go back.
In the end, Jinn had to pay for the food since she did not have enough money and ate enough food that could satisfy a family of four.
Their journey back was rather uneventful. The sun had already reached the zenith. Its warmth melted the remaining patches of snow from the surface of the Veloria city.
The scent of the freshly baked goods and warm food from the hearths drifted into the air, making Jinn feel the urge to eat something again.
Sally walked ahead without saying much, perhaps too full from her reckless feast, while Jinn trailed a step behind, rubbing at the lightness of his coin pouch with a scowl.
’Who would have thought reconnaissance would cost me so much?’ When they finally reached the orphanage, the familiar creak of the iron gate greeted them. The old wooden stairway led up to their dormitory floor.
"Let’s race to the bed." Sally ran without waiting for Jinn to hear her words. By the time Jinn stepped onto the second floor, she was already opening the dorm gate.
Rushing inside, she slammed the door shut, leaving Jinn outside with a twitching smile.
"What a pain in the ass." It went without saying that Jinn ignored her childish bet and slowly walked up to the door, slower than he was walking before. Maybe it was him being petty, or it was his way of annoying Sally.
Jinn arrived at the door, but his hand suddenly paused before it could open. For a second he did not move... Then, his lips suddenly thinned as he resumed his actions.
As he pushed the door open, the dark hallway was lit up by the warm light.
"Surprise!" The shout came all at once, loud enough to make Jinn flinch back a step.
From behind every corner and bed frame, children popped out with wide grins, some holding handmade decorations that looked like they’d been slapped together with scraps of colored cloth and paper.
On the largest cloth, the words ’Congratulation On Graduation!’ were painted boldly.
Jinn’s gaze drifted to Kyle holding one end of the banner, standing on the bed, trying his best not to lower his tired hand before looking at Sally, who was grinning at him like a fool.
’So this was her plan.’ Jinn thought as he looked around, inwardly thanking the existence of the Imp that told him about the ambush seconds before he entered the room.
In the center of the room, the kids had arranged each of their study tables together to form a big one. On it was a huge cake that looked home-baked with uneven frosting and distorted decorations.
Around it were plates stacked with whatever snacks the children could scrounge or beg from the market—biscuits, dried fruits, and stale bread sweetened with sugar.
For a moment, Jinn could only stare, his usually sharp tongue frozen.
Sally crossed her arms and leaned against the wall with a smirk tugging at her lips. "You didn’t really think I’d waste my savings on you, did you?" she teased, though her eyes glimmered with pride at the sight of everything arranged perfectly.
Jinn let out a quiet breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. He took in their expressions, expectation, warmth, happiness, and eagerness, all blended into one picture.
Even Jinn, who claims to hate the kids, could not help but feel the warmth of the scene, even despite knowing their plans beforehand. ’There are times when kids are not so annoying after all.’
He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly and muttered, "Tch... looks like you surprised me."
The room exploded in cheers once more. Jinn shook his head and stepped into the room.
"This is your last day with us; we wanted to celebrate it like others." Kyle spoke with great difficulty with his hands raised above his head.
Although not everyone goes with a surprise, the roommates of the kids who graduate throw a party for the kid. There was no deeper meaning in this ritual, as kids only need the smallest reasons to party.
But this went on for so many years that it had turned into a ritual of sorts.
"Cut the cake!" Everyone urged Jinn to cut the cake, placing the decorations they were holding. Kyle breathed a sigh of relief and trotted to the front.
His innocent face was covered in front, but he joined the others in chanting with a beaming smile.
The black-haired devil picked up the knife and twirled it in his fingers, grinning. "Let me show you a trick."
He moved his hands faster than anyone could see, slicing the cake into ten equal portions.
The children gasped in surprise seeing Jinn’s blurry hand in action and clapped with starry looks in their eyes.
"Wow!" Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✶𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲✶𝗻𝗲𝘁
"How did you do that, Jinn!"
Seeing everyone cheering on Jinn, Sally clicked her tongue and said, "what a show-off." But the smile on her face contradicted her instantly.
Soon their enthusiasm was attracted by the delicious cake. Once the commotion died down, Sally approached Jinn, who was sitting on one of the chairs with her hands behind her back.
"When will we see you again?" She tried to speak calmly, but Jinn could sense the sadness well hidden behind it. "By the time I graduate, who knows where you will be..."
Jinn looked at her and sighed, "I don’t think I will be able to come and see you all anytime soon. Maybe if we are lucky, we might meet in the outside world."
The silver-haired girl sat on the empty seat beside the boy and slowly raised her bright brown eyes. Her lips quivered as if she wanted to say something, but no words came out of her mouth.
In the end she said nothing and passed something to Jinn.
"You gift." She whispered.
It was a new muffler. Red-colored, the bold color matched the girl’s personality. This is a perfect memento to remember her by.
While Jinn was checking the new scarf, Sally had another object in his hands. Looking at it, his eyes widened in surprise.
"Where did you get it?" He asked, tracing his fingers on the familiar creepy joker trapped in the box, destined to scare others for eternity.
"Mrs. Walker, your teacher, asked me to pass it to you." Sally pouted seeing Jinn focusing more on the dirty toy than on the gift she bought for him.
"You better take care of the scarf because the day I get out of here, I will come looking for you, and if I do not see you taking care of it... I will hunt you down and trap you in the same box as that crappy box of yours." her eyes gleamed with a dangerous light that showed Jinn how serious she was about her threat.