Shrouded Seascape

"Sparkle, don't you like puppet shows?" Nene asked upon noticing Sparkle's strange expression. Sparkle blinked her big eyes with long eyelashes and said, "I do like puppet shows, but they aren't that interesting to me anymore."

"Then how about we play house? I'll be the mommy; you can be the daddy, and we'll use my doll as the child," Nene said. She stood up and was about to rush over to her bedroom when Sparkle grabbed her, stopping her in her tracks.

"Let's go out for a walk," Sparkle said, and their surroundings peeled away. When Nene came to her senses, she found herself standing on Hope Island's Second Street.

Looking at the adults hurrying along the street, Nene nodded and smiled before saying, "Going out for a walk is nice, too. The streets aren't that crowded anymore as well."

With that, the two girls walked hand in hand down the street, chatting enthusiastically with each other. Nene was mostly the one asking questions, while Sparkle answered her tirelessly.

A world-ending crisis loomed over everyone, but Hope Island still had places where people could relax. Half an hour later, the two girls sat on a bench by the street with a pink cotton candy in their hand.

The two ate their cotton candies while admiring the sunlit sea before them.

A pair of slender legs as white as snow and a pair of soft, tiny feet swayed back and forth beneath the bench. The tickling sensation of the water brushing against the soles of Nene's feet made her giggle uncontrollably.

Sparkle held Nene's hand, smiling as she stared at the latter. Nene's pure, unadulterated smile made Sparkle's heart feel warm and comfortable.

"Sparkle, what have you been doing these days? How come you haven't visited me until now? I really thought that you'd already forgotten about me," Nene said as she rested her head on Sparkle's arm.

"I've been helping Mommy and learning some useful things. Speaking of which, I've learned a lot recently," Sparkle answered succinctly.

"Oh…" Nene muttered. She seemed to understand what Sparkle was talking about as she added, "Is it like when I helped Mommy plant black ryegrass at World's Crown before? Mommy taught me many things about farming back then, but no one really farms anymore. Everyone's going to the factories."

"Mmhm, something like that. She's been really busy these days, so she needs me to help her with her work. Back then, I could only cause trouble, but now, I can actually help her," Sparkle said.

"What about your daddy?" Nene asked, taking a big bite of her cotton candy.

"Daddy..." Sparkle's expression became a bit complicated as she said, "I don't know. It's been a while since I last saw him."

Just then, they heard a commotion behind them. They turned and saw a man ringing his bicycle bell while riding on the bicycle with his child in tow.

"John, it's salary day today at the factory. Didn't you want to eat cake? You can eat as much cake as you want today," the man said.

"Thank you, Daddy!" the child exclaimed.

A flash of envy flitted across Sparkle's eyes as she stared at the father-and-son duo laughing joyfully while riding the same bicycle.

Nene noticed that and consoled, "It's okay, Sparkle. When your daddy is no longer busy, he's definitely going to spend time with you."

Unfortunately, Sparkle was pessimistic. "No, he won't. He doesn't care about me at all. When he took me out to play long ago, I thought he'd become like the daddies of other children, but he hasn't changed at all.

"Mommy was right—he's a scumbag."

Having found someone she could confide in, Sparkle poured out all her dissatisfaction, saying, "What does he even do on the surface world, and why does he have to spend so much time up there? Would his absence really make a difference when there are so many of them up there?

"The surface world is so dangerous; what if he ends up dying up there? Has he even thought about how Mommy and I would feel by then?

"And he doesn't have the mindset of a leader at all. He's mankind's leader; he has an incredibly high position that will allow him to control everyone from up above, just like what Mommy is doing right now…

"So, why is he not doing that? And I'm already three years old, but he hasn't been with me at all save for that one time. Does he not know that a child as young as me needs the companionship of their family?

"And you know what? Whenever he's looking for me, he'll always say only one thing, 'Sparkle~, bring your mommy over here.'

"What am I in his eyes? Am I just a tool like a phone for them to contact each other?"

Sparkle went on a rant that lasted roughly ten minutes. When she was done, she felt much better. She smiled at Nene sitting next to her and said, "Thank you so much for listening to me."

Nene had been staring blankly at Sparkle throughout the latter's rant. Realizing that Sparkle was smiling at her, she snapped back to reality and said, "Sparkle, your cotton candy is melting."

That was the very first thing Nene said upon coming back to her senses.

Sparkle stared at the melting cotton candy and opened her big mouth. Then, she stuffed the entire thing, stick and all, into her mouth.

"I don't understand what you said to me just now, but your parents definitely love you. A parent that does not love their child does not exist in this world," Nene said.

Sparkle revealed a tinge of disdain at Nene's remark. "That's not necessarily true. Aren't there plenty of examples in history books? Examples of fathers and sons hurting each other? Perhaps I'm just an accident in their eyes."

"Uh..." Nene stammered. She had no idea what to say.

Sparkle sighed inwardly at Nene's flustered look. Clearly, Nene had no idea what she had been talking about to the former.

"Let's go back home. Your mommy must be done with her work for today. I'm sure she'll be worried sick upon realizing that you're missing," Sparkle said. She reached out to lift Nene's feet out of the water. Then, she picked up the shoes and socks on the bench to help Nene put them on.

The two walked toward the other side of the street that wasn't submerged in seawater. Just as she put Nene down and was about to teleport her home, the chime of a bicycle bell entered their ears.

Sparkle looked up and saw a brown-haired boy, seemingly sixteen or seventeen years of age. He was with a group of girls and boys, and they all stopped in front of Sparkle and Nene.

The brown-haired boy patted his brand-new bicycle, seemingly showing it off to Sparkle. "Hello, beautiful lady. Are you taking your little sister home? Do you need a ride home?"

Sparkle sized up the eight people who looked to be about her size and said, "The stipulated work schedule throughout Hope Island says that you're supposed to be working right now. How come you're here?"

"It's simple; we skipped work. I don't want to go to work, and no one can force me to do so!" The brown-haired boy exclaimed, raising his head proudly, waiting for Sparkle and Nene's gazes of awe.

After a while, the brown-haired boy still received no response, so he looked forward and saw Sparkle staring at him as if he was an idiot.

"Why do you not want to go? Your work at the factory is like saving the Subterranean Sea, and it is everyone's job to do."

The brown-haired boy on the bicycle revealed utter disdain at Sparkle's remark as he said, "You're so pretty, but your way of thinking is so old-fashioned. You remind me of a school teacher."

"Anyway, I've already put my faith in the great God Sparkle. Once the sea has flooded everything, She will take us to Her divine kingdom. I think it's better to enjoy our lives until then rather than work ourselves to death every day."