Why it never ends

Chapter 1206 Possession
Lutz frowned, took several deep breaths, and finally got up and walked to the low table in the center of the hall. He pulled out a few tissues and blew his nose forcefully.

The classroom was completely silent; every sound she made was clearly audible. She took a few breaths, threw the used paper into the trash can, and suddenly looked at Packart.

Do you believe in an afterlife, teacher?

Packart looked at Luz and asked, "Why do you ask that?"

Lutz was silent for a moment, then whispered, "Because, because some people say there is no afterlife..."

Before Lutz could finish speaking, another child blurted out, "There is no afterlife. When people die, they have nothing left."

"Shut up!" Lutz looked at the child with disgust. "I didn't ask you—"

"You've been bewitched, that's why you're thinking about these meaningless things all day!" Another child's voice was so angry that it drew much attention and surprise. "If Mr. Lucana knew you said these things here tonight, he would be disappointed in all of us—"

“Sari,” Packart interrupted the child, raising her hand to signal her to stop, “it’s Lutz’s sharing time now. If you have anything to say, wait until she’s finished, okay?”

The other child blushed, and although she clearly had a lot more to say, she chose to hold back for the time being.

“If you’re asking for my opinion,” Pakkat, sitting on the ground, looked back at Luz, “I don’t really believe in the afterlife either.”

Lutz sighed almost randomly, his eyes filled with a sense of despair at the loss of hope.

“But I’m also very certain of another thing: people don’t just disappear when they die,” Packart said. “I’ve had many friends pass away, especially in recent years… but I rarely feel like they’ve really left me. It’s as if they’ve lived on in me for a longer time, sharing parts of my soul with me.”

Luz stood there, listening to the translator's explanation. After a while, she walked over to Packart and extended her hand to the old man, which Packart accepted.

"...Do you dream about them?" Luz asked in a low voice.

“Some will…some won’t.” Packart gently pressed his hand to his heart. “But I know they always reside here. They haven’t left me. On the contrary, I have them completely…that’s my thought.”

Luz wiped away her tears again with the back of her hand. She suddenly stepped forward and hugged Packart's shoulders tightly. Packart gently patted her back.

Stella, watching this scene from the crowd, also shed tears. She subconsciously reached for her bag and saw Hester hand her a tissue.

Stella chuckled and immediately turned her head away.

“You can use it,” Hester raised the tissue a little higher. “These are my tissues. I don’t have as many rules as Packart.”

“…Thank you.” Stella reached out and pulled out a few sheets of paper, quickly patted her face, and let out a soft breath. “Jane, I have a question for you.”

"Ah."

Have you ever dreamed about Chiba?

“I’ve dreamed about it,” Hersta whispered, “many times.”

“…Chiba is still biased.” Stella shook her head repeatedly. “I wish I could see her in my dreams, but she has never come to see me even once.”

Hester laughed, earning a glare from Stella. Hester didn't intend to tell Stella that she had already spoken with Ms. Chiba, but at that moment, she suddenly became curious about Chiba's past, so she calmly asked, "How did you two meet?"

“Valentine, huh?” Stella’s voice was nasal. “Chiba has come to our house several times, and we got to know each other after a while… It’s not easy to be friends with her, it’s such a hassle.”

"...Ms. Chiba has many friends."

"Yes, she's so dazzling that once she's been in your life, you can never ignore her again."

Hershta turned his head slightly, feeling a little sad for a moment.

Not far away, the child who had previously expressed anger began to speak. Every word she uttered was halting and stuttering. Even before the translator relayed it, no one could understand what she was saying, but everyone could feel her strong determination and indignation.

“She has a kind of magic that makes things that were peaceful and ordinary suddenly unbearable,” Stella whispered. “She appears, and then the routine becomes worthless. In short, from the moment you meet her, you are destined to throw your life onto a different track—I’ve observed that many of her friends are like that.”

"...I don't quite understand."

“How could you not understand?” Stella glanced at Hester quickly, then pulled out another tissue from him. “I’ve never felt a vitality in anyone like Chiba. Her curiosity and enthusiasm for the world, her courage to try new things, her ease in the face of danger and desperate situations… she’s almost a signal, a gift, from this world to me…”

"Have you said these words to Miss Chiba?"

“Why would I tell her these things? Am I just going to let her laugh at me?” Stella glanced at Hester. “Not to mention I wouldn’t have said these things when she was alive, even now I wouldn’t say them at her grave. It would be too embarrassing.”

Hershta laughed again.

Just then, Santa approached from the other side of the auditorium and whispered something in Hersta's ear.

Hersta adjusted his posture, preparing to get up.

"...Where are you going?" Stella asked.

“We can’t let Klar wander around the palace,” Hesta said softly. “I’d better go out and settle things between these two.”

"Do you want me to come with you?"

“No need,” Hersta said. “I’ll go find Sire.”

……

The palace greenhouse was filled with a subtle fragrance at night, and some nocturnal flowering plants were in bloom. A tea table stood in the middle of the greenhouse, and Boheng lay back on a bamboo chair next to it, while Clara paced around her.

"So, you used to live in the Third District?" Clara asked. "I remember this inspector lived in a monastery before entering AHgAs—you said you knew her before, so you used to live in a monastery too?"

Boheng suddenly felt a chill. This was not the first time he had told outsiders that he and Herstal were old acquaintances, but he never expected that anyone would suddenly throw out a specific conjecture like Klar.

“Or perhaps it’s a wasteland,” Klar said, “but that shouldn’t be it?”

"why?"