Why it never ends

Chapter 1239
Qiqi took the photo frame, lowered her head, and whispered, "...You weren't here today, so you went to do this?"

"...I thought you wouldn't want my gift," Eleven said, seemingly ignoring the question.

Qiqi sighed, walked towards Shiyi, and hugged her.

During the hug, Shiyi heard Qiqi sniffling and guessed that she might have been crying again, because Qiqi was always like that, prone to tears. At that moment, Shiyi also felt a lump in her throat.

"Thank you," Kiki whispered. "I thought we'd never be friends again."

Suddenly, Shiyi clenched her teeth tightly, her lips trembling uncontrollably. She also hugged Qiqi's shoulders tightly to prevent Qiqi from taking a step back and seeing that her eyes were also wet with tears.

"Will we still be good friends?" Eleven quickly rubbed his eyes. "I still want to talk to you every day, sit with you, eat with you, and play together, just like before..."

“Me too.” Kiki’s sobs grew louder. “I still want to be your friend.”

Suddenly, Shiyi felt a pang of regret. Before coming here, she had cut out the photo of Kiki and Hershta from the newspaper, pasted it onto a white cardstock to make it look like a photo, and put it in a frame—she had originally wanted to give Kiki a complete photo frame, not only with an outer metal frame but also with a photo inside.

Perhaps she should have included the newly made group photo, because Qiqi forgave her so easily.

However, when that photo frame was placed on the table, Eleven felt a real heartache, as if someone were repeatedly prying at her heart with an iron shovel. At the last moment, she threw the cut-out group photo into the stove, staring at the flames, tears streaming down her face, tears she herself didn't quite understand.

"...I want to be your best friend," Eleven said painfully. "Can I be your best friend?"

Kiki looked at Eleven with some surprise. She had never thought that Eleven would have such thoughts. Whether at the children's center in Orange Town or on this farm that was completely unfamiliar to them, Eleven seemed to have no shortage of friends.

She always manages to find things she enjoys very quickly, and no one can truly restrain her. Her world seems so vast and interesting, and she is so brave, so unconcerned about the opinions of others…

In contrast, Qiqi often felt ashamed of her own lack of luster.

"Then can you promise me that you won't bring Luz here alone anymore?" Kiki asked softly. "If anyone wants to come see Fox and Fox Open, you can invite me along."

Eleven nodded, sniffling.

The two children wiped away their tears and sat side by side by the fox enclosure, holding hands tightly.

"Am I your best friend?" Eleven persisted in asking this question, trying to get a clear answer from Qiqi.

"Yeah, I guess so." Kiki kept swinging her feet, letting them kick up dust on the ground. "Maybe you've always been my best friend."

What does 'maybe' mean?

Qiqi smiled shyly, looked into Eleven's eyes, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "During the time you haven't played with me, I often feel a little lonely, very...lonely."

At this point, Qiqi paused for a moment: "...I rarely felt this way before." Loneliness.

Lately, Shiyi has often been shrouded in a mix of irritability and anger, finding it difficult to break free. Now, the feeling that Qiqi described has aptly landed on a certain spot in her heart, like some kind of magic, instantly freeing her and making her feel at ease.

"Even without you, I feel the same way..." Eleven murmured, then suddenly came back to her senses, "What does that mean? Does it mean we're really, really good friends?"

Kiki giggled, but didn't answer directly.

The two held hands and whispered sweet nothings for a long time. Eleven finally realized that no matter how much she pressed, Qiqi would never give a clear and firm answer. However, they still chatted happily, sharing the little things they had recently observed but had never shared with each other, until Eleven suddenly shivered and remembered that neither of them had eaten anything yet.

The two refused to let go of each other's hands and ran together toward the palace's dining room. Taking advantage of the fact that not many people here could understand District 14's language, they spoke loudly in their native tongue, occasionally eliciting bursts of laughter.

In the garden, the two children brushed past Hershtar and Turan like the wind—if the two mercury needles hadn't been so agile and dodged in time, Eleven and Kiki would probably have crashed into Hershtar and Turan.

"Watch where you're going!" Hesta turned around and shouted at Kiki and Eleven's backs. "Don't run around where there are people!"

"I'm sorry!" the two children said in unison, and then ran away.

Hershta watched this scene with amusement. Just yesterday, Xia Yixue said that the two children refused to talk to each other, but they're having a lot of fun together now—it seems they've made up.

“Children are so wonderful,” Turan said, watching Eleven and the others walk away. “They are always so carefree.”

“…There are also many troubles.” Hester looked away. “Let’s continue. You just said when you’re going to move to the city center?”

“About two weeks later,” Turan said. “I’ve spoken to several research groups in Emmanuela, and Amargan’s lab is willing to give me a visiting scholar status. They have a lot of particularly interesting data, but they can’t process it all themselves. Luckily, I’m in District 12 right now, so I can go and take a look.”

"Is Amargan the name of the lab director?" Hersta asked.

“It’s not a person’s name, it’s the name of the university,” Turan replied. “It’s very close to the reserve base, so theoretically, if you need me, I can still travel with you.”

“That’s great,” Hershta said. “Then you can move in right away. The base has no shortage of empty dormitories right now. You can stay wherever you want, for as long as you want, it’s no problem.”

Turan slowed his pace, as if making a decision: "Jane, I need to explain something else to you."

Hersta stopped in her tracks. "Yes, go ahead, I'm listening."

“…After much consideration, I still cannot join your Askia Freedom Front,” Turan said softly. “I am currently an independent scholar and have no intention of accepting any explicit political identity. I—”

“I understand.” Hershta nodded. “After your vacation, you’ll still be going back to District One. You won’t be staying here for long.”