Chapter 24 Rabbit Constellation

　　John felt a little disappointed because he didn't get the train because he was a step later than Joey.

　　He took a small schoolbag containing prizes and walked alone to the cliff behind the mountain. There was a thick fallen tree trunk there. John put the schoolbag at his feet and sat on it.

　　Looking up, the cold bright moon reflected the stars in the sky in his eyes. The vast sea was as smooth as a mirror. The chirping of insects in the quiet breeze added a sense of tranquility, which made him exclaim in surprise. The natural magnificence diluted his inner loss and made his mood visibly better.

　　Just when everyone thought that John was the only protagonist of this memory, an unexpected character appeared.

　　The footsteps slowly approached, and a girl with short orange hair walked into John's sight from the foot of the mountain.

　　"this......"

　　Sirin's eyes suddenly widened. At that moment, it was as if an electric current passed through her body. She felt numb all over as if she had been electrocuted.

　　“River, this is River!!!!”

　　Looking at the screen, Sirin's fingers trembled and she could hardly control her voice.

　　It turns out that they didn't meet each other in high school at all. It turns out that John and River have known each other since they were very young!

　　John’s first meeting turned out to be a reunion for River!

　　The barrage of comments exploded directly, and it was so dense that you couldn't see a single line clearly.

　　The plot continues. After River noticed John sitting there and greeting her, she, who suffers from autism, turned around and left.

　　"Wait, don't go!"

　　Perhaps it was because he felt a special connection or because they met in this secret area that made John want to keep the girl, so he left the tree trunk and chased after her without hesitation.

　　"I'm John...what's your name?"

　　When he got closer, he smiled and spoke to River whose back was facing him.

　　"...You took my spot."

　　River didn't turn around, but just turned her head to secretly glance at John, and then responded faintly.

　　"Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to monopolize it."

　　"Well, would you like to sit with me?"

　　Seeing that River still didn't turn around, John thought for a moment and extended an invitation to her.

　　"Are you here to see the stars?"

　　River asked suddenly.

　　"The same to you?"

　　After hearing John's response, River finally turned around and faced him.

　　Under the soft music, the two children sat together on the thick tree trunk. They looked up, and the same starry sky was reflected in their sparkling eyes.

　　At this moment, the screen suddenly turned black, and a beautifully made CG appeared.

　　In the center of the CG is the back of River and John.

　　Under the cool, bright moonlight, they sat side by side on the tree trunk.

　　"Look there... Did you know there were so many lights in the sky?" John asked subconsciously, amazed by this unprecedented scene.

　　"Yes."

　　"Oh... Yeah, me too."

　　"You just said this is the only place you are, right?"

　　"Only during Mardi Gras."

　　"Don't you like crowded places?"

　　Seeing that River didn't respond, John continued: "Actually, I don't like it either."

　　"Look, you haven't told me your name yet."

　　"I won't tell you."

　　River obviously didn't like this topic. She tried to explain: "...Everyone in school laughed at me because of this."

　　"Why?"

　　"Because, hearing the name makes them want to go to the bathroom."

　　"Well...it can't be more common than the name 'John'. It's so common that there are people called him almost everywhere in the world."

　　John said helplessly when his name was mentioned.

　　“Even India?”

　　"Very likely."

　　"Ordinary, what's wrong with being ordinary?"

　　"Well, that would be boring, I guess. If everyone has one, then what's the point?"

　　"I don't mind."

　　River said seriously: "Just for once... to have a name that everyone has."

　　"Just like the stars in the sky, although they all look similar, they are all equally beautiful."

　　Considering River's illness, these childish words made everyone feel as if something was stuck in their throats.

　　As an ordinary person, things that are readily available to everyone else have become an unattainable luxury here in River. Being ordinary is sometimes the greatest happiness.

　　"What do you think those stars are?" John suddenly asked, as children's thoughts always jump out of control.

　　"My dad said they were giant balls of burning gas."

　　"Oh, I bet he made that up." Not getting the answer he wanted made John directly retort.

　　"Why would he lie to me?"

　　"You know, adults always like to make up stories, like Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, kangaroos... that kind of thing."

　　At this time, River suddenly said: "Have you ever tried to make an Easter bunny with stars?"

　　"Like looking for constellations in the sky?"

　　"Yes."

　　"Well, I've found others, but never tried rabbit."

　　"Do you want to try it?" River's voice was filled with anticipation.

　　"Well, let's see who can find the best rabbit constellation first."

　　Children are always interested in this kind of things.

　　"I'll count to three and we'll start. Three, two, one, go!"

　　As soon as he finished speaking, he heard River say, "I found it!"

　　"ah?"

　　John turned his head and looked at River in disbelief. How come the game was over when he hadn't even started yet?

　　"Where?"

　　"In the sky."

　　"But where in the sky?"

　　"It's right there. Think big. It's bigger than the others!"

　　"Um......"

　　Following the line of sight of River, he tried to raise his head, and soon, the big moon in the center of his vision attracted his attention.

　　"Wait...wait a minute!"

　　John shouted excitedly, as if he knew what River meant.

　　“I saw it!”

　　John's cheers also excited River. She couldn't wait to ask, "Tell me what you saw?"

　　The moment River's words were spoken, Sirin, who was watching this scene, was stunned.

　　She wanted to open her lips, but her choked throat couldn't utter a word.

　　So familiar, this sentence is so familiar.

　　The conversation continues.

　　"There it is, right? It has two ears and a head!"

　　"What else?"

　　WHAT ELSE?

　　These three short words blurred Sirin's vision and she could hardly see the picture clearly.

　　Who would have thought that these short words would be regarded by River as a bridge connecting John's past and future, and this question would last for half his life.

　　"There...are two feet!"

　　Unlike Sirin who was about to cry, John in the picture was still pointing happily at the night sky.

　　"Yes, any more?"

　　"And, there is the moon. The moon is its round belly!"

　　At this point, one of the biggest doubts in everyone's mind got its answer at this moment.

　　Sirin was previously puzzled about why River kept folding paper rabbits over and over again, why she persisted year after year, and even when she was dying, she kept asking John this question.

　　At this moment, all the emotions turned into emotions that surged into our hearts and blurred our eyes.

　　In the eyes of others, this may be just a simple paper rabbit, boring, uninteresting and not very beautiful, but in River's eyes, this is her best effort to make her husband remember their wonderful encounter.

　　The illness prevented her from expressing her inner feelings, so she could only hint at them through paper rabbits.

　　If it doesn't work once, then try it twice. If it doesn't work twice, then try it three times, four times, until the end of her life, when she can no longer do it.

　　Unfortunately, in the end old John still couldn't remember it all. They accompanied each other but could not get close to each other, like lonely boats sailing in opposite directions in the dark night, always crossing each other's paths but never really meeting.

　　This deep sadness is heartbreaking.

　　The scene froze in Sirin's eyes. It didn't mean it was over, but the tears finally blurred her vision. The bean-sized tears rolled down her face, and it seemed that they could never be wiped away. She had no choice but to temporarily stop the live broadcast.

　　It took several minutes for her to recover.

　　Just as she was playing the game again, who would have thought that the most tear-jerking scene was yet to come.