After buying two ice cream cones, Gabriel strolled back to the bench where Misha sat. As the teenager approached, he couldn’t help but throw a worried glance at the child, whose slouching posture made him look like an old, wilted tree. It was as if his small shoulders carried the weight of the world.

In a way, Gabriel felt like he wasn’t looking at a kid but rather at a young man who had experienced the ups and downs of life. This strange feeling put him ill at ease, and unconsciously, he slowed down the speed at which he walked to observe the child a little longer.

The moment he met him, Gabriel immediately knew something was off about the boy, but no matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn’t figure out what was bothering him. Even now, he still couldn’t say with confidence what put him on edge whenever he looked into those crystal clear blue eyes. They had the same color as Masha’s, but they appeared so much more profound. It was like looking into an abyss.

As if sensing his gaze on him, the kid lifted his head, and when he saw Gabriel, his small face beamed with joy. He then said with a childish yet somewhat hopeful tone, looking at the ice cream cones in Gabriel’s hands as if they were a life-saving item, “I want the chocolate flavored one!”

Instantly, the heavy atmosphere surrounding Misha broke, making Gabriel’s previous uneasiness look like a fleeting illusion.

Caught off guard, Gabriel raised his eyebrows, staring at the child with uncertainty. But he soon shook his head, determining that something was wrong with his eyes or maybe his brain. How could a boy of his age look so melancholic? It must have been his imagination.

Gabriel tossed the thought aside and walked up to the boy, handing over the ice cream cone he wanted before sitting beside him. For a moment, neither of them spoke, and only the sound of their tongues licking the ice cream could be heard.

They ate in silence. One was lost in thought while the other pondered what to do next—the “run-away” plan was a huge failure, and sadly, Misha had no backup plan. Oh well, he just had to figure out his next move before finishing his ice cream cone. He had plenty of time.

After swallowing the last bite of his ice cream cone, Gabriel glanced at Misha, who was also almost done. Then, a light chuckle escaped his mouth. He put his fist before his lips to stifle his laughter, but it wasn’t very successful, and it didn’t escape Misha’s sharp ears, earning him a glare.

Chocolate stained half of the boy’s face and his fingers, and even the tip of his nose had turned brown. He was currently frowning at his food as if wondering how to eat his ice cream cone without spilling it all over himself—it was already too late for that, but Gabriel thought it was better not to point it out.

It was somewhat a cute sight, softening the teenager’s heart slightly. Masha often bragged about her little brother, telling the world that he was the cutest boy on earth. And at that moment, Gabriel almost thought she was right, completely forgetting the ominous feeling the boy gave off a few minutes ago.

Ignoring the teenager’s stare, Misha went back to battling with his ice cream cone. A child’s mouth and tongue were too small, and he couldn’t eat well, frustrating him to no end. How come it was so hard to eat an ice cream cone?! It was just ice cream! And biscuits! And a few candies!

What Misha wouldn’t admit, though, was that he had made it a habit to gobble up ice cream cones in two bites. Instinctively, he had tried to do that, only to end up with his nose buried in the ice cream. Misha quickly realized that biting the top of the ice cream wouldn’t work. Thus, he could only eat it the old-fashioned way, which involved licking the ice cream all over. Then, he dejectedly discovered that his small tongue wasn’t fast enough, and the ice cream soon started to melt, dripping onto his hands.

When the boy heard Gabriel’s light chuckle, his heart sank, and he wolfed the last bite of his cone before glaring at the teenager sitting beside him. Puffing out his cheeks, he resentfully said, “Don’t laugh! You! Bad adult! Bully! Rascal! Hooligan!”

The kid held his sticky hands in front of him so he wouldn’t stain his white clothes while his big, blue eyes stared fixedly at the teenage boy. Misha thought he looked ferocious, but if anything, he looked like an upset squirrel.

Trying hard to restrain his laughter, Gabriel discreetly bit his tongue. He chose to be diplomatic and coaxed, “I’m sorry. I won’t do it again. Let’s go to the bathroom to clean you up a little, okay?”

For a moment, Misha almost blurted out that he knew how to eat cleanly and that he usually didn’t make such a mess, but it all seemed like excuses. So he decided to shut up and bottle up his anger before following the teenager to the washroom.

As Misha washed his hands and his face clean, a gloomy expression lingered on his face. He needed to quickly adjust his habits and mind to this young body of his. Otherwise, he’d keep on making a fool of himself; he just wanted to eat an ice cream cone, and the result was quite shameful. And earlier, he tried to run away, only to be caught in no time. Sigh. 

Chasing away the depressing thoughts, Misha turned off the water and left the bathroom. He then met Gabriel, who was waiting outside beside the door.

“What do you want to do?” Gabriel asked with a warm smile, his gentle eyes falling upon the boy.

“I want to do all the game booths!” Misha grinned.

Gabriel choked slightly and repeated, “All of them?”

“Yes! All of them!” Misha confirmed, emphasizing the word “all” as he stared at the teenage boy with sparkling eyes, making it impossible for Gabriel to refuse his request.

“Fine, fine, let’s do them all.”

At these words, a smile bloomed on Misha’s face, curving his eyes into crescent moons. Although he looked cheerful and candid, he was thinking of depleting the teenager’s bank account. He hadn’t forgotten, nor had he abandoned this idea, and visiting each game booth seemed to be the easiest and fastest way to do so.

“So, which one do you want to do first?”

Misha looked around the alley packed with game booths and food stalls before rushing to a colorful balloon dart game booth.

“Let’s start with this one!”

Thus, they went to the booth, and Gabriel paid for the first round. Surprisingly, after throwing the first dart, Misha swiftly and dexterously popped all the balloons one after another.

Seconds went by, and Misha didn’t notice Gabriel’s or the employee’s amazed gaze, too concentrated on the task at hand. Luckily, it appeared that he hadn’t lost all of his skills while transmigrating into his younger self, though he still needed to focus on his every move. This game was harder to play in his current state, and he had to adjust the angle and the strength at which he threw the dart every time. However, his success rate was still satisfying, almost perfect.

When Misha started going out to bars in his past life, he often patronized the small, quiet ones that offered many kinds of games—he had never been a club lover since he didn’t like crowded places and loud music. At the time, he also started to play dart and billiard games with other customers, betting a beer or two in the process. Over the years, he honed his skills, and no one could beat him in a dart game.

Misha was used to targeting a dartboard, so the balloons were relatively easy to aim at since they were bigger and closer. He only had to be careful of the angle since this body was a lot smaller, and his arms didn’t have the same reach.

Soon enough, Misha threw the last dart, popped a balloon, and won a big prize. When the staff asked him what he wanted, he didn’t hesitate before pointing at the big, pink teddy bear. Of course, he wasn’t planning on keeping it. No, he thought of giving it to his sister as a birthday present.

Because Misha was now only a kid, he didn’t have any pocket money, and he couldn’t buy anything. But although he didn’t pay for this gift, he won it by himself, and he was sure his sister would like it very much. She had always loved cute stuff and such.

With a wide, foolish smile, Misha took the teddy bear, which was almost as tall as him, and shoved it into Gabriel’s hands before dashing to another game booth.

They ran from one game booth to another all morning as Misha kept winning prizes. When he couldn’t win, he sulked and pouted, glancing at Gabriel from the corner of his eyes until the teenager paid another round or won the game in his stead.

At some point, Misha even forgot that he wanted to ditch Gabriel, too engrossed in playing the different games and winning prizes for his sister.

When lunchtime came around, they left the game area to meet with the rest of the group. From where they sat, the teenage girls and Gulnas thus saw a tall mountain of colorful plushies approaching them. Then, they noticed a smiling boy holding a big, pink teddy bear walking beside the said mountain.

Mini theater

MC: Let’s play Russian roulette! Gaby, you’re the assistant.

ML: You know, I don’t really like the idea of you throwing darts at me while my arms and legs are tied to a spinning roulette.

MC: Who talked about darts? Of course, Russian roulette is played with daggers!

ML:...

MC: What? Don’t you trust me?

ML: Ergh...