Chapter 61: The Silent “Farewell”

Chapter 61: The Silent “Farewell”

“Tendou, you… you did this on purpose, didn’t you?”

Inside the special protective barrier of the Sunken Ship Restaurant, Caroline soothed the white baby dolphin—still frightened and looking pitiful after Tendou startled it—while suddenly directing that sentence toward Tendou beside her.

The moment those words left her mouth, Tendou’s entire body jolted.

His posture stiffened, and even his breathing paused for half a beat.

If someone else had said that, Tendou wouldn’t have thought much of it, he would’ve assumed they were joking about him scaring the little dolphin.

But if those words came from Caroline… That was a completely different matter.

Because just as Caroline understood Tendou deeply, Tendou also understood Caroline very well.

As one of the rare Children of the Stars who had been raised and trained by the base since birth, Caroline not only possessed high intelligence, but she was exceptionally skilled at deducing the truth from tiny details.

So her comment absolutely wasn’t random—it definitely carried deeper meaning.

Even though Tendou knew he might have already been exposed, he decided to bluff his way through to the very end.

“Wh-What do you mean on purpose, Caroline? Wh-What are you talking about? I don’t understand at all.”

Caroline gave him a meaningful look, her expression hovering between a smile and not-a-smile—So much so that Tendou felt unbearably guilty, terrified she would spot the cracks in his façade.

Fortunately, Caroline didn’t pursue the matter further.

Considerate as always, she let the topic drop and turned her attention to the little dolphin outside the barrier.

Outside the protective field, sunlight filtered through the ocean surface, scattering delicate flecks of gold through the shallow waters.

The white baby dolphin—previously nestled near Caroline’s palm—had either grown bored or simply didn’t want to get too close to Tendou. After sticking its tongue out at Tendou in a childish act of retaliation, it wagged its chubby little tail and swam off toward a drifting group of jellyfish.

Caroline didn’t try to stop it. On the contrary, the corners of her lips gently lifted into a soft, unguarded smile.

In that moment, she displayed none of her usual composure or maturity—only the pure innocence and radiance unique to a young girl.

Seeing Caroline’s genuine smile, Tendou couldn’t help but smile as well.

It seemed the “gift” he had given her… had been received.

“Tendou, do you think… when we grow up, we’ll be able to be as happy as it is?”

Upon hearing this, Tendou raised his head, smiling.

The black surface of his sunglasses reflected the white baby dolphin joyfully chasing after the jellyfish.

“I don’t know if we’ll be as happy as that thing,” he said.

“But I do know that you… will definitely be as free as it is.”

“Really? Then that’s enough for me.”

Caroline continued watching the carefree little dolphin in a daze—completely unaware that in Tendou’s answer, the freedom he spoke of only included her… and not himself.

For someone who had been attentive for so many years, this was the first time… she failed to notice.

Three days ago, in Caroline’s birthday mission plan—

“Tendou, among the few of us, you’re the closest to Caroline. What do you think we should give her as a birthday present?”

Faced with Chen Xing’s question, Tendou thought for a moment before answering:

“Just give her a beautiful memory.”

“Hm?”

Chen Xing and Chen Kong both looked puzzled.

Clearly, they didn’t understand what Tendou meant by “memory,” nor how such a thing could be considered a birthday gift for Caroline.

In response, Tendou calmly explained:

“You two don’t understand Caroline, so you can’t understand what I mean.”

“Caroline is different from us. She grew up in the base since she was little, which means the only way she could learn about the outside world was through her tablet and through what others told her.”

“Do you know why Caroline likes dolphins so much? Or why she became a Machina Type Starbearer?”

Chen Kong, lying on the hospital bed, exchanged a glance with Chen Xing sitting beside him. Both shook their heads—they clearly had no idea.

Tendou stood up and walked toward the window beside the bed.

Staring at the bright sunlight outside, he spoke in an unusually quiet, almost solemn tone:

“That’s because the beach next to the base was, for a very long time, the farthest place Caroline could reach.”

“And the ocean’s horizon… was, for a long time, the farthest scenery she could see.”

“The world in your memories is vast. But the world in Caroline’s memories… has always been tiny.”

“The things you two take for granted—things you don’t even think twice about—used to be small, unreachable dreams for her.”

As he spoke, Tendou pushed open the window before him.

A gentle evening breeze swept into the room, lifting the white curtains on both sides. They fluttered like the soft white wings of a bird, dancing freely within the room.

“So, Caroline loves dolphins not because she finds them cute, but because she envies the freedom they represent.”

“She chose to become a Machina Type Starbearer not because she loves machines, but because the virtual world—something unreal to you—was one of the few real worlds she could touch.”

“Only there could she be herself, even just a little. Only there could she feel brief moments of freedom—freedom that was unbelievably precious to her.”

“So Caroline has never wanted anything material. What she’s always wanted… is simply an ordinary childhood like everyone else’s.”

When he finished speaking, Tendou turned back toward Chen Xing and Chen Kong, who both wore complicated expressions.

Then, Tendou suddenly smiled.

It was not his usual cocky or flamboyant grin.

Instead, it carried a gentle warmth, like sunlight quietly filling a quiet room.

“A person’s past can’t be changed, but I believe their future is always full of hope. Since Caroline has already spent so long living for others, from now on she should start living for herself.”

“And I also want to use this opportunity to let Caroline understand that she isn’t some useless tool the moment she leaves my side. She should have her own thoughts, her own joys and sorrows, and a beautiful future that belongs to her alone.”

“So… the name of our operation this time will be… Freedom.”

Hearing Tendou’s words, both Chen Kong and Chen Xing fell completely silent.

Because they never expected that Caroline, who was always known for being cold and rational… What she longed for in her heart was something so simple, so ordinary.

But what surprised them even more was that Tendou—who always came across as domineering and flamboyant—actually possessed a kind of tenderness and delicacy completely at odds with that image.

No.

Perhaps from the very beginning, they never truly understood Tendou at all.

After all, in their eyes, the powerful Tendou had always been someone they could only desperately chase after.

If they couldn’t even get close, how could they possibly hope to understand him?

Meanwhile, outside the dimensional screen, the audience watched Tendou in this moment—so gentle, so warm—and for some reason, they felt an unexpected ache in their hearts.

Because after seeing the flashback earlier, they understood something clearly:

These weren’t words of hope for the future.

They were Tendou’s hidden, silent farewell.

Just as he had said before, whether in the past, the present, or the future, Tendou has never needed anyone, and he never will.

Whether others agreed or not, Tendou had already forced the future he chose onto everyone around him.

It couldn’t be refused. And he wouldn’t allow it to be refused.

This was his unique kind of tyranny, and also his unique kind of gentleness.

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