A Melody in the Twilight Sky

20 The Lead Singer

Finally, I couldn't avoid P'Din anymore. Today, I was busy being a witness and giving testimony at the police station about the dismantling of the fraudulent spirit medium, Master Saneh. The subdistrict headman and dozens of people who had been deceived but were afraid to report it were also there. But no one mentioned Poon. I myself deliberately didn't mention him, knowing he didn't want to be found here.

As for my parents, who found out about this later, they scolded me severely and strictly forbade me from going anywhere after sunset. So this evening, I had to stay and watch the shop as usual, unable to go out to find Fon, or even Poon.

"Smiling so much, what are you thinking about, sis?" The voice of a child rang out, waking me from my thoughts. I realized my cheeks were actually sore. Did I accidentally smile to myself? Did any customers see me?

"N-no, nothing," I denied in a high-pitched voice, massaging my cheeks with both hands. "I didn't smile. When? No~"

"Is it about P'Poon?" Tony walked on the counter and stopped in front of me when he saw me trying to turn my face away.

"Tony, do you really want to find your mom? You keep talking about me and that guy," I complained, trying to cover up my own feelings.

"But what I saw was true. Why are you scolding me? Hmph," Tony sat down and sighed, looking a bit down. Seeing that, I felt a little guilty.

I stammered, not wanting the little guy to feel sad. "B-but you're talking nonsense. How could it be like that between Poon and me?"

"That's why I told you I saw something good," Tony frowned, tapping his chin with his fingertip, looking thoughtful as he spoke. "Yesterday, when you told me to wait in front of that fake shaman's shrine, P'Poon was there too. He insisted on going inside until the guards dragged him out. But in the end, he heard that you had to go to the graveyard alone for the ritual, so he followed you. He must have been worried about you."

So that's why he came to save me from Saneh's clutches just in time.

"Huh? Then why didn't you tell me?" I frowned, learning the truth. "I thought he followed me to find fault."

"I was going to tell you, but you two kept arguing. Was it my fault?"

"Oh, it wasn't your fault. But just because he was worried and came to check on me, it doesn't mean he has feelings for me..."

"But do you have feelings for him?"

"Well... Hey, what a silly question. You're just a kid," I almost fell for his trick, almost answering him, but caught myself in time.

"Trying to change the subject like that means it's definitely true," Tony stood up, arms crossed, and flashed a knowing smile. "See, yesterday when I told you he looked sad, you hurried off right away."

Oh, Tony, you're getting bolder.

"I-I just went to check on him, like he checked on me. We care about each other as fellow humans," I don't know if I'm hiding it well, but I just kept making excuses. Then I changed the subject to distract Tony. "Hey, let's focus back on your mom, okay? The day before I was going to call you, Poon himself said his sister can sing. Very beautifully too."

"Really? Then the singing I heard must have been hers. Combined with the fact that she had a son, it all fits perfectly!" Phew, it worked. Tony forgot about the other thing. His eyes widened when he heard the progress.

I cleared my throat before announcing the important news. "Yes, we're almost close to solving the case."

The little guy, who was about to jump up and celebrate, stopped short. "Huh? But you said everything fit perfectly."