The Laughing Swordsman

Layla gasped.

"She disappeared!"

Apollo regained his bearings.

"Ah..."

He shook his head.

"Do you mean mommy?"

Layla nodded.

"Yes... but I can still follow her!"

Apollo tilted his head to the side.

"Eh? How?"

Layla smiled.

"Like this!"

Layla tore open the space in front of her, revealing the blue world.

For a few seconds, Apollo did not register what was about to happen.

It was only when Layla pulled him forward did he realize what was happening.

Apollo's eyes widened in fear.

"Wait! No, not again!"

To his dismay, Layla did not even hesitate to jump in.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH"

While Apollo freaked out, Layla's eyes shimmered with a faint blue light. There was a dull expression on her face, as if her soul had left her body.

In the next second, Layla's eyes lit up. The faint blue light had disappeared while a smile returned to her face.

"I found mommy!"

Layla dragged Apollo across the blue world, in a seemingly random direction.

After just a few seconds, Layla tore open the space, sending the two back into the real world.

As for Willow, she was still running away. Suddenly, she gasped.

"Wha-"

Something collided with her, throwing her aside. It was Apollo and Layla.

They tumbled across the snowy floor, almost like they were one giant tumbleweed.

"Gah!"

"Owww!"

"Not my foot!"

The group crashed into a tree, directly snapping it in half. All three of them were still a little discombobulated.

Apollo was able to recover quickly. His eyes landed on Willow.

"Mommy!"

Before Willow could react, Apollo grabbed onto her arm with both hands.

"No running!"

Willow shook her arm in protest, but could not put any real strength into it. She didn't want to hurt Apollo.

"Let go, let go of me!"

Layla pulled her head up, then curiously looked at Apollo and Willow. A smile burst out on her face.

"Me too!"

Layla jumped at Willow with her arms outstretched. She latched on Willow's back. Her legs wrapped around Willow's waist while her arms wrapped around Willow's neck.

As if that wasn't enough, Layla began to rock back and forth, making Willow stumble around like she was drunk.

"La la la la~"

Willow tried to shake Apollo and Layla off, but the two were simply too attached.

"Get off! How are you two so hard to shake off?"

Apollo pouted.

"Because you ran away!"

Layla giggled. She raised her hands high in the air like she was celebrating.

"We aren't hard to shake off, mommy just didn't run very well!"

Willow's eyelid twitched. Was this girl poking fun at her proficiency in escaping? She had trained for so long just practicing this one point, honing it to mastery. For an assassin, the most important thing was escaping.

...So how was she found so easily?

But more importantly, why was this girl calling her mommy?

A bitter smile appeared on Willow's face.

"My name is Willow, not mommy."

Layla stared at Willow with her beady eyes.

"What? How can that be true?"

Apollo pouted.

"How does that make sense mommy?'

Willow's head hurt. How was she supposed to deal with this situation?

"...I am not a mother. I am simply a person called Willow."

Layla turned to Apollo.

"What is mommy talking about? Or is mommy's name mother?"

Apollo furrowed his brows.

"...Is mommy confused?"

Willow sighed with exasperation.

"I... I really am not a mommy."

Apollo furrowed his brows.

"But why, mommy?"

Layla's furry ears twitched.

"Yeah, why?"

Willow took a deep breath. A sad smile emerged on her face.

"I suppose it's because... I never truly cared about someone."

Layla put a finger on her chin.

"Mmm... I don't get it."

Apollo pouted and tugged on Willow's arm.

"Ah, mommy doesn't care about me?"

Willow looked at Apollo, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling in her heart.

"...Not like how a mother is supposed to."

Apollo blinked a few times. He was speechless.

Layla looked at Apollo with curiosity.

"So... is this mommy?"

Apollo closed his eyes tightly, almost like he was in pain. He rubbed his temple with his knuckle.

After a few moments, he took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

"...No, it's not mommy."

Apollo released his grasp on Willow.

For some reason, despite being the one most insistent on it, Willow felt her heart drop hearing Apollo say those words. She was confused. Why did it feel like this?

She was supposed to be relieved.

...Willow slowly came to a realization. She wanted to be Apollo's mother, even if it wasn't the most logical.

Willow shook her head, casting these thoughts aside.

"Hah... Yes, my name is Willow."

Apollo nodded, though he was still pouting.

"Willow."

Layla turned her head to the side.

"Wah! So not mommy... but Willow! Does Willow want to be friends?"

Willow coughed a few times. It was only now that she realized how strange the situation was.

Didn't Apollo hate her?

And... who was this girl?

Willow wanted to pretend that the past never happened. However, she felt that running was no longer an option.

"Haha, I can be friends if... Apollo doesn't mind."

Apollo tilted his head to the side.

"...Why does my opinion matter?"

Willow smiled bitterly.

"Well... our relationship isn't the most smooth sailing."

Apollo blinked a few times, in a daze. He began to remember some of his times with Willow. He saw himself calling her mommy, while Willow would repeatedly stress that wasn't her name.

Apollo scratched the side of his head.

"Oh! I think I remember you! Sorry for getting your name wrong all the time."

Willow chuckled.

"Ah, that's fine."

She awkwardly coughed, stalling a little.

Willow worked up the courage to ask Apollo the question on her mind.

"Do you remember... when we fought?"

Apollo tilted his head to the side.

"What? Did we fight?"

Willow looked down.

"Um... yes. You were really mad at me. Then I ran away. Did you forget?"

Apollo rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger.

"Hmm...."