Before this, Tarrant Hightopp, the royal hatter of Wonderland, had never kissed any strange girl.
During his childhood, a dispute with his father, Zanik, led him to encounter the most perfect head in the world - beneath a delicate, curly blond hair was a heart of extreme gentleness, and her facial expression was even more gentle than the reigning queen at that time. Especially, she was not only extraordinarily brave but even stepped into his family's hat shop during his childhood to measure her unique head circumference. However, the dispute with his father caused him to flee upstairs hastily, and since then, her figure gradually faded in his childhood memories, becoming an inaccessible phantom.
Later, he met many blond women in Wonderland, hoping to encounter her again. In reality, however, the ones he met were either women trapped in superstition or girls who had an inexplicable aversion to hats. During his teenage years, a blond girl became a part of his daily life, waiting in front of his house every day and eagerly inviting him to school: "Hightopp, shall we go to school together today?" She was radiant, with blond hair sparkling, somewhat reminding him of that golden hue from his memory. So, he decided to use time as a mirror to observe this blond girl carefully: "Okay, let's go."
As the eldest son of the family, Tarrant was responsible for helping manage the hat shop, which gave him little opportunity to immerse himself in the joys of school life. This made him appear lonely at school, accompanied only by the girl who suddenly appeared and his animal friends.
Suddenly one day, on the way home, the girl asked him, "Hightopp, do you have a crush on a girl?" At around fifteen or sixteen years old, he was somewhat flustered by this sudden emotional exploration: "How to define 'liking'?" The girl playfully jumped in front of him, with a cunning gleam in her eyes: "You have a special feeling for her, for example... you and me, you are a boy, I am a girl. Do you often think of me or... want to kiss me?" Tarrant stopped and pondered for a moment before slowly speaking: "If that's the case, I really like your blonde hair..." Before he could finish, the girl eagerly interrupted him: "That means you like me!" He smiled slightly, lowered his gaze, and continued softly: "I haven't finished yet. I don't quite understand what you mean by 'like'. But saying that reminds me of when I was a child, we had a customer who visited our store before, and she also has blonde hair like you, but much more curly and golden than you. There is a mole on the upper left corner of her lips, and she... is the most touching presence I have ever seen." After finishing, the girl left hastily without saying goodbye, leaving him with a vague and complicated figure from behind. Tarrant felt perplexed, and he never saw her again after that.
The great lover, the Cheshire Cat, who was only around the same age as Tarrant, immediately condemned him upon hearing his encounter: "Please miss this opportunity!" Tarrant sighed lightly, with a puzzled look in his eyes: "What do you know? That feeling is completely different." Seeing this, the Cheshire Cat shook his head with a bitter smile and sighed: "How about it? Do you like someone who is taller, older, and doesn't even know where they are now?" Tarrant responded decisively: "Exactly!" The Cheshire Cat helplessly rolled his eyes and left the windowsill of his house.
When Tarrant was first exposed to his youthful years, his long-term companionship with mercury gradually stained his heart with a touch of wildness and madness. He saw that girl at the market:"Tarrant!" The girl embraced him from behind, and a feeling both familiar and strange washed over him. "It's really strange," she murmured, her words wrapping around him like a riddle, "I feel like I've seen you somewhere before." Her statement entangled him in confusion, yet the perfection of her outline captivated him deeply.
"So you're saying that when you get younger and I get older, we meet?" he echoed, intrigued by the oddity and enigma of her words. Despite the perplexity, he was drawn to her. Determined to create something for her, he led her to his small stall, plucked a feather from a bird, and crafted a hat, presenting it to her with a smile.
Later, she disappeared again, leaving him wondering. Before she left, she warned him to cherish his family, a piece of advice that struck him as odd given his fiery temperament. It wasn't until Mr. Time came knocking on his door that he finally realized how deeply she had already etched herself into the fabric of his life.
The encounter was more than just a fleeting moment; it was a premonition of a timeless connection that transcended the conventional understanding of time and age. Tarrant began to reflect on his life, seeing glimpses of her in unexpected moments, realizing that she had always been there, guiding him subtly, even when absent physically.
Her advice about cherishing family resonated with him now, as he understood that every encounter, every relationship, was precious and should be nurtured with care. The hat he made for her became a symbol of their encounter—a tangible reminder of an intangible bond that defied the norms of time and existence.
And so, Tarrant continued on with his life, carrying the memory of her with him, always looking out for the next moment that might reveal more of their intertwined destiny. The girl, a mystery wrapped in an enigma, had left an indelible mark on his heart, forever altering his perception of time, love, and the intricate tapestry of life.