Chapter 112 May my Risa be safe and sound every day, and may she prosper year after year. ...
We said goodbye on the street, and the noise gradually faded behind us.
As night falls and the city lights begin to twinkle, the evening breeze in Kanagawa brings a cool and pleasant feeling.
The three walked side by side.
Kirihara chattered away, recounting the day's bowling match, especially relishing one of his lucky strikes.
"That shot was amazing! Right, Yukimura-senpai? Risa-nee, did you see it?"
“I saw it, I saw it! Our Akaya is the best!” Risa replied with a smile, her tone full of undisguised pride and doting, a typical “brother-complex” filter in full play.
Yukimura looked at the siblings beside him, a gentle smile playing on his lips. He listened to Kirihara's excited story, occasionally nodding and saying, "Hmm, well done." His thumb, which was holding Risa's hand, would habitually and casually stroke the back of her hand.
After walking for a while, Kirihara's excitement wore off, and weariness began to creep in.
"Tired?" Risa poked the seaweed's cheek. "We're almost home. Go back and get some rest."
Yukimura didn't mind that his girlfriend's attention had shifted to her younger brother. He released her hand and, under Risa's slightly puzzled gaze, naturally put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him.
As they approached the intersection near Kirihara's house, Kirihara rubbed his eyes and tactfully walked ahead, saying, "See you tomorrow, Yukimura-senpai."
"See you tomorrow, Akaya," Yukimura replied gently.
Risa, still worried, added, "Don't play games when you get back. Just take a shower and go to bed, okay?"
"Okay—" Kirihara replied in a drawn-out tone, waved his hand, and turned to run towards home.
Watching the boy's back as he regained some of his energy, Risa finally looked away and sighed softly, "Really, he's always like a child who never grows up."
"With a sister like you, it's hard for him to grow up." The tone was slightly teasing, but more than that, it showed affection for her gentle nature.
Risa playfully nudged him, without arguing. She moved closer to him, leaning almost half her weight on him.
Yukimura sensed his girlfriend's dependence, smiled, and hugged her even tighter.
The streetlights cast long shadows of the two people, which intertwined closely.
"Are you happy today?" Yukimura asked softly, returning to a topic that belonged only to them.
“I’m happy,” Risa replied. “I’m happy to be with everyone, and I’m happy to chat with Yuzuki and the others…” She paused, scratching his warm palm with her fingertips, “…The happiest thing is being with you like this.”
Yukimura stopped in his tracks.
Risa looked up in confusion, only to meet his gentle gaze.
He leaned down and kissed her forehead lightly, then pressed his forehead against hers, his deep, magnetic voice reaching her ears, "I'm so happy to be with Risa."
Risa's ears burned, and her heart raced. It was because of his suddenness, and also because of the subtle stimulation brought about by the current environment.
She glanced quickly at the gate of the Kirihara family mansion before standing on tiptoe and giving him a peck on the lips.
"Goodnight, Oichi."
"Goodnight, Risa." Yukimura reluctantly let go of her hand.
Risa walked to the door, put her hand on the doorknob, and couldn't help but turn back to look at him.
Yukimura stood there, the streetlight casting a soft glow on his silhouette. He gazed at her, his eyes tender and loving. Her heart softened; she longed to cross that distance and rush into his arms, never to be separated again.
But in the end, she just smiled at him, waved gently, and then turned and went inside.
Yukimura watched the door slowly close, paused for a moment, and then turned and left.
-
In April, the art university welcomed the start of the new semester.
Cherry blossoms fluttered in the air on campus, and the freshmen, full of dreams and high spirits, were a sight to behold.
Yukimura delayed his departure and accompanied Risa to the school to register.
“You really don’t need to come with me,” Risa said, but her hand was tightly wrapped around her boyfriend’s arm. “You just signed the contract, and if you take leave because of your relationship, the coach will have a problem with it.”
“Of course I have to come with you on the first day of school.” Yukimura tidied her wind-blown hair. “I want to see with my own eyes the place where Risa will be studying for the next four years.”
The reporting procedures went very smoothly.
The two walked side by side on campus, attracting too much attention. Before they knew it, an enthusiastic senior came up to Risa and asked for her contact information.
But before he could finish speaking, he automatically shut up, touched his nose, made an excuse, and slipped away, leaving Risa with a small question mark above her head.
She turned around in confusion, only to bump into her boyfriend's smiling purple eyes. His smile was warm and gentle, yet inexplicably sent chills down her spine—a true embodiment of the Black Lily.
Yukimura handed her a warm milk tea, his tone so gentle it could drown a person: "You've only been gone for less than ten minutes, and you've already attracted butterflies. Risa's charm is so captivating that even blinking feels like a luxury."
Risa took the milk tea, took a sip, and then responded in his ambiguous, half-smiling tone:
"Same here. In the time it takes to buy a cup of milk tea, at least two girls—oh no, I think there was also a guy asking you for your Line number, right? Shouldn't our city's charm that appeals to both men and women be 'disciplined' a bit more?"
The air went still for a second.
Immediately, a smile spread across Yukimura's eyes. He reached out and pulled her closer, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek.
Under the cherry blossom tree, the two looked at each other and smiled.
-
On the day Yukimura departed, Risa went to the airport to see him off.
Yukimura grabbed her hand before the boarding announcement came on.
“Risa, I have a gift for you.” He took out a velvet box.
The moment Risa opened the box, her breath hitched slightly. Inside was an antique gold bracelet, accompanied by a string of "Two Lives Together" beads.
She gazed at the warm light, her eyes welling up with tears.
On that lazy afternoon, she nestled beside him and casually mentioned the past.
In another world, her father gave her similar bracelets and beads, which were a testament to her parents' love and her warmest childhood memories.
Later, after her parents passed away and her younger brother fell ill, she had no choice but to painfully sell it for money...
"While I'm away, let them watch over you for me." Yukimura's voice roused her from her reverie.
He nodded and carefully put it on her.
"May my Risa be safe and sound every day, and may she prosper year after year."
"It's too valuable..."
Risa murmured softly, and when she looked up, she fell into his deep gaze.
"Nothing in the world is as precious as you."
He gazed at her, each word clear and solemn, landing on her heart: "Risa, in this life and the next, all joy will be connected to you."
Yukimura took her hand. The bracelets that Akaya had given her and the ones he had given her gently touched each other, making a soft and melodious sound.
He leaned down and placed a light kiss on her fingertips.
"So, your beloved younger brother..."
When he looked up, his gaze was as deep as the sea.
"With me, who loves you deeply, we can both be by your side."
The broadcast came on again; this time, it was truly time to part ways.
Risa stood on tiptoe, stretched out her arms and tightly wrapped them around his neck, kissing him goodbye.
A kiss filled with reluctance, promises, and intense emotions, deep and lingering, as if to imprint each other's essence in memory, to sustain them through the years of separation.
As their lips parted, their breaths mingled. He pressed his forehead against hers and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Take care of yourself while we're apart. Wait for me to come back, Risa."
Risa stood there, watching his figure pass through security until he disappeared. The noisy sounds of the airport seemed to be muffled by a layer of glass.
She subconsciously raised her hand, and the cool touch on her wrist and the surging warmth in her heart intertwined to create a sense of security.
We'll meet again soon.
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