Chapter 41 Placing a Wreath on Your Beloved "Don't you also have one...?"
Do you like me a little bit too?
He eagerly sought confirmation from you, his nose pressing close to yours, brushing against your cheek, his breath warm on your face.
"Good partner, tell me quickly—"
You didn't expect him to be so direct.
But his feelings were too pure and too intense. You've never seen anything like this before. You could only silently recite "form is emptiness, emptiness is form," pretending not to see his bright blue eyes, and your gaze wandered for a moment.
"……Um."
You ultimately couldn't resist his temptation, but you weren't as shameless as he was. You just blushed and hid behind him, replying with a single syllable.
"What does 'hmm' mean?" Bai E wouldn't accept your evasion or perfunctory answers, giving you no chance to avoid the question, and pressed on, "Does it mean you like me a lot? Or is it just a little bit?"
But you can't push him too hard; he understands the importance of using both soft and hard tactics.
So he softened his voice, "I want to hear what you have to say. Okay?"
You closed your eyes.
"I've given up entirely," she said rapidly, "—I really like you! I mean I really like you…!"
You blushed deeply as you spoke, but Bai E couldn't help but giggle, making you pinch him in embarrassment.
Bai E didn't dodge, letting you pinch her, her smile impossible to hide, and instead took the opportunity to grab your outstretched hand.
"Are you deliberately trying to make me look bad...!" you said, feeling both ashamed and indignant.
"No, not at all," he said innocently. "How can this be considered embarrassing?... It's actually quite cute."
The puppy doesn't understand human intricacies; the puppy simply loves humans too much.
I love it when people touch his head, scratch his chin, cry while hugging his shoulders, glare at him... It's a little embarrassing to say, but I still love it.
Anything was fine, but right now his heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of his chest. He couldn't control himself; he desperately wanted to say something to ease the itch in his heart, to let his human know how much he loved her—
He loves you so much that just seeing you makes all the long wait worthwhile. It's as if he was born to support this world and to meet you.
Appearance doesn't matter; what matters is that ordinary day, that ordinary sunset, when a golden light suddenly shone in his palm, just like the beginning of countless adventures he had been looking forward to. Before even seeing what you look like, he had already developed a vague feeling for his guide and partner.
He has come to understand that he shouldn't make decisions for you, nor should he imprison you in the name of love. Sometimes, out of boredom, he would borrow your library to read, trying to learn some extraterrestrial knowledge. In the vast ocean of knowledge, he came across that book, which told him that conversations should not be between bodies, but between two souls.
You raised him and didn't reject his advances.
Then it's settled, we can never abandon him.
Bai Er seemed to have made up his mind, and pulled a small floral wreath ring from his pocket.
Do you remember it?
He carefully took your left hand and placed that small, flexible thing into your closed palm.
"The one from when I was a child, now that I think about it, it was really a bit ugly."
He curled the corners of his mouth, looking quite smug. "You actually dared to praise me back then. But after all this time, I'm quite skilled now. Pretty good, right?"
You opened your hand and saw the wreath.
—When I was little, it was because of your sphere of light form. Although Bai E was making a normal wreath back then, it looked as big as a ring to you outside the screen.
Now that you're in his life, and it's shaped like a ring, what does that represent?
The ring was made from an unknown material and is silver in color, looking much more delicate than the grass stems.
Blue forget-me-nots adorn the main part of the wreath, interspersed with several colorful little flowers, crowded together, but the overall color scheme is still blue and gold.
The petals still look very fresh; I wonder what methods Bai E used to keep them looking this way.
But... given his aesthetic sense, how could he possibly create such a sophisticated flower wreath?
You glanced at him, disbelieving.
Bai E immediately understood what you meant.
"What do you really think of me..." he conceded, "...Okay, actually I did ask Ms. Aglaia for help. The flowers' preservation is also thanks to Teacher Xia's alchemy."
"Did that woman pick out the color for you?"
At that moment, Xia accepted the bouquet of forget-me-nots:
"In her area of expertise, I can only say she did a fairly good job. However, your flamboyant sense of style is really questionable. In my eyes, you'd better be more normal."
“And this bouquet… a wreath.” Xia scoffed. “…Love. I noticed it a long time ago. And now you say you haven’t dated? It’s ridiculous. My student, after graduation, actually needs his teacher’s help to confess to someone else—”
“I know this request is somewhat impolite… but would you be willing to help me, my master?” Bai E asked.
Xia turned and walked towards the alchemy room. "...Stop talking. I didn't say I wouldn't help."
...
"Should I wear it?" he asked somewhat nervously.
You snap out of your emotional trance, blink, and deliberately ask, "What if I say I don't want to wear it?"
You tilt your head slightly and feel his white wisps of hair brushing against your cheek, which feels a little uncomfortable. You then realize that his ears are already bright red.
Upon hearing this, Bai E paused for a moment, feeling somewhat disappointed, but still smiled and said, "...It's okay if you don't want to wear it. I respect whatever decision you make."
“…Idiot,” you said.
Bai E doesn't know why you suddenly started cursing at him.
The term "idiot" was clearly unfamiliar to him. From childhood to adulthood, he had always been a model student in the eyes of his teachers. He was physically fit, loved exercising, and was exceptionally talented. Even when he wasn't good at something, he maintained a proper attitude. He was the quintessential "other people's child."
But he just smiled good-naturedly and said indulgently:
"Idiot? Me?... But whatever my partner says is right."
"You're such an idiot." You muttered, hastily wiping away the remaining tears from the corners of your eyes. Feeling that you had composed yourself, you felt a strange, inexplicable awkwardness seeing his completely indulgent expression. "You big idiot!"
Bai E just smiled.
It's a bit too quiet here. The alleyways are winding and a bit far from the center of the market; sometimes you can hear hurried footsteps passing by.
But there are no shops here. The locals are too lazy to look at the scenery of their own area, and the residents of Ohma have long been tired of the holy city's scenery, so even with the magnificent wisteria waterfall, no one comes in.
You catch a whiff of the sweet fragrance of flowers, unsure whether it's wisteria or forget-me-nots.
Under Bai E's burning gaze, you hesitated for a moment.
Move the wreath to your middle finger.
His eyes blinked.
Move it to your index finger.
His smile faded, and the corners of his mouth tightened.
Move it to your thumb.
"partner--"
Bai'er couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed your right hand, muttering that the game wasn't fun at all, and her face turned slightly red with anxiety.
“You’re always like this,” he said, feigning a complaint. “I give up, I give up, stop teasing me.”
You then let him off the hook, satisfied, saying, "I won't tease you anymore. But you can't wear this one yet."
As you spoke, you found a plain necklace to match the unique floral wreath ring, strung it around your neck, and tucked it into your collar.
You're not rejecting him, you're just wearing it on your finger... like making a promise. This promise should be more formal and serious, not just about the two of you, but also about the positions you hold dear, the land beneath your feet.
“It’s too fast to put it on now. We should wait until a suitable and stable time before we talk about this slowly,” you said. “Besides… well—if someone sees it, I’ll have a hard time explaining it when I get back.”
Bai E is still laughing there. If Teacher Dan Heng found out, he might be so angry that he would give him ten rounds of washing machine service with the Azure Dragon Cleansing the World.
And what about March 7th, Kafka, Himeko, and Uncle Yang...? How should I tell them?
Bai E slumped down, "Okay... I know."
He said in a very low voice, barely audible, “...Then let’s be quiet.”
He is much taller than you, and his fluffy hair droops as he sighs. You reach out and ruffle his hair.
Bai Er lowered his head a little lower, to make you feel comfortable. He submissively let you ruffle his hair into a mess.
You tell him, "It's not that we want to keep it secret. It's just... everyone understands our relationship, but we can't be too obvious and announce it everywhere. At this crucial moment, let's finish what we're doing first."
Bai E pursed her lips.
There's a lot of draft in the alleyways, but the temperature in Ohmma is very even, so the wind is light, almost gentle.
This gentle breeze brushes against your battle robes and shirts, scattering your white and gray hair, your blue and golden eyes, like two dandelions drifting in the wind.
He was a little embarrassed, but still very much looking forward to it:
"...Can I have a kiss?"
You blinked, not having heard clearly, "What?"
Bai E smiled, but compared to his usual cheerful smile, the curve of his lips was shy, and two blushes appeared on his fair face.
“…Partner,” he calls you, “my dear partner…may I kiss you? Those bards all say that romance begins with a kiss…”
Seeing you blinking at him without saying a word, he felt guilty and flustered, so he quickly tried to cover it up:
"...Of course I won't force you if you don't want to, I just... I just couldn't control myself... The atmosphere is too good, it's all because of this wind—"
You leaned in and pressed your lips to his.
Bai E seemed to freeze as if he had been electrocuted.
His mouth was slightly open, as if he hadn't yet understood what had just happened, nor had he grasped the strange feeling of that fleeting warm touch on his lips, before you left.
You sighed, "...I knew Xiaobai was an idiot."
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Author's Note: Fun fact: In ancient Rome, brides wore flower wreaths at their weddings. Everyone knows what rings mean... so this man's intentions are quite obvious.
The choice of forget-me-not flowers was based on the official magazine cover of Bai'er. Whether it's actually forget-me-not or philodendron is debatable, but for the sake of the plot, please just consider it forget-me-not. [Please!]
This chapter adapts the following:
① "Not through bodies, but between two souls" — Jane Eyre: "Now I am not speaking to you according to custom or tradition, nor through this mortal body, but my soul is speaking to your soul, as if our souls were standing equally at the feet of God through the grave, for we were originally equal!"
②“...concerning the position you hold fast to, the land beneath your feet”—“To the Oak Tree”: “Love—not only for your majestic form, but also for the position you hold fast to, the land beneath your feet.” (This poem is so perfect for beginners, sob sob)
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