get married
The late autumn dawn bathed Yumenosaki Academy in a golden glow. Though the cherry blossoms on the back hill had all fallen, the branches were still laden with Hoshino's signature silver bell flowers. Kokoro stood at the end of the path carpeted with maple leaves, her white dress adorned with the same maple leaf embroidery as the brooch she wore when she crossed over. In the distance came the sound of an organ, Eichi's arrangement of the wedding march, "Hoshino Renka," for her.
As Yingzhi walked along the petal path, Xinyu noticed the maple leaf brooch she had made herself pinned next to his student council badge on his chest—it was now shimmering with a strange halo, as if starlight connecting two worlds.
"Under the starry sky of Hoshino, you taught me the true meaning of love." Eichi's voice trembled slightly as he knelt on one knee, taking out a ring box wrapped in ginkgo leaves from his sleeve. "In the morning light of Yumenosaki, I want to spend the rest of my life proving that love can transcend the boundaries of time and space."
Xin Yu's fingertips traced the "Forever" engraved on the inside of the ring, and she suddenly remembered the scene when they first met, and Ying Zhi played the piano for her. She tiptoed and kissed Ying Zhi's lips: "Silly, this time you have to add 'forever'."
The wedding was held under the starry dome of the chapel, with Rei Sakuma and Aira seated among the guests. When the priest asked if they accepted each other completely, Eichi suddenly held up the maple leaf brooch: "Including her identity as a transmigrator, including the regret that she may never be able to return to her original world."
Xin Yu's tears dripped onto the wildflowers she was holding. She took the microphone and said, "Including his responsibilities as student council president, including his occasional stubbornness and gentleness." When the whole audience applauded, she saw herself reflected in Ying Zhi's eyes, just like the starry sky on the night they first met.
During the ring exchange, Eichi took out a pair of special wedding rings—the inside of which were engraved with Hoshino's coordinates and Yumenosaki's latitude and longitude. The moment the rings touched, the starry sky in the dome of the hall suddenly began to flow, as if the stars of two worlds were converging at that moment.
"Now, please, newlyweds, drink the nuptial wine together," the priest's voice rang out. Yingzhi raised the silver cup filled with maple leaf wine, then suddenly turned to Xinyu: "This cup is a toast to our meeting that transcends time and space;" then turned to the guests: "This cup is a toast to all who believe in true love."
As Xinyu's lips touched the rim of the glass, she heard Yingzhi whisper in her ear, "You see, love really can create miracles." Looking up, she saw the stained-glass windows of the auditorium refracting the sunlight into a rainbow, which fell on the maple leaf brooch, shimmering with eternal light.
After the wedding, the newlyweds went to the largest cherry blossom tree on the back hill. Yingzhi took out a wooden box from his pocket, inside which was the diary that Xinyu had brought with her when she traveled through time, and their marriage certificate was tucked inside.
"From today onward," Yingzhi placed the diary in Xinyu's palm, "our story will have a new chapter." He pointed to the newly formed silver bell flower buds on the treetop, "just like these flowers, even when not in bloom, they will still bloom for those who are important to you."
Xinyu leaned on his shoulder, watching the sunset stretch their shadows long across the carpet of maple leaves. In the distance, the school bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, but at that moment, the world seemed to consist only of them. As the first star appeared on the horizon, she whispered, "Look, our star is rising."
Yingzhi kissed her forehead: "No, that's our shared future."
Xinyu gently patted his shoulder and said, "Maybe it's us."
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