I picked up Yingzhi like I was a cat.
Eichi gave her a gift with the word "Forever" written on it, recording every little detail of their journey from Hoshino to Yumenosaki.
The strawberry cake and wild honey they enjoyed at the cake shop at noon now flowed warmly into their stomachs. Xinyu curled up beside Yingzhi like a lazy cat, her cheeks flushed with a faint blush from afternoon drowsiness. Suddenly, she stretched out her arms and gently hugged Yingzhi like a plush toy. This action caused the poetry book in Yingzhi's hands to slip from his grasp, and a dried maple leaf bookmark fluttered out from between the pages—a memento they had picked up together by the Hoshino campfire.
"You ate too much at lunch," Yingzhi chuckled softly, her fingers gently stroking Xinyu's hair like playing a tender piano piece, "like a greedy little kitten."
Unconsciously, Xin Yu's fingertips caressed the maple leaf brooch, the word "Forever" engraved on the inside gleaming warmly in the morning light. She remembered how attentive Ying Zhi was when feeding her strawberry cake at the cake shop; she remembered every promise he made during their drive; she remembered how focused he was when he played "Hoshino Renka" for her by the campfire in Hoshino.
"Then you can be my pillow," Xinyu said softly, a hint of mischief in her voice, "like being by the campfire in Hoshino."
Yingzhi gently pulled Xinyu into his arms, their breaths mingling into a warm current. Xinyu snuggled against him like a kitten, searching for the most comfortable position. Yingzhi's fingers lightly stroked her back, like playing a nocturne about love.
"You know what?" Eichi said softly, her voice tender, "Back in Hoshino, I always loved to hold you and listen to you tell stories of the present world."
Tears welled in Xinyu's eyes as she recalled the promise Yingzhi had made to her by the campfire in Xingye: "No matter what the future holds, I will always be by your side." Now, in the bedroom on this afternoon, that promise felt even more real and heartwarming.
As the afternoon sun gradually slanted westward, Xinyu gently raised her head and looked at Yingzhi's focused profile. She suddenly remembered the maple leaf brooch he had given her during their drive, with the word "Together" engraved on the inside.
"Yingzhi," Xinyu said softly, her voice firm, "no matter what the future holds, I will always be by your side."
Yingzhi smiled and gently kissed her forehead: "Because of love, all boundaries can be transcended; because of love, people from two different worlds can be closely connected."
Bathed in the afternoon sunlight, their figures clung tightly together. From their first encounter with Hoshino, to Yumenosaki's wedding, and their honeymoon in Singapore, their love story now took on a new dimension in this afternoon's bedroom. This afternoon, like a seed, took root and sprouted in their hearts, foreshadowing an even brighter future.
Xinyu gently stroked the maple leaf brooch, the word "Together" engraved on the inside gleaming warmly in the afternoon sunlight. She remembered the promise Yingzhi made to her by the campfire in the starry sky; she remembered the sweet moments they shared at the cake shop; she remembered every promise he made during their drive. Now, in this bedroom on this afternoon, their love had entered a new chapter.
Under the starry sky of Yumenosaki, their love story will never end, like a sweet ballad, gently sung through time.
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