Travel through the daily life of the dragon clan

Chapter 593, The Azaleas on the Mountain and the Boy

Chapter 593, The Azaleas on the Mountain and the Boy (The End)
"A super tsunami that swept across the entire country... Wouldn't that destroy the whole city? What about the people who didn't leave?"

I read the newspapers left behind by customers, and sat in the shop in a daze as usual.

The torrential rain continues.

Today, right before our eyes, a wave that seems to connect with the sky has appeared.

The waves moved towards the land.

Just by looking across the sea, the entire island is transformed into a sea of darkness, with waves that raise the sea level above the small island by tens of meters and head towards the land.

And here I am again today. The newspaper left by the guest is already read to its last page. I couldn't tell her about it. Because I can't leave.

"Good morning, Master Beiyang."

In the pitch-black, white, and torrential rain, on a stormy day with howling winds.

A beautiful young woman wearing a beige dress appeared.

A gust of wind blew, and beneath her long skirt, which clung tightly to her skin, her calves appeared excessively pale, as if from the cold. Below, there was nothing.

She was wearing only a thin, long dress. She had never worn anything like that before.

But seeing the long skirt soaked through and fluttering in the downpour, even without such terrible weather and temperature, still gave me a certain stinging feeling.

"Good morning... That's... that outfit, to keep warm."

"Well, it's because the rain is about to stop, Master Beiyang."

Completely unclear.

"Is that so? That's..."

I had a vague feeling that something was going on...

I didn't want her to notice anything, but my tone of voice was clearly nasal.

Romanov stood at the boundary between the rainy night and the indoor lights, staring straight at me.

"Master Beiyang, how are you?"

"..."

I didn't know, so I remained silent.

This must be the last day. Our paths will never cross again.

Is this okay? Is this really an acceptable ending? I don't know.

"Is that so? Oh, I see... Please keep warm. The temperature at sea may be very low right now."

To hide my true feelings, I treated her purely professionally.

Because the rain was about to stop, even though I couldn't tell from the weather at all, I still led her to the beach.

She followed silently behind me, then boarded the boat and sat down next to me.

I know what to say.

This is the first time.

Was I like that back then?

I do not know.

"...This is the first time I've ever seen such scenery."

I nodded at her whisper.

The surging waves made it seem as if the entire sky was slowly sinking.

The water and sky were shrouded in a light gray, gradually turning white.

Birds chirped as they flew over the top of the steamboat, as if to announce that the disaster was truly over.

despite this.

The scenery here isn't beautiful either.

It will not bring me joy.

The camellias and rhododendrons have all fallen, leaving the land bare. A layer of fallen leaves floats on the sea, already decayed and faded.

This sorrow and loneliness perfectly complement today's farewell.

"Master Beiyang, thank you for waiting for me all this time."

Romanov's voice sounded much softer than usual.

So, she seems different today.

I initially thought it was because she was wearing a long skirt.

But upon closer inspection now, it becomes clear that things are not like that.

It's like some kind of negative influence that's been peeled off, though that might be a bit of an exaggeration.

But things are really different now.

She certainly wouldn't suddenly wake up and look around like that anymore.

"...From the moment we met until now, and even more so, I am deeply grateful for your trust in me and the ride you've given me."

Ah... Romanov, at our first meeting, was like a lonely, beautiful wild beast that had been abandoned.

"It may seem strange to say this to someone I've met here a few times. But Mr. Beiyang, you've always been willing... yes, willing to believe me..."

That heart found warmth.

She truly, truly grew from a wild, beast-like girl into a beautiful woman.

“Thank you very much for this. Now I understand that it may be insignificant to you... but I am really happy to have met you, yes, I am very happy to have met you.”

--it's over.

“I must not be a likable guest. I can’t perceive other people’s thoughts as sensitively as you do. But you affirmed my terrible self and affirmed my efforts.”

--it's all over.

"Although it didn't help much, I'm really grateful to you."

Please, don't say anything else.

"Thank you very much."

Please stop talking.

"There's one more thing I'd like to tell you."

—I don't want to hear it.

“Master Beiyang, I’m already married to him.”

—Don't do that.

“We got married. Master Beiyang. I know that there are still many people in the world who are struggling and suffering.”

These words are only consuming our last moments.

“I know very well how lucky I am.”

—The last bit of time that belongs to us.

"I will affirm your choice of whom you choose to wait here, just as you affirm my choice."

—Like bubbles in water, it is disappearing.

"Just stick to your choice. Whatever the outcome, I will support you, just as you trusted me in the first place."

—By acknowledging who you were back then, I am acknowledging who I am now.

I let out a sob.

Yes, I cried.

It's truly dereliction of duty for a captain to cry while piloting a steamboat.

But Romanov did not blame me.

I wiped away my tears with my sleeve again and again while steering the steamboat.

This is the first time in my life I've felt so embarrassed and ashamed.

Father, Mother.

I called out amidst the rhododendrons and camellias, everything still as vivid in my memory as it had happened just a few days ago.

"...Romanov, don't forget me."

I cried and talked like a fool.

"Okay. Although you said 'don't forget me,' I think we will meet again, even if it's a long time. I will come again."

"...You're lying...! Many people have said that. But no one, no one anymore..."

“You have always trusted me, I would not lie to you.”

"You're lying... Don't try to comfort me... You, in the past... would never have said these things, would you?"

As if about to crash into it, the steamboat docked at the shore.

Under the intense impact, tears fell like raindrops outside.

"...Sorry, you can go now."

I pressed my head against the control panel.

Ah, Romanov has to disembark.

I'm just a hotel owner, and she's my guest. This is where we should end it. This is the end. "Please continue to trust me."

I wanted to wipe away my tears and see this girl off one last time.

"This is our promise. I will never forget you, and I will remember to come back to see you. Master Beiyang... I believe in you, just as you believe in me. Please don't forget."

I felt a touch on my back; it was Romanov's arm.

I turned toward her.

In this terrible world.

In my terrible life.

We met.

I hate this world, I hate my life, and I hate myself.

But, my God...

"In a café in Akihabara, Tokyo, there lives a not-so-great waiter who always believes in you. Please don't forget that."

The world is still a beautiful place.

I think even these things alone are enough to make me wait for decades again.

I couldn't help but laugh.

I don't know if she was laughing at her own foolishness or at her profound tenderness.

It makes me cry, and it makes me smile.

Miss Romanov.

"You're not lying to me, you really won't forget me?"

"I'm not lying to you, I won't forget. I have a very good memory."

"...It's a promise, one day, one day."

"Ah."

"One day, I will change myself like you did, and then I will come to you. Can you believe me? Will you wait for me...? I, I actually..."

"Yes, I believe you."

“But I can’t do it right away. I still have the shop, my family… Even though they’re gone, I still have them.”

"Ah."

Even so, even if that's the case.

"Yes, I will wait for you."

"Goodbye... When we meet again, it will surely be a wonderful day."

"...Yes, when we meet again, it will definitely be a wonderful day."

*
Someday, let's meet again. Zero Razumovskaya Romanov.

*
...

...

Her azure eyes opened.

The heavy rain gradually subsided, leaving only a light drizzle, with spiderweb-like threads hanging down.

The lifeboat glided into the square, and passengers rushed out, searching for something.

A girl with blue eyes neatly smoothed out the wrinkles in the hem of her off-white dress and elegantly opened her umbrella.

She didn't seem to be waiting for someone, nor did she seem to be lost.

Instead, it stood there motionless, like a machine without any purpose.

She didn't seem surprised by anything, much less likely to start running; she was more like an impeccable lady.

But the girl suddenly spotted a spot in the endless stream of people in the square.

The blue eyes seemed to have detected something.

The moment she saw that person, her deep blue eyes widened slightly, and then she rushed over.

The black umbrella flew into the sky, her skirt billowing and swaying with her movements.

Her coiled, pale golden hair swayed as well.

She ran forward.

The other person also pushed through the crowd and approached her.

Twenty steps, ten steps, five steps. The person approaching the crowd stopped, standing exactly three steps away.

But she didn't stop.

"Zhuo, welcome back."

She threw herself into his arms, hugged him tightly, and buried her face in his chest.

"Ah, I'm back. I'm so happy you came to greet me."

"...I'm very happy too."

Something was slowly flowing in her blood.

Joy, love, peace, and all the other emotions that accompanied them transformed into starlight, crackling and burning from their chests to the top of their heads.

The girl who used to be cold and indifferent to the world has now fallen completely in love.

This place is filled with lovers and families reunited after a great disaster.

Here, Mr. and Mrs. Utsunomiya's embrace went unnoticed; it was just another scene to be seen everywhere.

Their intimate interaction is just a typical part of their daily life.

However, upon opening the scroll titled 'Washing and Zero,' one can discover that these two people, who are from completely different worlds, have gone through countless trials to finally become who they are today.

"Oh, sorry, what did you say? I didn't hear you. What did you say?"

Because she was being held in Mr. Utsunomiya's arms, her words were dismissed as indistinct murmurs, and Mrs. Utsunomiya had no intention of replying again.

"..."

"Oh, oh oh—(reading aloud)... Okay, Zero, I heard you, but I didn't react at first. Now I understand, so do you want to hear what I have to say?"

"No, I don't want to."

"That won't work..."

Mrs. Utsunomiya felt the warm breath on her head, her voice as light as the wind.

"You've worked so hard all this time, thank you so much, Zero. It was so sudden, but thank you, thank you for making me a father."

Mrs. Utsunomiya's eyebrows subtly curved into a smile. She knew her husband had accepted.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of that divinely inspired hand and gently grasped it.

Mrs. Utsunomiya's eyes flickered slightly as she looked at the two holding hands tightly and blinked.

"bald."

The two walked separately through the crowd, and she felt a pang of nostalgia for the way they used to walk hand in hand amidst the hustle and bustle.

"what happened?"

Do you think I've become a bit like a child?

Seriously. They're like little kids in love.

"Do you feel you can't be a good mother?"

"Yes. Most of my memories are from growing up in Black Swan Harbor. My parents didn't leave me with a positive impression either... I feel like I..."

Having lacked the relevant experiences growing up, even if she made up her mind, she still couldn't feel at ease.

"Haha, is that so? Oh, I see..."

Did I say something wrong?

"No, nothing at all. But Zero, you should also understand that if you put in even half the effort you would put into taking care of me, that would be enough to be an excellent mother."

"...Is that so...Indeed, thinking back, our interactions were indeed very much like that. I understand."

"Although you answered 'I understand,' if we actually split it in half... well, I might get jealous."

"That won't happen."

"is it?"

Mr. Utsunomiya expressed disbelief.

The little girl who used to stand coldly at the door of her home has now become a soon-to-be mother, holding hands with someone.

Utsunomiya's mother blinked.

"I guarantee it. We can train, at most one-tenth."

"One-tenth? Haha... Is that so? You think I won't be jealous? Rei Utsunomiya."

"That can be discussed further. It's not fair that you haven't told me about your share yet."

"Haha, that's fair. I hope you remember Mrs. Utsunomiya. This is Japan, and it's a family with a strong male chauvinist culture."

"Even so, you should have told me. This isn't fair..."