The sunny boy in Cardcaptor Sakura

Chapter 671 IF Path: The Promise

Under the cover of night, the boisterous sounds of laughter and joy dispelled the heavy atmosphere that had settled in the cabin.

Tomoyo, who was hiding in a corner with a camera, immediately spotted Sakura, who was the first to emerge from the Ferris wheel cabin, and her red-rimmed eyes.

The sight of her clearly having shed tears tugged at Tomoyo's heartstrings, and she quickly ran over to her.

"Sakura!"

"Tomoyo?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Sakura turned her head in confusion: "What are you doing here?"

"Why I'm here isn't important, but Sakura, you..."

Tomoyo frowned slightly, reached out and gently stroked Sakura's still red eyes, and asked with heartache, "Have you been crying? What happened?"

When asked, Sakura forced a smile and said, "It's okay."

"Sakura..."

Seeing this, Tomoyo probably guessed what was going on. Feeling sorry for Sakura, she couldn't help but say, "If you need company or someone to talk to, I'll always be here."

"Yes, thank you, Tomoyo."

On the other side, Xia Yu, who had just stepped out of the cockpit, felt a sense of relief when he saw Tomoyo suddenly appear beside Sakura.

Although he didn't know why Tomoyo was here, it was fortunate that she was here, otherwise he might still be struggling with whether or not to take Sakura home.

He and Sakura clearly need to calm down, but he can't let Sakura go home alone. If Tomoyo is there, she can stay by Sakura's side in his place.

"Hey, did you make my sister cry?"

Suddenly, a rather unpleasant voice came from the side. Xia Yu turned his head and saw that everything went black. After squinting and looking closely, he realized that the person who spoke was Touya.

Although Xia Yu didn't say anything, Touya had some reason to feel that the kid in front of him seemed to be thinking about something very rude.

He smirked, revealing a slightly terrifying smile, and slammed his hand on Xia Yu's head, saying viciously, "You not only made my sister cry, but it seems you're also making fun of me in your mind."

Xia Yu: "..."

"Tch, although I don't know what happened, I can tell you're not feeling too good about it. Be thankful you didn't do it on purpose, otherwise..."

"hiss--"

Tao Shi tightened his grip, and Xia Yu's eyes twitched as he gasped.

"Hmph! Don't think this matter will end so easily." After administering the punishment, Touya turned and walked towards his part-time job, which wasn't over yet.

Watching Touya's departing figure, Xia Yu reached out and rubbed his head, letting out a soft sigh.

What kind of situation is this? How is he supposed to face Sakura after today?

The next day.

After Christmas, everything returned to normal, but with the winter break approaching, the atmosphere for studying was very strong.

However, the intense atmosphere did not affect Xia Yu. For him, even the final exam papers were not much more difficult than the regular test papers.

And so, the morning slowly passed, and lunch break arrived.

"Xia, would you like to have lunch together?"

Suddenly, Sakura's voice rang out from beside her. She was holding a beautifully packaged bento box and looked on expectantly.

Before Xia Yu could answer, she continued, "I have something I want to say to you, just the two of us."

"..."

After a few seconds of silence, Xia Yu took a deep breath, stood up, and nodded, saying, "Let's go." "Okay!"

Sakura smiled and left the classroom with Xia Yu. Tomoyo, who had stayed in the classroom at Sakura's request, watched the two leave with some worry.

Once the two figures were out of sight, she turned her gaze away, clenched her fists and placed them on her chest, whispering, "Sakura, you must succeed."

Meanwhile, downstairs in the teaching building.

At the bench.

After coming downstairs, Xia Yu and Xiao Ying sat down together. Xiao Ying then opened her lunchbox and handed it to Xia Yu.

"I made cherry blossom rice balls." Her eyes darted around a little, but she still kept her back straight.

"Also...yesterday on the Ferris wheel, I didn't understand your thoughts or your feelings, yet I said those things without thinking. I'm sorry."

Xia Yu didn't take Xiaoying's lunchbox, but calmly looked at her and replied, "You don't need to apologize, this is not your fault."

Upon hearing this, Sakura bit her lip, hugged the lunchbox to her chest again, and suddenly said, "I told Dad about this last night."

"!?"

Xia Yu looked at her suddenly, and noticing Xia Yu's astonishment, she quickly shook her head: "But I didn't talk about you. I just asked Dad about his preferences and age."

“I told my dad that I had fallen for someone much older than me, but that person thought I was too young and couldn’t accept my feelings. Then my dad told me about him and my mom.”

Sakura's lips curled slightly, and she continued softly, yet with a strange power, "My parents are also quite far apart in age. He told me that the most precious thing in a relationship isn't 'the right time,' but 'sincere feelings.'"

He said that when he fell in love with his mother, there was a nearly ten-year age gap between them, but the two of them proved over time that their feelings for each other were not impulsive.

At this point, Sakura suddenly raised her head, looked directly into his eyes, and said, "Xia-kun, I know I'm still young and can't make promises like an adult."

"But I don't want you to dismiss everything because of your 'age,' if you're willing..."

She took a deep breath, as if summoning all her courage, and said firmly, "Can you wait for me for six years? After six years, I will definitely have grown up and understood the meaning of love and responsibility. Then, you can... reconsider, okay?"

Xia Yu looked at the undisguised expectation in Xiao Ying's eyes. There was no coercion in that expectation, only an awkward determination to get closer.

Sakura didn't ask him to accept her feelings six years later; instead, she told him to reconsider after six years.

Considering something means making a choice, and it also means that Sakura has thought it through seriously, rather than making a decision on impulse.

Feeling the respect Xiaoying showed him, Xia Yu suddenly lowered his head and said, "I'm sorry, Xiaoying. I shouldn't have insisted that you hadn't grown up yesterday. I... was too arrogant. You are actually very mature and brave."

The sudden apology startled Xiaoying, but she quickly smiled and said, "It's okay. I was a bit too much last night. I said so much without knowing you, Xia."

"Now that we've both apologized, we've made peace."

After she finished speaking, she handed over the lunchbox she was holding and asked, "Would you like to try some?"

Gazing at the pink and white cherry blossom rice balls, Xia Yu's thoughts drifted away. He had once thought that the age difference was an insurmountable chasm, a red line in ethics.

However, watching the girl in front of him make her choice and make a promise in her own way, he suddenly realized that perhaps what he had been resisting all along was not age, but the fear that he could not bear this real affection that transcended time and space.

"Um……"

Xia Yu finally reached out, picked up a pinkish-white rice ball, put it in his mouth and took a bite. After chewing and swallowing, he smiled slightly.

"tasty."

Sakura's eyes lit up instantly, and she exclaimed happily, "Yes! This is what Dad taught me to make. I added a little bit of honey, so it's not too salty..."

She chattered on about how to do it, sunlight filtering through the leaves and falling on her face, her smile gradually dispelling the gloom that had preceded her.

Looking at that smile, Xia Yu suddenly realized that he no longer seemed so determined to push away that beam of light.

(End of this chapter)