I've never felt happy to become an immortal.

Chapter 231 Only after parting did we begin to look forward to reunion.

Overnight, all the cherry blossoms in Bunkyo Ward were in full bloom.

The managers, who had been worried about whether to replace all the cherry blossom trees, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The students saw the cherry blossoms in full bloom on both sides of the street early in the morning.

This is actually no longer the early cherry blossom season, but rather near the end of the cherry blossom season.

With such a large-scale bloom, even walking on the street feels like strolling through a cherry blossom forest, with pink petals falling everywhere like a dream.

This peculiar phenomenon once trended on social media, ranking among the top three topics on popular platforms.

This also attracted many tourists to Bunkyo Ward to take photos.

……

When Ren Qinglan got up early, she saw the cherry blossoms in the courtyard blooming. Then she saw the old lady's white hair turn black again, and even grow to the length of her back. She even wore the hair clip she used to wear when she was young. She sat under the cherry blossom tree, chatting and laughing with a young girl in a kimono.

This scene seems unbelievable no matter how you look at it.

It wasn't just that the old lady looked younger; she also felt younger herself.

Yesterday my skin improved and my appearance recovered, and today I feel more energetic, as if I've suddenly returned to my twenties.

Young people may find it difficult to perceive the decline in physical function that comes with age, while older people are particularly sensitive to these changes.

"What's that?" She nudged her son's side with her elbow. "What's going on here?"

Bai Xuan shook his head, feigning ignorance: "I can't."

Ren Qinglan asked again, "Who is that?"

Bai Xuan continued to shake his head: "I don't recognize him... He looks like he might be an acquaintance or friend of Grandma?"

"Their ages are quite different." Ren Qinglan stroked her chin and muttered to herself, "It feels like strange things have been happening one after another since I came to Japan. I didn't even have a low blood pressure attack when I woke up this morning. Is this really some kind of retirement paradise?"

Bai Xuan remained silent, secretly thinking that he should try to control the degree of change in the future.

He can use the precious medicine from the other side to continuously improve the physical condition of his family members, but he cannot administer too much at once, as this will only arouse their suspicion.

However, Ren Qinglan is a seasoned businessman who has seen many strange phenomena both at home and abroad. Although the current situation is odd, it does not seem to be harmful.

The value of being content is contentment, which also includes accepting things you don't know. A strong thirst for knowledge and curiosity can often lead to disaster, so wise people should know how to control their desires.

The pretty mom didn't pursue the matter further.

Bai Xuan also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

……

The Hanekawa family became even more lively that day, with one more person in their household.

Princess Sakura is just too innocent. Although she has grown up, her mind is still like a child's, and she almost let slip the secret several times.

As night fell, she returned to the cherry blossom tree.

"Are you leaving already?" Shangguan Ying was very reluctant to part with him.

"I'm not leaving."

Princess Sakura held the old woman's hand; her hands were warm, but the old woman had no human heartbeat.

The beautiful girl, transformed from the spirit of plants and trees, revealed a clear smile: "I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere, this is my home."

She turned around and looked at the century-old cherry tree behind her. Standing under the tree, she slowly twirled around. Her dress, adorned with cherry blossoms, swayed in the wind, and the swirling breeze carried the cherry blossom petals in a graceful dance.

"Spring, summer, autumn and winter, the four seasons change."

"I will always be here."

"Although you may not see me, I will stay here."

"When spring comes next year, when the flowers are in full bloom, I will come to see you again."

She revealed her pure and sincere feelings, and fifty years later, her heart has not changed in the slightest.

A year is but a brief slumber; on this day next year, she will be here again, dressed in fine silk and jade, smiling as she reunites with her friends.

“Even if you’re not here anymore, I’ll still wait for you to come back.”

Princess Sakura gently embraced the old man and made a promise.

"When you return, thousands of trees and tens of thousands of flowers will bloom for you."

"I will pave the way for your return with flower petals."

"Because you are my best friend."

Grandma Shangguan's eyes welled up with tears, and she smiled as she rubbed her eyes, saying, "Yes, we are best friends, and always will be."

She bit her lip, then finally slowly let go of her hand and whispered, "I'm cured. Come see me soon next year."

A reluctant farewell.

A gathering that happens only once a year.

Princess Sakura turned around, her figure disappearing into the cherry blossom tree like a phantom.

Every falling cherry blossom shimmered and shone.

Snap...

A soft sound.

A hair clip fell to the ground; it was a gift that Shangguan Ying had personally taken from her own hair and pinned to Sakura-hime's hair.

The old lady picked up the hair clip, took out a ribbon, and hung it on the drooping tree branch.

"Indeed, it suits you very well and looks great."

She sat down against the tree and talked to herself for a long time.

Each time a sentence was spoken, petals would fall, and the branches would sway gently, as if in response or inquiry. The night deepened.

Her words came to an end, and the old woman gradually drifted off to sleep, exhausted.

Bai Xuan quietly picked up the old lady, carried her back to her bed in the room, and covered her with a blanket.

After going outside, I saw that the other two were still awake.

They were all a little worried about the old lady's mental state, wondering if she would be overly anxious.

"Grandma is just a little tired. She's been through everything in her life. She'll be fine after a good night's sleep."

"Are you sure?" the pretty mother said. "When people get old, what they fear most is parting."

"This is not just a farewell, but also a promise and a reunion."

Bai Xuan gazed at the century-old cherry tree that was radiating vitality.

"After sorrow comes hope; after decay comes new life."

……

Again.

Bai Xuan entered the dream.

In the grassy field, he saw Princess Sakura dressed in gorgeous clothes. She maintained a mature appearance, but her eyes still revealed clarity and innocence.

She hasn't changed at all from the little girl she used to be.

Upon meeting, she rushed over, grabbed his hand, and jumped around excitedly.

"No need for thanks," Bai Xuan said. "Shangguan Ying is my blood relative and elder. It's only right that I help her find her friend and fulfill her wish."

“Sakura is your elder, so am I?” Sakura-hime reached out and tried to touch Bai Xuan’s hair.

This is an amazing brain circuit.

Bai Xuan stopped her hand and flicked her head: "Don't be so smug... You're going to fall into a deep sleep next?"

"Well, after all, I can only come out for one day at most each year, and even one day used to be a struggle." Sakura-hime raised her hand and said, "It's because so many people want to see me dressed up beautifully that I came into being."

She suddenly remembered something, turned around and ran behind the tree to search, and quickly found a poster.

The poster features an anthropomorphic two-dimensional character dressed exactly like her, and it reads "54th Cherry Blossom Viewing and Spring Outing Festival".

"Is this held every year?"

“Yes.” Princess Sakura nodded seriously: “They’ve all been held, but they’ve been moved elsewhere for the past two years.”

Bunkyo Ward is home to a large number of schools in Tokyo, and organizing field trips for students to enjoy cherry blossoms is a normal part of the school curriculum.

Thus, the convention came about, and coupled with the chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) tendencies of Japan and the aesthetic preferences of anime and manga fans, this poster was born.

After all, Japan is a country where everything can be personified; ships, trains, and racehorses are all transformed into anime girls.

It's perfectly normal for a flower as well-known as cherry blossoms to be personified as a beautiful girl.

The coincidence is that this beautiful expectation from the students for going out and enjoying the spring outing is the wish of all living beings. The students who have seen the poster have a concrete image in their hearts.

Even more coincidentally, most of the cherry blossom trees in Bunkyo Ward are actually clones of this century-old cherry blossom tree in the garden.

The most famous cherry blossom in Japan is called 'Somei Yoshino'. This type of cherry tree cannot be propagated from seeds; it can only be propagated through cuttings and grafting. And 80% of the cherry blossoms in the entire island nation are Somei Yoshino, which means... about 80% of the cherry trees in the island nation are from the same tree... @Misaka Mikoto @Misaka Sisters
The cherry tree in the courtyard is not Somei Yoshino. All the cherry blossoms in Bunkyo Ward belong to her. Therefore, the students' desire to see the beautiful cherry blossoms ultimately returned to her and shaped her appearance.

Through the repeated effects of two coincidences, Princess Sakura was born.

She only comes in spring, because cherry blossoms bloom in spring, and the desire to see the beautiful cherry blossoms in bloom also gave rise to her appearance.

Bai Xuan found out about her background and found it all very strange.

only……

Her ambiguous existence is extremely unstable.

Her very existence, dependent on the power of will, the hearts of the people, and faith, is a miracle in itself.

Any changes to the cityscape of Bunkyo Ward in the future, such as the relocation of schools, the removal of cherry trees for urban landscaping purposes, or the planting of other varieties, will cause their presence to become increasingly scarce, or even disappear.

The so-called God is such an existence; if there are many believers, he is powerful; if there are few believers, he is weak and feeble; if no one believes in him, he will disappear.

Even the holy Guanyin Bodhisattva needs to collect the wishes and blessings of the living beings in the incense offerings, and even more so to gain merit in the human realm, let alone the spirit of this tiny plant.

She had neither any method nor any knowledge.

To have lived to this day in such a daze is a miracle in itself.

Fortunately, Japan is a conservative country overall. If it were China, which is developing rapidly, it would have disappeared long ago under the tracks of bulldozers.

Bai Xuan sat cross-legged: "Sakura-hime, I ask you... do you want to leave this place?"

"Why do you want to leave?" she asked, puzzled. "It's nice here."

“But your existence is not eternal. You exist based on the will of living beings, and you may also disappear when the will of living beings disappears.” Bai Xuan said, “When people no longer want to see you, you will cease to exist.”

"That won't do." Princess Sakura rested her chin on her hands and said with distress, "Then I won't be able to bloom, my good friends won't be able to see me, and everyone will be sad."

Bai Xuan paused for a moment: "Didn't you think about yourself?"

Princess Sakura blinked: "Me? I don't know."

Bai Xuan hesitated for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

Yes, she only wakes up for a few days a year, and the cherry blossoms bloom and fade.

Throughout the year, how many times is she truly awake? Most of the time, she is asleep.

The spirits of plants and trees are so fragile, and she cannot leave this place. She can only stay in the courtyard, unable to go outside, unable to see the human world, and no one has ever taught her any principles.

How could she possibly know what she is, or understand what she wants to do?
They are creatures born with intelligence, able to speak and understand right and wrong, but in terms of the will to survive, they are not even as good as a stray cat.

(End of this chapter)