Living in Tokyo, all I want to do is laze around.

"Yes... Mr. Uesugi, you want to commemorate your wife...?"

Kai Uesugi shook his head.

"They have nothing in common."

The quiet cemetery was shrouded in rain, and a desolate atmosphere permeated the damp mist, which crowded above the flowers and enveloped everything.

Otsu silently watched Uesugi Kai squatting beside him, knowing he was reminiscing, and didn't bother him.

Time slipped away little by little amidst the sound of rain.

Did you see that?

"What do you see?" Otsu looked around, holding up his black umbrella, not understanding what he was referring to.

"horizon."

"Horizon...? Uesugi-sensei... are you alright...?"

"Is that so? You can't see it." Uesugi Kai seemed to be saying this to himself.

During the brief silence, Otsu asked some questions about Hanamaru Hanabi and the cause of her death. Uesugi Kai could only offer some summarizing answers from his increasingly hazy memories.

“Let’s go,” Uesugi Kai stood up. “It’s time to go back.”

Otsu didn't speak, but waited until they left the cemetery before asking Uesugi Kai:

"Uesugi-sensei, is this all you want me to do today...? I don't quite understand why."

"Yes, that's all. You know, I need someone who doesn't know the situation to share my feelings with. I think you're a really nice person, Otsu. Don't worry, the manuscript will be delivered to you next week."

Kai Uesugi glanced at Shinjuku in Tokyo through the rain and walked down the mountain.

The tram stops for a very short time, and the return journey is also very short.

In the novel *The Temple of Dreams*, the most vibrant and influential scene is on the tram, where the male and female protagonists are together. Shy and silent, they express their affection through subtle gestures. On the crowded tram, faces are blurred with graffiti, only the people in their eyes are clearly defined...

In spring, cherry blossoms fill the sky outside the window, and a familiar face appears in my dreams.

Uesugi Kai remembered it all, remembered her shy appearance that day, remembered her bashfully suggesting that she go see the cherry blossoms in the Imperial Garden with him.

Her hands were still warm, and her face was still red.

--------

In the afternoon, Uesugi Kai brought Ai and Chii to her parents' house.

"Mom, I'm entrusting Aiyi and Qian Aiyi to your care for the next couple of days."

Noriko Uesugi hugged Kokoro Uesugi, her eyes fixed on her brother's face.

"Ah-Zhao, you...you're not thinking of doing something rash, are you?"

"How could that be? I just have to write these days, and I'm worried I won't be able to take good care of them."

Ai looked up at Kai Uesugi: "Sister can take good care of Ai."

Qian Aiyi nodded as well.

Kai Uesugi smiled at them both.

"Are you really alright?" Noriko Uesugi looked at him worriedly.

"fine."

"Today is Hanabi's birthday...aren't you going to see her?"

"I've already seen it..."

"Why don't you come with us...?"

"Haha, I'm afraid I'll say something that will make you feel awkward." Uesugi Kai tried his best to laugh.

Noriko Uesugi asked many more questions before taking Ai and Chii home. Just as Kai Uesugi had said, they would be staying at Kai Uesugi's parents' house for the next few days.

As she left, Uesugi Kai glanced at the Hanamaru family next door.

As evening fell, Uesugi Kai packed up all the household items, left a note on the refrigerator that read, "I'm going on a trip, don't worry about me," and left home in the rain with only an umbrella.

......

Before the dark tomb, a hand wearing a silver watch picked up a wet white lily.

His eyes were fixed on the blinding silver light in the woods ahead.

My heart was trembling slightly.

He held an umbrella and flowers, moving closer to the light.

His pupils gradually dilated, and he murmured:

"Hanabi..."

Next second,

Almost instantly, the silver light vanished.

The rain, both light and light, began to fall again into the dark, dense forest.

###Side Story: Horizon 6###

Living in Tokyo, all I want to do is laze around.

The sunlight stung my face, and the air was filled with the earthy smell of soil, mingled with a hint of the rich fragrance of rice.

A gentle, refreshing breeze whispered in my ears.

Kai Uesugi struggled to sit up, groggily opening his eyes, and was immediately stunned by the sight before him... an endless expanse of flat land, an endless expanse of warm, golden wheat fields, swaying in the breeze, creating waves of golden light that carried the scent of wheat.

A gentle breeze blew in his face, ruffling Uesugi Kai's hair. Waves of wheat rolled past him from the front, and Uesugi Kai's gaze followed the golden wheat waves as he looked back.

On the horizon, in a blinding display, a whale weaves through the clouds.

Its massive body tumbled amidst the white clouds, its fish tail leaping high, the sound it emitted seeming to originate from the distant roar of the ocean abyss.

Kai Uesugi looked up at the sky while avoiding the glaring sunlight.

Wheat fields, warm sunshine, gentle breeze, whales swimming in the sky—the dreamlike scene gave Uesugi Kai a strong premonition that this was a wonderful beginning.

He turned around, and the wheat fields in front of him receded into the distance, continuing to stretch until they completely disappeared from sight.

He couldn't help but wonder how big the wheat field was.

Not sure.

Looking out into the distance, the horizon where the wheat field meets the sky appears as an absolute straight line, without the slightest hint of curvature.

Where is this?

He didn't know.

Perhaps it's in a dream, perhaps it's in the underworld, perhaps it's a place where life and death meet.

Kai Uesugi glanced at the bright, warm sun overhead.

He was somewhat dazed, because everything before him was remarkably similar to the scene he had dreamed of before.

In my dream... Hanamaru Hanabi, standing in a wheat field, her white dress fluttering, stood in front of a wooden house, her face pressed against the sleeping child in her arms, smiling warmly at me.

Her smile carried a hint of warmth and sweetness.

Now, the dreamlike wheat field is right here.

And... what about fireworks...?

Fireworks... Fireworks...

For some reason, she became impatient. Uesugi Kai looked around aimlessly, her feet moving forward without stopping.

But there was nothing around, only golden wheat fields.

He can only move forward.

......

I don't know how long I walked forward—an hour? A day? Three days?

Perhaps there is simply no time here.

The whale has disappeared, the clouds remain, and the setting sun still proclaims its existence on the horizon.

tired......

Uesugi Kai's legs felt like lead, his mind and body utterly exhausted. Darkness engulfed his dying spirit like a tidal wave... Finally, he seemed to trip over something, his foot slipped, and he fell heavily into the wheat field...

As the mind and thoughts gradually separated, the sound of breathing became clear and audible...

Kai Uesugi's blurred vision gradually disappeared, and the last image was fixed on the dense wheat stalks in the field.

......

The intermittent sounds in between made it seem like someone was feeding him water...

When I regained consciousness, I seemed to be lying in a warm bed.

Kai Uesugi opened his eyes groggily and realized he wasn't in bed.

But it is warm, welcoming... and relaxing...

He sensed it... it was Hanabi hugging him...

Kai Uesugi discovered... that he was lying on the girl's lap.

Hanabi Hanamaru was kneeling in the wheat field, looking down at him with a sweet smile.

Almost instantly, the moment I saw her face clearly, my heart trembled.

The real one...?

Dreamy...?

None of that matters anymore...

Kai Uesugi reached out his hand, looking completely bewildered, and touched her face.

Her hands were warm, and she rested her face on her palms, closing her eyes like a sleeping child.