"How is she now?" The plump young woman asked, a hint of worry in her eyes.
"Still, like that..." Hatsune lowered her head, seemingly suppressing her emotions.
"Has he... not returned yet?" Su Shi couldn't help but ask.
Hatsune Miku continued to shake her head.
Su Shi pursed her lips slightly, walked past the other person, and quickly arrived at Xiangzi's room. She gently pushed open the door and saw a lonely girl sitting by the window. Her eyes seemed a little unfocused, and she was holding a small diamond ring in mid-air with two fingers, which looked like a wedding ring.
However, in the dim light, even though she deliberately placed the ring by the window, it still did not reflect any dazzling light.
At the same time, Su Shi also heard a girl humming a tune softly not far away. She remembered that it was the song "Ave Mujica", but she had forgotten the name of the song.
Su Shi took a deep breath and said softly, "Hana Mi is really something. Even if she's on a final mission, she shouldn't go two months without going home."
"We're about to get married, and you have absolutely no sense of responsibility."
However, upon hearing her sudden appearance and scolding him, Xiangzi, regaining his senses, turned around and said with a smile, "Su Shi, are you saying all the things I'm going to say before I can scold that guy?"
Su Shi blushed slightly and said, "That's not what I meant at all."
Then she slowly walked to the girl's side and said, "The wedding venue has been set, in a month."
Hearing this, Xiangzi paused for a moment, then said, "By then, I think spring will have arrived."
"Hmm... When you meet Bana, you can hold your wedding in the bright spring. I specially chose a lawn with great lighting. I'll take some pictures of you, Saki-chan. They'll definitely look beautiful."
Upon hearing this, Xiangzi couldn't help but laugh at Su Shi, making her awkwardly call out, "Just say what you want to say."
"No, it's just that I never expected that one day I would ask you, Su Shi, to personally choose a wedding venue for me, and you actually did it willingly. Thinking about it, it's really amazing." Xiangzi seemed to be marveling at the changes in their relationship over the years.
Su Shi stared blankly at the girl in front of her. What she really wanted to say was, "SAKI-chan, you've changed even more than I have, but you just haven't noticed."
But the image of that boy appeared in both of their minds at the same time, and it was because of him that they were able to sit here calmly at this moment.
Su Shi looked at the ring on the table and said, "This is... the ring that belongs to Banami, isn't it?"
Xiangzi nodded slightly and said, "But he hasn't tried it yet, and I'm a little worried that it's too small. You know that guy has big hands..."
After all, both of them had personally experienced it with their bodies.
After saying that, the girl took out another ring, which was obviously smaller and meant for the bride.
"Um, Su Shi, would you like to try this ring?" Xiangzi said softly.
“But isn’t this your ring?” Su Shi seemed somewhat unwilling.
"It's okay. Anyway, you and that guy are definitely going to have a wedding. Why order so many rings? We don't usually wear them. If they're suitable, I can give them to you then," Xiangzi said in a lighthearted tone.
Su Shi bit her lip slightly, but still nodded gently. Xiangzi put the ring on Su Shi's finger, and seeing that it fit perfectly, she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and said, "That's great, it fits perfectly."
But Su Shi quickly took off the ring and said, "Indeed, this is not good. You should wear the ring."
Xiangzi was slightly taken aback, and just as she was about to say something, she suddenly coughed.
Su Shi's face immediately turned pale, and she quickly stood up and called out, "SAKI-chan, how are you?"
After a short while, Xiangzi managed to suppress her cough, but her face was flushed unnaturally. She said to Su Shi, "It's nothing. I probably caught a cold because I didn't cover myself properly when I slept yesterday."
Su Shi wanted to pour Xiangzi a cup of hot water, but found that the water bottle in the room was empty, so she said, "Wait a moment, I'll go downstairs and get you some water."
After saying that, she took the water bottle and walked outside, only to see Shoko's grandfather, Toyokawa Sadaharu, coming into her room.
Su Shi simply nodded. She originally wanted to go down directly, but after hesitating for a moment, she eavesdropped in front of the half-closed door.
"Xiangzi, you...you wouldn't..." Toyokawa Sadaharu's voice trembled slightly. Su Shi found it hard to imagine that the serious old man would speak in such a hesitant tone.
"Grandpa, I'm fine," Xiangzi said in his usual calm tone.
"You...already know?" Toyokawa Sadaharu's voice was so sorrowful that one might even suspect the old man was about to cry.
“Grandpa, I’m not stupid. I can figure out how Grandma passed away, why Mom died so young, and why Dad still can’t get back on his feet with just a little thought.”
And also, Grandpa, you allowed me... to run away from home at will...
Thank you so much.
"Don't say such things to me. I've already lost my wife and my daughter. Do you expect me to watch you die with my own eyes...?"
"Why is this world so cruel to me?" the old man said, as if he were about to collapse.
Su Shi leaned against the wall and gradually slid to the ground, her fingers trembling slightly, but she couldn't suppress the sobs that were choked up.
“But Grandpa and Grandma were smiling when they passed away, and Mom was smiling too, and I will be smiling too,” Xiangzi said softly, her voice calmer than the others.
"Where is Hanami? Where is Hanami?!" Toyokawa Sadaharu shouted instinctively.
"Don't tell him about this yet. He's very busy right now. I...I want to wait until after the wedding to tell him," Xiangzi said softly.
"How can your current body..." Toyokawa Sadaharu said, his voice suppressed.
"It's alright, I've already thought of a way. Please, Grandpa, let me have this wedding. This is the happiest moment of my life, and I hope you can witness it for me," Xiangzi pleaded.
However, Su Shi, who was outside holding a water bottle, looked at the still frigid winter outside and said as if she was about to cry, "What do you mean by 'witnessing on your behalf,' Saki-chan..."
In this world, the only thing I don't want to see is the arrival of spring.
Where are you, Hanami?
Xiao Xiang... Xiao Xiang is going to die...
Chapter Forty-Six: Eventually
After Toyokawa Sadaharu left, Shoko calmly looked out the window, and Suze's lonely figure came into her view.
The girl remained silent, as if her "otherworld adventure" with Banana had only happened recently.
She gently placed her fingers on the glass window, breathed on it lightly, and a layer of mist appeared. Naturally, her fingers wrote a boy's name, and then a smile appeared on her lips.
Those days spent with him were like the name on the mist, clearly visible yet gradually fading away, little by little, as if they were invisible.
"SAKI-chan, it's time to take your medicine."
Before she knew it, a blonde girl dressed as a maid appeared behind her, carrying a tray.
Xiangzi nodded slightly, sat down, and looked at the medicine that had been prepared in front of him.
Although a cure has not yet been found, there are ways to treat the symptoms and slow down the progression of the disease in the Toyokawa family's genes, but the effects vary from person to person.
For example, her grandmother passed away when she was about forty years old, while her mother, Mizuho, passed away when she was in her thirties.
As for Xiangzi herself... she had a premonition that she didn't have much time left.
Perhaps this is the fairness of fate. She believed that her life was more exciting than her mother's and grandmother's, so the curse in her bloodline also meant that she could only have a shorter lifespan.
Xiangzi casually swallowed the medicine, then asked, "Where are Xiaomu and the others?"
"Ms. Wakaba Mutsu, Ms. Yutenji, and Ms. Hachiman Kairin are preparing for our Budokan performance. Saki-chan has always been the one to prepare these things."
But this time, they want to do it for you.
Xiangzi gave a soft "Mmm" and said, "We at 'Ave Mujica' have finally reached this day."
"That's because Xiaoxiang is here," Hatsune said matter-of-factly.
Slightly surprised, Xiangzi said, "Hatsune, you don't seem sad at all. Sure enough, after I leave, you'll become the heroine of the new world... Ah, sorry, isn't this kind of joke a bit too unfunny?"
Hatsune gently shook her head and said, "No, Saki-chan. The only person who can become the heroine of a tragedy is me. Saki-chan, it can't be that kind of setting."
Upon hearing this, Xiangzi couldn't help but laugh, but his face appeared even paler.
"Hatsune, you always seem so prone to internal conflict, yet you're inexplicably optimistic at times like this."
Xiangzi paused for a moment and said, "But you absolutely mustn't tell Banami about this. Right now, he's still busy with his writing."
That was when he was happiest.
I hope to see him happy and never have any worries.
"But Saki-chan, there will always come a day when you can't hide it anymore," Hatsune said softly, as if disagreeing.
"At least I won't see the day he cries for me," Xiangzi said softly.
Despite having said she didn't believe Xiangzi would become the tragic heroine, Hatsune still clenched her teeth upon hearing this.
Mom, did you feel the same way when you said goodbye to the person you loved most?
This feeling of unreality, which even I can't believe.
Because we are mother and daughter, are we both destined to suffer the same pain?
"Hatsune, I'm so glad I didn't stop you from being with Hanami back on the island," Xiangzi suddenly said.
Hatsune was slightly taken aback. Back then, on the island, Xiangzi tacitly accepted that her fiancé was with her aunt. It was at that time that Xiangzi opened the door for Banami to start a harem.
Then there's Mutsumi Wakaba, Motoyo Nagasaki, and the rest of Ave Mujcia and MYGO.
Actually, Hatsune Miku didn't understand why Saki agreed to this at the time. She just thought that Shoko saw her pitiful like a puppy, but now it seems that's not entirely true.
Xiangzi looked at his aunt, whose eyes were wavering, and thought to himself, "It's rare for Hatsune to be smart."
Although it was just a premonition, she was still in good health at that time.
However, no one had ever told her about the blood curse of the Toyokawa family, and her grandmother and mother seemed to have died of illness by coincidence.
But it also gave Xiangzi a subconscious hint.
She witnessed two men collapse after their beloved wives passed away: her grandfather and her father.
What if your husband also faces that day?
Therefore, she at least hoped that at that time, there would be someone like Aunt Nao was to her grandfather, someone who could stay by his side and comfort him.
Even though thinking this way still makes me sad, she can't see that day, can she?
As for the others... a group of people were all chatting and comforting that guy, surely he wasn't so upset that he broke down.
"SAKI-chan." Hatsune Miku, who had said she wouldn't cry, said with a slight sob in her voice.
Just then, a blonde girl who looked like Hatsune Miku slowly walked in. Xiangzi looked at her belly and asked, "Are you back from your prenatal checkup?"
"Hmm..." Chu Hua didn't have her usual playful demeanor; she responded in a calm tone.
"When did the doctor say the due date is?" Xiangzi asked.
"About two months from now," Chu Hua replied.
"That's perfect, Chuhua, come here and let me touch the child," Xiangzi said softly.
New life can give Hanami a reason to cheer up.
The girl gently stroked her childhood sweetheart's belly.
Mom (yes, she's the queen) is in your care, little baby, please... please make sure to comfort Dad.
****
"I'm so sorry, I'm late!" Gao Songdeng arrived at the aquarium drenched in sweat.
"Oh, Xiaodeng, you don't need to rush." With that, Xiangzi took out a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped the sweat from the other person's forehead.
Xiaodeng just stared blankly at the other person.
Xiangzi asked curiously, "Is there something on my face, or... did you also notice that I... do I look particularly girlish today?"
Xiangzi turned around gently, as if to show off his unique outfit today.
"I've been with Banami for too long, and it's made me act like a completely different high school girl. Things like marriage and becoming a wife seem so far removed from my life. I'm still just a budding young girl," Xiangzi said with some annoyance.
Takamatsu Akari just blinked and said, "I think Saki-chan looks beautiful today."
"Thank you, Xiaodeng." With that, Xiangzi gently took Xiaodeng's hand, and the two walked into the aquarium.
"Come to think of it, it seems like it's been a long time since we've gone out alone together. After all, Koyuki is always hanging out with Chihaya Aine these days," Shoko said softly.
"I...I'm not...I'm sorry," Xiaodeng said softly.
"Honestly, I didn't say that to get Xiaodeng to apologize. It's just that since Kulaixi disbanded, because of Banami, we've always been together, and we've had less time to go out and play alone," Xiangzi explained softly.
Xiao Deng recalled that from the disbandment of Ku Lai Xi Ku to the formation of MYGO, and then, whether it was with Aine or Saki-chan, everyone always experienced strange but very interesting things.
For Xiaodeng, these days felt like a dream, yet a very real one.
But will the dream always end someday?
Before they knew it, the two had stopped in front of the penguin enclosure. Xiangzi said, "These are Xiaodeng's favorite penguins... Uh, why are you staring at me like that?"
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