How rude, we are pure love!

This is his life choice.

The world opened up in an instant.

At the last second before the tram door was about to close, Qingye rushed into the tram and the door slowly closed behind him.

He chose Yukinoshita.

But—he realized that he hadn't given up on Yukinoshita Haruno and Yanami, which made him feel a little guilty. Could it be that his name really had to be changed to Minotaur Chieftain from now on!?

Anyway, that's not what's important now.

The carriage was full of people. Qingye squeezed several steps to the middle and looked around. People were coming and going around him, but he couldn't find Yukinoshita.

Qingye frowned and lowered his head. At this moment, a pair of white and slender hands came into his sight, with the fingertips trimmed neatly and rounded... These were her hands, there was no mistake.

He stared at the familiar hand, hesitated for a moment, and then decisively shook it, risking being slandered.

Cool and smooth, like a piece of cool jade.

Her hand was suddenly held, and she resisted violently, seeming very angry. Then, feeling the familiar warmth, her movements froze, she let go of her anger and vigilance, and gradually relaxed. However, she still symbolically struggled twice.

The two hands were clasped together, struggling to separate, their fingers touched each other in the air, and then they were tightly clasped together again.

In the slowly shaking carriage, they couldn't see each other's faces, only their hands conveyed their feelings to each other.

Until the tram arrived at the station, the two of them did not separate their hands again.

Kiyono and Yukinoshita Yukino walked out of the station. This was a relatively remote area, lacking the bustle of Christmas.

There were rows of electric poles, soft street lights, and houses on both sides of the street were lit with warm lights. Yukinoshita Yukino followed his pace, like a quiet and cute kitten.

At this moment, the snow exudes a kind of quiet atmosphere, delicate and soft.

Like dependence, like habit, like reluctance to let go, it makes people savor it for a long time. Like a gentle handful of new snow, it is so beautiful that it is breathtaking. It is hard to describe and explain. The only thing that is certain is that it really exists.

He felt an itch in his heart and couldn't help but look at her.

At this moment, Yukinoshita Yukino also happened to look over.

The moment their eyes met, she quickly looked away like a frightened cat, pretending to know nothing and walking forward, even loosening her hand in panic.

Huh? How come this woman is still so cute even though she's almost 30?

Yukinoshita found a bench in a nearby park and sat down. She took a breath, tilted her eyes, still not looking at Qingye, and just said lightly:

"Mr. Kiyono, have you changed your job to become a train geek?"

"Even if everyone in the world reaches out to me, I can still recognize you at a glance." Qingye stood in front of her.

After saying this casually, in front of Yukinoshita Yukino's astonished gaze, Kiyono took off his scarf and gently tied it around her neck, but because of his posture, the scarf was a little crooked.

Yukinoshita silently tied her scarf and whispered, "I'm not cold..."

She raised her head quietly, only to find Qingye looking straight at her without dodging.

Having made up his mind, Qingye showed no fear and said with a smile, "I've been thinking a lot recently, about things like what my life goals are and how I should spend my time meaningfully. I've also taken a look at some of the outside world's opinions."

“What they said is actually not wrong.”

Yukinoshita instantly understood the situation. A dull pain pierced her chest. She pinched her scarf with her fingers and lowered her head to stare at her feet. She had indeed delayed Qingye...

"If I had devoted all my free time to studying literature, I would have been able to produce even better works, and even surpass the great writers of history."

He spoke to himself.

"If I really want to go into politics, Tokyo is indeed the best place to start. Whether it's the University of Tokyo or the literary world, they all have connections with many political families, and they are all willing to form a faction with me."

Yukinoshita's lips trembled slightly. The scarf seemed to bring no warmth at all, and her heart felt as if it was entangled and uncomfortable.

Reason told her that she should give him an answer and tell him that she could be alone, but she had already been deeply immersed in the daily life with him——

Then, she heard it.

Qingye's emotional words reached her ears.

"These futures should be brighter, but to me, none of them can compare to the hand you extended to me back then."

She raised her head in surprise.

Seeing Qingye, he smiled like the sun.

Yukinoshita clutched her chest, took a deep breath, and whispered, "Is this because you owe me a favor? If so, I can swear, you've already..."

"It has nothing to do with any of this."

Qingye interrupted her and looked straight into her tearful eyes.

In fact, he didn't know what the correct answer was.

However, the days we spent together and the future we hoped for were absolutely real.

So, he put all his emotions into words.

"How should I put it? I hope that all the scenery I see in the future will have snow under it, the four seasons, time and words. These are my own thoughts and have nothing to do with so-called gratitude, dependence, or family—"

All the problems that had been piling up in my mind collapsed in an instant.

Collapse, shatter, and disappear in the wind.

All that was left was the bright moon and the man's clear smile.

That's it...

The feeling that shakes the wrist, the feeling that shakes the neck, the feeling that the pulse seems to have its own breath.

My heart is beating violently——

"As a proposal, these words are really terrible. There must be better ways to say it..."

Yukinoshita gently wiped the corners of her eyes and said in a sullen tone. The moonlight illuminated her flushed cheeks, like a touch of rouge on white porcelain.

At this moment, she saw the man in front of her lean over and get close to her, as if he was going to do something intimate.

Looking at the boy's face so close to her, Yukinoshita Yukino realized something and her breathing became rapid. Like a cute little animal, she closed her eyes tightly, and her lips glowed an alluring cherry color under the moonlight.

Qingye slowly moved his head closer.

——But the imagined touch did not come.

Yukinoshita quietly opened her eyes, and then saw Kiyono gently helping her tie her messy scarf.

Qingye blinked: "Huh? What are you thinking about, Ms. Yukinoshita?"

"...Qing! Ye! Jun!"

Yukinoshita Yukino stood up with gritted teeth. Just when Qingye was about to speak, Yukinoshita suddenly grabbed his collar and pulled it down.

——Chirp.

It was a kiss as pure and ethereal as winter snow.

Yukinoshita Yukino snorted and took his hand.

The bright moon hangs leisurely in the night sky.

They took a step together—

The heaviest emotion lurking in the deepest part of my heart flows through my lips and teeth——

She will continue to walk on the road of life with this person.

Yukinoshita Yukino lowered her head with a gentle smile, and following the bright moonlight, she seemed to see a red line connecting the two little fingers together.

hope.

This red thread will never be untied.

*

The next night, when Kiyono and Yukinoshita Yukino returned to the apartment, Yukinoshita Haruno seemed to have realized something and sat down on the sofa in advance. He sat opposite his sister and explained to her what had happened recently in order. Haruno listened to his description and responded one by one.

"I see, Kiyono-kun made this choice."

Finally, Yukinoshita Haruno looked at the night sky outside the floor-to-ceiling window and smiled a complex and indescribable smile with a hint of melancholy.

——Who this man chose to stand by and what kind of attitude towards life he chose.

From then on, Kiyono and her sister established a closer relationship. They would spend their lives together, see the same things, notice the same things, smile together, scold together, and spend every day together, which was ordinary but worth cherishing for a lifetime.

Even though she knew that the life here was not real, even though she knew that they could choose a different future in the future, she could not control her inner feelings.

Ah, maybe this feeling is just pure loneliness.

Her sister's voice brought her back to reality.

"I've been wanting to ask you this since a while ago..."

Yukinoshita Yukino's eyes stayed on her, and after a pause, she said in a strange tone, "Sister, why are you dressed like this?"

At this time, Yukinoshita Haruno was shaking a goblet in her hand, and there was bright red wine in the quilt, which she was shaking gently. She was wearing a burgundy one-sided off-shoulder top that was as smooth as silk. One side of her collarbone and chest was boldly exposed, and her white belly was faintly visible.

A long bow hangs from the left side of the black dress as decoration, and the high slit reaches the thigh, revealing long and beautiful legs.

The golden bracelets and earrings sparkled, reflecting the light, and even her red lips looked more beautiful and attractive than usual.

Although the heating is on indoors and it's not cold at all, there's no need to dress like this... Especially when Yukinoshita Yukino thought about seeing this scene when Kiyono returned home alone, the strange feeling in her heart became even stronger.

Qingye also raised his eyebrows with a strange look in his eyes.

"Alas, even a thirty-year-old woman wants to dress up occasionally. After all, if she doesn't show off her charm, she'll soon become an old woman."

Yukinoshita Haruno took a sip of wine, a melancholy look on her face, and her response was as impeccable as ever.

"Correction, you are already an old woman."

Yukinoshita Yukino gave her sister a ruthless blow, sat on the sofa opposite her, and prepared to make a cup of hot tea.

Seeing Yukino's actions, Yukinoshita Haruno's eyes moved, and she showed a bright smile. She calmly moved to her sister's side, interrupting her making tea, then took out the sake and cup that had been prepared long ago, and filled them for her with a smile.

"As a commemoration of this life, come and have a drink with me."

——When she grew up, Yukinoshita Yukino would occasionally drink some low-alcohol sake and sweet wine. After all, this job was really depressing.

A commemoration?... Yukinoshita Yukino looked up at Kiyono, not knowing whether this touched her or if there was some other reason, she sighed helplessly.

"You can only drink one cup."

Yukinoshita Haruno waved, "Kiyono-kun is here too."

"I don't know how to drink." Qingye frowned like a pure girl who had just entered a big city.

Yukinoshita Haruno snorted, "Even if you don't know how to drink, you have to come!"

Three people, three glasses of wine.

They no longer fantasize about the future like they did in high school, but instead reminisce about the past.

Yang Nai quietly savored the unique taste of the alcohol, as if memories of the past were evoked. Looking at his sister, he couldn't help but feel a little dazed.

"I didn't expect that in the blink of an eye, Yukino has already graduated from college for so long."

Whether it was things that happened in college or high school, it seems like it was just yesterday. Should we say it’s because their faces haven’t changed much, or is it because there’s a long blank period of time in between? In short, the feeling that life is flying by is really touching.

Yukinoshita Yukino took a sip of wine silently, and couldn't help but recall the past. In this country, all children are taught that minors cannot drink alcohol. She strictly abides by the rules and regards alcohol as a disaster.

Her first experience with alcohol was on her birthday, the day she came of age. Her sister kept urging her to try a sip of sake. It wasn't good, but it wasn't bad either. It wasn't as spicy as she'd imagined, nor was it as delicious as she'd imagined. It was just a bit of a novelty...

——Wait, why does this taste weird?

The alcohol flowed down her throat, and Yukinoshita Yukino's fair face flushed a little. She was a little surprised. She remembered that the sake she kept at home was not that...

"Does Yukino still like this job?"

Yukinoshita Haruno asked again in a vague tone. She shook the empty bottle and poured another glass of red wine.

"I wouldn't say I like it, but I can feel myself moving forward...even though half of the work is left to that guy."

Her sister's words touched her heart again. Yukinoshita Yukino smiled half at herself and half at herself, and subconsciously took another sip of wine.

Eh, you feel a little dizzy?

"so good."

——Yukinoshita Haruno just sighed like this.

There are so many explanations for this sentence. It's about not being able to find something you like, sighing when a confused person looks at someone who is determined, and being envious of someone who supports you firmly...

——Ten years later, they were still drinking together at night, talking about their seventeen-year-old selves. This atmosphere made Yukinoshita Yukino feel a little sad, and guilty towards her sister. Naturally, she ignored some small details and drank the remaining sake bit by bit.