Peninsula Cicada Song Diary

Pei Xiyan rolled up her trousers and waded across the stream, then sat down next to her.

"Why you?" He didn't know why the girl who had appeared in his dreams for three years was someone he had no connection with.

"Because we've met before." Sana Minatozaki lightly splashed the creek with the back of her foot, stirring up tiny, glistening droplets. "Our 'connection' began from that time."

"But I don't remember it." Pei Xiyan shook her head slightly.

He was very confident in his memory; he had never seen Sana Minatozaki in real life before this month, not even once.

"Are these things important?" Sana Minatozaki tilted her head.

"I think it's very important," Pei Xiyan said.

He dislikes reasons that are unclear or ambiguous.

"Actually... I don't know either." Sana Minato smiled slightly, raising her right hand, which was tied with a red string. "This is what it told me."

The red rope didn't seem to have any sophisticated craftsmanship; it was quite ordinary.

But it was like a key. Pei Xiyan blinked. He felt like he was standing at the door of the truth.

"But none of that matters." Sana Minatosaki suddenly withdrew her hand and foot from the water, stood up, and said, "Come with me somewhere first."

"Where to?" Pei Xiyan was a little confused.

"there."

She didn't explain, but pointed in a direction and then stretched out her hand.

Pei Xiyan was confused, but she still obediently held on.

It still has a soft touch.

"Let's go." Sana Minatozaki grabbed his hand and started running in the direction he pointed. She was barefoot, her long hair flowing behind her, looking like a little madwoman.

They ran into the sunlit woods and then through them.

Beyond the woods lay a vast, open sea. Azure waters lapped against the brown sand, creating white waves. Several seagulls circled in the distance, while crabs, carrying conch shells, scurried past them.

"This is it." Minatozaki Sana let go of her hand and walked forward. Her small footprints were left on the sand, five tiny toes, and a piece of her arch missing, shaped like a crescent moon.

Pei Xiyan stared at them, holding his breath slightly, and followed behind them carefully, trying not to step on their footprints.

The salty sea breeze brushed against her face as Pei Xiyan followed Minatozaki Sana to the beach. The boundless sea stretched out before her, and she stopped before the crashing waves.

"Ship, come out!" she called out to the azure sea, making a megaphone with her hand.

A series of bubbles rose to the surface of the sea, and a moment later a wooden boat swayed and floated ashore.

"Are you ready, Pei Xiyan, crew member?" Minatozaki Sana turned to look at him, a captain's hat that she was wearing on her head, looking extremely formal.

"I have a choice," Pei Xiyan said, looking at her.

"Of course," Sana Minatozaki nodded. "You can choose yes... or yes."

There is no essential difference between these two options.

But Pei Xiyan found a third option: "Then I choose or."

This answer clearly surprised Sana Minatozaki, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Hey!" She clenched her right fist and waved it threateningly at him. "That's not an option!"

"Then yes." Pei Xiyan smiled gently.

"That's more like it." Sana Minatozaki muttered as she put her hand down. "Then let's go, Sailor Shiyan."

"Yes, Captain Minatozaki."

The two people waded through the shallow water and boarded the boat.

Looking at the empty cabin, Pei Xiyan noticed a problem:

"Captain, it seems there are no oars."

"So now it's your turn to shout." Sana Minatozaki raised her chin. "Anything can happen in dreams."

"Me?" Pei Xiyan pointed to herself in surprise, receiving a nod of approval from Minatozaki Sana.

In reality, Pei Xiyan might have hesitated, since shouting in front of others wasn't his style. But in his dream, he cleared his throat and, mimicking her earlier gesture, shouted towards the sea, "Bring out the oars!"

His words were law; two dark figures descended from the sky, grazed his nose, and crashed onto the deck with a thud.

"Hiss—" This scene was so sudden that Pei Xiyan gasped in shock. Only after seeing clearly did she realize that the two dark figures were oars.

"Hehehehe." A silvery laugh rang out beside her, sounding like a successful prank. Pei Xiyan understood in an instant.

He glanced helplessly at the source of the laughter. "You knew all along, didn't you?"

"Yeah, hehehe." Sana Minatozaki made a face, looking mischievous.

Pei Xiyan sighed helplessly, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile.

He picked up the oar and weighed it in his hand. The oar was very light, as if it were hollow, which meant it would be difficult to apply force. He could only try putting the oar into the sea to see how it went. But as soon as the oar touched the edge of the boat, it was as if iron had met a magnet, and it automatically attracted to the surface. Then it started to move automatically like a propeller, stirring up continuous splashes of water on both sides.

Pei Xiyan stared blankly at the scene.

"This is a dream, Sailor Shiyan, how could she possibly row herself?" Minatozaki Sana explained with a smile.

"It's truly amazing," Pei Xiyan exclaimed.

Led by automatic paddles, the boat began to venture into the depths of the sea.

Sana Minatozaki sat at the stern of the boat, splashing water on either side of the vessel. She hummed an unknown, cheerful tune, looking as content as a tourist enjoying a boat ride on a lake in a park.

"Captain, where are we going?" As they got further and further from the shore, Pei Xiyan couldn't help but ask.

"To the end of the sea," she said cheerfully.

"The end of the sea?" Pei Xiyan gazed at the horizon that stretched endlessly into the distance.

He thought, "This might not even arrive by the time I wake up."

But he didn't ask why she wanted to go; he just said he would accompany her if she wanted to.

The oars paddled tirelessly.

After sailing for an unknown period of time, the color of the seawater began to gradually deepen, changing from azure to bluish-black.

Looking at the dark sea, Pei Xiyan had a feeling that some huge tentacles or fish with gaping mouths might suddenly emerge from below.

Perhaps influenced by the color of the sea, the lively Sana Minatozaki gradually fell silent. Her captain's hat disappeared, and she sat at the stern, hugging her knees, quietly gazing at the distant horizon.

Pei Xiyan noticed the change in her mood and sat down next to her.

The sea and sky were quiet, with only the sound of oars striking the water.

Pei Xiyan disliked this atmosphere; it was extremely strange, like a scene from a movie's bad ending, with the two of them sitting on a ship sailing far away, unsure of what the future held. Then the end credits began to roll, and the audience was about to leave.

"We're not lost, are we?" he said, breaking the silence.

"No, it won't." Sana Minatozaki shook her head. "A ship is like a compass; it will always point to the end of the sea."

"What lies at the end of the sea?" Pei Xiyan asked.

"There's a wall," Sana Minatozaki said. "It records every single time we met."

"Does this include this time too?"

"Yes." Sana Minatozaki nodded, remaining silent for a long time.

"This is the last time."