Comics, daily stories

"Heh, did you really miss it?" Yukino Yukinoshita sneered, glancing at him sideways. "You pay attention to every member of the Yukinoshita family. From birth to entering school, I should have been under your watchful eye."

Nomiyama raised his eyes and reminisced.

I was indeed watching over her when she was born, because I needed to ensure the safety of both mother and daughter.

Then, when she was three years old, in the fall, she was sleeping in bed at night... and the blankets got wet...

"Ouch... Why did you step on me?"

Yukino Yukinoshita smiled: "You're definitely thinking something bad."

Nomiyama turned her head away: "I was just thinking how cute you were in the past."

How old are you?

"Three years old..."

What season?

"Um, it's autumn."

Feeling the increasingly forceful foot pressing down, Nomiyama's expression changed: "Don't step on me, don't step on me! Isn't this what you made me remember?"

Yukino Yukinoshita pulled him forward again: "I didn't make you recall such things."

Nomiyama followed behind her and thought for a moment: "How about I tell you about Haruno's side? She's even less skilled than you."

Yukino Yukinoshita's eyes flickered slightly, but she remained silent.

Nomiyama understood: not speaking was a form of speaking.

"Her last moments were when she was four years old, in the spring."

Yukino Yukinoshita shook her head and sighed, "Nomiyama-kun is really a pervert, spying on and observing little girls like that."

Nomiyama's eyebrows twitched. "Aren't you curious about this kind of thing yourself?"

Yukino Yukinoshita stopped talking about it, but silently noted it down so she could bring it up later when her sister was being difficult, since in the end the blame would fall on him anyway.

She brought up the previous incident: "I never expected that my senior would say something like 'Home is where my heart is.'"

Nomiyama thought of the memories she had seen, and after a moment of silence, she said, "For her, this world had no meaning at first. Later, Yuko appeared and begged her, so she was willing to do more and live on. But the world still seemed illusory, and the gradual increase in her abilities only deepened this illusion."

"It's like getting the world and then finding that you have no desires anymore. After all, you can get what you want just by reaching out, so there's no question of craving it."

Yukino Yukinoshita pondered for a moment: "That's why you have something in common. If things continue like this, you're essentially heading towards your original state, either aloof and indifferent, or wandering far away into the stars."

Nomiyama shrugged: "Then she contacted me, feeling relieved but also torturing herself to the point of suicide."

Yukino Yukinoshita glanced back at him, who was trying to sound nonchalant, and continued walking uphill: "It's a good thing. Although we've missed each other for many years, at least I've brought you down the mountain."

She stepped onto the mountaintop, glanced at the strange mound covered in red flowers, then pulled him along until they reached the edge of the summit, looking down at the lake.

"Wild mountain mushroom, what kind of flower is this?"

"The kapok flowers are quite thick, what's wrong?"

Nomiyama bent down, picked a flower, and sniffed it: "I was attracted by its mild flavor and bright red color."

“Since you secretly prepared a mountain full of kapok flowers for her, then I should have some too,” Yukino Yukinoshita deduced.

"Yes, you want to see..."

"I won't look at it, I'll leave it and wait for it to open on its own."

"Oh." Nomiyama looked down at the lake below. The flowers were in the lake, and it seemed perfect for holding a meeting now.

"Nomiyama-kun".

"Hmm?" Nomiyama's eyes widened slightly.

"You? I haven't heard that in a long time."

"The wind blows early."

Nomiyama's fingers trembled as he silently calculated how much force it would take to break free from her grasp. He decided to escape first; once he reached the foot of the mountain, someone would help him hold her off.

Yukino Yukinoshita noticed his unusual behavior and found it somewhat amusing.

She let go of his clasped hands, looked at him pretending to be watching the lake, and patted him down with some snow.

"Look, your hair has turned white."

308 Our Children

My hair has turned white.

Nomiyama looked at her; her black hair was covered with a thin layer of white snow, and her eyes were as cold and gentle as the snow.

He reached out, tucked a strand of long hair into his hand, and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

Yukino Yukinoshita didn't lower her hand, but she didn't pat him anymore either. She just pinched the ends of his hair with her fingers and gently rubbed them on her fingertips.

She looked into his suddenly calm and gentle eyes and chuckled.

Over the years, have you become a scholar of Yukinoshita, or have I become a scholar of Nomiyama?

"Every time we got soaked in the snow together before, I would think about one thing."

She looked at his full head of white hair and said, "Does this count as us growing old together? We don't have to wait many years, or until we have wrinkles and creases."

“Then I can tell you, ‘Look, our hair has turned white.’ It’s just a pity that year after year, whether it’s due to my modesty or something else, I haven’t been able to bring myself to say it.”

Nomiyama loosened his grip on the long hair in his hand and raised his hand to hold her slightly cool hand.

Our hair has turned white, we've grown old, and we've reached the end of our lives.

I want to grow old with you.

Yukino Yukinoshita felt the warmth of his palm and looked into his eyes: "Then one day, your hair first turned gray, then snow white. I was worried, and then I couldn't help but be jealous."

She sighed, "I've imagined what it would be like to grow old together for so many years, but in the end, it wasn't me who made your hair turn gray, and I'll never have that chance again. I can only continue to rely on these snowflakes."

Nomiyama's eyes flickered slightly.

Yukino Yukinoshita sensed his thoughts and gently shook her head: "There's no need to deliberately turn white, that's just an illusion. And there's no need to feel guilty, because I don't want you to feel more indebted. I just want to tell you how much I like you."

As she spoke, her eyes widened slightly.

He didn't listen, and his black hair was slowly changing color, from light gray to grayish-white to snow white.

"Even though it's fake, at least this way you'll be a little happier."

Nomiyama placed the warmed hand on her cheek and whispered, "The happier you are, the more satisfied I will be."

Yukino Yukinoshita was quiet for a while, and then...

They pinched his cheeks and pulled and tugged.

She sneered, "Then make it clear, when exactly did this affair with Yumiko, Yui, and Hina begin?"

She didn't mention Kasumigaoka Utaha because she had heard the stories about that place.

"Gently, gently, I didn't know." Nomiyama didn't try to pull away from her hand, but just recalled the pain.

"You should be more concerned about Yumiko. You helped her out of a tight spot back then, and I was just helping you. Later, we sat next to each other in high school. I don't know what happened in between, but one day I found out that she had fallen for me. She didn't confess and deliberately dragged it out."

"I heard you kissed Yumiko back in high school?" Yukino Yukinoshita narrowed her eyes.

"Huh? It's fake, it's fake. Who's trying to frame me?" Nomiyama's eyes widened as he vehemently retorted.

“Mai said so; she said she saw it with her own eyes.” Yukino Yukinoshita’s lips curled into a dangerous smile.

"what?"

Nomiyama was stunned, then he remembered the situation one day and immediately waved his hand: "That day didn't count as a kiss. Well, we kissed, Yumiko grabbed me and kissed me. I didn't expect her to be so aggressive at the time. It definitely didn't count as a kiss. We didn't even touch our tongues."

"Oh? You want to use your tongue?" Yukino Yukinoshita took a step forward and stepped on it.

"No, it's about kissing. Doesn't it only count if it goes like that?" Nomiyama's cheek was pinched and his foot was stepped on. Despite the double blow, he still tried to defend himself.

"Hehe." Yukino Yukinoshita released her grip and feet, but a long, sheathed straight sword appeared in her hand. "Alright, continue. What's going on with Yui?"

Who are you trying to scare? You wouldn't actually hurt me.

Nomiyama ignored the knife, scratched his reddened cheek with his fingers, and then thought back: "I'm not very clear about Yui's side. On the first day of school, I saved Sabre, and then I sat next to her at the next table. I don't know exactly when those feelings started."

Yukino Yukinoshita drew her sword, watching a snowflake being sliced ​​in two by the blade: "I heard that from the beginning until now, Yui has only ever eaten 'Life Candy' with cane sugar flavor, pure sweetness."

At this point, she looked into his eyes: "Do you have any clues?"

Nomiyama raised his hands and said seriously, "I admit that I think Yui is cute, but I definitely didn't have any ulterior motives at the beginning. The fact that she got such good fortune right from the start is just luck being on her side."

"From the very beginning, I can only get sweetness from you, Nomi Yamakaze. Your favoritism is so simple and easy to understand."

"How could that be? It's just candy, it doesn't count at all. All this 'life candy' stuff is a lie. We're twenty-three years old, how can we believe in something like that?"

"Heh, whether it's true or not, whether there's any favoritism or not, only that person knows the truth in their heart."

Yukino Yukinoshita tossed aside her sword and looked down at the lake: "What's going on with Himeko?"

Nomiyama answered quickly: "She's someone with a lot of ideas and a desire for excitement and fun. When two of my friends were interested in me, and given that I do have some special connections, she started trying to find ways to have fun with me. I don't really know when she started thinking about it."

"He knows nothing when asked, but he's provoked by everything."

"..."

"Never mind, I didn't come here to settle scores with you."

Huh? It's not?

“You gave the ring to Kato.” Yukino Yukinoshita looked at the snowflakes drifting past her eyes. “I want one that’s different. As for how to make it, you can figure it out yourself.”

“Now, I want something else more.” Yukino Yukinoshita turned to look at him, “something you gave to your senior.”

Nomiyama frowned slightly. "You gave me something that snow fell late at night? Something special?"

He spread out his palm and gathered a cloud of white mist.

"memory?"

"Okay, let's go, take me to see it."

Yukino Yukinoshita reached out and shook his hand.

Nomiyama closed his eyes and then opened them again, looking at the person holding his hand beside him: "Why did you think of looking at these things?"

Yukino Yukinoshita stood in mid-air, looking down at the mountaintop. The boy was bathed in starlight, looking bewildered. She answered simply, "I like you, so isn't it natural to want to know more about you?"

Nomiyama was a little embarrassed; she was becoming more and more straightforward and was no longer as shy as she used to be.

Yukino Yukinoshita glanced at him. Hmm, stupid man gets shy whenever he meets someone more direct than himself.

Looking down at the boy under the starlight, her eyes flickered: "Kazehaya, doesn't this remind you of a passage from 'The Little Prince'?"

Nomiyama began to mentally flip through the pages of the book.

Before he could answer, Yukino Yukinoshita replied to herself: "I am fascinated by the universe, stars, and the vast Milky Way; planets orbiting and depending on each other, the Little Prince planting roses, astronauts searching for water, and aliens using the moon as a lamp."

Enveloped in mystery, I felt relaxed and at ease, because I knew...

Nomiyama concluded with the last words: "There will always be stars that shine for me, that twinkle for me, that travel across countless light-years to say they love me."

Yukino Yukinoshita looked at the boy below, who was no longer confused but had become indifferent, and her eyes were complicated: "Kazehaya, you've traveled countless light-years to appear here, but for whom have you come?"

"The senior used his own life to exchange for your coming down the mountain, and you used your own life to exchange for the senior's existence. You are each other's counterpart, each other's destiny. You are inseparable, and neither can continue without the other. Your tens of thousands of years and the senior's life are like waiting for the destiny to meet."

Seeing that she seemed about to say something more, Nomiyama tugged at her hand, forcing her to stop.

He met his gaze and used a headbutt.

Rubbing his head, he said with some dissatisfaction, "I clearly remember saying 'I like you' and 'I love you' for the first time to Yukino Yukinoshita, did I remember wrong?"

Yukino Yukinoshita rubbed her forehead, glared at him, and reached out to accelerate the memory.

The scene changed, and she was stunned.

The sun is rising in the distance, the morning breeze is rustling the leaves, and someone is walking from the wilderness with their back to the rising sun.

"Was the entire middle section deleted by your senior?"

"Hmm." Nomiyama put down his hand that was rubbing his forehead and looked down at himself walking down the mountain. "The tens of thousands of years in between are too bloated and redundant. Removing them will help me maintain my current nature."

"What are you thinking about right now?" Yukino Yukinoshita looked at the two people below, facing each other and separated by a distance.

“How strange, a person?” Nomiyama replied.