Chapter X: Surviving a Turbulent Year
Winter had fully settled over Japan now and the people on the streets had red noses and ears as they hurriedly walked from one heated building to another. Snow covered the ground and icicles dangled from people’s homes. It was just a few hours before the new year. However, Hajime and the others had gone to a place where the cold wouldn’t bother them—a famous hot springs resort.
Steam rose from the open-air baths, and the wooden buildings surrounding them were all lit with a warm orange glow. It was mostly families and couples that were walking around the hot springs resort, examining the open-air stalls or relaxing in the baths. Even the people out in the cold were smiling happily. They weren’t really feeling the cold, since they were snuggled up with their loved ones and enjoying spending time together. Furthermore, even if they were feeling a little cold, they could always warm back up in the hot springs at any time.
Hajime and Yue walked amid the crowd, examining the stalls.
“Yeah, it looks like my perception-blocking glasses have finally been perfected,” Hajime said with a satisfied nod. He was wearing cargo pants and a fluffy mod coat, while Yue was in a black turtleneck sweater, a belt with ribbons on it, and a cream-colored coat.
Somehow, she was taller than usual, her head coming up to above Hajime’s shoulder. Her boobs were bigger than usual as well and her legs longer. Her golden-blonde hair fluttered behind her with each step she took, and she would have been capturing everyone’s attention if not for the perception-altering glasses.
Today, she was in adult mode, the form that Ehit had preferred when he’d taken over her body, the one that made her look like she was in her mid-twenties. Incidentally, while everyone called it adult mode, there was, in fact, a different name they had for the way her personality shifted when she was in bed with Hajime.
Of course, regardless of which form she was in, she exuded a beauty that transcended personal taste and captivated all who saw her. Why, it was so enchanting that the people who saw her couldn’t help but think she wasn’t human. If it wasn’t for the fact that she looked so happy and innocent, they’d honestly be afraid of her otherworldliness. Yet right now, there wasn’t a single person in the crowd who was bewitched by her siren’s beauty.
“Fu fu, you know I can always just cast a perception-altering spell on myself, right?” Yue asked, adjusting her glasses.
“Please don’t take away one of the few opportunities I have to put you in glasses,” Hajime replied with a perfectly straight face, prompting Yue to burst out laughing. She then rested her head against Hajime’s shoulder.
After a consecutive twenty-three defeats, Hajime had finally perfected a pair of Artifact glasses that properly made her hard for others to notice. And naturally, he was exempt from its effects, so Yue’s charm was on full display for him to see. As he looked down at her, Yue turned to look up at him and smiled bewitchingly at him.
“Do you really want to monopolize me this badly, Hajime?” she asked in a playful voice, then stood up on tiptoe and nibbled on Hajime’s ear.
Instead of answering, Hajime pulled out his phone and took a selfie of the two of them.
“I mean, I do want to, of course,” Hajime said, finally answering her question.
Yue blushed and looked away. For a second, her charm broke through the glasses and people turned to look at her, but then the magic kicked in again and they turned away.
“Ahem! Anyway, are you cold or anything? I can pull out an Artifact if you need one.”
“Mmm... I’m fine. Besides, winter is supposed to be cold. Let me feel the seasons.”
“Can’t argue with that.”
Hajime wrapped his hand around Yue’s and they resumed their walk. Yue stuck both of their hands into Hajime’s pocket to help keep them warm.
“Was it okay to leave Shea and the others behind?” Yue asked.
“Well, it’s fine to spend some time alone just for a bit before we greet the new year, right?”
“Father seemed to be looking forward to bonding with you in the hot spring...”
“I’ll go join him once we get back. Honestly, it’s been so long... Maybe I should offer to wash his back.”
As he said that, a playful smile appeared on Hajime’s lips and he added, “Or what, would you rather have gone on a walk with everyone?”
Yue blushed again and she tightened her grip on Hajime’s hand. Hajime squeezed her hand back, and the two of them kept squeezing each other’s hands back and forth for a bit.
Incidentally, Kaori, Shizuku, and Aiko had been unable to join the Nagumo family’s hot springs trip. The Yaegashi family was having their own New Year gathering, while Kaori’s dad Tomoichi had begged her so hard not to go that she’d eventually acquiesced. Aiko, too, was spending the New Year with her family.
For Hajime and the other students, this was their first New Year since returning from Tortus. There were family members they still hadn’t met that they needed to reunite with, and of course, they still wanted to spend time with their families. Thus, the Nagumo family had gone with just the usual members, plus Liliana.
Incidentally, after they’d finished touring the area in the afternoon, Sumire had urged everyone into the hot springs, which was when Hajime and Yue had slipped out.
“I didn’t think you’d kidnap me so forcefully...” Yue muttered.
Indeed, Hajime had basically stolen Yue away. He’d stuck the perception-blocking glasses on her, picked her up, and then used Riftwalk to dash away before anyone could notice. He hadn’t even used magic because he knew Tio would have sensed it.
“You could have just said you wanted to go on a walk with me... No one would have complained.”
“Yeah, but mom and dad would have teased us, and I didn’t wanna deal with that.”
I guess that’s true... Yue thought, nodding.
“Also, it’s been a while since you changed into adult mode, so I wanted you all to myself.”
That was just how charming Yue was in adult mode.
“Should I stay like this forever, then?” Yue asked, looking passionately up at Hajime. Despite how cold it was out, her skin was flushed. She’d gladly stay like this if that was what he wanted.
“Nah, I love the normal you just as much, so you can just swap freely whenever you want.”
“Did you carry me out just so you can make me blush?” Yue asked, lightly slapping him on the shoulder. His words just made her too happy.
Once again, people glanced at Yue for a few seconds as her happiness overpowered the perception-altering Artifact temporarily.
That aside, Shea and the others had, of course, already figured out that Hajime had vanished with Yue. However, they didn’t mind letting the two of them be alone every now and then, so they’d decided to prioritize enjoying the hot springs and were currently soaking with Sumire.
“Oh, they’re selling hot spring eggs. Do you want one?” Hajime asked as they passed a food stall. People nearby were all enjoying the hot springs classic.
“Hm? Is that like a soft-boiled egg?”
“Not quite. A regular soft-boiled egg still has a solid white, but a hot spring egg is just barely heated so that the whole thing stays liquid-y. They’re called hot spring eggs because everyone eats them at the hot springs.”
“I wanna try one!” Yue exclaimed immediately. She was exceptionally interested in things considered classic for a situation or a certain time, mostly because she wanted to learn more and more about Hajime’s world.
She disentangled herself from Hajime and tottered over to the stall.
“Two hot spring eggs, please.”
“Here you go, enjoy—”
The man running the stall froze as he turned to Yue. But it wasn’t because the glasses had failed. Instead, they’d fogged up as Yue had been humming to herself and looking through the bowl of eggs, so she’d taken them off for a second to wipe them.
Crap, I forgot to build in an automatic defogger! Hajime inwardly despaired. Unfortunately, it was too late. The few seconds Yue had spent wiping down her glasses had been enough to completely entrance the guy manning the stall. He was standing stock-still with his eyes wide open, as if he’d just seen a goddess.
Sorry, guy, this is my fault... Hajime apologized in his heart, then used a very slight intimidation to bring the shopkeeper back to his senses. Blushing, he hurriedly got the hot spring eggs ready for Yue. He placed two of them into two cups and handed them over. Yue could have asked the shopkeeper to break them open for her, but it seemed she wanted to do that herself.
Yue and Hajime walked over to the trash cans so they’d be able to throw their trash away immediately, after which Yue attempted to crack open her egg.
“Hrrrgh!”
“What are you making those sounds of exertion for?! It’s not that hard!”
Yue’s fingers were trembling as she lifted her egg, her expression deadly serious. She was determined not to spill even a little.
I guess this is what happens when you normally just crack your eggs open with a vacuum wave of magic. Shea would be so disappointed if she saw this... Hajime thought with a slight smile.
“Mmm... It’s so jiggly,” Yue said as she looked down at the inside of the hot spring egg that had plopped into her cup. She then looked pleadingly up at Hajime. It seemed she’d gained some confidence and wanted to break open Hajime’s egg as well.
Trembling even more than when she’d opened her egg, she carefully lifted Hajime’s. Hajime’s smile grew wider as he watched.
“Mmm... I got it all out,” Yue stated with a satisfied smile.
“Thanks,” Hajime said, accepting the spoon she handed to him.
“It melts in my mouth...and it’s so rich.”
“Yeah. Despite how cheap they are, it seems like these guys are using some high-quality eggs.”
The two of them slurped down their hot spring eggs and tossed away the trash. Smiling, they turned to look at each other. Hajime suddenly chuckled and Yue shot him a questioning look.
“You’ve got egg on your face,” Hajime said with another laugh.
“How embarrassing...”
Blushing, Yue tried to wipe the yolk off, but Hajime’s finger reached her first. He swept his index finger across her lips, scooping off the yolk.
Yue let out a soft sigh, then put Hajime’s finger in her mouth. Hajime smiled awkwardly, but he let Yue suck on his finger—until she started making really loud slurping noises, anyway.
“Mrr, but your finger’s so tasty...”
“Not in public. I don’t want you ruining everyone’s New Year’s Eve by turning into an attention magnet.”
Yue looked around and suddenly realized that everyone had been staring at them. The other pedestrians and stall owners hurriedly looked away as Yue turned toward them.
Not even Hajime’s glasses could stop Yue when she was being that seductive. In fact, many of the families with small children were covering their children’s eyes right now. Also, many men with wives were staring at Yue as well.
“Sorry...” Yue mumbled, bowing her head. Everyone bowed awkwardly back, and Yue hurriedly grabbed Hajime’s hand and dragged him away.
“I guess I got too carried away, since we haven’t gone on a date like this in a while...”
She once again stuck their joined hands into Hajime’s pocket.
“I’m pretty excited myself, so I’m not one to talk.”
As he said that, Hajime looked over to a bridge in the distance.
“Why don’t we start walking over to that bridge? I hear there are going to be fireworks on the river to celebrate the new year, and we’ll probably have a good view of them from that bridge.”
“Okay! Oh, but I want to celebrate the New Year—”
“With everyone, I know.”
Shea and the others would definitely get mad if Hajime left them alone for too long, and he wanted to ring in the new year with everyone too.
“Don’t worry, it’ll only be the two of us until the countdown begins.”
“Then lead the way!”
Hajime and Yue smiled at each other again. They nestled even closer together as they started slowly walking over to the bridge. They stopped by stalls to feed each other local delicacies, took commemorative pictures, and even stopped by the foot baths. When Yue took her tights off for the foot baths and Hajime was utterly captivated by her bare legs, the glasses he’d given Yue cracked and everyone was able to perceive her again. Thankfully, Hajime had built them to last and while they didn’t have an automatic defogger feature, they were self-repairing. After a few seconds, the cracks sealed up and people stopped paying attention to Yue again.
Finally, with only half an hour to go until midnight, Hajime and Yue made it to the old bridge he’d pointed out. Yue leaned into Hajime, looking out over the river. There were plenty of other good spots to see the fireworks from, so while a crowd had gathered, it was pretty evenly scattered about and the bridge they were on wasn’t all too packed.
“If it’s this empty, then maybe we didn’t even need a barrier,” Yue said with a guilty look.
“Yeah, now I kinda feel bad for doing this.”
Hajime had already told Shea and the others where they were waiting, so in order to ensure there’d be enough space for everyone, he and Yue had erected a barrier that made people want to avoid the area around them. From the looks of it, though, they hadn’t needed to bother. Besides, even if it had gotten crowded, they could have just moved to a different spot.
Right now, they were holding hands inside Yue’s pocket rather than Hajime’s.
“How are you finding life on Earth?” Hajime asked softly. He wasn’t worried anymore about whether or not they’d be able to make this new life work, since Yue had already made it clear that they would. He was just genuinely curious about what Yue thought of his home.
In an equally soft voice, Yue replied, “You’re here, so it’s perfect.”
“Er, umm, I’m glad to hear that, but that’s not what I was asking.”
“He he, just kidding. There’s a lot I still don’t understand, and parts of your culture are confusing, but...I can tell.”
“Tell what?”
“Mmm... Well, that this is where I belong.”
Yue and the others had only been on Earth for about three months, but it seemed that had been enough time for her to accept the Nagumo house as her home.
Hajime smiled broadly, then hugged Yue from behind. She leaned even further back against him in return.
“That’s great. If there’s anything that’s stressing you out, just let me know. I’ll change the world if I have to.”
“When we’re changing the world, we have to do it together,” Yue said, grinning ferally up at Hajime. The two of them had changed Tortus already, so they were more than capable of transforming entire worlds. The rest of the world had to hope and pray that it never definitely pissed Yue and Hajime off.
The two of them stood there in silence for a while. After a few minutes, snow started falling from the overcast sky. It was a gentle snowfall, one that fit the peaceful atmosphere on the bridge over the river. The other people waiting for the fireworks were chatting cheerfully with each other, but Hajime and Yue paid them no mind, lost in their own world as they were. If a painter was here, there was no doubt they would desperately try to immortalize the two of them on a canvas. That was just how picturesque they looked, staring into each other’s eyes. Just then, though...
Shea and the others finally arrived.
“Yue-saaaaaaaaan! Hajime-saaaaaan!”
“Daddyyyyyy! Yue-oneechaaaaaan!”
Shea and Myu ran up to the two of them, prompting Hajime to smile at Yue.
“Looks like our time alone’s up.”
“Mmm...”
Hajime and Yue looked up to see and saw his parents, Liliana, Remia, and Tio walking over as well, a bit behind Shea and Myu.
“Look, Hajime. It finally looks like Liliana has relaxed. The hot springs trip finally freed her from the horrors of work.”
“You’re right. It looks like she’s had a great day.”
Hajime and Yue smiled in relief as they saw the gentle smile on Liliana’s face.
“Finally found you, phantom thief daddy! You’re under arrest!” Myu shouted, hugging Hajime as she reached him.
Hajime looked down at her with a smile and asked, “I’m a phantom thief? What did I steal?”
Shea pointed her finger at Hajime like a certain famous detective and replied, “Phantom Thief Demon Lord, you’ve stolen something very precious to me. My Yue-san!”
“Yue, when did you become Shea’s?”
“100,002,000 years ago, I guess?”
“I’m glad you guys are spouting anime references now.”
The Nagumo family’s otaku hobbies were slowly infecting Yue and the others, though that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“It’s rude of you to accuse me of stealing Yue. Did you ever consider that maybe she wanted to come with me and we slipped out together?” Hajime asked, feigning taking offense, and Yue smiled a little.
However, Shea’s next words caused a shiver of fear to run down Hajime’s spine.
“Excuse me? You hid your presence, even used presence-altering Artifacts, grabbed Yue, and jumped out the window.”
“How do you know all that?” Yue asked, stunned.
“I mean, I watched the whole thing.”
In other words, Shea’s observational skills had been so strong that she’d seen through Hajime’s stealth.
“I was trying to be as fast as possible too...” Hajime muttered.
“You were fast, but not as fast as a rail gun.”
No matter how hard Hajime tried to hide his presence, no matter how fast he was, unless he was literally traveling at the speed of a rail gun bullet, Shea would be able to spot him.
“That’s terrifying,” Hajime said.
“Did you already forget, Hajime? She’s the most broken rabbit there is. Before long, she’s going to be telling us she’s able to see things moving at the speed of light,” Yue replied.
“That’s even more terrifying.”
Hajime looked down, defeated, and Yue gently patted his head.
At this rate, not only will she be able to follow the trajectories of rail gun bullets, but I bet she’ll even be able to catch them.
Hajime imagined trying to shoot Shea, only to watch her open her palm and show that she’d caught all of the bullets he’d fired at her, saying, “Did you do something just now?” with a fearless smile.
“Is it just me or are you thinking about something weird, Hajime-san?” Shea asked.
“Mrr, it’s not fair that you two left us!” Myu shouted, making Hajime return to his senses.
Hajime scooped her up with his one free arm while Yue smiled apologetically and said to Myu, “Sorry for kidnapping your daddy.”
It was at this point that Sumire, Shu, Tio, Remia, and Liliana finally arrived.
“Look, dear, it’s our ungrateful son. Just what did you do with our Yue-chan after you kidnapped her, hmm? Hmmmmmm?”
“How could you, Hajime? Who do you care about more, your wife or your dad?!”
Hajime turned to Yue, the look in his eyes clearly saying, “See, I told you he’d be a pain.”
Yue smiled wryly back at him, but wisely chose not to comment.
“Master, Japan’s hot springs truly are exceptional. I would like to add one to our house.”
“I can make an underground hot springs room, I guess.”
“That won’t do. I need it to be an open-air bath, master.”
“Well, I get how you feel, but...”
It’d be difficult to put an aboveground open-air bath in their dense residential district. While it would be possible to make one and conceal it, it wouldn’t have the atmosphere Tio was looking for unless Hajime made something too grand to hide.
Meanwhile, Yue took a closer look at Liliana, then whispered in Remia’s ear, “Remia, is Liliana all right?”
“She’s been like this ever since we got in the hot springs. She seems happy, so I guess it’s fine?”
“Yue-san, I’ve finally seen the truth.”
She’s definitely not all right.
Yue had been relieved to know she’d been freed from the stresses of work, but it seemed she’d become a little too free.
“Y-You have?”
“Yes. As I got into the hot springs, I had an epiphany. Why am I even working this hard? What does any of it matter? Then, I heard a voice telling me to just go for what I want.”
“Remia, she’s not fine. She’s hallucinating.”
“I think those are just her inner desires manifesting.”
Liliana spread her arms wide and looked up at the sky like a Buddha who’d achieved enlightenment.
“I understand everything now. The heavens have spoken to me, granted me a divine oracle.”
“Tio! I need your help. Get your spirit magic ready!”
“This is what they told me: ‘If you work, you lose.’”
No, that’s just a meme that Myu picked up on the internet!
After seeing what had happened to Liliana at the theme park, Myu had been worried about her and had decided to do her best to help by whispering memes into Liliana’s ears as she slept. Liliana herself had been muttering “I don’t wanna work” in her sleep a lot, so she’d been primed for this kind of manipulation.
Tio hurriedly cast Soul’s Repose on her, then Liliana blinked a few times as she regained her senses. After that, she recalled how much work awaited her back home and her shoulders slumped. It seemed no matter what, there was no rest for her.
While everyone tried to cheer Liliana back up, the countdown to the New Year finally started. The crowd began to chant along in unison, and everyone’s excitement reached a fever pitch.
Naturally, Hajime and the others joined the chorus of people counting down.
With each number that got called, Myu stood up just a little bit straighter and tried to make her tiny voice just a little bit louder. Shea’s invisible bunny ears were also twitching up and down in time with the countdown.
Remia and Tio watched Myu and Shea with a smile, swaying rhythmically with the countdown.
Sumire and Shu watched Hajime and the others from a distance, their arms wrapped around each other.
Finally, the countdown hit zero.
“Happy New Year!” everyone shouted at once. Then, there was a loud bang as the very first wave of fireworks shot up. A second later, they burst, blooming in the night sky.
“Daddy, Happy New Year!” Myu said, bowing like she’d seen people do on TV.
“Happy New Year, Myu.”
Hajime smiled and patted her head, impressed that she’d learned the proper etiquette for congratulating someone on the new year.
Myu then hopped off of Hajime’s shoulders and bowed to Yue. Yue bowed politely back, then the two of them held hands and walked over to Sumire and Shu.
“Happy New Year, dear,” Remia said, sidling up to Hajime.
“Yeah, Happy New Year, Remia. I’m looking forward to the coming year.”
“As am I. I’m sure it’ll be a busy year, but thank you for looking after us in advance.”
“Wait, what’s that supposed to mean?”
“My, my, ufu fu.”
“Don’t just try to ufu fu your way out of this!”
Remia just flashed Hajime a knowing smile and walked off toward Sumire and Shu.
“She truly is impossible to read. And she’s quite good at reading everyone else. It’s possible that Remia’s the one who’s been giving the most thought to the future out of everyone.”
“Umm, Tio...” Hajime muttered, pointing to the fan in her hands. He had no idea where she’d gotten it from, but it read “Great Job!”
“In truth, I have the same feeling. I suspect that next year will be quite a tumultuous one. But I suppose we all knew our lives would be eventful when we decided to spend them with you, master. You had best steel yourself for the year to come.”
“I’d really rather just have a peaceful year, you know...? But anyway, Happy New Year, Tio.”
“Happy New Year to you as well, master. I’ll work hard for you this year as well, so be sure to punish—ahem, I mean, reward me once more.”
“Why do you even bother correcting yourself at this point?” Hajime asked with a shake of his head as he watched Tio also walk off to where Shu and Sumire were.
“Happy New Year, Hajime-san! Let’s have a lot of fun this year too!” Shea shouted, hugging Hajime from behind. Hajime leaned forward a little to pick her up a few inches off the ground and placed his hands over her own. He then patted them gently, as if caressing a treasure. Shea smiled happily in response.
“I’m really grateful to you, you know? It’s thanks to you that the Nagumo house gets three healthy meals a day. You also do most of the housework for us. Mom and dad are really happy about that as well.”
Hajime looked at Shea, their faces close enough for their lips to touch.
“Thank you so much. I’m glad I get to spend the next year with you.”
“He he he, you can just leave everything to me! I heard rabbits are a symbol of good luck and happiness in this world, so I’ve gotta do my best to bring happiness to everyone!”
Shea kissed Hajime lightly, then ran over to Tio and Yue, who were discussing something with a serious expression on their face. As she left, Liliana stepped forward.
“Hajime-san...”
“Wh-What is it, Lily?”
Liliana looked like a tragic warrior who was about to go out and meet their grisly doom.
“I’ve learned the truth of this world.”
“Uhhh, let me call a medic over.”
“Rome wasn’t built in a day! No work, no pay! Those who don’t work don’t deserve to eat! I’ll keep working until the end of time, as my duty compels me!”
“I’m glad you’re trying to learn more about Earth culture, but please...not like this.”
Hajime could tell that Liliana was depressed now that she’d remembered the duties that awaited her when she returned to Tortus. What Hajime was scared of, though, was that she might force insane work hours on her ministers and advisors as well.
“Well, when all’s said and done, I do respect you for working so hard for the sake of your country. I’ll keep on working to make travel between our worlds easier, so just call me if you ever need anything.”
“Hajime-san...thank you. I’ll be counting on you this year as well! I mean it!”
“O-Of course.”
Liliana grabbed Hajime’s hand and squeezed it tight. Hajime suddenly had a feeling he’d be asked to do quite a lot for Heiligh in the near future. For a moment, he was worried he might have promised too much, but upon seeing Liliana hum happily as she walked over to where Yue and the others were, he decided it was worth it.
Finally, Sumire and Shu walked up to Hajime.
“Happy New Year, Hajime. Any resolutions you have planned for this year?” Sumire asked.
“Happy New Year, mom. I was hoping to just live a peaceful life as a student this year, honestly.”
“Happy New Year, Hajime. By the way, when do you think you’ll be able to introduce us to Shea-chan’s and Tio’s families? I want to meet the people who helped you out in Tortus. Gotta give them my thanks as your dad, you know?”
Though they were both trying to act normal, Hajime could tell they were trying to hide their excitement. There was something else they weren’t saying.
“Okay, be honest, what is it you really want?”
“We wanna visit that fantasy world too! Take us there, son!” they shouted, their feigned aura of dignity vanishing immediately. It looked like they were about to cry. As hardcore otaku, it was only natural that they’d want to visit other worlds now that they knew there was a way to travel between them. Though of course, they did also want to meet Cam and Adul as well.
“All right, all right, I’ll plan a trip.”
“You better! If you go back on your word, we’re kicking you out of the house!” Shu shouted, but then he and Sumire walked away so that Yue could step forward. She was the last person who needed to give Hajime his New Year greetings.
“Happy New Year, Hajime,” she said with a smile.
“Happy New Year, Yue.”
Yue walked next to Hajime and took his hand, but she said nothing more. She just looked quietly and thoughtfully up into his eyes.
Hajime could almost see that the events of the past reflected in her ruby-red eyes as he sensed her reminisce. He waited quietly for her to finish, listening to the boom of the fireworks and the cheers of the people around them in the meantime.
Finally, after a few minutes, Yue started speaking in a soft voice that carried surprisingly far for how quiet it was.
“It’s strange...”
“What is?” Hajime asked in an equally soft voice.
She rested her head on his shoulder and said, “We started our journey with just the two of us down in the depths of the abyss, determined to fight the whole world if we had to, but before we knew it we were surrounded by people we care about, and now we’re greeting the new year in a completely different world while fireworks light up the sky.”
“True.”
“Objectively, I’ve spent far more of my life suffering than being happy. It’s only been a short while since I was saved by you, met everyone else, and learned that my uncle never really betrayed me. Compared to the centuries I spent trapped, that time is like the blink of an eye.”
“......”
“But right now, it feels like those centuries are what passed in the blink of an eye, like they were just a bad nightmare. It feels like I’ve been with you since forever, surrounded by happiness.”
Another firework burst, illuminating the side of Yue’s face. She looked at once like a sage who’d lived a million lifetimes and an innocent young girl.
Hajime hugged Yue...and she buried her face in his neck. The glasses got in the way, so she chuckled to herself and took them off. Though, even if that meant people in the crowd could see her now, no one would dare interrupt them.
“The world is cruel, unfair, and hostile...but every now and again, it’s kind enough to reward those who keep trying. After meeting you, that’s what I’ve come to believe,” Yue said.
“Yeah...I think you’re right. If you keep struggling no matter what hardships you face, then eventually, you’ll make it to a place like this.”
“Mmm...”
Yue playfully bit Hajime’s neck, then looked up at him. He gently kissed her forehead in response, so Yue smiled happily. They hugged once more, then Yue looked over at Shea and the others from over Hajime’s shoulder. Shea gave her a thumbs up, while Liliana just shook her head in exasperation. Sumire and Shu smiled warmly at her, while Tio and Remia both shot her playful winks. Their expressions were all filled with love.
Yue let go of Hajime and took a step back so that she could look up at him while also looking at everyone else who’d helped bring her to this wonderful place. Then, with a beaming smile, she said, “Thank you so much. Let’s have a wonderful year.”
At that exact moment another firework exploded, lighting up the night sky.
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