Chapter 19: Night Sea.
[June 13, night.]
[You and Aesc walk along the quiet and dimly lit small road.]
[The campfire has long since gone out, and the twilight has disappeared at the very end of the horizon. Tonight there are no sparkling stars, only a bright, gentle full moon hanging in the night sky.]
Eikou tightly held Aesc's hand and walked together with her along the road bathed in moonlight.
What blew toward them from ahead was no longer the hot wind that made people irritable, but a sea breeze carrying coolness and moisture.
The deeper the night grew, the deeper the sense of loneliness in his heart became.
As if the blond girl who made one want to protect her, tightly held in his palm, would disappear in the very next moment.
"..."
However, Eikou still abandoned that obsession which could never be realized, and with a calmer state of mind, accepted the ending of tonight's date.
Faintly, the sound of rolling waves reached his ears, a gentle yet distinct rhythm winding around his hearing.
The sea was already right before his eyes.
It was a place he had seen at first glance upon arriving here, had been very close for a long time, yet only now had he truly set foot upon it.
"...It's time, isn't it."
Aesc was somewhat reluctant, but still stopped her steps, quietly letting go of his hand.
"Aesc."
"I'll only accompany you up to here. I had a lot of fun today, truly, truly, thank you very much. I hope you also felt just as happy."
She revealed a smile as light as moonlight, her gentle eyes looking at him as she spoke.
"The ending of this date... Mochizuki Eikou, go and watch the sea. The night scenery tonight is truly beautiful."
Aesc gently untied the ribbon fastened on her ponytail. It was the gift Eikou had bought for her during their first meeting, and now she handed that ribbon back to him.
Her blond hair fluttered freely and joyfully in the sea breeze.
"Goodbye, Mochizuki Eikou."
The sound of waves echoed by his ears, soothing to the heart, and before his eyes it was as if he could see beautiful waves splashing with foam.
Eikou silently stood there for quite a long while, then finally nodded toward her.
"Yeah."
The blond girl with a face full of happiness waved her hand vigorously toward him.
Eikou obediently followed her words, turned around, and walked toward the sea.
After taking a few more steps forward, he still couldn't help but turn his head back, wanting to look at her one last time.
"Ah, Aesc..."
But when he turned around, the girl was already gone without a trace.
As if what had appeared just moments ago was only the shadow of a dream, an illusion swept away in an instant by the sea breeze.
Eikou froze for a moment, lightly biting his lip unwillingly, yet still forcing out a relieved smile. He tightly gripped the ribbon in his hand, then stopped looking back and walked straight toward the sea.
In his mind appeared a familiar and lovely face.
The peaceful sleeping expression of the Witch of Rain, who had once lain on his lap and fallen asleep at ease. Beneath the pattering sound of rain, one could hear her gentle and warm breathing.
That was a dream once dreamed in childhood.
It was the story of the Witch of the Rain, who loved gentle and kind stories.
It was the girl who bore the identity of Fairy of Paradise, yet roamed freely across the grasslands, intoxicated by adventures.
It was also the original appearance of the Savior, who sooner or later would experience encounters, abandonment, and betrayal.
And at the very end of that beautiful dream...
Eikou stepped forward toward the sea. His feet tread upon the soft, damp sand, and the cool seawater at the shore lightly soaked the hem of his pants.
Under the clear and gentle moonlight, the waves crashed and scattered white foam, transforming into countless pearl-like droplets that blended with the moonlight.
A slender figure, one that inevitably stirred pity, stood upright amid the water.
Her white hair, soaked by seawater, clung close to her soft and warm skin. She wore a white swimsuit tinged with pale gold, delicate yet magnificent. Her immaculate and exquisite face was illuminated by the moonlight, as if even the moonlight itself uttered a beautiful word through that countenance.
"...At last, I've finally met you, my husband."
Morgan spoke in an exceedingly gentle voice, as if she had just awakened from a dream, softly whispering.
"Did you enjoy today's date? Just now, I had a very sweet dream, a dream related to my past self, and also related to you."
"Yes, I also had a beautiful dream just like you."
Eikou said with a smile.
The cool and humid sea breeze brushed past the two of them, and upon the sea's surface rippled shimmering silver lights.
"You prepared today's date with all your heart, and as for me, I thought about what I could give back to you. My husband, what I can bestow upon you, and what I believe to be extremely precious, is the dream of Ideal Utopia that I once longed for when I was young, along with the dream of pursuing that ideal. Do you still like it?"
In childhood, within the warm library, like a child lowering her head to read fairy tales, I dreamed of Utopia.
It was the Utopia that the Savior once dreamed of, for which she toiled and struggled, lighting campfires upon the grasslands, laughing joyfully together with her companions.
Every stage of Morgan's life held nothing back, completely unfolding before Eikou's eyes.
"This is the most wonderful gift I've ever received, and also the gift I love the most. Thank you so much."
He waded through the cool and pleasant seawater, step by step, walking to stand before Morgan.
The two of them unconsciously fell silent. The sound of the rising tide by their ears seemed to be infinitely amplified, thump, thump, growing clearer and more intense by the moment.
Under the dim and gentle moonlight, their faces were already very close.
Eikou tightly grasped both of her hands, their ten fingers interlacing firmly together.
"Alright, next comes the honeymoon time that belongs only to the two of us,"
The corners of Morgan's lips curved into a rare, brilliant smile. "Fortunately, there's no one else on this beach. My husband, come play in the seawater with me."
"...Actually, I'm not very good at swimming, I'm still trying to practice."
He said somewhat embarrassedly.
"What, you're already my King and yet you still don't even know how to swim? Honestly, there's nothing I can do about you. In that case, let me personally teach you a swimming posture that's both graceful and gentle."
"But compared to that, it seems there's something even more important right now, isn't there?"
As he said this, he gently kissed Morgan's warm and soft lips, his arms wrapping around her graceful figure that made one want to protect her. By his ears, the sound of the waves grew louder and louder, surging violently.
"I love you, my wife."
Only at that moment did Eikou finally realize that the pounding sound of the waves was actually his own wildly beating heartbeat.
The two of them embraced and kissed.
"...Mm, I love you too, my husband."
[The moon is clear and bright, the willow branches sway]
[I am but a small stone by the roadside]
[Once I prayed with all my heart, looking up at that moon]
[And when the storm of fear appeared before my eyes]
[What appeared]
[Was you, my incomparable good fortune]
[Your gentle voice enveloped me]
[The branch that I could only cling to by the moonlight]
[Was you]
[The one I love deeply]