To the eternal you

Sa Sa, Sa Sa.

The leaves are fluttering, playing in harmony with the wind, and occasionally a few fallen cherry petals can be seen being rolled and rotated.

Qi followed the wind, and once again came to the small mansion where he used to live. The maple leaves that he could still see when he came last time had all fallen away.

As always, the frost-haired Miko lady was standing below. Today she put on a light blue and white-striped bow, and stood upright in the empty inner courtyard. Only her soft hair swayed in the wind, and she turned around.

"pray."

Lifting the hair at the temples, the bangs on the forehead were still fluttering in the wind, revealing sad but gentle ice blue eyes, slightly sickly skin with a slight pink halo, she said softly.

"The earrings are very beautiful. Did Lord Narugami put them on for you?"

"Well, the general chose it for me, and then my mother helped me put it on. Does Suzuru think it's too early for me to wear it?"

Standing in the wind, the girl showed a warm and shy smile, and she was stirring her fingers uneasily with her hands behind her back.

"No, it's very suitable for praying."

Suzuki stepped forward, her soft tone filled with a deep sense of pampering.

"Suzuki suddenly became close, and didn't call me His Highness anymore, ah! It's not that it's bad, I think it's good...well, at least it's more like a friend!"

Qi, probably because he wanted to find a common ground with himself, that's why he did this.

"Suzuru understands, but it's a bit cold outside now, do you want to go inside and have a sit?"

She raised her sleeve to cover her mouth slightly, and invited with a light smile.

"Okay, it just so happened that I couldn't come in last time, so I don't know what it has become."

"Don't worry, Suzuki didn't tamper with your belongings without authorization, but just cleaned it well, and prepared some good tea and wagashi to entertain you."

Entering the house, the layout of the room has not changed, the only thing that has increased is the traces of someone living here.

In fact, compared to the mansion here, she preferred to go to Grandma Tsubaki's place when she was still less satisfied. After returning from her own home, it was a place to wash and sleep. Many times it has become a meal at Granny Chun's place.

Suzuki took out two futons, one yellow and one blue.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you what Suzuki bought."

"It's okay~ Suzuki can help me clean the house for so long, this should be our common home."

"A common home...Suzuru is flattered that you think so."

"No, that's not right, Suzukara likes this place very much, right?"

The girl looked at Suzuki showing that kind of sad smile again, and said with some distress.

"If he didn't have feelings for this place, Suzuki wouldn't clean here often, nor would he always stand in a daze in the yard. He has lived here for three years."

"Please... please drink tea first."

Pour the hot tea in the pot into the cup, a light mist rises, and Suzuki's eyes are hidden behind it.

"Suzuki...are you actually afraid of me...?"

The girl pinched the teacup and pursed her lips, her soft voice carried a trace of imperceptible loss.

"How could I be afraid of you?"

As if to show her determination, Suzuki raised her head abruptly, said with her wrist tightly pressed against her heart.

"You are my light, and you are the one who has seen my true side and is still gentle."

"Then...then why, Suzuki doesn't want to look at me?"

As long as you look at each other, you will involuntarily avoid it, no matter how natural you are, the gentle eyes will only stay when you don't look away.

"It's just that your light is too dazzling, and humans can't look directly at it for so long."

She said in a slightly depressed tone.

"..."

The girl gradually puffed up her face, then stood up and grabbed Suzuki's cheek.

"Hey... I pray... Your Highness?"

"Yes, we are good friends, and more importantly, we are at home now."

Qi pinched Miss Suzuki's face, watched her whine, and frowned.

"I'm not some messy light, I'm Qi, no matter how good I was in the past, I want to tell Suzuki now."

"Should be smiling happily at home, right? Although Suzuki is smiling, it's more sad than crying, and she just said something that worried me."

Letting go of his hand, Qi returned to his seat, then a little dissatisfied, picked up the futon and sat next to Suzuki.

"Pray... this is?"

"I want to prove that the me I used to be able to convince Ms. Suzura, and I can do the same now!"

Qi took out the earrings and small ear pins that she brought this time from her bosom.

"Suzuru, help me put it on."

"..."

Looking at the small iris flower earrings and the girl's determined face.

"Even if it hurts?"

"It's okay, Qi is very brave."

In order to show her determination, the girl turned her face to the side, raised her hair to reveal the ear on the other side, and then slowly closed her eyes.

"I don't know what Suzuki is afraid of...but pain is something that can be remembered. Since I forgot Suzuki in the past, from now on, I will remember Suzuki even more deeply."

The frost-haired priestess picked up the ear needles gently, and looked at the girl's appearance, but those words floated up again in her mind.

She's just... human, and she can't accompany Qi for so long.

That being the case, leaving such a memory will only make Chi feel sad.

"just forget it..."

She gave up anyway, feeling depressed and hating herself for being like this.

"what happened?"

The beloved girl opened her eyes, her slightly puffed cheeks showed that her anger was still there.

"I... I don't have much confidence in my ear piercing skills, and I don't want to be hurt for nothing because I missed it, right?"

"It doesn't matter if it's pierced wrong, right? I'm a doll, and this little injury will heal soon."

"No! I...I don't want to see you in pain, so please forgive Suzuki for not obeying my orders."

Suzuki lowered her hand, avoiding the girl's gaze, her fingers were trembling, if she pricked it, she would see blood, bright red, blood representing vitality.

The girl who stood in front of everyone and was unwilling to back away, bathed in blood, seemed to be back in front of her again.

"Your Highness, you are different from me...Human life is too short, instead of leaving such an impression, Suzuki would rather do something else..."

"Give me that..."

Seemingly calmed down, the girl stretched out her hand towards her and asked her for ear acupuncture.

"Huh?" In the slightly wide-open eyelids, the girl leaned forward and took the dominant position, looking down at her, and the ear needle was also protruding towards her right ear.

"please wait for a moment--!"

"Don't move, Suzuki."

"It's hurting or something, short-lived or something, obviously only thinking about me as a friend, Suzukara has too low self-esteem."

Qi overwhelmed her, watching the other person's cheeks burn red, panting non-stop.

"So, I'm going to make a hole in Lingle, which will definitely make you cry in pain, and let you understand that I am not the gentle and cute little princess in everyone's eyes!"

A little red, dripping on the tatami.

Suzuki covered her eyes with her arms, her messy and loose hair covered some of her cheeks, the dripping blood and snow-like skin made her redder, her shoulders trembled slightly.

"Huh, huh—it hurts, does Suzuru still think I'm a good boy?"

"...It hurts." There was a grievance in the voice of crying.

Looking at Suzuki now, the girl's heart was pounding, and she was ready to apologize from the original state of riding on Suzuki.

"Please...can you put it on for me?"

"please..."

Suzuki took her hand.

Because it is the pain you gave, even if you are afraid of pain, you still feel sweet like a curse.

"...Um."

Afterwards, Suzuki slightly turned his face to the side, looking at the earrings in the mirror.

The earrings that don't match naturally lack a homogeneous beauty, but the blue-purple iris is like her heart at the moment.

She has been inevitably addicted to that girl.

It was from the time we met again.

"If you go out together, it looks like a good friend, doesn't it?"

The girl gently teased the camellia earrings on her earlobe, feeling a little happy.

"Qi, it should be said that it matches well."

"Does Suzuki think it's a good match?"

"Good match."