A Wedding at the Harbor

Three days later, in the open space of Hachinosu harbor, the sunlight shone directly from above the sea, without any cloud cover.

The rubble in the open space had been cleared, and several parallel lines had been swept across the ground. A new layer of wooden planks had been laid near the dock; these planks, nailed on last night, were a lighter color than the surrounding old planks and had the characteristic burrs of new wood along their edges. A long table stood in the center of the planks, covered with a white tablecloth, the edges of which were fluttering slightly in the wind. Several plates of food were on the table, not much, but enough for everyone present to have a meal.

Ginny wore a light-colored dress, neither her naval uniform nor the dark coat usually worn in the Intelligence Room, but a light-colored long dress that reached her ankles. Her hair fell to her shoulder blades. Kuma, wearing his usual black coat without changing, stood beside her, his coat unbuttoned, revealing a white shirt. His left hand held her right, and on Ginny's right hand was the Seastone ring, its face gleaming a dark gray in the sunlight, the surface translucent, revealing the fine texture within.

There were no flowers, decorations, ribbons, balloons, or red carpets on the open space in the harbor. There were only a few rows of temporary chairs on the ground, leaning against the wooden stakes. There were only about ten chairs, all facing the direction of the main seat, forming a semi-circle in front of the wooden planks.

There weren't many people present. King sat in a chair near the side, the flames behind him not burning, but his posture was very upright. Huijin sat next to him, holding a cup of tea in his palm, not drinking, just looking down at the teacup. Kaido sat on the other side of King, the chair creaking slightly as he sat down, he didn't adjust his posture, leaning back in the chair, his hands crossed on his knees. Bullet stood behind Kaido, the bandage on his right arm had been removed, the wound had scabbed over, he crossed his arms, relaxed, his gaze fixed on Ginny and Kuma, not looking away. Moria sat in the last row, his shadow spread out on the wooden plank at his feet, very small. Inazuma sat on the ground next to him, scissors tucked into his waistband, not taken out, leaning against Moria's chair, his gaze fixed on the crowd, looking at the long table in front and the people sitting around it. Zephyr stood at the edge of the open space, not sitting down, his hands behind his back, looking at the sea, occasionally glancing at the open space of the harbor, then turning back to continue looking at the sea.

Lin Yuan sat in the first row, on the left, with a glass of water in front of him. He watched Ginny and Kuma standing by the long table, watched the Seastone ring on Ginny's hand gleam dimly in the sunlight, and watched Kuma standing beside her, his posture more composed than usual. Beside him was a box he had brought from inside the house.

The wedding officiant was Zephyr. He wasn't wearing formal attire, just a relatively clean gray coat. He stood at the long table, facing Ginny and Kuma, and also facing everyone present. "Today isn't a battle. Today is a day to witness. You two will walk your own paths from now on. Today, I only need to confirm one thing—that you both want to walk this path together." He glanced at Ginny, then at Kuma, "That's fine. The rest of the ceremony is up to you to decide whether you want to continue."

Ginny looked at Kuma: "You've put on the ring, said your piece, and set the date. So let me ask you, are you still coming back?"

"I'm not leaving."

What if someone comes to ask you to go out and fight?

"Let them find someone else."

Ginny paused for a moment, then asked, "So what do you want to do in the future?"

"I'll stay on the island and help you organize the files. If you don't want to do it anymore, I'll do it for you. If you want to cook, I'll chop wood."

"Your hands aren't for chopping wood."

"It can split."

Ginny didn't ask any more questions. She stood there, with Kuma standing beside her, the distance between them never widening. At the edge of the harbor open space, waves lapped against the steps of the pier, creating a continuous, rhythmic sound beneath the wooden planks.

Moria quietly used his shadow to lift a flower and place it on the floor at Ginny's feet. It was a white flower, its edges slightly curled; she didn't know where he had picked it, but it lay there quietly, casting a long, slender shadow in the sunlight. Ginny looked down, saw it, and bent down to pick it up. She glanced at Moria shrank back, shrinking his shadow even smaller. Ginny tucked the flower into the belt buckle of her skirt; the white petals contrasted against the light-colored fabric. Seeing this, Moria spread his shadow out a little more and laid it back on the wooden plank at her feet.

The feast began. There wasn't much food, but enough to eat. Kaido the first to walk to the long table, grab a plate, fill it with food, and sit on a wooden crate on the dock to begin eating. King sat at the long table, still holding a teacup, but the rim was empty. Huijin sat next to him. Bullet stood at the other end of the long table, picked up a few dishes, then returned to his seat next to Kaido, sat down facing the sea, and gazed into the distance.

Ginny and Kuma weren't sitting at the long table. They stood on the steps at the edge of the harbor, facing the sea, shoulder to shoulder, maintaining a distance where they could just see each other's profiles. The Seastone ring on Ginny's finger gleamed a dark gray in the sunlight. She glanced down at it, then looked up at the sea again. She turned to the man standing beside her. "Kuma."

"Um."

"From now on, you must always stand by my side like this."

"Good."

He reached out and took her left hand. Ginny didn't pull away. The two stood side by side on the harbor steps, facing the sea. The waves continuously lapped at the edge of the steps beneath their feet, each impact carrying a slight vibration that traveled upwards from the soles of their feet, through their calves, to their knees, and then were absorbed by their bodies. In the distance, the morning light was spreading out from below the clouds, forming a complete golden arc on the sea. The arc stretched from the horizon to the harbor steps, stopping just before their shoes, and then continued forward, leaving a long, thin shadow behind them.

Lin Yuan sat at the long table, holding a glass of water. His gaze lingered on Ginny and Kuma for a long time before he looked away, took a sip of water, and placed the glass back on the table. His gaze shifted to the tabletop, lingering for a moment at the corner, before he stood up, walked to the other end of the long table, stopped at the edge, and stood facing the sea for a while, making sure not to disturb anyone's sense of direction.

The sun was sinking into the sea in the distance. Most of the food on the long table had been eaten, and empty plates were piled up at the corner. Ginny and Kuma were still standing at the edge of the harbor, their positions and postures unchanged. The light changed from white to gold, then from gold to pale orange, and finally to gray. The sea breeze blew from afar, brushing against the hems of everyone's clothes, hair, and fingertips at the edge of the harbor.

(End of Chapter 127)