Lin Qiye looked at Jialan's sleeping face, standing where he was in a daze.
His heart hurt like never before... not even when Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi had pierced his body and torn through his chest had it hurt this much.
It felt as though someone had taken a blade and brutally chopped apart the heart that had only just felt warmth and love, then cast it into an abyss of cold and despair.
Jinian sensed the heavy grief radiating from Lin Qiye and fell silent. A moment later, she opened her mouth, about to offer some comfort, when the door opened again.
The knight stood outside the door and said to Jinian:
"President... please come with me."
After hesitating for a moment, Jinian sighed and patted Lin Qiye on the shoulder before following the knight out of the room.
Only Lin Qiye remained standing alone in the empty room.
A breeze stirred the white gauze curtains by the window, gently lifting Jialan's black hair where it spilled over the edge of the bed. Her tranquil, waterlike eyes remained shut, like an immovable rock in the River of Time, existing since ancient ages...
After a long while, Lin Qiye finally moved and slowly walked to the bedside, where he sat down.
He tucked Jialan's loose black hair back beneath the blanket and held her soft hand, remaining motionless like a silent statue.
Honshu Island.
A sedan sped down a deserted road.
Yurina sat in the back seat, turning to look out the window. Through the gaps between the falling cherry blossoms, she could see a massive, snow-covered peak towering beneath the sky. She asked in surprise:
"Mount Fuji? Why are we here?"
"This is where we deduced the last Magatsu Blade to be." Hoshimi Shota shrugged. "Of the nine prophecies given by