The old man's pen touched the relic's paper:
"When he said goodbye to me, it was one lovely spring twilight, the third year after we first met. The sunset that evening was truly brilliant. He held my hand as we walked through the village, then invited me to the highest point of the Clock Tower because he had something important to tell me. How nostalgic... Even after all these years, I still remember the warmth of his palm. I remember how we climbed the Clock Tower steps together, embraced on the top floor of that tower in our hometown, and watched the distant sunset through the window."
Nothing about the Clock Tower itself had changed, yet a dazzling orange-red sunlight now streamed in through the windows on all sides. It was even more blinding than the campfire. Shade and Miss Higgins instinctively narrowed their eyes, then smiled as they welcomed the warm sunlight.
They both stood and walked to the windows, looking outside. Beneath the brilliant sunset lay a prosperous little village nestled in a mountain valley basin. Smoke curled from chimneys, dogs barked in the village's corners, villagers carrying farm tools returned to their homes, and children ran joyfully along the village paths. It was a very heartwarming scene.
Footsteps came from the stairway. Shade and Miss Higgins turned around and, sure enough, saw the young girl holding hands with a young man who wore a longsword at his waist as they climbed upstairs together.
Their faces were both flushed red by the sunset. Even their hair and clothing were tinged with red.
Embracing each other, they came to the west-facing window and watched the afterglow together. Suddenly, the young man hugged the young girl from behind. She gently pushed her lover, her reddened ears becoming almost translucent beneath