On the Far Shore

My dearest.

Who raised you?

And then you abandoned me?

Who gave you everything?

And then you took it away again?

What have you gained, and what have you lost?

"..."

He gains a woman's body but loses his male identity.

Gain power, lose security.

You gain new friends, but lose old companions.

You gain the path forward, but lose the scenery behind you.

Having received a mission, one loses the reason to escape.

"..."

We gained too much, and we lost too much.

If life is made up of countless gains and losses,

Your life must be a beautiful jigsaw puzzle.

If you continue onward, you will never return; there will be no chance to turn back.

If you stand still, you will remain stuck in this moment and lose the reason to move forward.

In the gaps between countless gains and losses,

What would you choose?

"... No, you're wrong, a fundamental mistake."

"I... have never lost anything. The so-called 'loss' is just 'gaining a negative number'."

I sat idly beside Sirius, clutching my toolbox, counting the flowers on the ground while listening absentmindedly to the two sisters' conversation.

"Ugh! When did this protective layer break?! So much mud and water have leaked in!"

"Hey, don't be angry, sister. It's okay as long as it's cleared out."

"That's true, but we really only have a limited number of spare parts. We don't know how long the hastily repaired parts will last... Sigh, the logistics group can never keep up."

"Relax, relax~"

Ally held onto the open hood, looking like she had a headache, while her little angel Ailin comforted her as always.

"Sigh, never mind, Ailin, hurry up and fix it."

"Okay, sister!"

"Hey, A Ye! Can you do me a favor and pass me those pliers with the number five label?"

"Yes... you really know how to boss people around."

"Tch, serves you right for always spacing out. Move around a bit more!"

"Even if you say that... I'm a combatant, you know? I have nothing to do when there's no enemy attack."

"What combatants? The competition ended a long time ago."

"Yes, yes, yes~ Hmm? It's over?"

"Are you out of your mind? Do you think we got these trophies for nothing?"

"... Ah, yes..."

Yes, the Northern Realm Rally ended more than half a year ago, so there's no need to travel day and night anymore.

They achieved their dream of reaching the top of the racing world and rebuilding their team so smoothly. I'm actually a little envious of those two sisters. When will I be able to fulfill my grand ambition of taking down the boss and retire smoothly? Hmm... it seems that day isn't too far away.

"..."

I opened my mouth.

Because I wanted to say something to them.

No... it's less about "I want" and more about a sense of mission to say something.

But not knowing where to begin or how to start, she could only watch them silently.

Ailin used her supernatural abilities to skillfully remove the screws that symbolized the connection between objects, disassembled the parts one by one, and removed those that needed repair or replacement, while Ally directed her from the side.

"... Speaking of which, Ailin..." Ally suddenly changed the subject, her tone becoming a little... hesitant?

"What's wrong, sister?"

"Um..."

"Um?"

"It's that... Last night, when I was sleeping... Did you secretly do something?"

"What... did I do?"

Seeing Ally expression, Ailin couldn't help but blush as well.

"Hmm... but I don't think I did anything?"

"You still say you didn't! You... you kissed me while I was sleeping, didn't you?!"

"Eh... that was just a regular goodnight kiss?"

"It's not ordinary at all! And... and having my own sister's tongue in my mouth felt so disgusting! And it lasted for way too long!!"

"Nausea?"

Ailin seemed to have suffered a great blow; her delicate face suddenly darkened, and she became listless.

"Yes... I'm sorry... Waaah... I didn't expect my sister to be so resistant... As expected, sister complex is disgusting..."

When Ailin started crying, Ally panicked.

"No, no, no, I didn't say that!? I just... uh... I just... was shy -- no! Anyway, please stop crying, ahhhhhh!"

"Liar, clearly--"

"I'm not kidding! If you're disciplined, kissing once or twice a day isn't a problem..."

"Huh? Really!?" Ailin's eyes lit up immediately.

"R-really! It's just a polite kiss, it shouldn't count as **, right... (whispering)"

"Can my older sister kiss me first?"

Don't push your luck!

Wow, that was dazzling. I couldn't stand being next to them anymore, but they were probably too engrossed in their own world to notice me. Taking advantage of the opportunity, I quietly put down my toolbox and moved away from them, running as if I were escaping to another group of people.

Among this group of people, an old man with a white beard was looking at the two sisters who were being affectionate with disdain.

"Hmph! These young people nowadays... they actually consider these immoral things glorious. Truly, the world is going to the dogs..."

"Probably, but Elder Hong, you don't need to worry about that."

"Tch, I just can't stand it!"

Si Nan Hong was muttering to himself in a condescending manner, while Si Nan Yuan, standing beside him, was trying to persuade him with a bit of impatience. The younger members of Rui Feng and Rui Xin were chatting and laughing as they watched the commotion, some even intently observing the interaction between the two sisters in the distance. So, there were so many Yuri enthusiasts in this team?

"Ah, Miss Liu, you've come at the perfect time!" Elder Hong noticed my approach.

"What?"

"Ahem, you know those two sisters, right? Go and talk to them!"

"Well, I'm not really sure, and actually, they're doing quite well..."

"That won't do either! (Sound of chattering and babbling)"

"Waaah..."

"Um, Elder Hong! Please don't make things difficult for Ye!"

Just when I was in a bit of a dilemma—well, actually I just wanted to enjoy the sisterly Yuri of yuri more—unexpected reinforcements appeared.

When I saw her, my eyes widened instantly.

Just like when she was next to the Sena Sisters, she opened her mouth as if to say something, but only managed a somewhat silly "ah--" before a slender hand grabbed her arm and pulled her away.

"This way, Ye... you know Elder Hong can go on and on once he starts nagging."

"Uh, um..."

Go, go, go.

We walked quickly.

Stay away from other people and other things.

The scent was warm and comforting, like a blend of shampoo and the papery aroma of a new book.

I know this taste.

Unlike Haoyue's sweetness, Xiao Wu's sternness, and Givinia's gentleness, her beauty is uniquely hers.

I looked at her profile. Was it because she wasn't carrying her usual thick book? Her posture was a little more upright, and the alluring curves hidden beneath her wide dress were even more pronounced. A breeze carrying a faint scent of blood ruffled her deep purple hair, the ends brushing against my face—it tickled, but felt wonderful.

Neither of us said a word.

After walking for what seemed like an eternity, we stopped and stood facing each other.

"..." "..."

I wanted to wait for her to speak first, but being introverted, she was used to giving others the right to speak, so we fell silent for a moment.

She lowered her head slightly, her cheeks a little red, probably because she wasn't holding any books and didn't know where to put her hands, so she could only gently twist her fingers together.

She is so adorable, yet her cuteness is tempered with an innate elegance and beauty that is truly delightful.

Seemingly having mustered her courage, she finally spoke up.

Her gentle voice brought a sense of peace to my heart just by hearing it.

"Finally, we're alone together again, Ye..."