Leaving and a Promise

In the evening, Mana Takamiya and Mana Takamiya sat in the living room chatting with Mio Takamiya.

Higashino Makoto leaned against a pillar in the corridor, not going in, but listening intently to their conversation.

"Mio, what do you want to do in the future?"

Mana Takamiya's voice came from the living room.

"Stay by my brother's side."

Mana Takamiya remained silent for a moment.

"Besides this, is there anything else you'd like to do?"

"No."

Mana Takamiya's voice broke in, tinged with displeasure.

Why do you always revolve around your brother? What about yourself? Don't you have any thoughts of your own?

Mio Takamiya remained silent for a long time.

I want to make him happy.

Mana Takamiya's tone softened.

"So what do you think would make him happy?"

"Help him."

Mana Takamiya's voice was tinged with confusion.

What can I do to help him?

"Help him do things he can't do."

Mana Takamiya's voice was very soft.

For example?

Mio Takamiya remained silent for a long time.

I need to learn more to know.

Mana Takamiya chuckled softly.

"You've only been learning for two or three days, and you're already better than most people. If you keep learning, I can't even imagine what you'll become—a god?"

Mio Takamiya did not answer.

Higashino Makoto leaned against a pillar, a slight smile playing on his lips.

She's already a god.

Or perhaps, she was born a deity.

On the morning of the third day, Higashino Makoto stood at the end of the corridor, looking at the sky outside the window.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the clouds, turning the flowers and plants in the yard golden.

Footsteps sounded behind me, very light, but very steady.

"Dad."

Higashino Makoto did not turn back.

"Mio, what is it?"

She walked over to him and stood beside him at the window.

Her long white hair swayed gently in the morning breeze, and her pale blue eyes gazed out the window at the sunlit sky.

You're leaving today.

Higashino Makoto's fingers tightened slightly.

You found out?

"I just found out not long ago."

She turned her head and looked at him.

"After you said you would leave that day, I could feel that the timeline was rejecting you."

Higashino Makoto remained silent for a moment before speaking truthfully.

"Yeah, that's right. I came back from forty years in the future to save the destroyed world... Yeah, right! My main purpose is to get you, Mio!"

"Really? You're not kidding me?!"

"Of course, why would I lie to the lovely Mio?"

How far back will you be?

Higashino Makoto has considered that he initially arrived forty years in the future, and it is very possible that he could return to forty years in the future.

However, with my current strength, it's possible to lock the timeline for thirty years from now.

"Thirty years from now?"

Mio Takamiya frowned slightly.

Thirty years.

"Yes, thirty years. Don't worry, you and I both have near-eternal life, we'll have plenty of time to be together in the future."

She didn't speak, but just looked out the window, her pale blue eyes swirling with complex emotions.

After thinking for a moment, Higashino Makoto took out a silver ring from his backpack and handed it to her.

The ring is engraved with Black Cross, a black cross burning with flames, and a pair of pure white wings extend from behind the cross to encircle the main body.

"This is the Black Cross guild ring. Come find me in thirty years. Or rather, I'll use it to find you."

Mio Takamiya took the ring and held it in her hand, examining it for a long time.

Then she put it on the ring finger of her left hand, and the ring fit perfectly.

"Good."

That night, Higashino Makoto sat by the window in his room, the moonlight streaming in and casting his shadow on the floor.

He was waiting, waiting for the timeline to contract and kick him out; he estimated there were less than three hours left.

The door was pushed open.

Higashino Makoto turned his head and saw the figure standing at the door.

Her long white hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her silver-white spirit dress clung to her body like water droplets. The skirt was semi-transparent, like flower petals formed from morning dew.

The slit on the left leg extends from the thigh to the ankle, with layers of fabric like leaves, adorned with flowers and gold ornaments.

Her pale blue eyes looked at him, her pupils reflecting his face.

"Mio?"

"Dad."

She went into the room and closed the door.

Her long white hair shimmered with a silvery sheen in the moonlight, and the hem of her spirit dress trailed gently on the floor, making a soft rustling sound.

"What are you doing...?"

"Wedding dress."

She walked up to him and stopped.

She was half a head shorter than him, and had to look up to see his eyes.

There was no hesitation, no shyness, in those pale blue eyes.

"You're leaving. We won't see each other again for thirty years."

"Right."

She reached out and grabbed the hem of his shirt, the exact same gesture she had made when they first met.

But this time, her eyes were different.

It is no longer the infant's dependence on the mother.

"Dad, I have a question for you."

"Explain."

Do you like me?

Higashino Makoto's fingers paused for a moment. Was he being that obvious?

"...?"

"When you stare at me, my pupils dilate, my heart beats faster, and my breathing quickens. I've read in books that these are physiological reactions when someone is interested in the opposite sex."

Higashino Makoto was silent for a moment, feeling a sense of déjà vu, as if his own child had gone astray.

"It's okay to learn this later..."

"No, now is just right."

She loosened her grip on his clothes and cupped his face in her hands.

"Dad, you love me."

"Um."

I like you too.

Mio Takamiya tiptoed and kissed him.

The moment their lips touched, Higashino Makoto felt a surge of immense spiritual energy flow into his body.

Ten seeds of spiritual energy revived within his body.

It is a gift.

She shared a portion of her strength with him, like a bride handing over her dowry to her groom.

He reached out and put his arm around her waist; the fabric of her gown felt slightly warm in his palm.

She leaned against him, her long white hair cascading down his arm, and closed her eyes.

"Dad, you absolutely have to wait for me."

"Good."

She smiled, like a spring breeze blowing across a lake.

"I'll come find you in thirty years."

"Good."

Hold me...

Feeling her warm breath on his ear, he picked her up and carried her to the bedside.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, bathing the room in a silvery-white glow.

Her long white hair was scattered on the pillow, and the light of her spirit dress gradually dimmed in the moonlight, turning into specks of light that disappeared.

She didn't cry; she just looked at him with a smile on her lips.

"Dad, your heart is beating so fast."

"Yours will be quick too."

She smiled, her fingers gently tracing his cheek.

That night, Higashino Makoto and Mio Takamiya talked a lot.

About the future, about the Elf Kingdom, about the people and things she might encounter.

She listened very attentively, remembering every word.

She asked him if the Elf Kingdom were very beautiful.

He said, "She's very pretty, but Mio is definitely the prettiest."

She laughed and said, "Then I'll help you build a harem."

He thought she was joking, so he didn't reply.

Late at night, Higashino Makoto held Mio in his arms, gently rubbing her head with his palm.

I sensed that my time had come.

The timeline is pulling him apart, tearing him from this world.

Mio Takamiya sat up, her long white hair slipping down her shoulders, her pale blue eyes looking at him.

Are you leaving?

"Yes, I have to go. I have to go."

She reached out and took his hand.

"I'll come find you in thirty years."

"Good."