Chapter 112

"Huh? I've never been here before..."

"I came here when I was a child."

"Is that so...? I don't quite remember..."

"You were very young then, and every few days you would clamor to come here to play."

Efnir smiled with pursed lips, while Yukina looked at the desolate night scene around her, her face flushed.

Yukina was quite surprised that she had been here as a child but couldn't recall any memories of that time. She couldn't quite imagine what it was like to play here as a child. When was it? Was there anyone else besides herself and Naoko? She could only vaguely recall the warm palm of someone's hand touching her fingertips.

She thought, that person must be Naoko.

"Come with me."

Efnir walked straight to the side of the dilapidated shrine, where there was a dried-up pond covered with green moss. Further back, Yukina saw a tree that was twice the height of a person.

That tree was quite different from the surrounding trees, standing there all alone, with scattered white petals falling to the ground and adorning the treetops like light snow in winter, piling up loosely on the branches.

Do you remember it?

Yukina hesitated and shook her head.

"Could it be... Naoko?"

"It's the two of us."

Efnir lowered her gaze.

"When I first got it from your aunt, it was just a seed... It's supposedly a northern variety, but it's blooming very well here... It's more resilient than I imagined. However, the next flowering season will be here soon."

Yukina raised her eyes, gazing at the solitary little flower, as if she were looking at the distant horizon.

"Winter... is a season I really look forward to..."

"Me too."

Efnir released Yukina's hand and walked ahead to look around.

"Actually, I came here to look for something... I should have brought you here a long time ago, but now... it's probably not too late, is it?"

What is it?

"You'll see when you see it, but I can't guarantee you'll find it."

Efnir simply smiled, lightly touched the ground, and a gust of wind swept away the fallen leaves.

A silver light surged, and a spear appeared in her hand. She circled Xia Chun once, then carefully and gently lifted the spear, thrust it into the ground, and pulled it out, repeating this several times.

Then, with a muffled thud, Efnir paused slightly, gently flicked the soil, and revealed something beneath the shallow mortar.

"It's still here after all..."

Efnir crouched down, carefully picked up the item, and took out a piece of paper to wipe it.

After a quick cleaning, Yukina realized it was a small square box.

The box appears to be made of metal, but perhaps because it has been buried underground for too long, it is somewhat deformed, and much of the paint has peeled off, revealing a rusty underlying layer.

She couldn't help but feel a little curious.

"What's this..."

"Want to take a look?"

Efnir handed the box to Yukina, gesturing for her to open it. Yukina glanced at Efnir and carefully took the box.

Even after being wiped clean, the surface of the box still had some Trace of dirt stuck to it, carrying a faint scent of damp grass. The clasp on the box was already rusted and stuck tightly to the lid, making it difficult to open. Yukina frowned, applied a little force, but accidentally pried the clasp and the lid off together.

Yukina was startled by the suddenly broken and opened box, letting out a soft gasp, before her gaze was drawn to the items inside.

Unlike the badly rusted exterior, the inside of the box looked very clean, with neat sealing lines along the edges. The inside appeared to be a multi-layered sealing structure made of some kind of alloy, and in the middle lay two clean glass bottles.

The glass bottles were opaque. One bottle had the name "Shiomi Yukina" on it, the handwriting crooked and almost invisible, while the other had "Yanase Naoto" written in neat and beautiful handwriting.

"Could this be... something we buried when we were kids?"

"Yes."

"Is this... is this it!? -- Writing down your wishes and planting them in the soil like seeds, waiting for them to sprout -- is this the kind of game?"

Yukina's eyes widened, and stars seemed to float in her eyes.

"Naoko, may I open it and take a look?"

"We originally agreed to open it on your fifteenth birthday, but several months have passed now... But it shouldn't be too late, right?"

"Naoko remembers even things like this so clearly...?"

"My memory is the only thing I can still boast about."

Efnir giggled.

"Open it."

"Um..."

What does it feel like to unlock the wishes buried in your childhood, to pick up forgotten desires?

What were my wishes back then?

Are there any trees like this one that take root, sprout, and bloom beautifully?

She carefully uncorked the bottle little by little and pulled out a yellowed, crumpled piece of paper.

She spread the paper out.

It was a painting. Although a long time had passed, the paper had changed color, and the ink and paint on it had faded, the crooked and childish lines were still faintly visible.

There was sunshine, grass, flowers, and balloons; two people held hands, sharing a bouquet of flowers.

Yukina looked at the drawing paper in her hand and suddenly laughed.

She couldn't quite remember when or what she was feeling when she painted this picture, but without a doubt, she must have been smiling at the time.

"May I open Naoko's wish bottle?"

"Sure, go ahead and look."

Efnir simply smiled, Yukina eagerly grasped the bottle labeled "Yanase Naoto" in her hand.

Feeling the cool touch of the bottle, she suddenly felt uneasy.

With a slight pursing of her lips, Yukina uncorked the bottle and inverted the bottle opening.

But...

"Babble?"

Yukina tried pouring it again, then tilted her head suspiciously and looked into the bottle.

"No?"

Yukina's first reaction was that she must have been tricked by Naoko again.

But Efnir also looked suspicious, squatted down beside her, took the bottle, and looked inside carefully.

"How could there not be?"

Like Yukina, Efnir also showed a puzzled expression.

That expression didn't seem like he was teasing anyone.

"Etc..."

Snap--

Efnir smashed the bottle, but there was still nothing between the shards of glass.

"How could there not be...?"

Efnir frowned seriously.

Yukina blinked and gave Efnir a strange look.

"Sis, you didn't forget to put it in, did you?"

"I... I remember putting it in... and it wasn't something that would completely oxidize..."

But if that's not the case, why is this "wish box," which hasn't been touched for over a decade, completely empty?

Efnir didn't quite believe she could really forget, but after so many years, she couldn't say with absolute certainty that "it's impossible for her to forget."

At that moment, a cool drop bloomed on the tip of Yukina's nose.

Soon, a pattering sound gradually rose, pattering among the leaves.

Yukina slightly raised her chin and looked up at the sky.

It rained at night.

160. Drizzle

The shrine isn't very large.

Apart from the outer buildings, the inside is just an empty worship hall, which has long been dilapidated due to years of neglect.

"Speaking of which, wouldn't it be a bit inappropriate to just take things from the shrine without permission?"

"It's probably... nothing to worry about, right? God will forgive me."

Efnir held up an oil-paper umbrella with a large hole in it and curled her lip.

"Even so, these umbrellas all look unusable..."

The rain outside isn't heavy, but it's really not worth getting soaked.

Efnir used her phone to shine a light, while Yukina walked away to the side.

Unlike Efnir, who wasn't in Synchronization, Yukina didn't need a light to see in the dark. She glanced around, stopped in front of the donation box, reached out, and touched the rope.

Ring ring--

The crisp sound of a bell echoed in the rainy night.

"Would you like to make a wish?"

As I looked away, Efnir had already come to Yukina's side with the broken umbrella and pulled out a few coins.

That was money I redeemed when I took those photo booth pictures, and I hadn't spent it all yet.

"Is this alright? It's already like this..."

"It's alright... As long as someone sincerely makes a wish, I believe God will hear it."

Efnir smiled, put down her umbrella, and washed her hands in the rain.

The bell jingled a few times, making a crisp sound.

Efnir gently closed her eyes, and then opened them after a while.

What did Naoko promise?

"If you don't say it, then it won't work, right?"

Efnir tilted her head and smiled.

"Would you like to make one too?"

"Um..."

Yukina took the coin from Efnir and shook the rope in the same way.

("I hope that Naoko and I can live happily together forever...")

She silently repeated it to herself, then opened her eyes.

A night breeze blew by, and the wind chimes swayed gently. Yukina took a step back, took Efnir's hand, and their fingers naturally found the space between them, then intertwined tightly.

What did Yukina promise?

"If you don't tell me, I'm not telling you!"