Peace

In the Far East, Sakura stood by the nameplate outside her home in casual clothes, waiting for her younger sister Ling to come downstairs. Sakura checked her phone. It was already past one o'clock. She helplessly shook her head and shouted toward the second floor, "Ling, aren't you ready yet?"

The lively voice of a young girl drifted down from the second-floor window. "Almost! Sis, just wait a little longer!" Half a minute later, hurried footsteps came from the stairs, but Ling accidentally slipped. With a dull thud, she tumbled face-first down the stairs.

"Honestly..." Sakura rubbed her forehead, walked over to Ling, and helped her up.

"I've been teaching you since you were little that you need to watch where you're going." They sat by the table. Sakura first wiped Ling's face with a damp towel, then gently dabbed the alcohol-soaked cotton swab over her forehead.

"Ow... that hurts..." Ling cried out, but Sakura could not tell where this child was actually hurting. Since childhood, Ling's lively personality had gotten her into no shortage of falls. These minor injuries were really nothing to her.

"Honestly, you. It's because I never properly taught you." Sakura sighed again. Her warm breath brushed Ling's earlobe as she set down the cotton swab.

"Hehe..." Ling gave a few mischievous laughs.

"I was planning to give the house a good cleaning when we got back. Looks like you feel sorry for your sister, so you used your face to mop the stairs first, huh? When we get back tonight, you're helping me clean the house." Sakura kneaded her younger sister Ling's cheeks, enjoying the pleasant feel of them. Ling refused to be outdone and reached back to pinch her sister's long pink ear.

"Ah!" Sakura suddenly blushed. "You've gotten bold, Ling. Daring to tease your sister now?" She gave Ling's little head a firm knock.

"It's only because your long ears are just too cute, Sis." Ling rubbed her head indignantly.

"Come on, let's head out. If we don't leave now, it'll be too late to go anywhere." Sakura rose from her stool, and Ling followed her to the door.

"So, have you decided where you want to go?" Sakura patted Ling's head, her doting smile almost dazzling in the sunlight.

It was already late spring. It was not cold, and today counted as fine weather: a clear blue sky and bright sunshine, perfect for going out. Ling stroked her chin and thought carefully. "How about... we go to the amusement park?"

"The amusement park? Didn't we just go there a few days ago? And it's already past one. It'll be pretty crowded by the time we get there." Even during wartime, amusement parks drew plenty of people on clear days. And now that this was a peaceful period between wars, it might already be packed.

"Then where are we supposed to go..." Ling deflated a little. "You're going back tomorrow, Sis. Let's go one more time."

"No!" Sakura pressed a hand to her forehead and said helplessly.

Sakura's home was in the suburbs. There were not many people nearby, but the transportation was convenient.

Half an hour later.

They took the subway to the area near the amusement park. Before the main entrance, a long yellow balloon mascot swayed wildly in the wind like a roly-poly toy. Sakura pointed at the long line of people ahead. "See? I told you there'd be a lot of people. We'll probably have to wait half an hour, and we'll be standing the whole time."

Ling said slyly, "We're already here, and you can't run away now, Sis. Look, wouldn't it be a waste of time to go somewhere else?"

"You little rascal."

Another half hour passed.

"Please enjoy this hard-won moment of peace to the fullest in our park." The staff member welcomed them with a commercial smile.

"We finally got in~" Ling stretched lazily. Then she linked arms with her sister and pointed at a massive hammer-shaped ride spinning nonstop ahead. "Sis, let's ride that giant pendulum first! We didn't ride it last time."

"Mm, let's go."

Sakura and Ling boarded the giant pendulum and took seats at the very end. A female staff member beside them fastened their safety belts. Three minutes later, the ride slowly began to turn.

"Sis, are you ready? Don't scream too loudly later, okay?" Ling chuckled.

"Don't worry. Your sister can handle something like this." Sakura pinched Ling's little nose.

The giant pendulum spun faster and faster, their entire field of view flipping up and down. Some of the more timid riders had already begun screaming. Ling also grew quieter. The girl who had been so lively before unexpectedly became unusually silent.

Seeing Ling's silence, Sakura smiled soundlessly, but Ling noticed that smile.

"Mm..." Ling made a dissatisfied sound and puffed out her cheeks at her sister. But in Sakura's eyes, the expression was unbelievably adorable.

The giant pendulum spun faster and faster until it reached its maximum speed. Ling's face had turned bright red, while Sakura's expression remained completely normal. For a Fusion Warrior, perhaps only a centrifuge as fast as those used for astronaut training could make her feel even the slightest discomfort.

Ling could not hold on any longer. Giving up completely, she shouted, "I can't hold it in anymore!" Then she screamed along with everyone else, and Sakura could not help laughing aloud.

Two minutes later, Sakura and Ling stepped off the giant pendulum. Sakura was still laughing nonstop, while Ling's face remained bright red. "Stop laughing..."

"This is the first time I've ever seen you like this."

Sakura took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. But for some reason, she recalled Ling's red-faced attempt to hold it in and suddenly burst out laughing again.

"Grr..." Ling ground her teeth in frustration.

The sky had been dyed a fiery red by the sunset. There were still three hours until the official curfew. Since this was peacetime, curfew had been shortened by two hours, meaning it would not begin until nine.

"We'll be heading back soon. Is there anything else you want to ride?" Sakura rubbed Ling's soft hair.

"There isn't really anything fun left. We played the other things last time." Ling's energy seemed endless. After playing continuously for several hours, she had barely rested at all. But Sakura knew that once they got home, this child might just fall asleep on the sofa.

"Then let's go home."

"Okay..." Ling agreed reluctantly. What she was reluctant to leave behind was not the amusement park itself, but the happiness of being with her sister.

Just as they were walking toward the exit, Ling suddenly spotted something. Her eyes lit up, and she pointed at an attraction ahead. "Sis, let's play that one last!"

"Huh?" Sakura was forcibly dragged by her sister to a booth for shooting flying discs with an air rifle.

Strange. I don't remember this place being here last time. Sakura then walked toward the flying-disc booth.

The owner in a red baseball cap rubbed his hands together, wearing a grim expression. "Would you two ladies like to shoot some flying discs?" From Sakura's lively ears, the owner could tell she was someone important. From far away, he had initially thought they were merely decorations, but he had not expected them to actually move. That was why the usually enthusiastic owner had not invited them over to try their hand, but they had noticed his booth anyway.

"Hit five or more out of ten shots and you get a prize." Ling read the rules posted on the wall.

However, Sakura was a worldly person. With these kinds of games, either the discs moved too quickly to hit, or the air rifle was inaccurate from the start. Fortunately, this was not laser shooting. Whether a laser gun could hit a flying disc depended entirely on whether the owner wanted you to hit it.

Sakura nodded. She did not particularly care about the little prizes, then handed the money to the owner. The owner picked up the air rifle, loaded the ammunition, and the game began.

"Ready, miss? When I count to ten, that cannon-like thing will shoot out the discs, and then you fire at them." The owner gripped the control lever and called from afar. Though the air rifle could not pierce human skin, getting hit by it would still hurt.

Sakura raised the air rifle, her entire body settling into an exceptionally standard shooting stance. Seeing that military-like posture, the owner immediately realized he had run into a real expert.

"Go, Sis!" Ling cheered from behind her.

The owner muttered, "Looks like I'm going to lose a fortune this time." Then he pulled down the lever. The cannon began launching flying discs one after another. There were twelve discs in total, while the air rifle only had ten pellets.

Ding! A shot rang out, and one flying disc fell to the ground. Ding! Another flying disc was knocked down. Ten shots in total—every single one hit.

"Sis, you're amazing!" Ling's eyes were filled with admiration.

"I'm a pretty accurate shot." Sakura set down the air rifle and brushed aside a lock of hair by her ear.

"Okay, Ling, now you try."

"Okay~"

"Ahhh! Why can't I hit anything?!" Out of ten shots, Ling only hit one, and even that had been accidental. She had aimed at the previous disc, only to hit the next one.

"Hey, boss! Did you tamper with this gun?!" Ling shouted angrily at the owner. Her pink ponytail swung through the air, displaying the girl's irritation.

The owner only lowered his head in despair and pointed at Sakura with one finger. Ling had truly wronged him. The gun had not been tampered with; she had simply suspected the wrong thing. The owner had only altered the speed of the flying discs.

"Ah... ehehe..." Remembering that her sister had hit all ten shots, Ling scratched her head sheepishly. It really had been her own problem.

"Miss, here is your prize. Please take it." The owner looked like he was about to cry as he handed Sakura a pocket watch that appeared rather valuable.

The owner had set up tiered prizes: five hits out of ten earned a small gift, six earned something more expensive, and so on. Hitting all ten was unprecedented. He had only hung up an especially expensive pocket watch to attract foolish rich customers, yet someone had actually won it.

"Thank you." Sakura accepted the pocket watch and put it in her bag. Seeing how angry Ling looked, she had wanted to teach her how to shoot, but seeing the owner on the verge of tears, she felt too embarrassed to ask for another round.

After the two girls left through the main gate, the owner's expression abruptly changed as though he were changing masks in a play. He scoffed, "Hmph. I'll earn back the cost of that pocket watch in a week."

"Hehe, Sis, you actually knew that such a big photo wouldn't fit inside a pocket watch, right?"

Sakura lightly flicked Ling's delicate nose. "You little clever thing."

By the time they returned home, it was a little past seven. Ling kicked off her shoes and flopped straight onto the sofa. She pressed the power button on the television remote and watched while lying there.

The sounds of some unknown television drama and the sizzling of stir-frying gradually sent Ling's thoughts drifting farther and farther away...

Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

A fragrant smell woke Ling. The dishes on the table were steaming hot. Sakura had just untied her apron and sat down at the table when her sister woke up. Ling rubbed her sleepy eyes, stretched, and sat up from the sofa.

"Sis... what time is it now?" She was still drowsy.

"It's already past eight. Since you're awake, come eat quickly. Remember to wash your hands."

"Okay~" She walked to the table and sat beside Sakura.

Chew, chew...

"Ah... food made by you really is the best, Sis." After eating her fill, Ling gently rubbed her slightly bloated stomach.

Sakura chuckled softly, then cleared away the dishes and placed them in the dishwasher.

"Are you full? If you are, come help your sister clean the house." Sakura picked up the broom by the door.

Ling said reluctantly, "Come on, Sis... I'm so tired. Let me rest a little longer."

"It's only eight-thirty. We'll clean up, take a bath, and then go to bed."

Sakura swept as she urged her along. "Besides, tomorrow is still a holiday. You can sleep as long as you want before getting up."

Ling suddenly fell silent for a while, then said with renewed energy, "Okay, I'll come right away!"

Sakura seemed to see through Ling's worries. "Silly girl, it's not like I won't come back."

Ling's spirits immediately wilted again, and she said quietly, "But I waited so long for you to come back, Sis."

Sakura lovingly stroked Ling's head. "Don't worry. I'll definitely come back."

It was nearly ten by then. Ling and Sakura slept in the same bed. They normally slept separately, but Ling had insisted on sleeping with her, so Sakura helplessly agreed.

The next day

The sun had not risen yet, and it was still pitch-black outside, but Sakura was already awake. She wanted to leave before Ling woke up because she did not want to face that painful parting. She feared that if her heart softened, she would never be able to leave.

"Around five o'clock." Sakura glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. Its ticking sounded especially pronounced in the silence.

She put on her shoes, making not the slightest sound with her powerful control over her body, then carefully opened the bedroom door.

But Ling's voice reached her ears. "Sis, you have to come back. We promised, okay?"

Sakura turned around, sat by the bed, and gently stroked Ling's head. "Mm, definitely."

She took Ling's hand and said, "We promised. When I come back next time, we'll go to that plaza where the cherry blossoms are in full bloom."

"Mm." Ling lay against her sister's chest while Sakura supported her back with one hand. Ling was not an unreasonable child. She understood why her sister had to leave—not only because it was her duty, but also to protect her.

Sakura stood and said, "Goodbye, Ling. Be good and wait for me to come back."