Spring Arrives

"All right, Xixi, wipe those tears away. You've almost cried your face into a mess." Aemeath smiled as she wiped Sigrika's tears.

"I... I can't help it... I almost thought I'd never see Yaya again..." Sigrika really was overwhelmed. Though she was no longer wailing like she had just now, she was still sniffling and shedding tears.

"A reliable adult wouldn't keep crying, you know?" Dania teased with a smile.

Her teasing would have been more convincing if her own eyes hadn't been as red as a rabbit's.

"Look who's talking. When you two were bawling in each other's arms, you nearly made the neighbors burst out of their apartments," Xiao Ling said, ribbing her mercilessly.

Xiao Ling wasn't exaggerating. Their cries had been frighteningly loud. Anyone who didn't know better might have thought some kind of melodrama was playing out. The neighbors had nearly burst out of their apartments in anger, only for what little temper they had to vanish the moment they saw a group of gorgeous girls gathered together.

It had to be said: being beautiful really was justice.

"Always running your mouth!" Aemeath lashed out mercilessly at Xiao Ling with one of those killer long legs of hers.

"Hey, you're kicking me now? Looks like you really don't know who's in charge in this house!" Xiao Ling rolled up his sleeves, ready to reassert his manly authority.

"Then I'll go tell Grandma Lin you're going to hit me."

"Don't, Sister Ai, my dear sister, I was wrong. This humble one failed to recognize your greatness." Xiao Ling immediately prostrated himself and apologized sincerely.

Lynae: ????

"Is Grandma Lin that formidable? Enough to make the famous Dreamless Knight bow before her authority?" Lynae's mouth fell slightly open, seemingly astonished by Xiao Ling's somewhat excessive reaction.

"Our Dreamless Knight has been getting whipped by Grandma Lin since he was little," Aemeath replied with a sly smile.

"Damn it, don't I get to keep any face?!" Xiao Ling's reddening face said more than a thousand words.

Seeing that the senior she remembered as gentle and reliable was actually a goofball in real life, Sigrika couldn't help bursting into laughter through her tears.

"Right, speaking of which, who secretly called Rover over here?" Aemeath suddenly put on a stern face and began looking for the little traitor who had tipped him off and brought him here.

"Not me." Lynae shook her head vigorously. She didn't even have his contact information, much less a way to tip him off.

"I don't know." Sigrika was even less likely to have done it, or she wouldn't have nearly cried her eyes out just now.

Aemeath turned her gaze to Chisa, who was standing nearby. Chisa's face was expressionless, but her wandering eyes said it all.

"Aha, Chisa, it really was you!" Aemeath pounced on her and pinched little Chisa's soft, delicate cheeks.

"Let... let go of me." With her cheeks pinched, Chisa could barely get the words out.

Aemeath's "punishment" ended shortly afterward. Chisa rubbed her pinched cheeks with some embarrassment, which Xiao Ling found rather cute.

Once Chisa had recovered, she began telling the other three about how she and Xiao Ling had met at the department store.

"I also think Aemeath was right. If we went looking for Senior without warning, we might not surprise him so much as bring trouble to the peaceful life he'd finally found."

"But the fact that everyone and I missed Senior was real. If we hadn't wanted to make sure he was happy in this world, we wouldn't have stayed."

"And all this time, we'd been deciding what was best for Senior on our own, without ever really asking what he thought."

Xiao Ling strongly agreed with what Chisa had said and could relate to it.

In the game, Rover in his previous life had thought the same way. Most of the time, he had decided what was best for others on his own, never asking what they actually thought. Even when talking with Lahai-Roi, he had blamed himself for dragging them into his ideal of saving the world.

But that was because Solaris had been a world on the brink of collapse. Rover's thinking had been simple: if he failed completely, the others could still get out safely.

But this was the real world. There were no great disasters, only the ordinary routine of daily life.

So...

"This isn't Solaris, girls." Xiao Ling spoke with a gentle smile.

"You've lived in this world for a while, so you should already have a basic understanding of it. It's peaceful, warm, full of kindness, and orderly."

"Here, I'm just an ordinary student living an ordinary life. I don't have a savior's halo or any world-shaking power."

"Your coming here isn't a bother to me. You've brought your own colors to my ordinary days."

"So I'll still choose to protect you and stay by your side. And of course, you can rely on me now just as you relied on me in Solaris."

"I think it's only home when everyone's there."

The moment he finished, Aemeath threw herself into his arms, tears in her eyes.

"Yes... that's right. It's only home when you're there, when everyone's there!" Aemeath said, smiling through her tears.

"Exactly! It's happiest when everyone's together!" Lynae was as carefree as ever.

"Yeah, with Yaya, Senior, and everyone else here, I feel happier too!" Sigrika held her hands before her chest, her tone utterly sincere.

Dania said nothing, only watching her companions with a gentler smile than usual. Everything went without saying.

"So there's no need to worry anymore." Chisa smiled at Xiao Ling. "The past is already behind us. The present and future we share with our friends are more precious."

"Well then, girls, it's already noon. Are you hungry?" Xiao Ling brought everyone back from the emotion of the moment with an everyday question.

As Xiao Ling spoke, the girls' stomachs rumbled in unison.

"Looks like you are."

The girls all blushed at Xiao Ling's teasing.

"To make up for being late, I'll volunteer to cook lunch for everyone today~" Xiao Ling stood and rolled up his sleeves, full of enthusiasm. "But fair warning: don't blame me if it doesn't taste good."

"If it doesn't, we'll make you eat all of it!" Aemeath said, pretending to be fierce.

"Hey, hey, hey, that's not fair." Xiao Ling was startled by Aemeath's "ruthless declaration" and quickly backed down.

"Right, let's invite Grandma Lin too. We can thank her for taking care of us and give her a proper farewell while we're at it!" Sigrika said earnestly. She was a good girl who repaid kindness and hadn't forgotten Grandma Lin, who had taken them in.

"Of course. I need to thank Grandma Lin properly for being kind enough to take you in, too." Xiao Ling approved of Sigrika's suggestion.

"Then there's no time to lose. I'll help Senior in the kitchen, and I'm sorry to trouble the rest of you to tidy up and decorate the other areas a little."

Chisa took the initiative to assign tasks. After all, barring any surprises, this would be their last day living here, and a farewell deserved a little ceremony.

"Okay!"

Everyone set to work decorating the apartment, full of enthusiasm and determined to make this farewell a memory they would never forget.

After a warm farewell meal with a few little incidents along the way.

"Grandma Lin, don't go back just yet." Xiao Ling called out to Grandma Lin as she was about to slip away quietly.

"You little brat, what do you want?" Grandma Lin said irritably, her voice unusually choked.

She carried quite a few gifts, all pressed into her hands by Aemeath and the others before parting.

"Come take a picture with us. Those girls really hate to see you go." Xiao Ling scratched his head and grinned broadly. "After all, you won't see them again after today, so you should have something to remember them by."

Grandma Lin fell silent for a moment. In the end, she sighed softly and stopped in her tracks.

She wasn't good at goodbyes. Perhaps slipping away quietly would have suited her better.

Though they had spent less than half a month together, she was an elderly woman whose children had left home, and she had already come to regard these girls from another world as her own.

Since they all wanted something to remember her by, she had no reason to refuse.

"Oh, Grandma Lin's back! Come on, come on!" Seeing Grandma Lin turn back, Aemeath hurriedly pulled her over and sat her in the center of the living room sofa.

Dania, Chisa, Lynae, Aemeath, and Sigrika gathered in a circle around her.

"Girls, strike a nice pose. Grandma Lin, give us a smile."

Xiao Ling kept adjusting the camera and directing their poses, wanting to make the group photo look a little nicer.

"Good, just like that. Perfect. Get ready-"

After setting the timer and pressing the shutter, Xiao Ling hurried behind them, flashed peace signs with both hands, and grinned.

"Here we go. Three, two, one!"

"Cheese!"

Before they parted, Grandma Lin suddenly remembered something and jogged back to her home. When she returned, she had six small red lucky pouches in her hands.

"Grandma Lin, what are those?" Sigrika asked curiously, looking at the red pouches.

"They're protective charms," Xiao Ling explained for Grandma Lin. "She's wishing you all safety."

Grandma Lin, who had been about to speak, shot him an irritated look, then solemnly pressed the red pouches into the girls' hands one by one.

"I'm poor, and I don't have much to give you in the way of material things. I just hope you'll live safely and happily after you leave with that brat Xiao Ling," Grandma Lin said earnestly. "If that little bastard bullies you, come back and tell me. I'll take a clothes hanger to him!"

The bright red pouches still carried a little of Grandma Lin's warmth, and inside them were her most sincere blessings for these girls from Solaris.

"Grandma, thank you. We love this gift!"

Together, the girls bowed deeply to the grandma who had prayed for their safety.

"All right, go on, go on. The world out there is a big place. Go see more of it." Grandma Lin saw the lovely girls off, her voice a little choked.

Though tears glistened in their eyes, the girls still smiled as they said goodbye to Grandma Lin.

"You brat, come here!"

Xiao Ling was just about to leave with Aemeath and the others when he heard Grandma Lin call him. He immediately knew she had something to tell him.

"Is there anything else you want to say to me, Grandma?" Xiao Ling asked softly.

"Don't squander this tremendous blessing. Treat them well." Grandma Lin pressed the last protective charm into his hand. "If they suffer even the slightest grievance, just wait for me to come whip you with a clothes hanger!"

"I will, Grandma." With a sincere smile, Xiao Ling held Grandma Lin's old, wrinkled hands and made a solemn promise. "I definitely will."

"Then I'm off."

"Go on, you brat. Don't come back!"

Xiao Ling looked at the old woman before him, sharp-tongued but soft-hearted. He bowed solemnly to her as well, then turned and strode away.

After leaving the somewhat narrow alley, Xiao Ling spotted the incomparably beautiful girls waving to him at once.

"You finally came out! Come on, let's go, let's go!" Aemeath skipped over lightly, took his hand, and pulled him toward Chisa and the others.

When the older men and women in the alley saw this group of handsome young men and beautiful young women gathered together, they immediately sensed that the atmosphere was different from usual.

"Little Ai, are you all leaving?" Xiao Ling didn't know which auntie had been the first to ask.

"Mm... yes, Auntie Liu. We might not be back for a long time," Aemeath replied sincerely.

"I see..."

Auntie Liu, the owner of a snack stall, immediately pulled out an empty bag and filled it with snacks. Without giving Aemeath a chance to refuse, she pressed it into her hands.

"These are all snacks you like. I packed you extra, so they'll last a while." Auntie Liu rose on tiptoe and patted Aemeath's head. "Take good care of yourself after you leave here, all right?"

"Mm... yes, Auntie, I will." The tears Aemeath had just managed to hold back suddenly threatened to spill again, and her reply was a little choked.

Perhaps because Auntie Liu had started it, the stall owners on both sides of the alley began pressing all sorts of things into the lovely girls' hands of their own accord.

"These fruits were just picked at home. They're as fresh as can be. Take them to eat on the way! Come back and visit often when you have time!"

"I just made these dumplings today. Little Lin, you always told me how much you loved our dumplings. Oh, take more, take more! Once you leave, who knows when you'll get to eat them again!"

"Sister Sigrika, Sister Chisa, these are some little pastries my mom made. Oh, do you remember her? You helped her a lot! Honestly, my mom's a grown-up, but she's too embarrassed to come say goodbye... Anyway, take these! Remember to come back and visit more often!"

Only then did Xiao Ling truly realize just how much everyone in this alley liked Aemeath and the other girls from another world.

They asked nothing of their destination or which way they were headed. There were only the weighty blessings packed into bags before their departure.

Even when the girls could barely carry any more, the simple, warmhearted older men and women kept finding ways to give them things. Even Dania, who had only just arrived, had plenty pressed into her hands.

They continued until they reached the end of the alley, where the afternoon sun bathed the girls in a golden halo, making them look especially radiant.

Aemeath and the others turned back to look at these kind, sincere people, who had known them only a short time yet had shown them so much care, and bowed deeply once more.

Then they followed Xiao Ling, who walked ahead of them, and ran toward a new chapter.

Such was life. Winter would not last forever; once the last snowflake melted away, spring would come at last.

Just like the ending of every fairy tale.

The breeze was gentle, and spring had arrived.