Chapter Eighty-Seven: The Night of the Birthday

It was Amyu Sagi’s birthday today, and to make the day more meaningful, Anwa decided to take her somewhere special.

In the evening, after settling the sleeping Amyu Saori, the two of them draped the same red scarf around their necks and went out hand in hand.

A light snow was falling from the sky, laying a thin silver veil over the roads on both sides. At a glance, all was white.

Anwa did not choose to ride a bike. Instead, the two of them simply walked along the pavement, fingers intertwined.

Perhaps because it was deep winter, there were not many pedestrians on the streets. The occasional car would flash by and vanish into the sunset.

After a little more than half an hour, the two arrived beside a bus stop.

At a glance, Amyu Sagi recognized the place.

It was where she had first met Anwa.

Her lips curving faintly, Amyu Sagi suddenly remembered a question she had long kept hidden in her heart, and she turned to him with curiosity.

“Why did you choose to take me home back then, instead of calling the police?”

“Well…” Anwa gave her a meaningful smile, looking her over from head to toe, then turned to gaze at the neon city beneath the curtain of snow and said, half-jokingly and half-seriously, “Because Sagi-chan was just too adorable. Back then I was thinking, if I handed you over to the police, maybe the two of us would end up missing each other forever. But if I brought you home, maybe I’d even end up with another wife.”

Amyu Sagi clearly had not expected him to say that. After a brief stunned pause, she reacted and could not help but burst out laughing.

“Thinking about it carefully, that does sound like something Anwa-kun would do.”

After teasing him a little, Amyu Sagi looked into the distance, the smile slowly fading from her face, and suddenly asked, “Anwa-kun, could you come with me to see Mother?”

Her mother?

Anwa was momentarily taken aback, then realized which late woman she meant. Without the slightest hesitation, he nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Amyu Sagi softly said, “Thank you,” then stepped in front of Anwa, rose on tiptoe, and placed a light kiss on his cheek.

“Let’s go.”

Their lips parted almost at once. Taking his hand, Amyu Sagi led him off in a certain direction.

Through the bustling city of Tokyo, the two figures gradually vanished beneath the sunset.

Amyu Sagi’s mother lay in a cemetery park on the outskirts of Tokyo.

By the time they arrived, the sky had already gone completely dark. There was no one around, only the black-and-white photographs fixed upon row after row of tombstones.

Curiously, Amyu Sagi, who in daily life feared the dark and was easily frightened, appeared unusually calm at this moment.

As if returning home, she led Anwa with practiced ease through the paths, finally stopping before a grave marked only by a photograph and no family name.

Perhaps sensing the question in Anwa’s eyes, Amyu Sagi fixed her gaze on the woman in the picture, who bore some resemblance to her, and spoke quietly.

“Because of what Mother did while she was alive, Father thought it far too shameful, so he did not leave her a name.”

At that, Anwa said nothing. He only looked silently at the woman in the photograph on the gravestone.

Her features resembled Amyu Sagi’s by several parts, her smile was gentle, and her long hair was gathered over one shoulder. She was the very image of a traditional Japanese graceful lady.

Anwa truly could not understand why such a gentle and elegant woman would choose to betray her husband.

Of course, he was not the only one who did not understand. Amyu Sagi was the same.

Perhaps the true reason was known only to the head of the Amyu family, who had passed away not long ago, Amyu Toshio.

Shaking his head, Anwa decided not to dwell on it any further.

He placed the flowers he had bought on the way before the grave of her mother-in-law, and the two of them lingered there a while longer before turning to leave.

The whole evening, of course, could not be spent merely visiting her mother.

After that, Anwa took Amyu Sagi to the maid cafe where she had first worked.

Although the shop had already been shut down, when Anwa had gone to see Tachibana Maya two days earlier, he had still managed to get the key from her.

Pushing open the long-unvisited door, the two stepped inside together.

When the lights were switched on, the whole hall brightened once more.

Because it had been closed for nearly a month, the cafe looked rather desolate, and even the once-tidy tabletops were covered with a thin layer of dust.

Amyu Sagi’s fingertips brushed the table as she looked at the familiar arrangement before her, and memories of the second day after she had met Anwa surfaced in her mind.

Cold, lonely, lost...

Negative feelings surged like a tide, nearly swallowing her in that afternoon.

And yet... then Anwa appeared.

That red scarf was like a bond connected to hope, pulling the bird that had nearly drowned back above the water.

Thinking of this, a smile once more appeared on Amyu Sagi’s lips.

“What are you thinking about?”

Anwa suddenly spoke.

At his words, Amyu Sagi returned from her thoughts and lightly shook her head.

“Just thinking of something happy.”

As she spoke, Amyu Sagi looked at Anwa and asked with curiosity, “Are we here to do something?”

“Ehe, you’ll know in a moment, Sagi-chan.”

Keeping her in suspense, Anwa slowly guided Amyu Sagi to the center of the hall, where a piano stood quietly—precisely the one he had played while working part-time here.

Seeing that Amyu Sagi was still puzzled, Anwa simply took a napkin from the side, pulled out two sheets, and wiped the keys clean. Then he seated Amyu Sagi on the bench before explaining, “Do you remember how interested you were the first time you saw a piano?”

“Was I?” Amyu Sagi blushed a little, but still nodded and explained, “When I was little, Father made Saori learn piano, so we bought one at home too. But I never touched it. Every time, I could only look at it from the second-floor window when Saori was playing.”

Though he had guessed the truth, hearing it spoken by Amyu Sagi herself still made Anwa feel a pang of sorrow.

After a moment of silence, he put on a smile again, took Amyu Sagi’s hands, and placed them on the keys. Resting his head against her shoulder, cheek to cheek, he spoke softly, “Then after this, I’ll buy you a piano too, and teach you myself. All right?”

“Mm...” Amyu Sagi nodded lightly, and then, following Anwa’s guidance, her hands began to dance over the keys.

At first, she could only play out odd, broken notes. But as she gradually grew familiar with the layout, a gentle, lilting melody soon flowed from the speakers: the very song that Anwa had played the first time, “Your Name.”

When the piece ended, Amyu Sagi looked quite excited. It was hard to imagine that the music had come from her own hands.

Seeing that she still wanted more, Anwa taught her several more pieces in succession.

“For Elise,” “The Unseen Flower,” “My Heart Will Go On.”

One song after another, Amyu Sagi grew increasingly skilled. By the end, even after Anwa released her hands, she could still continue playing on her own.

When they left the cafe, it was already deep into the night.

Anwa then took Amyu Sagi to a nearby amusement park for some fun.

The two of them ate Christmas ice cream beside the hot spring pool, smashed into each other in bumper cars, rode the carousel together while listening to its graceful tune, and finally boarded the Ferris wheel side by side.

As the Ferris wheel slowly rose to its highest point, as all of night-time Tokyo spread out before them, as the bright moon seemed within reach, as flecks of snow drifted down upon Amyu Sagi’s heart—

in that instant, it was as though the whole world had come to a halt. The clamor of life fell away; the two of them stood with fingers intertwined, foreheads touching, seeing nothing in their eyes but each other.

...

By the time they returned home, it was nearly dawn.

After several hours of wandering about, they were both exhausted. Just as they were preparing to sleep, the bedroom door was suddenly pushed open, and a figure appeared in the doorway.

Both of them were startled. Amyu Sagi hurriedly pulled the blanket up to cover herself.

After a long moment, Anwa gathered the courage to call out, “Saori?”

There was no answer. The figure swayed uncertainly as it walked into the bedroom.

Through the faint moonlight streaming in from outside, its outline could be dimly made out.

On top, it wore an oversized T-shirt, with pale, jade-like arms hanging loosely at its sides. Below, it had on tight blue denim shorts that revealed a pair of slender, snow-white legs.

Its long golden twin-tails reached down to the waist, and its face wore a peaceful sleeping expression.

It seemed not to realize there were people in the room, and, staggering slightly, it came to the bedside before collapsing face-first onto the bed.

Soon after, even breathing, even and steady, could be heard.

So she had not woken up after all!

Anwa and Amyu Sagi both breathed a sigh of relief.

After exchanging glances, the latter quickly reached out and pushed Anwa, muttering, “Get down~”

Anwa chuckled and obediently climbed off Amyu Sagi, lying down beside her.

Putting an arm around her, he rested his forehead against hers and looked into Amyu Sagi’s tearful eyes. In a gentle voice, he asked, “How is it? Does it still hurt?”

Amyu Sagi gave a soft “Mm,” took the initiative to hold him, and her tone carried a faint plea.

“Can we stop here for today? Let me rest a little. It hurts so much.”

At that, Anwa blinked, leaned forward, and gave Amyu Sagi’s cheek a light peck with a smile. “I’ll listen to you.”

“Thank you.”

Amyu Sagi’s face lit up with a radiant smile. Today was the happiest day she had had in all these years.

Night fell.

Feeling the little hand moving restlessly beneath the covers, Anwa suddenly opened his eyes.

The Amyu Sagi in his arms was sleeping very peacefully. The brow that had been tightly furrowed in pain had also relaxed, and her hands were now wrapped around Anwa’s waist.

The hand on his abdomen was not Amyu Sagi’s.

Realizing this, a figure instantly surfaced in Anwa’s mind.

Amyu Saori!

Turning his head, he saw that she was indeed lying close against him on her side.

Awake, or not awake?

Raising an eyebrow, and afraid of waking Amyu Sagi, Anwa did not dare make a sound. He could only blow a breath onto Amyu Saori’s face.

The hair above her brow fluttered. The hands that had already been reaching toward a certain place instantly stopped. Her long lashes trembled faintly, and she still did not dare open her eyes. Her small nose twitched, and her breathing grew noticeably heavier.

So she really was awake!

Anwa inwardly praised her boldness, and feeling the touch of her little hand, a strange stirring rose in his heart.

Fortunately, that stirring was quickly suppressed again.

Looking at Amyu Sagi, who slept with a sweet smile in his arms, Anwa silently repeated to himself: Saori can be unreasonable, but I cannot.

At least not today!

Thinking this, Anwa pulled one hand free and seized the little thief by the wrist.

He could feel Amyu Saori’s body tremble behind him.

Truth be told, her hand was very soft. If this had been any other night, Anwa would have held it without hesitation until morning. But not tonight.

Sending the little thief back out of the country, Anwa took a deep breath and closed his eyes again.

Perhaps his action had worked. For more than half an hour, there was no further movement behind him.

Yet just as Anwa was growing hazy with sleep, he suddenly realized that another little hand had once again touched his back.

Turning his head, he saw that this time Amyu Saori was not pretending to sleep. She was looking at him with a pair of bright, tearful dark-green eyes, pitiful and pleading.

A faint trace of moisture still lingered at the corners of her eyes.

She had clearly just been crying.

Anwa’s heart clenched, and the rebuke that had already reached his lips was swallowed back down.

Come to think of it, Amyu Saori was rather pitiful too.

Originally a carefree young lady, she had suddenly lost her parents, and on top of that, ended up with an uncle who coveted the family fortune.

Though she had acted all this time in the house as if she had no worries at all, Anwa had more than once heard the narrator mention that Amyu Saori secretly wiped away tears in private.

Looking at her current favorability—69, budding affection—it was only one step away from truly liking him.

He vaguely remembered that a few weeks ago, her favorability had still been in the negatives.

And besides, he had been the one to provoke her these past few days.

“Forget it. As long as she doesn’t cross the line.”

With that thought, Anwa turned around and decided not to mind the little movements behind him.

Seeing this, Amyu Saori’s eyes flickered. She roughly guessed what Anwa was thinking, and a smile bloomed once more on her face.

In truth, she had been awake for a long time already.

Mm...

Probably since the first time Amyu Sagi said it hurt.

Amyu Saori knew what those sounds meant, and she knew that what she was doing was wrong. But whenever she thought that the only family member she had left would also one day drift away from her, her heart would ache unbearably.

She liked spending time with her sister, and she did not hate Anwa Yuu, who used to be such an eyesore to her.

Thinking back on the bits and pieces of these past few months spent with the two of them, she unconsciously slipped an arm around Anwa from behind.

“If only, if only time could stop, and we could stay together forever...”

Amyu Saori wished for this in her heart. Yet in the next instant, her whole body stiffened violently.

She could feel a hand holding hers.

From the slender fingers and the smooth, delicate skin, it clearly could not be Anwa’s hand—she had held his hand for nearly a month, and knew it all too well.

But now, besides Anwa, who else could be on the bed?

Thinking of one possibility, Amyu Saori swallowed hard and lifted her head slightly. Her gaze passed over Anwa, and soon met a pair of bright black eyes.

“Big sis...”

Her little hand was still being held by the other.

For one fleeting moment, Amyu Saori felt like a cat caught sneaking a taste, wishing she could burrow into a crack in the floor and disappear.

Yet what she had not expected was that when Amyu Sagi saw her looking over, she said nothing at all. She merely blinked, a gentle smile appearing on her face before she lowered her eyes and drifted back to sleep.

The End