Sentra and Irid walked side by side. However, a strange awkwardness lingered between them. It was not a negative awkwardness. It could be proven.

The hearts of the two were pounding fiercely.

The excitement of reunion, the bewilderment at the sudden miracle, was only creating a momentary tension.

It was an awkwardness that could disappear with just a slight trigger. But that wasn’t easy. The mind was tangled, and emotions were swaying like a shipwreck in a storm. Only love remained steadfast and unwavering.

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

The result was a hand lost without a destination. It moved here and there like waves.

Ireed attempted to grasp Centra’s hand, but hesitated, worried that if he touched her, he might wake from this dream.

Centra also hesitated, wanting to reach for Ireed’s trembling hand, wondering if it was alright for her, a being not of true life, to approach him.

If I could hold that faintly trembling hand and feel warmth, I would be willing to give up even this heart.

If I could hold that hand, stiffened with tension, and share warmth, I would be able to smile even if it vanished after today.

And such comfort between a man and a woman.

As if to cool their heads, a sudden downpour fell.

Swoosh──!!

The rain poured down thick and fast, as if to erase all the boredom of the world. The raindrops hitting the skin were painful.

Ireed instinctively took Centra’s hand and led her. There had to be an eave nearby where they could take shelter from the rain.

“⋯⋯A downpour? Centra, this way quickly!”

“Wait a moment, Ireed. This rain⋯⋯.”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯?”

“It stopped, see.”

In just ten seconds, the rain ceased. Like a lie.

All that remained where the downpour had passed was their hands tightly connected.

Only then did Centra realize the creator’s intent. Perhaps it had rained to foresee that the reunion could be awkward, instructing them to wander for a few minutes without a ceiling.

She offered a brief thank you in her heart.

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

Centra slightly wiggled her fingers. It was only then that Ireed realized he was holding her hand, finally feeling the reality of their reunion.

He turned his head to hide his flushed face, overwhelmed with joy.

Seeing that, Centra smiled in relief. A considerable amount of time had passed since the session ended, but Ireed was still Ireed.

The atmosphere had become a bit more mature, his face a little cooler and manlier, and he had grown slightly taller.

But even with just a little teasing, it was clear on his face—she had found her Ireed.

“It’s been a long time since we met… Isn’t it a shame? Ireed.”

“⋯⋯What do you mean?”

“We have the chance to feel each other and look into each other’s eyes. If you keep turning away, you’ll just keep losing. Today, I even dressed up in a pretty white blouse for you⋯⋯ Ugh.”

A white outfit.

Of course, if it gets soaked in the rain, it becomes see-through. When Sentra slightly lowered her head to check, the white blouse had long since turned into a translucent one. A black bra was visible underneath.

No wonder the Creator recommended white clothes so suspiciously!

With her face flushed bright red, Sentra glanced at Irid. He was looking even further away than before, his face nearly twice as red.

He must have seen it.

In response to Sentra’s words, ‘I dressed up nicely, so please look at me,’ he had seen it⋯⋯!

Sentra coyly covered her chest with her arm.

“⋯⋯You’re still a bit too bold, Irid.”

“Didn’t you tell me to look⋯⋯!”

“You could have looked at my face first, but your gaze went straight to my chest from the start. I did want to show you, but⋯⋯ is it embarrassing if it’s a bit too direct?”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

Irid lowered his head as if he had been hit by a strong punch.

The pair of them thought simultaneously.

Yeah, that’s right. It felt like this. Even after a year had passed, it was familiar enough to recall vividly. The excitement of wandering the city together on the eve of the festival. It became as clear as the scent of freshly bloomed flowers.

So today is an extension of that time.

There was no need to feel nervous or awkward at all.

Sentra wrapped her arms around Irid and pulled him closer. As the area of contact increased with a warm sensation, Irid fumbled, unsure of what to do, and awkwardly adjusted his posture.

Sentra broke the silence.

“I don’t know much about this world. If it’s okay with you⋯⋯ could you introduce me? I want to see Irid’s world together.”

“⋯⋯As much as you want. I’ve already perfectly planned it out.”

“You weren’t even sure if we could meet. You’ve already thought about the date course⋯⋯?”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

I feel the same, Irid. Living within the simulation, I’ve never once failed to think of you. Instead of expressing that sentiment in words, Sentra smiled brightly.

“⋯⋯I’m really happy, Irid!”

“I am too. I’m so happy that I wish this moment could last forever.”

A bloom of laughter blossomed between the lovers facing each other. The unfinished finale finally resumed, and the two walked as if they were one body.

——–

“What do you think of this outfit? I can’t just walk around soaked.”

—

“Um, isn’t this outfit a bit too baggy? It’s uncomfortable even when climbing over walls, and if I wear this, my figure won’t show at all?”

“⋯⋯I don’t want to show my jewels to others.”

“It’s fine because it’s Irid.”

——–

“⋯⋯Isn’t this a bit, expensive? Irid.”

“Did you forget? I’m a prince. I could buy out the entire dessert shop without any issue. I hope you understand that I’m being restrained here.”

“Still, wastefulness is bad, you know?”

“You’re just being too frugal. Don’t worry about my finances. By the way, this madeleine tastes good. I’ll feed you, so open your⋯⋯.”

——–

Irid and Centra thoroughly enjoyed the festival taking place in the Holy City. There was plenty to see.

It seemed that the tournament of ‘Courage’ had recently concluded, as the city was holding a parade featuring two selected hero candidates riding in a carriage.

“Thank you for your support, citizens. I, Cissel Yurenshto, will demonstrate behavior befitting a hero candidate. However, I suddenly recall hearing that the masked performance happening in the basement of that tavern is quite entertaining⋯⋯.”

“Everyone, the tournament was rigged! I’m not someone who could become a hero candidate⋯⋯ Ugh! Ugh!”

Irid and Centra looked down at the parade from the third-floor balcony. It was a prime spot to see the splendid procession in its entirety.

It was a view that anyone would envy, and naturally, there were reservations, but with the prince’s wealth, all problems were magically resolved.

“That knight, Cissel Yurenshto, is your sister’s subordinate. The reason she has come to this Holy City is⋯⋯.”

“Heh⋯⋯.”

Irid shared many stories with Centra. Contrary to a hundred years later, it was Irid who explained this world to her.

He spoke broadly, from trivial daily life to the antics of mad wizards, but the part that piqued Centra’s interest the most was Irid’s personal history.

What time he woke up, how he managed his duties, and how his life was woven with various small events. Centra listened intently, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Before they knew it, the sun had begun to set.

It felt as if time was flowing too quickly, as if under some enchanting magic. Irid and Centra paused their conversation, gazing at the crimson sunset.

The warm red light streaming in adorned the side of Centra’s face. As the sunset reflected in her sea-like azure eyes, Irid felt a fleeting illusion of being at the beach.

Again.

Irid saw hope in Centra’s gaze, but at the same time, he could also read her anxiety and regret.

Until now, he had deliberately avoided thinking about it. But the moment had come, so he mustered his courage to ask.

“⋯⋯Centra. May I ask how you were able to come here?”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

Centra fell silent for a moment, recalling the answer sheet given to her by the Creator. The Creator had said that until Centra became a ‘complete being,’ it would be best if Irid’s illusion remained intact.

It would be fine to reveal it now, but then it seemed Irid would come swinging a war hammer to break her head. She thought it might be better to confess along with a grand gift to avoid getting scolded too much.

—

Centra explained with a gentle smile.

“You said time travel is still being refined, right? The wizard… no, the sorcerer.”

“…So this isn’t the end?”

“Yes. Irid mentioned time paradoxes… that is, there’s no need to worry about the changes in the future caused by one’s actions. It’s a concept of parallel worlds, he said. If you want to know more, you should seek out your ‘present’ self…”

“Tell me exactly. How long can I stay, and when will I see you next?”

Irid’s expression grew earnest. Centra responded to that earnestness.

“Just one day. After today… I have to go back. And after that, no one knows.”

“…….”

Centra felt both joy and pain at his longing. She felt the same way. A day was far too short. It was far too regretful.

Even though she was maddeningly happy with just half a day so far.

Her throat felt parched as if she had drunk seawater, and if she could, she never wanted to part. Both of them were thinking the same thing.

Their hands, intertwined on their laps, were tense as if they didn’t want to let go. They didn’t want to part.

But there was a future.

Centra held Irid’s hand tightly, looking directly into his eyes as she spoke of hope for the future. This meeting was by no means the last.

“…Still, someday. I can come back. If Irid waits for me, I will definitely return.”

“I will wait. Until the day I die. Even if I die.”

“…It would be sad if you got distracted along the way.”

“Then you can take my tongue. This vow will not change.”

Irid spoke firmly. As if he would bounce back even if someone stabbed him with a spear, as if he would remain unbreakable forever.

Centra responded with her gaze. She filled her eyes with overflowing affection, wanting to convey that he was the only one for her.

Once the unspoken vow was complete.

“…There’s still half a day left, so shall we enjoy it a bit more?”

“Yes. There’s still a mountain of things I want to do and show you.”

The two stood up, holding hands. This wasn’t the time to linger. Time flowed mercilessly, and they wanted to create as many memories as possible.

Even if the future was promised, it was still regretful.

As Irid led Centra, he casually asked.

“Didn’t the mad sorcerer ever mention a way to meet faster?”

“There was one. He said, ‘To save her, you need a Dragonheart’…”

Irid’s eyes changed immediately. A scenario for a civil war within the empire for a quick acquisition formed rapidly in his mind. The Dragonheart belonged to the emperor.

First, if he could take down Redburn…

“I’ll bring it right away. Let’s ascend to the throne immediately.”

“No, it’s a joke, Irid! A joke! This isn’t something that needs to be done here; it has to happen a hundred years later!”

Centra barely managed to stop Irid.

——–

They enjoyed a meal filled with gentle laughter. The mealtime was quite slow due to their repeated feeding of each other, but it was worth it nonetheless.

They also watched a performance at the underground theater, which had rapidly gained fame recently. Singing along to the song of a woman in a rabbit mask, they melted happiness into the passage of time.

The sunset vanished below the horizon.

Stars began to rise.

Normally a grateful presence that brightens the night, at this moment, they felt unbearably cruel. If only they had arrived a little later, that much more happiness could have been grasped by the couple.

Pitter-patter. Pitter-patter.

The two walked down a dark alley. A third silence lingered. It was a calm born from the regret of parting and the intensifying emotions.

In the meantime, flutter, a butterfly passed by.

If one noticed, Centra was holding a grappling gun in her hand. It seemed a benevolent goddess, who had gathered the NPCs on the opposite side of the Creator, had left a gift behind. Had she been watching over them?

Centra poked Irid in the side.

“Irid?”

“⋯⋯What is that?”

She fired the grappling gun towards the top of that building.

Whoosh-! Click!

The rope-bound hook secured itself on the spire on the other side. After pulling the rope twice to ensure it was properly fastened, Centra looked at Irid and smiled.

“Are you ready?”

“⋯⋯Yeah, I’m ready.”

“Doesn’t seem like it. If we’re going to jump together… you know, right?”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

From noble mtl dot come

Centra patted her waist. Irid, suppressing her heart that felt like it would burst, carefully embraced her. So close. The scent of rosemary wafted through the air.

“Closer.”

“We’re already close enough…”

“Umm, no. Just a bit more. Hold me tight so I won’t float away.”

“⋯⋯Got it.”

They pressed together so tightly that there was no gap left, no lingering regret. And then, whoosh, the rope wound up and their bodies lifted off the ground.

Flying through the sky, crossing between buildings, to an even higher place.

The place they reached was the top of the spire.

Centra carefully led Irid to sit beside her. She had always thought that if there was a place to mark the end of their date, this would be it.

Though the ticking sound like a session was not heard, she instinctively knew. There was not much time left.

Centra had pondered deeply in the bunker where the NPCs gathered. Irid was the imperial prince, a body that had to leave behind descendants. And she was merely a mass of information, not even a person to begin with.

Was it alright for someone like me to love him?

Even now, having been granted a night of leisure by the Creator, she was still troubled.

But now she had realized. She could not give up this love. If today, even with something trivial for entertainment, she felt this happy.

Building a family, having children, falling asleep in the same bed, and waking up to see his drowsy face── how happy would that life be?

Just imagining it felt like her heart would burst.

Above all.

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

How could she not accept the affection of a man who loved her so seriously?

She remembered the kiss that was left unfinished. Before their lips touched, Irid had vanished. It remained a deep regret for both him and her. So.

Centra gently closed her eyes.

Irid, realizing what that non-verbal expression meant, felt her heart swell with joy as if she had gained the whole world.

Like handling a fragile sugar sculpture, he softly placed his hand on Centra’s cheek.

“⋯⋯Huh.”

“────.”

Their lips met.

It was long yet short.

As their lips parted, the stretched saliva formed a silver bridge, mixing in their eyes was an even greater flame.

If there had been a little more time, perhaps. They might have fallen asleep in the same bed.

But… rustle. Rustle. Centra’s body was gradually dispersing. Time was always frustratingly fast. It was the same this time.

However, if a thousand hours had been given, wouldn’t it have been disappointing? No, it wouldn’t. Even if ten thousand hours had been given, it would still have felt lacking. So.

What should be spoken in this moment is not a farewell.

Since Irid and Centra had finally gained each other, then. What should be said here is the words of reunion.

Without anyone going first, simultaneously.

“I love you.”

“I love you.”

With tears of regret hanging at the corners of her eyes, promising a future. They conveyed their feelings properly.

“──Because I love you, we will definitely⋯⋯ meet again next time, Irid!”

“I will wait even after death, Sentra⋯⋯!”

Deng──!

⋯⋯⋯⋯.

After the covenant ended, only one man remained. As the clock struck twelve, the princess, granted a brief life, melted away into an illusion and vanished.

But this time is different.

They made a promise to reunite.

So.

When a certain magician blooms flowers, they will meet again.