When they finally stepped outside, Okita Souji was dressed in a simple gray T-shirt with a wolf's head printed on the back and a pair of short denim shorts.
Since it was Edelweiss who had suggested going out, Okita asked her if she had any specific plans or a destination in mind.
Edelweiss pressed a finger to her lips, looking up thoughtfully as if she were pondering the mysteries of the sky.
"Hmm… how about dessert?"
"We just ate breakfast, didn't we?"
"Dessert goes into a second stomach; breakfast doesn't count!"
"Never heard of that before, so I'm vetoing it."
Okita didn't understand her sister's obsession with sweets, but she was pretty sure she'd had her fill of desserts by now.
They say when girls plan an outing, they usually have the destination all picked out, but when guys plan one, it's a bit different.
"Want to hang out?"
"Sure."
"I'm downstairs at your place. Come out."
"Where to?"
"Just come out first."
"Alright, I'm out. Now where to?"
"No idea… How about the plaza?"
"Didn't we go there last time?"
"Then you choose."
"The internet café?"
"Are you crazy? We could do that at home, why spend money?"
"Hiking?"
"One more impractical suggestion and I'm twisting your head off."
"Fine, let's just go to the plaza and see what we find."
It reminded Okita of past experiences hanging out with her friends.
Thanks to those memories, Okita was well used to outings without a clear purpose.
"Well then, let's just wander around and see what catches our interest."
She remembered there was a mall nearby.
As Okita scratched her head and wandered ahead, Edelweiss let out a playful giggle, reached over, and took her hand, meeting Okita's surprised gaze.
"Sisters going shopping together should always hold hands, don't you think? Otherwise, what if my little sister gets lost?"
"I'm not some four-year-old, and I can find my way home even if we get separated. Besides, isn't it hot? Won't you feel warm holding hands?"
"Does it feel warm? Not at all—my hand's actually quite cool."
She tightened her hold slightly, and indeed, her hand was cool and smooth, like a piece of jade just pulled from the lake.
Holding hands with a girl…
It was something the old me never would've dreamed of.
As they reached the mall entrance, they found a large stage set up outside, complete with curtains, spotlights, and a group of cute idols singing.
"Okita, look! Those girls are singing—is that an idol group?"
Edelweiss pointed to the performers, still holding Okita's hand as they chatted.
"Most likely. This country does seem to have quite a lot of idols."
Okita wasn't entirely sure. She'd never left her home country before, so most of her knowledge about Japan came from anime.
But still…
"In a world dominated by Blazers, there are still normal idols?"
After years here, it was the first time she'd "explored the world" like this.
"They sound wonderful."
Edelweiss listened for a moment, murmuring, "But I still like it better when you sing, Okita… even if I don't always understand the lyrics."
"Well, I only know how to sing in Chinese, after all."
"Wait, you're Japanese, aren't you? Why would you only sing Chinese songs?"
Okita was indeed Japanese, but "he" wasn't.
"I spent quite a few years in China," she said, glancing away.
Nearby, a series of water fountains bubbled from little holes in the ground, arranged in rows. Their height changed randomly, some even had lights, turning the fountains into a rainbow of colors by night.
Most people probably had the same thought when they saw these fountains: stepping on the nozzles as they sprayed or trying to walk between them without getting wet.
"Amazing!"
Edelweiss watched as the fountains rose and fell, excitement shining in her eyes.
"How does it work? Do they have water mages down there, controlling it?"
"No way," Okita replied, smiling. "And don't even think about trying to step on one! Getting wet would be such a hassle."
"It's fine; I could make sure none of the water touches me at all."
"That'd only cause a lot of trouble."
Although Okita hadn't yet reached that level herself, she knew that achieving it would make one especially sensitive to any slight shifts in fate.
Her knowledge didn't come from Edelweiss but from fanfics she'd read in the past.
There was a rule in this world that the more you understood about that realm, the harder it would be to break through. So Edelweiss never mentioned it to her, and she never asked.
Honestly, she didn't even know if she could reach that level since her power wasn't bound to this world's system.
"Well, let's just see what happens."
They strolled and stopped, stopping and strolling, pausing to examine anything that caught their attention.
Without letting go of each other's hands, their footsteps and swinging arms gradually fell into sync—only mirrored.
Edelweiss stepped forward with her left foot, Okita with her right; Edelweiss swung her right arm, Okita her left.
And slowly, even their heartbeats seemed to match.
Someone once said that the greatest fortune in life is to meet someone with whom you can walk the same path, hand in hand.
If that person could hold your hand from birth until the end of your life, then that was a fortune not even a hundred lifetimes could guarantee.
The simplest happiness comes from walking life's road with others: your parents guiding you on the first steps, your partner walking the middle path, and your children accompanying you in the later years. With these, one could say life was truly happy.
Stop and go, go and stop.
If a person's life journey were like riding a train, the meaning of it would lie both in the fleeting landscapes outside the window and in those who shared the seat beside you.
Some people disembark along the way; some join you for part of the ride. Before you reach your final stop, the seat next to you may change hands several times, for their journey will have reached its end.
But they always leave something behind—a specialty from their hometown, a few tales from their past, maybe half a bag of snacks or even just a promise to meet again someday.
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If you notice anything that feels off, just let me know—I don't mind fixing things up.
Oh, and don't forget to sit up, grab some water, and take it easy while you're here. No rush, right?
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