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Unfinished Love
墨書 Inktalez
Two years had passed, and today, Sakuma Fumio, the corporate worker who found himself lost in thought once a year, received permission from President Inada to pay tribute to his late fiancée, Yamada Fumiyoshi, who had been gone for two years.
The warm winter always arrived unexpectedly. Since November, Fusheng had not seen any snow, but today seemed to be joking around. As Sakuma stepped out of the car, he turned his head just in time to feel the strong snowflakes hitting his face.
Meanwhile, his mother-in-law, Nishijo Akimitsu, was at the cemetery's reception hall chatting with relatives.
"Nishijo! This is our second visit this year; I hope you won't be upset. We've been quite busy with work," one relative said apologetically, recalling that he hadn’t come for last year's memorial either.
"This girl would always welcome you to talk to her," Nishijo replied, turning to look through the reception hall's glass. She noticed two people approaching and quickly spotted Sakuma standing in a daze in the snow. His friends and family were waiting for him inside; it was quite improper!
"Nishijo-san, leave it to us!" called out a young man named Nobu no Suke, who realized that nothing would happen to his friend’s mother-in-law.
"Keiko, have you seen my coat?" Nobu no Suke called out to another young woman who was petite with shoulder-length hair. As sunlight streamed through the gaps today, she seemed to appear before Nishijo like a vision of Wen Liang. However, Nobu no Suke quickly pulled her away.
Standing before Wen Liang's grave, Sakuma's tense face relaxed slightly. Ignoring the cold and having forgotten his winter coat, he took a deep breath and sat down on the ground.
"Wen Liang, can you tell me... what is it like to lose everything in an instant?" he murmured, suddenly feeling sharp snowflakes hit his head.
Was it like this piece of ice that shattered upon impact and transformed into an unknown yet terrifying liquid that soaked into the ground, soon to be collected by a cleaning vehicle and taken away to an unknown place?
Perhaps this was Wen Liang's answer? Sakuma decided not to mind the biting cold of the snow beneath him as he lay back in it. At that moment, under the gaze of a drone camera passing overhead, Fukushou Cemetery was enveloped in pure white. It seemed as though sorrow was temporarily concealed; only sparse footprints added slight embellishments to the vast whiteness. However, soon after, small ice balls fell from the sky and struck Sakuma firmly on the head.
"Was it really like that in that moment?"
Sakuma seemed certain about Wen Liang's response. That day, he hadn’t personally sent Wen Liang to work because it was his day off. As a result, during a business trip, Wen Liang's car was struck by a speeding vehicle on a highway in Fusheng, nearly severing the car in half. By the time people discovered Wen Liang, his face was already covered in blood, but it seemed he was clutching something in his hand...
The more he thought about it, the more absorbed Sakuma became. He didn’t even notice that the pure snow had drained all his strength. A drowsy feeling washed over him; perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to sleep here, to stay with his fiancée and guard this spot forever.
However, before long, a strong arm pulled the already sleepy Sakuma back. This guy was really reckless; did he truly believe that this would wash away his gloom? Nobu no Suke immediately instructed Keiko to bring some warm sweet sake. As soon as Sakuma took a sip, his body jolted awake, and in a daze, he asked himself,
"Wen Liang? ... No, is that... Keiko?!"
"Goodness, the heavens really spared your life! We’ve been searching for you for so long!" Nobu no Suke scolded lightly and quickly brought over a second cup of sake.
"Drink this to warm yourself up; you have important matters to attend to later."
Keiko looked at the lovesick senior before her and seemed a bit stubborn as she casually asked, "Are you alright, Sakuma-senpai?"
This question made Sakuma shudder again; it sounded familiar yet wasn’t the voice of an old friend...
But it seemed Nobu no Suke had little patience for lingering here. He hoisted up the guy who hadn’t even worn a winter coat and dragged him away.
"Kudou-senpai, wait! It’s not good if Ms. Nishijo sees you like this!!"
Seeing the situation was dire, Keiko immediately chased after them. Who else would treat the family of their host like this but the straightforward Nobu no Suke?
In one swift motion, Sakuma found himself carried back to the entrance of the guesthouse by Nobu no Suke. Thankfully, this guy didn’t do anything outrageous; after setting Sakuma down in a corner against the wall, he quickly teamed up with Keiko to clear away the snow. After some effort, Sakuma slowly raised his now red and trembling hand in front of his wide-open eyes.
So there really was still pain.
He had thought he was about to join his fiancée in her world but was awakened like this and embarrassed himself in front of his junior. Sakuma felt utterly humiliated. Fortunately, Keiko didn’t hold it against him; she simply took out some spare clothes for him that seemed to be what Kudou had prepared for an event.
"Th... thank you..."
Sakuma lowered his head, not daring to look at anyone, listening to the relatives around him, seemingly led by Mother-in-law, as they made their way toward Wen Liang's grave.
This was a fixed ritual every year, a warm-up with cups of sweet wine. Everyone would line up to pour hot sweet wine at the small opening in front of a tombstone. Each person had to take their turn, saying a few words or simply gazing at the stone, just as they had once watched Wen Liang grow up. Without exception, Sakuma and the others stood in the sunlight, observing the scene.
Keiko had somehow managed to get a blanket, but Sakuma couldn't easily wrap himself in it until Nobu no Suke had completely changed out of his soaked clothes.
After some busyness, Sakuma managed to claim Nobu no Suke's banquet outfit for himself, but he understood the situation and kept saying he would definitely get something even better for Nobu no Suke later as a thank you for this incident.
Nobu no Suke turned around and glared fiercely at Sakuma.
"Buddy, I can give you the clothes, but I have a condition. If you can meet it, consider it a gift from me. What do you say? Are you up for it?"
Sakuma was taken aback; what was this all about?
Before he could respond, a sneeze erupted from him, followed by another and then a third...
Sakuma had really caught a cold.
Nobu no Suke rolled his eyes and immediately walked away, leaving Keiko feeling quite uncomfortable. However, she wasn't one to back down against this stubborn type.
Everyone continued to watch as a drone returned from somewhere, flying over the site again.
Cups of hot sweet wine were poured into the mouths of the deceased amidst the falling snow. The warm steam rose in waves as various voices seemed to never cease beneath the drone. They expressed their apologies for not being able to visit due to work and hoped for forgiveness; some said, "Are you doing well? Everything here is great every day, so don't worry. We'll come back to see you; this is your new home now."
Amidst all the noisy chatter, the last cup of wine was poured by Mother-in-law Nishijo, marking the completion of the funeral rites as everyone prepared to head home.
However, due to Sakuma's embarrassment, the relatives deliberately set up a little scheme.
"Nishijo, bring more wine!"
It was unclear whose sudden idea it was to deviate from what had been agreed upon.
But with several relatives urging her on, Nishijo couldn't resist their clear insistence that they weren't ready to leave yet and eventually gave in! Two jars of hot sweet wine were brought over by Nishijo.
Thus, everyone continued to toast each other. Time passed without anyone noticing until Sakuma regained his senses but had already become a monstrous figure wrapped in Keiko's blanket, holding a strange thermometer in his mouth and bundled up like a package.
Not only had he caught a cold, but his temperature had also risen to thirty-eight point six degrees Celsius.
It seemed that even driving would be a challenge today.
"It looks like Senior Sakuma has experienced some great love; how enviable!"
Suddenly, a remark made Sakuma widen her eyes again.
"Eh... why are we talking about this...?"
Seeing her reaction, Keiko simply smiled mysteriously.
"Having a big romantic at your side is something my friends can only dream of in a boyfriend!"
Sakuma was about to laugh, but as a thermometer was pulled out, she held back her amusement.
And so, everyone stared at the needle, waiting for this group to finish their drinks quickly.
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