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Unfinished Love
墨書 Inktalez
Two years had passed, and today, Sakuma Fumio, the corporate worker who experienced moments of daze every year, received permission from President Inada to pay tribute to his fiancée, Yamada Fumiyoshi, who had passed away two years ago.
The warm winter always arrived unexpectedly. Since November, Fukusho had not seen snow, but today seemed to be a playful exception. 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 distant cemetery lodge 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," a relative said apologetically, recalling that he hadn't attended last year's memorial either.
"This girl always welcomes you to come and talk to her," Nishijo replied, turning to look through the lodge's glass. She noticed two people approaching from somewhere and quickly spotted Sakuma standing in the snow, lost in thought. His friends and family were waiting for him inside the lodge—this was hardly appropriate!
"Ms. Nishijo, leave it to us!" said a young man named Nobu no Suke, realizing that there was nothing to worry about; Sakuma's mother-in-law wouldn't be harsh on him.
"Keiko, have you seen my coat?" Nobu no Suke called out to another young girl who was petite with shoulder-length hair. As sunlight streamed through the gaps today, she seemed to appear before Nishijo like a vision. However, she was quickly pulled away by Nobu no Suke.
Standing before Wen Liang's grave, Sakuma's tense expression relaxed slightly as he forgot about his missing winter coat and took a deep breath while sitting on the ground.
"Wen Liang, can you tell me... what is it like to lose everything in an instant?" Sakuma murmured, suddenly feeling sharp snowflakes hitting his head.
Is it like this piece of ice that shatters upon impact and transforms into an unknown yet terrifying liquid that spills onto 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 cold snow seeping into his bones as he lay back in the snow. Above him, under the gaze of a drone camera passing overhead, the national Fukusho Cemetery was enveloped in a blanket of pure white. It seemed as if sorrow was temporarily concealed; only sparse footprints added slight embellishments to the vast whiteness. However, accompanied by this were ice balls the size of fingernails falling down and solidly striking Sakuma's head.
"Was it really like that in that moment?"
Sakuma seemed certain at that moment about Wen Liang's response. That day, he hadn’t personally taken Wen Liang to work because it was a day off. As a result, during a business trip, on some highway in Fukusheng, Wen Liang's car was struck by a speeding vehicle, nearly severing it in half. By the time people discovered Wen Liang sitting in the middle, his face was already covered in blood, but he seemed to be clutching something in his hand...
The more he thought about it, the more absorbed Sakuma became. He didn’t even realize that his strength had been completely drained by the pure snow around him. A drowsy feeling washed over him; it wouldn’t be so bad to sleep here, to stay with his fiancée like this forever.
However, soon enough, a strong arm pulled the already drowsy Sakuma back. This guy was really reckless; did he truly think he could wash away his gloom like this? Nobu no Suke immediately instructed Keiko beside him 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 have spared your life! We’ve been searching for you for quite some time!" Nobu no Suke scolded lightly and quickly handed him a second cup of sake.
"Drink up; warm yourself up. You have important matters to attend to later."
Keiko looked at the lovesick senior and seemed somewhat stubborn as she casually asked, "Are you okay, Sakuma-senpai?"
This question made Sakuma shudder again; it sounded familiar yet not like someone he knew...
But Nobu no Suke didn’t seem patient enough to let someone without even a proper coat linger here for too long. He hoisted the cowardly Sakuma up and took him back.
"Kudou-senpai, wait! It’s not good if Ms. Nishijo sees you!"
Seeing the situation was getting out of hand, Keiko immediately chased after them. Who else would treat family members of the host like this but the straightforward Nobu no Suke?
In an instant, Sakuma found himself carried back to the entrance of the guesthouse by Nobu no Suke. Fortunately, this guy didn’t do anything too outrageous. After setting Sakuma against a wall, he quickly teamed up with Keiko to clear away the snow. After some effort, Sakuma slowly raised his already reddened and trembling hand in front of his wide-open eyes.
So there was still pain.
He had thought he was about to accompany his fiancée into her world but was awakened like this and embarrassed in front of his junior. Sakuma felt utterly humiliated. Luckily, Keiko didn’t hold it against him; she simply took out some spare clothes for him that Nobu no Suke had originally prepared for some event.
"Th... thank you..."
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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