[Time flows like water.]
[You kept waiting for Toru's confession, and you waited like this for a full three years.]
[Finally, you could not endure it anymore.]
[This man did not understand a girl's delicate feelings at all. If this continued, even ten more years would not change your relationship in the slightest.]
[One morning at breakfast.]
[After hesitating for a while, you spoke.]
["Hey… be my partner."]
[You suddenly spoke in a commanding tone, startling Toru badly.]
[He pressed the back of his hand to your forehead, checked several times to make sure you did not have a fever, and only relaxed after confirming your temperature was normal.]
["Sorry, I can't agree to that."]
[You lightly bit your pearly teeth and looked at him with an extremely cold and frightening gaze.]
[You had finally made up your mind and abandoned your inner pride, yet he dared to refuse you.]
[Sensing your emotions.]
[Toru explained, "I can't stay by your side for very long. There will always be a day of parting in the future, so being partners won't work."]
[At that moment, you understood.]
[Why you had remained single for so long despite being in love with each other.]
[It turned out that Toru feared the future separation, so he did not dare to take the first step.]
["It doesn't matter."]
[It is nothing more than passing time through long years.]
["Even if you die right in front of me in the future, I won't shed a single tear for you." Your expression remained proud.]
[As a high-ranking race, your emotions would not be shaken so easily.]
[Hearing such a reply, Toru was somewhat moved, and in the end, he could not bring himself to refuse you a second time.]
["I will love you with all my strength."]
[Even if his life was brief, Toru would still create unforgettable memories for you. He made this vow in his heart.]
[That spring.]
[You became lovers.]
[After breaking through the barrier in your relationship, your travel plans increased.]
[Over the past century, you had traveled throughout Europe. After coming to Japan, you had not actually explored this land carefully.]
[During your travels, you discovered something that made you unhappy…]
[Toru's ability to attract attention was even stronger than you had imagined. He seemed to carry a strange aura, one that made people feel goodwill toward him the moment they saw him.]
[Back then, the reason you picked him up and brought him home was also because of this inexplicable charm.]
[Otherwise, Toru might very well have died on that rainy night.]
[In order to prevent Toru from cheating.]
[You increased the intensity of absorbing his essence every night. Driven by possessiveness, you even did not want to see him talk to the opposite sex. In any case, the wealth you had accumulated was enough to support him for a lifetime.]
[Or else, should you lock him in a little dark room?]
[Use physical means to deprive him of freedom and cut off any possibility of his flirtatious betrayal.]
[In the end, you did not put this tempting idea into practice.]
[Because humans are different from vampires. They need social interaction to fill their inner spiritual world. Being lonely for too long can lead to mental illness and depression.]
[Once again, you realized the fragility of humans.]
[They need care more than any flower in the world…]
[Their blooming period is short.]
[They wither after just a few decades, truly in the blink of an eye.]
[Time passed quietly for several more years.]
[Toru made a name for himself in the piano world, becoming known to all.]
[It seemed that those newspapers commenting on him were not wrong. Toru was indeed a "once-in-a-millennium musical genius." At the very least, you had never seen such a dazzling human.]
[Recently, he began composing on his own, maintaining a pace of one piece per day. You did not understand why he was doing this.]
[Whenever you saw his fingers flying across the keys like butterflies, a sense of loneliness welled up in your heart…]
[What exactly was Toru thinking about?]
[A line of poetry surfaced in your mind.]
[A crane lives a thousand years, roaming freely to the utmost. A mayfly is born at dawn and dies at dusk, yet enjoys its life to the fullest.]
[If you were a white crane soaring freely, then Toru was undoubtedly a mayfly born at dawn and dead by night.]
[He could only bloom and experience joy within a short life.]
[How tragic.]
[The number of pieces Toru composed kept increasing, gradually piling up on the small table beside the piano. His manuscripts became priceless. Even letting a few leak out would cause people to scramble for them…]
[This year, he had just turned 25.]
[You personally witnessed his twenty years of growth, watched as he climbed step by step to the pinnacle of musical mastery.]
[You knew.]
[That time would one day erode his youthful face…]
[The appearance that suited your taste now might become unbearable then.]
[A beautiful shell cannot withstand the gnawing of time.]
[From that day on.]
[You began to appreciate his soul.]
[You gradually discovered some virtues buried deep within his soul, difficult to perceive.]
[Toru's soul was far more brilliant and dazzling than his appearance.]
[You no longer obsessed over his body.]
[In the following years, you seemed to understand what love truly was. For an immortal being, this was an extremely rare thing.]
[…To love someone is not only to love his strong body, but also to love the position he holds and the land beneath his feet.]
[You began to accompany him in playing the piano and writing music.]
[Your relationship was no longer confined to the category of lovers.]
[For you, communication at the level of the soul brought far greater joy than pleasure of the flesh.]
[You cast aside so-called nobility and restraint, becoming his true partner.]
[The following year, Toru entered his thirties.]
Thirty already?
So fast.
A faint sadness welled up in Kagarino Kirie's heart.
She seemed to have guessed the ending of this story.
[You obtained your marriage certificate.]
[In the golden autumn, you held a Western-style church wedding, inviting only a small number of guests.]
[Toru invited a few close friends. The members of the Kessoku Band were naturally included.]
[You no longer cared about his social circle, because you understood that no matter what, he would only love you for his entire life. The center of his gaze would only move as it followed you. For you, this was already enough.]
[At the wedding.]
[You looked at him, still as handsome as ever. Through his beautiful appearance, you glimpsed his brilliant soul.]
[A sense of happiness filled your entire body. It felt as though the three hundred years since your birth had all been for this single moment.]
[You exchanged vows and kissed.]
[Friends and family offered you their blessings.]
[After the wedding, you went to Hawaii, rented a seaside villa, and spent a romantic honeymoon.]
[After returning to Japan.]
[You continued to maintain a calm and beautiful daily life.]
[From dawn to dusk.]
[Such days.]
[Seemed as though they could last forever…]