Yuto sighed softly in his heart as he looked at Furina, who was still in a somewhat off mood. He then opened his mouth and asked:
"Furina, I'm going to ask you a question now. You can choose to answer, or you can choose to remain silent."
"I want to know... is your solution to The Prophecy to sacrifice your own life?"
"Or rather, is the solution to The Prophecy at the cost of losing the god's heart and the authority of the Hydro Archon?"
Upon hearing Yuto's question, Furina was first stunned, then hesitated for a long while before nodding.
Seeing Furina nod, Yuto slowly breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as Furina was willing to communicate, he could slowly guide her emotions to a more normal place.
If she refused to communicate... then he would have no other choice but to subtly convey that he knew everything, and then directly confess to her face.
Thinking of this, Yuto blinked slightly, as if he had already imagined the scene of his direct confession.
Although in his opinion, it was something that would happen sooner or later, it should at least not happen at this time.
"Never do the right thing at the wrong time," this had always been his motto.
He pondered for a moment, then continued to ask:
"Although this is just a hypothesis, but... compared to the so-called title of God, what I care more about is you, who brought me so many beautiful memories."
"At least for me, no matter whether you have that so-called title of God or not, my attitude towards you will not change."
"Nothing is more important than four hundred and eighty-nine years of companionship, nothing is more important than those beautiful memories we created together."
"At least that's how it is for me."
At this point, Yuto paused slightly, and a smile gradually appeared on his originally somewhat serious face.
He looked at the somewhat dazed girl in front of him and said softly:
"Furina, I don't care if you deceived me. More than that... I care more about whether your safety is guaranteed."
"Although I always say 'I will unconditionally support all your actions,' this does not mean I will support you in taking risks."
"If you must take a risk, please be sure to tell me first, and I will go on the adventure with you."
After saying this, Yuto and Furina fell into complete silence, seemingly both pondering something, or perhaps...
Simply not knowing where to start.
After a while of silence, Yuto slowly got up, took the plate full of cake crumbs from in front of Furina, and asked gently:
"Do you still want some small cakes? If you do... I'll go get them for you now."
Perhaps because she had become somewhat accustomed to the silent atmosphere, Furina did not reply to Yuto immediately. Instead, she remained silent for a while before softly humming "mm."
Looking at Furina, whose emotions had recovered a little, Yuto nodded gently, and his suspended heart finally settled down.
"Get Furina a few more small cakes... perhaps that will make her feel better."
Yuto thought this as he walked out of the reception room and headed straight for the kitchen.
Not long after Yuto left the reception room, Furina slowly raised her head, looking at the luxurious chandelier hanging in the center of the reception room, lost in thought.
What Yuto had just said had given her a definitive answer.
—He didn't care about the title of God; he only cared about her.
He wasn't good to her because 'Furina' was the Water God, but because the Water God was 'Furina.'
The emphasis was on 'Furina,' not the Water God.
Thinking of this, Furina's small face turned slightly red, as if she had realized something incredible.
"Wait... doesn't this mean that Yuto, he, he himself is—"
Miss Furina seemed to have just realized how much information Yuto's single sentence contained.
Just as she thought, Yuto genuinely liked her, so he didn't care whether she was the Water God or not.
The only condition for him to be good to her was "she is Furina"; there were no other requirements.
Thinking of this, Furina's small face grew redder and redder, and she felt as if her face was about to burn up in the next second.
She gently placed her hand on her face, feeling the still-rising temperature, and slowly closed her eyes, trying hard to calm herself down.
It was a good thing Yuto wasn't present; if Yuto were there... it was uncertain whether Furina could calm herself down.
As time passed, the shy blush on Furina's face gradually faded, finally returning to its normal state.
She slightly raised her head, looking at the spot where Yuto had been sitting, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her face.
In a sense, Furina had gained a lot today.
Not only did she confirm Yuto's good intentions towards her, but she also confirmed... Yuto's feelings for her.
This way, she wouldn't have to worry as much as before.
Because they were two people walking face-to-face on the same path, they would eventually meet, so...
"Many things... truly are fated..."
Furina gently closed her eyes, seemingly lost in thought, and then slowly opened them after a long while.
A unique sparkle appeared in her beautiful heterochromatic eyes, and her emotions were slowly returning to normal.
The young girl turned her head slightly to look at the reception room door, then closed her eyes, thinking to herself:
"Persevere until the 'performance' and 'responsibility' end, and start a... new life with him."
"Just as you said, we will continue to accompany each other... through more years."
Thinking of this, Furina naturally opened her eyes, and a breathtakingly beautiful smile appeared on her face.
However... the person who should appreciate this smile was not here, which was the only regrettable part.
But it didn't matter, because in the not-so-distant future...
He would have many opportunities to witness this smile that appeared only for him.
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