Chapter 431: 158. The beauty and the full moon are of the same hue_6
Fujiwara Reya lowered his head and kissed her eyes and eyebrows.
Yukino Ritsuko furrowed her brow slightly, biting her lip, as if hesitating to say something.
The tatami beneath them floated with remnants of warmth, serene moonlight spread across the floor, embracing the beautiful woman in his arms. Fujiwara Reya felt as if he were holding a dream as delicate as gauze. He initially thought it was Kawashima Miki... but tonight’s atmosphere was too enchanting and memorable, and this Miss Yukino was too alluring to pass up.
After a while, he seemed to have fallen asleep, breathing evenly with his eyes closed.
Yukino Ritsuko’s deep blue eyes glimmered coldly in the darkness. Looking at the boy’s close yet distant face, she quietly reached out and touched his nose, her voice as light as a dream: "What should I do..."
Fujiwara Reya immediately opened his eyes and looked at her: "Be my wife!"
"..." Yukino Ritsuko was so angry she snorted loudly and buried her head deeper into his arms. After a moment, from the face lowered by anger came a soft complaint: "Pretending to sleep... How despicable, you’re so terrible, how can you deceive a pure demon like a Snow Woman..."
"I was really asleep."
"Then who was I talking to?"
"Can’t I talk in my sleep?"
Yukino Ritsuko lifted her head again, glaring at him with annoyance. Realizing that staying with him like this wasn’t going to solve anything, and seeing the night had grown deeper, she twisted her waist and sat up: "I need to go back to the hall with the students."
"I’ll take you back." Fujiwara Reya picked up her clothes.
Yukino Ritsuko sighed softly.
Tears flowed from her eyes again; she wiped them away, perhaps feeling her emotions were childish, and forced out a "pfft" laugh. She then covered her mouth with the back of her hand, staring steadily at Fujiwara Reya: "I’m sorry, I... I’m somewhat... I."
The tears resulted in a choked tone, making her somewhat incoherent.
Fujiwara Reya looked at her stunning yet sorrowful face and helped her put on the white dress again.
Snow Treasure didn’t understand what was happening, stared blankly, then floated over and hugged Yukino Ritsuko from behind.
It seemed intent on comforting her, but limited by its outdated form, it couldn’t speak.
"Thank you, Snow Treasure," Yukino Ritsuko gently shook her head, "I’m fine..."
In the dim veranda, her body trembled slightly, swaying along with her silver hair and white dress. The Snow Woman embodied vulnerability, beauty, and sadness, creating a breathtaking allure... Fujiwara Reya was moved, holding her gently from the front: "I’m listening."
"I’m not sad, don’t look at me crying, because I’m actually not sad at all. On the contrary, I’m a little happy..." Yukino Ritsuko explained clumsily, covering her lips, "Since the day I was born, I’ve heard this from the elders in my clan — as long as you embrace a Snow Woman with a sincere heart, you can melt her. Where the Snow Woman melts, she will be reborn as a human."
"It’s a lie."
"I learned it was a lie when I grew up, so I never thought I could become human... but now, I seem to understand why there is such a legend... with a sincere heart, when the Snow Woman is melted away, she can feel emotions like a human..." After stammering through her words, Yukino Ritsuko stopped sobbing, though her breath was still somewhat unsteady.
Fujiwara Reya noticed unprecedented colors in her clear blue eyes.
"Though I still don’t quite understand, compared to the blankness before, I can finally find some direction now." Yukino Ritsuko reached out her right hand, grasping his left hand, "As for the road ahead... please, Fujiwara, guide me."
Firmly holding the boy’s small hand, cold but gentle, both her exterior and interior seemed to be communicated to him.
"Let’s walk together." Fujiwara Reya reached out with his other hand, tidying her disheveled clothes. After speaking her mind, Yukino Ritsuko finally calmed, a pure charm gracing her serene features.
Upon descending from the terrace, there was no trace of anyone in the town.
The Hidden God Town was vast, with winding streets and alleys, and uniformly styled buildings that made it easy to get lost, feeling as if one had just visited the same place.
Luckily, Fujiwara Reya was the host, otherwise, they’d be sleeping on the streets tonight.
Along the way, they didn’t speak much, nor was there a need to say anything further. After entering the mountain gate, the only sound in the nighttime forest was the hooting of owls. Carrying a lantern, Fujiwara Reya ran up the rugged mountain path in the dark, a warm nostalgia for his childhood.
Yukino Ritsuko, led by his hand, accompanied him slowly forward, as if crossing a river by wading through water.
Her demeanor remained elegantly cool; the hand he held was as obedient as a gentle kitten. She always wore a smile, yet when Fujiwara Reya looked back at her, she’d lower her head, hiding the smile.
The night was like water, shedding a thin veil of light.
Every step felt like stepping on something soft, with a vast starry sky shining above the mountain top.
The continuous mountain ranges seemed to stretch endlessly, with many places appearing close yet separated by great distances when walked. Yukino Ritsuko, already exhausted, allowed her gaze to fall upon Fujiwara Reya’s back as they walked.
"Tired?" Fujiwara Reya touched her slightly messy long hair, her delicate face was strikingly beautiful even in its pallor and weariness.
Yukino Ritsuko said nothing, merely drawing circles on the ground with her shoe.
"Get on." Fujiwara Reya crouched down.
"Mm."
Yukino Ritsuko gently lay upon his back.
Snow Treasure floated beside them, swaying its hair, following them back to the courtyard of the sleeping quarters.
The courtyard, where guests stayed, was also built by the river. Amid wide streets and narrow alleys, the ancient buildings of blue stone and long steps were incredibly quiet. Yet walking there, Yukino Ritsuko could hear many sounds—the rustling conversations within the courtyard walls, the rustling of the wind through tree branches, and the increasingly loud beating of her heart.
She worried about appearing before the students at the hall and being laughed at by them.
But she worried more about Fujiwara Reya not accompanying her tonight... At other times, she might not have cared, but tonight was different, after all... if she couldn’t wake up together tomorrow, it would feel incomplete...
With her mind in a confused state, Yukino Ritsuko became a little anxious and uncertain.
However, Fujiwara Reya bypassed the accommodation area and didn’t enter; instead, he passed straight through the entrance and continued upward.
"Huh?" Yukino Ritsuko quickly spoke up, "You’ve gone too far."
"Not too far." Fujiwara Reya looked up at the illuminated buildings on the mountain peak, "Your residence is at the very top."
"What?"
Yukino Ritsuko was dumbfounded.
Originally planning to tell her later, Fujiwara Reya decided to confess after she spoke with tears in her eyes.
"I forgot to tell you something."
"What is it?"
"Actually... I am the Mountain God."
"... You again, "
"I’m not lying, I share a bond with the Mountain God."
Yukino Ritsuko didn’t know what to say, so she angrily reached out and tugged hard on his ear.
"Ouch, be gentle!" Fujiwara Reya feigned pleading, then lightly spoke to her, "And by the way, have a good rest tonight, and attend my wedding tomorrow."
"What—"
"Our wedding!"
"... That’s more like it."
"Besides you, there are two other brides."
"..."
"And in the future, there will be more."
"?"
"At least six total."
After a moment of silence, Yukino Ritsuko suddenly reached out and grabbed his neck.
"You scoundrel, I’ll kill you—"
In Yukino Ritsuko’s sharp cries, Fujiwara Reya took off, flying up the mountain peak with her on his back. Tonight was destined to be a blissful night, even if his beloved was angry, he had enough patience and energy to surely coax her into calming down with gentle persistence.