Chapter 527: Spin-off: Horizon 3
The rain had eased slightly.
With an umbrella in hand, walking through the simple countryside, if one were to take a picture from the street behind, it would capture a unique sense of tranquil beauty.
Uesugi Sakura followed behind his classmates, his gaze cast towards the mist-covered distant fields and mountains.
In the unclear sky, the fog piled like mountains, spreading over vast expanses of forest.
"Senior doesn’t seem too enthusiastic."
"Sorry... I’ve just been feeling apathetic about everything lately..."
"Maybe it’s because of the lunch... the Shimamura family’s fried fish was pretty tasty..."
"A bit, perhaps."
...
The next itinerary was to visit the Shrine uphill.
Uesugi Sakura always followed at the back, neither too far nor too close to the others.
Rather than joining in with cheerful conversations, he preferred to be quietly alone at this moment.
His feet stepped on damp earth, his eyes taking in the lush, verdant forest.
Frankly speaking, the purpose of coming here was to explore folklore and culture.
...
After a day of visits, Uesugi Sakura had noted down a number of stories circulating locally.
These stories all bore certain characteristics—mysterious and superstitious, tied to seasonal festivals and religious customs.
—Common traits of folk literature.
With a sudden realization, he thought and understood that these insights had long been acquired by predecessors.
His own efforts were merely retracing paths that others had already successfully trodden...
This feeling was rather disheartening.
Uesugi Sakura did not consider himself a genius and did not feel anything was wrong with this sensation, yet he found himself unable to muster the will to fully dedicate himself to his studies at this moment.
Or rather, he found it impossible to do so...
The next day, from morning till night, Uesugi Sakura holed up alone in the inn, listening to the incessant rain outside, the time seemed to drag on endlessly.
He stood motionless by the window, gazing through it at the fog-shrouded mountains.
Touching the cold, silver watch face on his wrist, his mind filled with memories of the past.
He thought of the words Hanabi had spoken to him with a smile from her hospital bed.
Unable to calm his mind, that smile was beautiful, yet to him, it was filled with longing.
All Uesugi Sakura could do then was to rest his forehead against her small forehead, wishing to preserve that warmth on his own for just a second longer.
...
But eventually, it still vanished.
The room was filled with the green glow of candle flames, seemingly burning his soul.
In the days that followed, he could only hold her favorite shark plushie and sit in the unlit room all day.
The rain outside had become a drizzle, and Uesugi Sakura rested his hands on the window ledge, breathing in the fresh air, clearing his mind.
He tried his best not to think about these things.
To think more about the future, as people often say, looking forward!
But after searching and pondering dozens of times in his mind, he came up with only a new question.
What is his goal when looking forward?
—————
The hills, bathed in sunlight, gradually darkened.
—It was nearing dusk.
This reminded Uesugi Sakura of a book he had read before.
But now these things were inconsequential, and after packing his luggage, he found Professor Okuno in a small wooden pavilion next to the leisure area, seemingly engrossed in writing a manuscript.
"Sorry, professor, I want to give up on this field trip."
Okuno glanced at the packed suitcase behind him: "Are you going back?"
"Yes."
Professor Okuno looked at his calm, expressionless face for a while and finally sighed:
"Sakura, I hope you can pull yourself together, you are talented and shouldn’t give up so easily. Didn’t the manuscript you submitted to the newspaper recently receive much appreciation?"
Uesugi Sakura was silent for a moment, trying to maintain an unaffected tone.
"It’s alright, professor, I just worry about my two sisters at home, I’m afraid they can’t take care of themselves."
It was the first time Professor Okuno heard that he had two sisters, but he wasn’t the type of student to lie.
Although it sounded completely like an excuse.
Professor Okuno had heard some things about him from his former student, Hanamaru Hiroki.
Thus, once more, he sighed in his heart:
"Alright then, when do you plan to return?"
"Now."
"Now? You’d have to catch the last train to Tokyo, why not wait until tomorrow morning?"
"It’s alright... I’ll make it... Is there any procedure at school for withdrawing from the field trip?"
Professor Okuno said: "You can go back, I will handle these matters for you, just remember to send me a message when you get home."
Uesugi Sakura nodded, then bade farewell politely, opened his umbrella, and stepped onto the muddy trail, leaving the pavilion.
...
"Professor!"
About ten minutes later, Seisa Takeshun arrived at the small pavilion.
"Professor, have you seen Senior Uesugi? An editor from the newspaper contacted me looking for him."
"He just left."
"What?! Left?"
Professor Okuno penned down today’s events with a fountain pen, replying as he wrote:
"Yes, just left, said he had two sisters at home to care for."
Seisa Takeshun muttered uncertainly: "It seems Senior hasn’t been in the right state this semester, he abruptly stopped halfway through writing a good novel."
——————
At 8 PM, Uesugi Sakura boarded the last express train to Tokyo.
The tracks glowed red, with mountains on one side and plains on the other, the express train, like a falling star, streaked through the azure night.
This scene reminded Uesugi Sakura, seated by the window, of when he had first started dating her.
She would grow sleepy at moments like this, swaying slightly, unconsciously leaning on his shoulder.