CHAPTER 163: CHAPTER 161 — ECHOES OF A LIFE WELL-LIVED

The countryside home was still surrounded by golden fields, just as it always had been, but now it felt like the earth itself was softer beneath Ren’s and Aoi’s feet. Time had slowed down in a way they both welcomed. Their steps were gentler, their voices carried more warmth than urgency.

Sunlight filtered through the lace curtains as Aoi adjusted a tray of tea and snacks for the guests soon to arrive. Her movements were slower now, but graceful as ever. Her silver-tinged hair was tied back with a familiar ribbon—Ren had gifted it to her when she first became a mother.

Outside, Ren sat on the porch, carving a small wooden toy for his granddaughter, Ami. His hands, though aged, were still steady. Lucia, now integrated into a smaller household orb, floated nearby with a soft hum. She no longer scanned data or activated protocols. She simply watched—the way a family member would.

Soon, the laughter of children echoed across the field.

Hikari arrived first, hand in hand with her husband, followed by her two children. Ami, now a skilled medical student, ran toward Ren and hugged him tight. Behind her, the younger boy, spirited and bright, waved at Aoi, who beamed and waved back.

Then came Hina—stylish as always, but with the same spark in her eyes Aoi had when she was younger. Her two children trailed behind her, one of them already buried in a puzzle app she’d coded herself.

After hugs and greetings and joyful noise settled into warmth, the family gathered around the garden table. They laughed over old memories, joked about Ren’s overprotective moments, and brought out a slideshow of past years—holographically projected from the table, courtesy of Lucia.

As the sun began to set, casting golden light over the land, Ren and Aoi sat on their porch swing again, side by side.

"I still remember that first time you barged into my coding lab," Ren chuckled softly.

"And you ignored me until I pulled the chair right from under you," Aoi laughed, her eyes glimmering.

They held hands tightly. The wind whispered through the trees, as if nature itself was listening.

"Do you ever wonder," Aoi began, "if our younger selves could see all this—this life, this home, our children and grandchildren—what would they say?"

Ren smiled, brushing a loose strand of her hair. "I think they’d say, We made it."