"Kiyono."

"What's wrong?"

"I like you."

Dubian Che remembered that day's scene very clearly.

The Mang Grass in bloom swayed gently in the November autumn breeze. Wisps of thin clouds lingered in the azure sky.

The white breath he exhaled seemed to be drawn away by the rising sun.

Everything was infused with a strong sense of autumn, presenting a nearly transparent world.

Kiyono Lin standing in the field of Mang Grass was as clear and elegant as this autumn day.

"I know," Kiyono Lin said.

"I like you," Dubian Che repeated once more.

"How could you..." She seemed to understand something but didn't continue.

The breeze gently stirred her hair, and her long eyelashes framed eyes that gazed quietly at Dubian Che.

Just meeting Kiyono Lin's eyes, Dubian Che felt his breath being wholly taken away.

The chirping of birds in the distant forest sounded as if coming from the farthest world.

"I like you, and I want to be with you."

"How to be together?" Kiyono Lin gazed at Dubian Che calmly.

"You, me, Meiji, Mayi, Miss Aonai," Dubian Che replied.

"Do you think this is reasonable?"

"It's not reasonable."

"Is it normal?"

"It's not normal."

"Would I be willing?"

"You wouldn't be willing."

Kiyono Lin said nothing more, her clear and beautiful eyes shimmered with the sorrow of loving someone.

"I like you."

Dubian Che had no other means but to completely and thoroughly reveal his entire feelings.

"Lately, I've been thinking of you constantly," he said, "My mind is full of you. At times, I'm very happy; at other times, I'm so sad I want to cry. My thoughts are chaotic, the only thing clear is I like you and I can't lose you."

Kiyono Lin's eyes turned to the Mang Grass by the roadside.

Once a person has a happiness to pursue, there are nights when they want to cry.

"I like you," Dubian Che said again, uttering the only reason he stood there.

"I like you too."

Kiyono Lin's gaze shifted from the Mang Grass to Dubian Che's face.

The distance between them was only two meters, yet she felt the vastness of the river of fate.

She understood very well the responsibilities resting on Dubian Che's shoulders, ones as heavy as the highest mountain in the Island Country—Mount Fuji.

They weren't just heavy; those responsibilities, like rivers returning to the sea and the sunset in the west, were equally rightful, ones he must bear.

Dubian Che looked at Kiyono Lin, feeling her gentle, clear love.

Kiyono Lin loved Dubian Che as much as Dubian Che loved her.

Now, Dubian Che was certain:

At the times when he tossed and turned, sleepless from longing, feeling sad and pained because they couldn't be together, she was the same way.

"Kiyono, I like you."

Kiyono Lin looked at Dubian Che, saying nothing.

"I like you, so much that no matter what kind of person I am, honest or dishonest; faithful or unfaithful, I must have you with me."

"I think so too, so I want to steal you away from those three," Kiyono Lin looked to the distance, the vast sky wide and clear.

"Is there anything else to say?" she asked with her back to Dubian Che.

Just that wasn't enough to persuade her.

'Mr. Dubian, you must have a way. Whether it's a lie or not, please give me a reason to be with you.'

"Kiyono," Dubian Che's voice carried an undeniable sorrow.

Usually speaking with a smile, Dubian Che's sad tone was the first time Kiyono Lin heard it.

Her heart began to tremble, involuntarily closing her eyes, fearing tears would fall.

"I need you," Dubian Che's voice continued.

"I always thought I was the one who led you out of loneliness, the pillar supporting your ideals."

"But I'm not," Dubian Che closed his eyes, his throat starting to tighten.

"You don't need me at all; you can live well on your own, loneliness means nothing to you, no one can sway your beliefs."

Kiyono Lin's delicate frame carried a heart incredibly unique, strong enough to reach the farthest corners of the universe.

"I'm the one afraid of loneliness, I'm the one who needs support."

"It's not that you need me, but that I need you."

"Kiyono, I like you."

Kiyono Lin turned around, opened her eyes.

"Is it me stopping you from being with me?" Her voice was calm, crystalline tears, gliding down her face that was only slightly sorrowful and stunningly beautiful.

Dubian Che was overcome with grief, opening his mouth but unable to make a sound.

"I know." After a long time, he finally got used to the pain temporarily, "I know it's all my fault. There's no reason for you to be with me, but..."

Dubian Che choked up once more.

"All I can do now is beg you."

"Beg you to temporarily forget all my wrongs, even if they weigh on your heart. Please wait until we're together to truly blame me."

"Kiyono, I like you."

"I really want... I really want... I really want to be with you."

"Dubian Che wants to be with you."

"Kiyono, I like you."

"Without you, I can't go on with my life."

"Kiyono, I like you."

Kiyono Lin turned around, her back facing Dubian Che, no words, only her shoulders trembling.

Raising his eyes to the clouds above, in the wilderness of Mang Grass in Immortal Stone Field, Dubian Che quietly waited for Kiyono Lin's response.

Under the vast dome of the sky, he felt as transparent as water, as light as a feather.

Without Kiyono Lin, Dubian Che indeed couldn't do it.

Finally, Kiyono Lin collected her emotions, turning around once more, even against the light, her eyes still shimmering with a watery sheen.