A while later—
The sobbing quieted.
The little girl looked up, eyes still glistening with tears, her gaze trembling with emotion.
"Sis… sister…" – she spoke again, voice still shaky.
"I… I have one more thing to ask… I don't know if you'd agree…"
"Yes? What is it?" – Kyouno asked gently.
The girl blushed, twiddling her fingers, eyes cast downward.
"Could you… could you be my friend…?"
She blurted it out, summoning all her courage.
"I... I don't have many friends.And you… you're really nice, and also… really pretty..."
The girl's voice grew smaller, each word stumbling over the shyness welling up inside her.
"So I... so I..."
She clutched the hem of her shirt gently, her shimmering eyes lifting up, as if gathering every ounce of courage to say the rest:
"I want to be friends with you!"
Kyouno, who had thought the girl might ask for something grander, was stunned by such a simple, adorable request.
"You… and me… friends?" – Kyouno tilted her head, slightly surprised.
"If not, that's okay… I'm so silly… why would a noble fairy like you be friends with someone like me…"
The girl, thinking she was being turned down, lowered her head in disappointment.
But at that moment, she felt—
A gentle embrace, suddenly enveloping her small frame.
Warm… like the sun in March.
Cool… like a breeze of early summer.
A soft embrace pulled her close.
She looked up in shock—
It was the beautiful sister who had hugged her!
That radiant sister now held her gently, tightly, as if afraid she might vanish.
In that moment, Kyouno wasn't thinking at all.
Just, when she saw the girl's crestfallen face, something instinctual moved her heart.
The way her mom and sister had once held her…
"What are you saying?" – Kyouno whispered, voice soft as breath
"Of course I'd love to be your friend.Who wouldn't want to be friends with such a sweet little girl like you?"
Those words, like a ray of light breaking through the dark clouds within the girl's heart.
That sunlight… was it happiness?
So gentle… so warm…
"So… you really do want to be my friend?" – the girl, now free from the embrace, still couldn't quite believe her ears.
"Yes, I'm really happy to be your friend. Oh, and… what's your name?"
"I… I'm Setsuka Yumiyo."
"Oh, so your name is Setsuka?" Kyouno replied. "I'm Kyouno Heather. I'm very happy to be your friend, Setsuka."
"No… not Setsuka. Yumiyo is my name. Setsuka's just my family name…"
"Oh… huh?"
Kyouno froze a little.
Was the naming order reversed in this world!?
That's kind of.....embarrassing!
"Ah… um… then it's a pleasure to be your friend, Yumiyo." – she smiled awkwardly.
"You can call me Kyouno, okay?"
"Mm… Sister… Kyouno… I'm really happy to be your friend…" – Yumiyo replied.
"Um... S-Sister Kyouno," Yumiyo's voice suddenly rang out again, tinged with a hint of shyness.
"Hm?" Kyouno responded, casting a curious glance at the girl's strange demeanor.
She watched as the little one reached into a small, hand-sewn pouch stitched to the side of her coat, searching for something, then gently pulled it out.
Kyouno blinked in surprise. In the girl's hands—
Though its shape was a little different from the types she was familiar with, it was still easily recognizable—
A hair clip?
The dainty clip shimmered in a pale pink hue, its shape flowing softly like a drooping willow branch. It was simple, modest, but far from worn or shabby. On the contrary, it had clearly been preserved with great care.
That very hair clip was now being held gently in those small, thin hands, cradled with such tenderness, as if it were a treasure.
"This clip… it was a gift from my mom, back when she was still alive."
The little girl spoke softly. As she did, she slowly placed the clip into Kyouno's hands.
The maiden snapped out of her daze, speaking up quickly.
"W-Wait, hold on, if this was a gift from your mom, how could I possibly accept something so precious?"
She instinctively tried to pull her hand back, feeling unworthy of receiving such a heartfelt keepsake.
But the girl gently held onto her hand, shook her head, and replied in a quiet voice:
"When I turned three, my mother was already very sick.While in the hospital, she gave me this hair clip and told me:
'This gift… think of it as a token of thanks from me, to the one who will become important to you in the future. Thanking them for being by your side, walking with you… in my place.'
Sister , you're my very first friend…And I still have more than ten years to go before I turn eighteen. Aren't you going to be the one walking beside me during all that time? That means… you're the important person, aren't you?"
Yumiyo looked straight into Kyouno's eyes, her gaze full of earnest sincerity.
"So please…Would you accept this hair clip?
It's not just a thank-you from my mom,it's also from me.A token of our friendship."
She pressed the clip firmly into Kyouno's palm.
Kyouno was momentarily taken aback.She had a feeling the little girl may have misunderstood what her mother meant…
But still—
Looking at Yumiyo's shy, pleading expression, Kyouno simply couldn't bring herself to refuse. If she turned her down now, the little girl would surely be heartbroken.
In the end, Kyouno let out a quiet sigh and gently wrapped her fingers around the clip.
Carefully, almost reverently, she placed it into the pocket of her coat.
"Alright then...From now on, I'll be Yumiyo's important person.So I'll be counting on you to guide me too, okay?"
Hearing those tender words from the maiden, Yumiyo's eyes lit up like sunshine after rain.
"Yes!" she replied brightly.
And on her little face, at long last bloomed a smile—
gentle like dawn's first light,
delicate like petals floating on the wind.
...