Sumika crouched in front of Logan, her small face tense. She took out a handkerchief, bit down on her sleeve decisively, and tore off a strip. Then, as if remembering something, she reached for the teapot.
"Wait… are you trying to disinfect my wounds with tea?" Logan lifted his eyelids slightly, watching her actions with a faint smile.
"Shut up." Sumika's expression was ice-cold. She poured the steaming water from the exquisite porcelain teapot, reaching out to clean his wounds, only to have her hand unexpectedly grabbed.
"There's no need for that." Logan's lips were pale, "Sumika, I have something to tell you..."
Fresh and dried blood dripped onto Sumika's wrist. She glared at Logan, as if finding him completely unreasonable, "Didn't I tell you not to talk?!"
"I know my own condition." Logan didn't seem to notice her expression. His voice was weak but firm, "Right now, there's just an overload of energy in my body. Cough, cough, you wouldn't understand even if I explained. I just need to wait a bit..."
Sumika clenched her fists, her face turning even paler. It was always like this. She always hated it. Maybe because tonight was a special occasion, or because Logan suddenly showed up in such a state, she could no longer suppress the surging emotions within her. She couldn't rely on her usual mature and composed demeanor to handle everything anymore.
Realization, sorrow, joy, anger… her emotions completely drowned out her reason. The floodgates of her feelings burst open.
"You're right! I don't understand anything!" Sumika flung his hand away, shouting, "I'm just an ordinary person! You're a Ninja, running across rooftops, disappearing and reappearing whenever you feel like it! I don't understand anything! You vanished from my room last time… 'You know your own condition'?! And now, you're covered in blood again..."
Her words tumbled out incoherently. Logan watched as tears rolled down her cheeks, and was momentarily stunned.
"I'm getting engaged to someone else tomorrow. Did you know that..."
"Don't meet me like this, making me expect things and then worry! What am I supposed to understand? Tell me!"
"You made promises, but none of them ever came true..."
This was a scene that Logan had never seen or imagined before. Her tear-streaked face left him dazed, frozen in place as he watched her until her outburst gradually subsided.
He reached out his hand.
Sumika wiped her face, silently poured another cup of hot water, and prepared to continue disinfecting his wounds.
"You've had it tough all this time." Logan's voice was weak, but there was an undeniable strength in it, "I'm here to fulfill my promise."
Sumika sniffled and frowned at him.
"Do you remember what I told you? A world without endless wars, without a cycle of hatred… A society that, despite its flaws, continues to move forward, where most people can live peacefully… going to school, working, getting married, traveling?"
Logan said in a sincere tone, "I'll take you to that world."
Sumika vaguely recalled the scene where the two teenagers standing in the sunlight at the mountaintop shrine, beneath a vast blue sky, laughing as they made a promise.
"What are you even saying... A place like that doesn't exist."
"It does." Logan spoke with utmost seriousness, "I promised you… I would take you there."
Sumika listened to his seemingly absurd words, but the other party persisted in extending his hand, his expression solemn, as if he were truly keeping a long-standing promise.
"You came all this way... just for this?"
Logan nodded, and then looked at the other party expectantly.
"It took everything I had just to barely make it here. There are still so many things I haven't said, so many things I haven't done... Judging by the time, I made it just in time, didn't I?"
The winter snow melted away. Sumika pressed her lips together, her eyes red-rimmed as she gazed at his face, unable to voice a rejection. She then whispered, "Idiot."
"You're just in time." Hoshino Sumika extended her hand as well.
There were scorch marks on Logan's hand, and a small electric current flashed on his skin. Sumika stared at it, hesitant yet determined, slowly reaching out.
Halfway in the air, Logan didn't hesitate. He stepped forward and firmly grasped her hand.
…
…
Tokyo Skytree, Second Observation Deck.
The ring of floor-to-ceiling glass reflected the tranquil night lights. The dim interior was bathed in a serene, transparent glow, as snowflakes drifted in from outside.
Logan opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was the shattered glass on the floor. As he struggled to get up, a sudden sense of unease struck him.
"Be careful."
He froze mid-movement.
Shifting his gaze, Logan saw Sumika standing by the observation window, turning her head to look at him.
"..."
This scene should have been impossible. Yet, it was happening, right before his eyes.
The wounds on Logan's body were still soaked with blood, but he had succeeded.
A hundred emotions surged within him. He had no words.
"Are your injuries okay?" Sumika spoke with an unusual calmness.
Logan winced from the pain but didn't care at all, "It's fine. I won't die."
Logan wanted to ask about Sumika's first impressions of this place, but for a moment, he didn't even know where to begin.
After releasing the immense energy within him, Logan's condition had improved significantly.
Though still utterly drained, at least he was no longer on the verge of breaking apart from the excess lightning within his body.
Seeing that Logan's sickly complexion had regained some color, Sumika finally allowed herself to relax… just a little.
Their eyes met in a silent yet earnest gaze, filled with an unspoken urgency.
"This is your world, isn't it... Hattori-kun?"
"Yeah."
The absurdity of reality blended with the weight of genuine longing. The air was still, peaceful. Standing within this grand structure known as the Tembo Galleria, Sumika looked out into the vast sky beyond, down at the sprawling metropolis below… a sea of lights stretching endlessly to the horizon.
"It's so beautiful." Sumika murmured softly as she watched the snowflakes fluttering.
Logan tried to stand up, but failed. Watching the girl stand so calmly in this unfamiliar world, four hundred meters above the ground, he couldn't help but smile faintly, "Yeah... it really is."
Sumika tilted her head slightly and said with teasing tone, "I suppose… it's going to be hard to go back, isn't it?"
Logan opened his mouth but, faced with the forced lightness of her question, he could only answer, "Yeah… it'll be hard to go back."
The soft glow along the edges of her silhouette seemed tinged with sorrow. Logan belatedly realized the awkwardness of the situation, anxiety creeping into his heart.
"Uh… was this too sudden?"
"I just pulled you here all at once, without explaining much. Everything must feel unfamiliar to you. You probably had a lot to take care of back there, right? You were the ceremonial envoy, after all..."
His words came out hesitant and careful, Sumika's eyes were calm, shimmering as she shook her head, "I've already taken care of everything."
"Oh… huh?"
"Everything at home... Since I was preparing for my engagement, I had already settled everything beforehand."
"I-I see." Logan scratched his head, 'Well, at least that the result was okay.'
Logan had never been good at conversations, especially with girls, so he was at a loss for words. He glanced outside at the falling snow, knowing this place wasn't exactly safe.
The Japanese Government would soon notice something unusual and might send people after them. And yet… he was reluctant to break this fragile, precious moment.
A distant sound echoed across the sky. The ground trembled slightly. Still on edge, Logan reacted instinctively, only to pull at his wounds, causing him to grimace in pain.
The transparent glass reflected a brilliant array of colors. Logan froze, and his gaze was drawn southwest.
In the dim sky, bursts of dazzling flowers unfolded one after another.
The soft explosions continued in succession, illuminating the Tembo Galleria with their glow.
"Fireworks." Sumika murmured, her attention was attracted to it.
As the clock struck midnight, Logan suddenly remembered that today had another meaning, something he had almost forgotten in the chaos, "Over there, there's another tower like this one. When the time comes, they celebrate."
After a pause, not caring whether she would understand, he added: "Today is Christmas."
"Christmas…" Sumika whispered this word that she had never heard before.
…
"Hattori-kun, I want to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"Everything you said before… was it all true?" Sumika's voice was quiet, her eyes cast downward, yet when she looked up at him, her gaze was solemn… like she was confronting something immense, "That you wanted to talk with me about so many things, do so many things together, that you worked so hard to get here."
"Of course it's true." Logan pressed his hand against the ground, struggling to stand. He wasn't sure why she asked, but as he bent forward, a pair of soft, warm hands reached out to steady him.
He looked up…
… and was met with the gentle, sweet warmth of her lips.
Logan immediately froze.
"Then it's a promise." As they parted, Sumika's cheeks were flushed pink. She took a deep breath, then stepped back.
And Logan witnessed a moment that would be etched into his memory forever.
The soft breeze and falling snow, the breathtaking city lights… radiant, lively, serene. And Sumika stood there, with her hands gracefully folded at her waist, and there's a gentle smile on her face.
"This little girl may be inadequate…" Sumika said, her eyes curving into a warm crescent as she bowed slightly.
"But for the rest of our lives… please take care of me."