Chapter 16: Even Something Small Becomes Special When It's Given as a Gift

[Present]

"Present" refers to an item given as a gift, and it's a word used in a wide range of situations, from celebrating life's milestones to giving small everyday items. 

Naturally, this includes situations involving romantic feelings between men and women, and therefore, in manga, anime, and games where romance is the central theme, presents often play a central role in the story.

For example, the protagonist or heroine might agonize over what to give, or a conflict might arise because of the presents. Furthermore, it's common for items given by the heroine to the protagonist, or vice versa, to become crucial key items in the story.

The act of giving something to someone, for better or worse, implies some kind of feeling or relationship, which is likely why it's a prominent theme in many romance stories. It's also easy to incorporate current events and classic tropes!

The act of giving something, big or small, is a special occasion, and inevitably, it takes on some meaning within a story. It could be something grand enough to change a life, or conversely, something insignificant that simply brings a smile to the recipient's face.

One thing is certain, though: presents are something that bring joy to the heroine and the protagonist.

In short, I love the idea of ​​a sickly heroine clutching something cheap and insignificant, like a keychain or strap, given to her by the protagonist, right before a major surgery.

Conversely, I also love the idea of ​​something given by the heroine becoming a lucky charm for the protagonist. I absolutely adore the scene where he clings to it, steeling his weakened body and getting back to his feet.

★★★

"Woah! Sakura! Sakura! What's that?!"

"I understand you're excited, Chitose-sama, but please calm down a little. The city is full of people."

"I know that, but... I finally made it here, so I couldn't help myself....."

"..... The shops aren't going anywhere, so let's take our time and look around. Besides, Master has given us some pocket money."

Summer's peak is over, and autumn is finally here. It'll soon be a year since Chiharu-kun came to the Onjōji household.

'Wow, time really does fly when you're so fulfilled!'

Chitose-chan, the sickly main heroine, is diligently working hard every day, but today she's not at the mansion, but at a market in town.

Yes, she's at the market!

Wow, it's been a long journey to get here.

Otou-sama and Okaa-sama were really reluctant to let me go out.

Well, I understand their feelings.

In their eyes, Chitose-chan had a congenital incurable disease, the kind where there are symptomatic treatments, but no cure. Of course, from their perspective as parents, they can't just casually let their child go out. Anyone would be overprotective of such a cute, sickly heroine daughter.

This accident could be attributed to Chitose-chan perfect sickly heroine persona. "Suffering from success" kind of thing if you would.

Well, it wasn't a big deal since I could manage without going out.

However, now that I've found my counterpart, Chiharu-kun, I've been wanting to go out with him, which is why we decided to go out this time.

Even with Chitose-chan's growth, her improved health due to Chiharu-kun's presence as her counterpart, and Sakura's watching eyes, Otou-sama was still reluctant to agree.

But Okaa-sama's support helped.

She really is the strongest person in the Onjōji family. Nobody can beat her in the house.

Even so, Otou-sama still sends his shikigami to keep an eye on us, which just goes to show how overprotective he is.

Incidentally, shikigami, a staple of Japanese fantasy, also exist in this world.

Broadly speaking, there seem to be two types: those created from scratch by the Onmyōji, and those that are summoned from other yokai.

The shikigami assigned to Chitose-chan and the others this time are the latter. Apparently, they're a type of yokai called a Kasha that steals corpses from graveyards, but Otou-sama beat it up and subdued it when he was young.

Since then, they've been frequently used for transportation, and that's how they've ended up as Otou-sama's shikigami. 

'.... Why are the anecdotes that come up about men in this family always a little bit violent?'

Even so, it's really helpful that it doesn't seem unnatural for Chitose-chan to act like she's feeling a little better thanks to Chiharu-kun.

Including things like this, I really think he's Chitose-chan's soulmate.

Ah, and Chitose-chan's eyes are sparkling at seeing something she's never seen before, which is so cute.

I think one of the charms of a sickly heroine is the contrast between this and the usual fragile expression she shows at unexpected moments.

So cute!

And Sakura watching her so happily is also so cute!

These two are so precious, aren't they?!

"Yes. We have time, so let's take our time and look around, Sakura. I can't get too excited and get sick in the middle of our outing, causing trouble for Sakura and Chiharu."

"I've been by your side for several years now, but I've never once thought that anything Chitose-sama done was a nuisance."

"Oh, thank you, Sakura. But where did Chiharu go? Surely he didn't get lost from getting too excited!?"

"Ah, Chiharu is over there, being doted on by the townspeople."

"....What the....?"

"From what I've overheard and what Moritsugu-sama told me before, it seems that when Chiharu and Moritsugu-sama came to the city together, they were involved in some kind of arrest. That's probably why the people in the city are so fond of him. Besides, Chiharu often comes to the city with Moritsugu-sama, so they probably remember his face."

"So it really is Onii-sama who's the cause of all this...!!"

Yes, today is my first date with Chiharu-kun! But also...!

A boy who was abandoned and a girl who rescued him, two people who have spent several months together and deepened their bond, are going out together for the first time.

The boy, who had never interacted with people before, was led by the girl's hand, and it was supposed to unfold in a way that he would experience things he had never encountered in his life before.

'That's what it was supposed to be...!

If only Onii-sama hadn't snatched everything away in the last few months!!!'

Well, unlike Chitose-chan, Chiharu-kun is physically strong. The downside of Yang energy is that all the functions become too active, making one too energetic. Needless to say, Chiharu-kun, the embodiment of that, has a very strong body. With Chitose-chan's negative energy creating a pseudo-harmony between them, their current state is truly that of a healthy child.

Therefore, there's nothing strange about Onii-sama taking Chiharu-kun out; in fact, you could even say he's being kind to someone who suddenly intruded into his family home.

'But STILL!

Taking almost all of the things related to their first outing away from Chitose-chan is not right, Onii-sama!'

It's not like Chitose-chan is holding his hand anymore, because Chiharu-kun is used to it.

'He's completely used to this city!

They're already familiar with each other, he looks like a regular customer already!!'

"He seems to know a lot more than we do."

"Yes, that's true..."

"People are given all sorts of things every time he passes by, I wonder how many times he's actually been to this city..."

"I don't know the exact number of times, but judging from the situation, it's not hard to imagine he's been here quite a few times."

"Hmmmm~~~~!!!"

ONII-SAMA!!!

Why are you, a fellow guy, the one who goes on the most shopping dates with Chiharu-kun?!

That's Chitose-chan's or Sakura-chan's job, Onii-sama!!

"Well, it's good to have someone experienced here. Let's have Chiharu lead the way."

"That's true, but... I wonder what these complicated feelings are."

"Chiharu! Let's go!"

Chiharu-kun is so cute, coming running when called...

It's so heartwarming!

Well, being escorted by Chiharu-kun, Chitose-chan's destined partner, isn't so bad.

Besides, the scenario of an inexperienced young lady being escorted by someone experienced is a classic trope!

Ah, wow, thinking about it that way, I can't stop getting excited.

"Hehe~ Well then, I'll leave it to you today, Chiharu."

"We're counting on you today."

"!!"

Chiharu-kun's fist pump as if to say "Leave it to me" is so cute!

The two of us looking at him with gentle eyes are also cute!

Cute and cute combined make us unbeatable!!!

★★★

As the sun began to set, the city's vibrancy gradually faded. The shadows of the boy and girls, stretched long by the setting sun, seemed to linger, as if regretting the end of the day.

"How was your day, Chitose-sama?"

"It was fun! There were so many things I'd never seen before! And above all, it was the first time I'd spent such a long time outside the mansion, so it felt very strange. But it wasn't unpleasant; I was incredibly happy!"

"I'm sure Master and Madam will be pleased to hear that."

"Yes, I must tell Otou-sama and Okaa-sama all about today! ..... Onii-sama doesn't know, though."

(...Looks like we'll be getting more letters from Moritsugu-sama.)

"This is all thanks to Chiharu. Thank you so much for showing me around today, Chiharu, it was a great help."

The boy puffed out his chest as if to say, "Hmph!"

He was like a younger brother praised by his older sister, or a dog praised by its master, and the two girls couldn't help but laugh at his overly exaggerated reaction.

As the day drew to a close, a certain scent tickled the nostrils of the three of them.

"This... it really makes me feel like autumn."

"Yes. It's one of the flowers that comes to mind when you think of autumn."

"??"

"Don't you know, Chiharu? This is the scent of Kyuriko. It means a flower that carries its lovely fragrance nine miles away, which is incredibly far. The flower itself is small and pretty, and it's one of my favorites. It's also a beautiful flower associated with the moon."

"Is there the tree somewhere? I can't imagine there being one around here... Ah, I see. It seems to be from a stall selling scented pouches."

"What a shame. I wanted to show Chiharu the real flower too... Right, you two wait a moment!"

The girl in white said this and approached the stall in question. After a while, she returned, clutching three small pouches in her hands.

"Did you buy them?"

"Well, it's not everyday we can go out anyway. Besides, the Kyuriko flower is deeply connected to the moon, so I just felt like having some."

"??"

"Ah, well, you see, Chiharu. There's a legend about the Kyuriko flower. The legend says that the moon shines golden in autumn because there's a huge, incredibly huge Kyuriko tree growing there. ...If there was such a huge tree, surely you could smell its fragrance no matter where you were on the moon, no, even far away from the moon."

Saying this, the girl in white handed the girl in black and the boy small pouches, sachets of Kyuriko fragrance.

"These sachets aren't anything fancy, but I think they have the power to color the memories of today."

"Chitose-sama..."

"Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could remember today every time you smell this fragrance? That's why I wanted you two to have them."

".... But Chitose-sama... these sachets don't last that long."

"Don't say that now!"

"That's why, let's come back next year, the three of us, and buy new ones. And the year after that, and the year after that too."

"..... Hm! that's right! Yeah! That would be much nicer. Let's definitely come back together, the three of us!"

As she said this, the girl in white hugged the sachet to her chest as if it were a treasure trove of gold and silver. As she gripped it tightly, the fragrance rose, enveloping the girl in the scent of Kyuriko.

The fragrance quickly reached the boy standing nearby, filling his body.

To him, it was simply a scent.

Honestly, there was nothing good or bad about it.

However, even so, there was joy in the boy's heart.

He gently brought the sachet he held in his hand closer to his face and took a deep breath. Again, the boy felt nothing about this scent.

Yet, there was joy in his heart once more. Those who knew this would tell the boy: "That is what a memory is."

As the setting sun cast its long shadows, the boy and girl walked away, thinking of saying goodbye.

This was a memory of autumn.

A precious, precious memory of autumn for the boy.

"Besides, if something happens, having something like this to mark me might allow Chiharu to come and save me in a cool way."

"Chitose-sama!!"

"??"

(The moment when best friend characters contradicts heroine's words that there might not be a next time has finally arrived!!!)

..... Illuminated by the autumn sunset, the white hair of the fair-skinned girl turned golden. It was like the moon shining in the sunlight.

Oh boy, the sun, you are the light that illuminates the girl, the moon.