8 Episode 7: Farewell

─ ─ It seems true that pleasant times pass quickly.

We sat down on a bench set in a hall throughout the city. The sky that I looked up was dark when I noticed it, and I was dyed at sunset.

The shops that were bustling the front streets are starting to clean up, and the crowded streets are gradually becoming smaller.

"... fun time is something that will pass quickly."

"I was thinking the same thing just now."

Somehow, they were both laughing and laughing.

From there, silence again.

We just look silently at the flow of people who will return or go somewhere else.

The more you say, the closer you come to the end. As long as you keep quiet, you can taste this quiet time. That's what I thought.

But it was the young lady who broke the silence.

"... thank you for today."

"Thank you for what?"

Thank you for everything.

She barely stood up and stepped out a few steps ago and turned to me.

"You helped me in the alley. You took me out of there. That you were with me."

─ ─ And you didn't ask me anything.

She smiled happily, but with a glimmer of loneliness. A smile that tightens your chest just by watching. It must have been a man's intention to put pain on his face.

"You must have noticed. I'm not from Ichii.

"You can show me so much natural stuff, even I'm from the country."

To be honest, the young lady hardened a little.

"... was it that easy to understand?

"If you had the confidence to hide it, you'd be surprised."

"Ahhhhh," said the shy girl.

I also get up from the bench and slap her on the shoulder before passing by. I turned around and told her.

"... let's walk a little"

The young lady nods without a word.

Walk through the city at dusk without a word.

I really wanted to speak more.

However, the more words you repeat, the greater the undeveloped.

It's a shame to break up.

─ ─ We understand each other.

This encounter is just a one-time mix of two people walking on separate paths. We'll never see each other again.

─ ─ And...

"... so far."

The young lady stopped her foot in the middle of the bridge over the waterway. She lowered her head deeply as I turned around and stopped as well.

"Thank you for being so selfish with me. I won't forget this for the rest of my life."

"No way. I can't have a date with such a beautiful girl and it'll be a lifetime of memories."

"As long as I'm happy to be with you."

The time of separation was imminent.

I strongly hope that today will be special to her at least.

"Miss, will you take this?

That's why I gave her what I had in my pocket.

"This is..."

"Actually, a little during the day. Today's anniversary... will you take it?

A pendant with a beautiful blue stone on my hand. She secretly bought it while she was obsessed with the art of the highway entertainer.

"It may be a little too cheap for your daughter to wear."

"That's not true..."

After receiving the pendant, she held it in her chest.

"Ah. But when I think about it, there's nothing I can give you back... all of today's money is yours..."

"It's a man's worth, so I'd be happy if you would just shut up and accept it."

That's not how it works.

as she remembered.

The girl took off the ring she had on her left hand and gave it to me. It was a fairly elaborate sculpted substitute, and even from an amateur's point of view it turned out to be a first-class product.

"Please accept this"

"No, wait a minute. It's pretty expensive."

"It's useless to ask about the price of things at times like this.

The girl smiled like a prank.

"Besides, I've done a lot of things today, and that's in return. If it bothers you, you can sell it."

"I don't care!

Rooted in the girl's attitude to give up, I received the ring.

"One last thing."

The daughter took off the hood of the coat (cape) she was wearing.

"This pendant... will you put it on with your hands?

The retracted scarlet hair was released and spilled. The colour and beauty of her brighter hair than the sunset took away my eyes.

A little later, I realized that the hand with the pendant was being held in front of me and returned to me. If it hadn't been for the sunset light, my daughter would have found out that my face was dyed bright red.

Take the pendant, remove the hardware from the chain and turn it around the back of your daughter's neck.

"Here, is this it?

"Yes"

The young lady gripped the pendant down to her chest as she nodded.

And my daughter and I laughed together.

Because I wanted the last faces I remembered to smile at each other.

I will never forget the smile that came to mind at this time.

We don't know each other, we don't even know each other's names.

Still, our encounter did exist here.

A pendant on your daughter's chest.

The ring in my hand.

Proof of a one-time encounter.

"Well then... goodbye"

"Oh, goodbye."

We turned our backs on each other and walked out.

─ ─ This is the end of my encounter with my daughter.

─ ─ Events that occurred on the day of the visit to King's Landing.

─ ─ And it was the first time in my life that I experienced something called "love at first sight."