Tsukishiro Yanagi was aware that she was far from things like love and marriage. To put it bluntly, she didn’t have the romantic notion of love that most women have. Even when such conversations were brought up among the female employees of H.A.N.D., Yanagi would just listen quietly. Now that she had free time, she could think about this and that, but when she was a member of the defense force, she had no choice but to blindly cling to survival.
She never hoped to fall in love with fate. She never needed it. That’s why she turned down blind dates over and over again. She was lonely, and she needed someone to embrace her. Does that person necessarily have to be her lover? Of course, people can’t live alone, so they want a companion. However, for her, Soukaku was enough to give her special love. It meant that uniqueness was already satisfied. However, her “specialness” gradually increased, and she felt more relieved than before. “Others” other than “me” began to enter the realm that she had kept hidden. It wasn't a bad feeling. The mass of my heart just increased. That's all love is.
"There's this really handsome guy in my department, and he always buys me my share of coffee when I come to work. Isn't that some kind of signal?"
"Isn't that because he's kind?"
"That may be true, but he only brings it to me! He always comes to my desk!"
Whenever she heard stories related to love like this, there was one thing Yanagi couldn't understand. Maybe she just gave it to me because her desk was close. Maybe she was taking care of me because I was a new employee who hadn't been here long. However, no matter what she said, the other person would eventually give it meaning to induce the situation she wanted. She knew in her head. She only wanted it to be like that for me. It's because I'm special. She must be hoping for that. She thought it could be possible.
"Yanagi, I trust you completely."
When she first heard those words from Hoshimi Miyabi, she felt a little nervous. Why would someone so strong do that? Maybe it was because she could vividly feel the weight contained in the word 'trust.' But as that weight gradually began to stabilize, Yanagi noticed a change inside her. Could this be what they commonly call a 'special being'? She kept hoping that it would be so. Little by little, she was stepping into a realm she couldn't understand.
To Yanagi, Miyabi was somewhere far and close. Outsiders called her 'the most trusted information officer of that Void Hunter, Hoshimi Miyabi'. The world recognized Yanagi as someone who could stand next to Miyabi. Miyabi herself acknowledged that fact. Yanagi was so happy that it was hard to describe it as such. Being recognized by someone so strong made her feel a thrill, which made her forget all about her shortcomings.
But no, that's not all.
The deputy chief can stand next to the chief, but can 'Tsukishiro Yanagi' stand next to 'Hoshimi Miyabi'?
''Yanagi is my deputy chief.''
Couldn't Tsukishiro Yanagi be someone other than her deputy chief?
''Right now, there's also the ropeman. You don't have to worry too much.''
Yes, Tsukishiro Yanagi realized that she was far from things like love and marriage. If she had to say, she don't have the romantic notion of love that most women have in common. But recently, she has been having all sorts of messy thoughts. Extremely dirty, selfish, and stupid thoughts.
The stars are always next to the moon.
They're there, but they don't seem to be there. They're trusted, but they don't seem to be trusted. She doesn't know where it went wrong or when the impurities started to mix in. She stayed up all night thinking about it, but there's only one answer.
This is a resemblance to the universal feeling of love. It's something that's a bit like a love triangle. It can never be itself. It shouldn't be. So.....
"Yanagi. Now that I think about it, you really like sweet red bean buns. Is there anything else you like?Something you truly like?"
Miyabi's clear, transparent red eyes stared straight at Yanagi. Yanagi really liked those eyes of hers. The words "your eyes" rose up to the bottom of her throat. Without context, she wondered why such a horrifying thing could be said. How could she possibly gloss over it?
"It's a secret. There are things I don't want to tell even to the chief."
"I see. I understand."
"But... I might be able to tell you someday."
Miyabi tilted her head at Yanagi's meaningful answer, but she didn't seem to want to pry any further. Was Yanagi being unnecessarily angry? However, the chief of Section 6 was an incredibly dull person.
"I see. Then I'll wait until then."
This person is serious. How long will you really wait? She was dying to ask that question. If you can wait that long, then why don't you give me your heart too? Such selfish winds kept raging in her chest. Even though the endless waiting was her lot. Yanagi realized how arrogant she had been in the past. That love was just that. It was her bad habit to act as if she knew everything. And yet...
Tsukishiro Yanagi wanted to be everything to Hoshimi Miyabi.