"That's not how you do it."

"Well it's the way I'm doing it," Sara grumbles as she kneads the dough with her hands, glaring at Wooyoung every second or so every time she's doing it. She's imagining that she's kneading him instead, putting extra pressure as the man keeps telling her that she's doing something wrong in her recipe.

This is her first time having too many company in the kitchen; six other people to be exact, and now adding one more as she sees from the corner of her eyes, the general of Lucida coming into the kitchen with a serious look on his face. She's not used to hearing different comments and instructions from other people in the room, when before this it was only Twinkle and Micko, where they barely said anything except waiting patiently for the donuts to be baked. This time around, she's almost forgotten her recipe as there are too many telling her what to do.

"I know what I'm doing," Sara says, slapping Wooyoung's hand away as he tries to help her in kneading the dough.

"Make sure it's edible," Wooyoung says. "Not rock-solid if you burn them."

"I'll knead and bake you together with the donuts so you can make sure that they're not burnt," she shoots back.

She manages another glare at him as she finishes kneading it. After she has finished kneading it, she combines other ingredients, which, for the first time is something that she has obtained legally, as what San had said. Apparently San didn't even let her say that before this, she'd bake the donuts with the stuff that she had 'borrowed'. She lets the dough rest, and turns to the rest as she rinses her hands dry.

"I'd let it rest for around 2 more hours," she informs them, "then I'd have to let it settle down for around half an hour more... so you guys can probably taste them tonight?" She cringes, "I told you that you didn't have to wait in the kitchen with me."

Hongjoong, Yeosang and Mingi only shrug as they say they don't mind; it's not like they have any other better stuff to do. Wooyoung keeps making a point to annoy her, while San is only cautiously watching her from the side as she concentrates on making the dough for the donuts. Jongho had come in a little bit later, but he did manage to catch her combining everything before they'll have to wait for the 2-hour period. Yunho, on the other hand, feels a little bit lost on what they're supposed to do while waiting for 2 hours.

"Why did you leave us this morning?" Wooyoung speaks up, referring to San as he leans against the kitchen counter.

"We were really worried though," Hongjoong utters.

"Hongjoong," Mingi says, "you weren't even awake when we found out San wasn't in his cell."

Hongjoong puts up his forefinger, shaking it. "Even though it might not seem like it, I was actually awake the whole time I seemed like I was asleep. I was worried with my eyes closed."

"Sure," Yeosang narrows his eyes at the blacksmith before changing his attention to San. "Yeah, why didn't you tell us that you wanted to go out? You got us worried that you broke out of the cell again," he glances at Sara, "plus you only went out with her."

"I asked for permission from Akira and Seonghwa, actually." He scratches his head as he argues, "Even in Nyla I'd go out alone from time to time to clear my mind. But since... you know, my condition isn't good now they had to make sure Sara was with me." He sheepishly looks at Sara, who only innocently blinks as he says, "Seems like she's the only one who can control me."

There is a tense moment of silence that San fears they had caught on his slight lie, but when the rest shrug and murmur in agreement, he lets go of a silent sigh.

"We were really worried," Wooyoung pouts as his eyes travel to Sara, not wanting to say the fact that they had suspected her with ill intentions towards San. "To find you suddenly disappearing like that. We thought that you," he wiggles his fingers, "changed again."

"Well..." San scratches his head. "After I changed again, here, Sara had convinced Akira that she could knock me out cold if I ever become a threat once more."

"Akira just let both of you go out? Without... you know, worrying about anything?"

Sara glances over at San, who seems to be very guilty as she knows that he's starting to find it hard to lie about the fact why he wanted to be out of the cell. She swoops in as she utters, "I guess Her Majesty was too occupied with the attack that's happening tomorrow, and it's not like we're taking advantage of that." She adds, "The winter festival was nice."

"Awh," Mingi pouts. "We were thinking of going to the winter festival too but both of you beat us to it."

"Tomorrow-" Hongjoong starts before looking guilty. "I mean, since the attack on the palace of Lucida is going to happen, Seonghwa and Akira did specifically ask us to stay away from the palace just for tomorrow, right?" He scratches his temple, "Though it kind of feels weird for us to be spending time in town when we know they're having a battle here, in the palace."

"Their Majesties," Jongho finally speaks up, "would like to make sure that all of you who aren't supposed to be involved with this battle to be out of harm's way. We know that they're only looking to attack the palace and not anywhere else in the kingdom, so Their Majesties want to make sure that all of you, including you," he refers to Sara, "to be out of the palace. And please, in their words, they would prefer if all of you are not involved in this. His Majesty-" he shrugs, "-Seonghwa said that he'd like it if all of you would pretend that you have no idea about the attack coming tomorrow. Just act normally; you would know when the battle is over so you can come back."

Wooyoung whines. "Akira and Seonghwa are really going through so much just because they have people jealous of their positions."

"Both of them had decided that they're finishing everything once and for all," Yunho speaks up. "They said there's no use of resenting it anymore except to deal with it."

"I see that's fair," Yeosang says, although there's slight worry evident in his expression as he mutters, "I really hope the Lucida palace will win tomorrow and everyone will be fine."

"Both of you will be fine, right?" Mingi turns to look at Jongho, then to Yunho. "You're joining the battle too."

"We'll try," Yunho says casually. "Although there's no guarantee we won't be hurt."

"Ah," San says as he leans forward on the counter. "I really wish we could help them in some way." As he says this, he notices Sara glancing at him, before her eyes turn downcast, her fingers interlacing with each other.

"You're in need of help yourself," Wooyoung says as he shakes his head, putting his hands on his hips. "Don't even think of helping others when you're suffering yourself."

San nervously chuckles as he subconsciously looks at the black tendrils all over his skin, catching the reflection of his white hair against the reflective surface of the fridge. "I guess you're right." His eyes shoot towards the witch, who's still looking down at her hands. "I need to find a cure for myself first."

"Still, it's great that we can talk to you like this," Yeosang butts in. "At least this feels normal, and we even got Seonghwa back. It's just a matter of time before we find the cure."

As the topic of the cure of San's condition is brought up again, Sara can't help but feel burdened as her mind keeps thinking of the possibility of her being able to cure him, but with the fact that someone needs to be sacrificed. The question Akira had asked her rings in her head; the question that the queen had asked her on why when San was overtaken by the curse, he would always come to find the queen?

"I think," Sara speaks up. "All of you can do something else while you wait for the donuts to be baked. You don't have to stay here," she shrugs before she makes an attempt to glare at Wooyoung, "I don't really like to be disturbed in the kitchen. You can wait for the donuts tonight; you can have them as supper."

The rest look at each other before they agree, filing out of the kitchen as they're looking to do something else. The only other person left in the kitchen with her is San, as he knows that one of the conditions Seonghwa had given them if he were to be out of his cell, is that Sara must be with him at all times. They're not taking any chances with his condition even though he might look normal, and they trust Sara enough to look over him.

"Are-" San starts as soon as he knows that all of them have left and won't hear them in the kitchen.

"We're not talking about that," Sara quickly cuts him off. "I said I'm not going through with our original plan."

He blinks before he tilts his head. "Uh... I was actually going to ask you whether you're planning to stay here while waiting for the two hours." He glances at the wall clock. "I think the cooks are starting to prepare for dinner so the kitchen might be busy."

"Ah," she manages, slightly embarrassed. "I mean, I guess I would spend time at the garden, I still haven't greeted them yet." When San only looks slightly confused, she reiterates, "You know, the plants and animals there?"

"Right."

"Unless you want to go somewhere else?" She grimaces, "I'm really sorry that you have to bring me along everywhere you go."

He shakes his head as he chuckles. "Shouldn't I be the one who's sorry though? It's like you're babysitting someone and you just had to take care of me."

She clasps her hands in front, bouncing on the balls of her feet before she takes off her apron, intending to walk out of the kitchen with San following her on her side. "You know, you can actually go back to your cell if you feel like you're forced to follow me around," she utters.

"It's kind of... boring there though," he manages before he narrows his eyes, "aren't you the one who's tired of me?"

She widens her eyes before silently shaking her head. "No, it's just that-" she scrunches up her nose, "-I don't want you to feel burdened for having to follow me around."

"It's alright," he chirps. "I told you, I like being around you, so I don't mind."

She only looks down as the weird feeling comes up to her again, and although she's unsure of it, she has a guess on what it is.

Not good, not good.

It's not good when the whispers are influencing her; finding the right time to take over her next just when she's vulnerable. Maybe she did underestimate the curse that overtook Seonghwa, and now that she's experiencing the same thing, she might not be as strong as she thinks.

"What are your favourite flowers?" San snaps her out of her own thoughts, before she realizes that they're already in the garden, surrounded by new friends to her.

"Delentines," she answers straight away without any doubt. It has been her favourite since the first time she laid her eyes on them in Ileara, and to know that the flowers are grown here by the Lucida king, the feeling is like she's seeing them for the first time again. "They're really pretty."

"Oh," he says before he chuckles. "I really thought that it'd be some pink flowers, since you seem to like pink. A lot."

"I do have a few, but delentines are at the top."

"You have delentines in Ileara?" he asks.

She pauses, realizing that San must not have known about the fact that only those from Ileara could grow those flowers. She starts, "Delentines are from Ileara, actually. Only those who came from Ileara could grow those flowers." She says it lightly, "I guess it's something in our hands."

He takes a moment to process before he takes the point. "Are you saying that Seonghwa...?"

"I had my suspicions, again, like I said," she replies, "but his blood is crimson. Plus His Majesty said that he didn't remember anything related to Ileara. Either it's because his memory has been wiped off at the same time Ileara was wiped off when the curse was at its peak," she pauses, "or he purposely erased that memory. You know, a coping mechanism."

San only manages to let out a breath, silently impressed by her conclusion. "That would be interesting though, if he happens to be from Ileara."

"But his blood is crimson, so there's no way." But if he's indeed from Ileara, things might become a little bit more complicated. "What are yours then?" she asks next.

"Huh?" he utters as he gets distracted by a butterfly. "What's mine?"

"Your favourite flowers."

"Roses," he answers, smiling. It is as if he's proud of telling her his favourite flowers, something that he cherishes. "Roses might be pretty common but they're pretty. Plus they have a variety of meanings based on their colours, and I think that's amazing."

"I see." She doesn't pay that much attention to his answer and he notices this, but he only keeps quiet.

He knows that she must be thinking of his request and her inability to carry it out, but she said she's going to find another way to cure him. "Is there a time limit?"

"Of what?" She frowns, mind slightly flying away from where they are.

"The curse. You know how I swim in and out of the curse's effects. But does it have a time limit? When everything is just too much for my body to handle and I'll just... die."

"It's possible," she utters. "When your body finds that you can't handle it anymore, there might come a time when it just gives you up. For now, the curse is in your body, but your body can still handle it even though you fall into it sometimes."

"So there is a possibility of me dying sometime soon," he says it lightly.

She can't find the use of denying it anyway. "Yes. Just treat it as something that's using your body as a place to stay. It leeches off your energy, eating you bit by bit, so when the time is up, you'll just... give up."

"Ah," he tilts his head back, blowing out a cloud of air as he looks at the sky. "Will I die before winter is over?" He hasn't looked down as he keeps looking at the sky, but gets slightly startled as he feels Sara wrapping her arms around his waist, a bit too tight until he feels like she's purposely trying to squeeze all the air out of him.

She's squeezing him tight, her hands interlaced on his back as she buries her head on his chest. She doesn't say anything, but he feels slightly flustered how she's holding on to him, the hug tighter than any of the hugs he's received his entire life.

"Sara-" he starts as his hands are awkwardly on his side, "-what are you doing?"

She pulls back, face nonchalant as she blinks. "I read that people do that to comfort others. I think it's called a..." she looks up as she tries to find the word, "...hug."

He laughs, silently touched by the fact that she looks so intent on making sure that he knows of her intention, the pure intention of wanting to comfort him. "People don't do that too tightly," he bends his arms to demonstrate the posture people have as they give hugs, "you just embrace them lightly, and sometimes you pat them on their backs. But," he puts up a finger, "you don't just randomly do that to another person. Usually you'd only do that with people you're comfortable with, or someone you're really close with."

"I'm comfortable with you," she says, shrugging, "so I did the right thing didn't I?"

He only smiles, nodding. He finds it amusing how she must have lived longer than any of them, yet she only seems to learn new things about the world, or to be more specific in socializing with people. He thought that she's done surprising him as he could only take one deep breath before she holds his face, and she does something that he would never ever thought he'd be getting now, out of all times.

She holds his face in place, eyebrows furrowing before she kisses him, but it's only an awkward one as it seems that she's merely pressing her lips onto his, unmoving.

He blinks in surprise, hands frozen on his side as he feels her lips on his, before she lets go and clamps her lips together.

"Sara-" he utters, unable to find the words.

"I read that," she says innocently, "people do that to someone they have romantic feelings for."

"Do you-" is what he can only manage.

"I read that romantic feelings towards someone are when you feel all weird inside," she starts saying, before she breaks into a long explanation as if trying to justify why she did that. She doesn't find it weird at all, that even as San is only standing there, she explains to him all with a straight face. She finishes it off by saying, "I read that people do that to people they like. And I think I like you, because I had this weird feeling whenever we're together." She smiles.

"Uh..." San's mind goes into overdrive, not even sure on where he could start explaining the fact that it could be counted as harassment if she just suddenly did it out of the blue, yet even though he admits he feels slightly fluttered by it, he knows that he needs to explain what she did wasn't that... proper. "Well," he starts, "people do that to people they have romantic feelings for, but you don't just do it to someone only you have romantic feelings for. The feelings have to be mutual, or else it would only count as harassment." He cringes.

"Oh," she says as she scratches her cheek. "All the books I read kind of only explained that part. Well um," she glances at him, slightly embarrassed, "I guess your feelings have to be mutual then. You don't feel the same way."

"It's just that-" he quickly reiterates, "-it's too fast. You don't just decide that you have romantic feelings for someone you barely know. You'd have to let the feelings develop slowly. Both of us," he refers to him and Sara, "barely know each other and um, I think that you're just overwhelmed by the... new feeling."

"Ah," she utters shortly as she looks at the ground. She can already hear the plants comforting her, "Sorry." All she feels like she wants to do is bury herself deep under the ground, too ashamed to even look at him in the eyes.

This is why you don't take life lessons from books alone. Why do the stories in books sound so simple and straightforward?

"You don't-" he starts, before he backtracks, "are you sure you've lived longer than any of us?"

She merely stares at the ground, playing around with the soil with her boots as she can still feel heat rising to her cheeks. Apparently heat rising to one's cheeks when they do something to you is also an indicator that you might have feelings for someone, as what she has read, so she's only willing it to go away before she embarrasses herself further.

"Just because," she manages, pushing her lower lip outwards, "I've lived longer than any of you, that doesn't mean I know everything." She presses on, "I haven't lived in a society for more than 20 years, and even before that..." she trails off.

He chuckles as he pokes a finger on her shoulder, prompting her to look up. "So what, you've lived in isolation even before Ileara went obsolete? You're saying..." he smiles, the dimples showing up which makes her even more embarrassed, "...that I'm the first-"

"Of course I've fallen in love before," she shoots back, slightly angered - when it's only her coping mechanism to hide the fact that she's embarrassed. "Hundred years ago," she presses on, "I'm just like any other young adults who-" she blinks, "-fall in love and date the people they like."

He lifts up his eyebrows. "Really? Then who was it, the person whom you dated?"

"I don't remember," she mumbles as she glares at him. "I barely even remember what I ate yesterday and you can't blame me for not remembering my lover's name who died... at least a hundred years ago. After that I just- forgot how the world works. How dare you laugh at me just for the fact I learnt about life again from books." She crosses her arms.

He sighs. "He wasn't your true love then, that's a pity."

She stares at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"People say you never forget your true love even after a long, long time. Now that you've forgotten about them, they're probably just a name in your memories. Nothing special."

"Tch," she utters, huffing. "What, so you think you're so special?"

He shrugs. "I'm just saying. Maybe if you remember me even after I've died more than a thousand years later..."

"Talking as if you're confident you'll die first," she utters, her eyes going over to the flowers before she walks on the pathway with flowers on each side. She merely clasps her hands behind her back, walking as she tries to erase the embarrassment she has felt for reacting so impulsively.

"Still," he catches up to her, matching her pace as he looks at her from the side, "you only do that to one person at one time."

She only glances at him, even though she has absolutely no idea what he's saying.

"I mean, if you find that you like someone," he utters, "you don't go around and randomly kiss another person."

She grumbles. "Of course I know that much. It's called being loyal."

"Ah," he says in a playful tone, "at least you know that much." He glances at her, kind of hoping that she'd say something else, but she merely stays quiet, fingers busy running through the leaves on their side, her mouth smiling as she greets them. "I mean-"

"You said I was confused," she says, sulking. "So that means it was a mistake."

He bites his lower lip, unable to come up with a reply to properly explain what he's currently feeling. "I appreciate your feelings towards me-" He clamps his lips as she glares at him. "Are you- mad?"

"Just embarrassed," she mumbles.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about," he tries to reason it out. "I- I guess living away from people does make you forget about certain... things." He nervously chuckles. "I just think that you could find someone better for you."

"Right." She looks down, taking in a large gulp of air. "Sorry. I forgot that the feelings needed to be mutual."

"There's no guarantee that I'll be cured, right?" He smiles, even though there's obvious pain behind it. "I just- I don't think I have the rights to be saying that I like someone now. Even if I say I do, I might just end up leaving you anyway. So," he starts, "find someone else, fall in love properly."

She only stays quiet, wanting to fight back but it's not like she has anything else to say rather than saying she's not confused about her feelings. Sure, she's been living her life away from other people, but there's no mistaking it when she feels it.

"When you've met more people, go out into the world, you'll realize that I'm just some ordinary person in your everyday life."

"So that's another way to say, 'I don't like you and I think it was stupid of you to have feelings towards me.'," she manages.

He blinks. "I don't mean it that way. We only met a few days ago and you're already saying that you like me," he chuckles, "give it some time and if you still feel the same way..."

"But you said that you wouldn't have much time," she argues.

"Exactly," he says, "so find someone else. Search hard enough and you'll probably find another immortal just like you." He makes a gesture, "You guys can live with each other happily ever after."

She sighs, "Living is so complicated. I can't even say I like the person I like."

"Living is complicated."

"Since you plainly rejected me, I think it's a given that we can forget whatever just happened," she quickly adds, elbowing his stomach. "Don't even think about it."

"Sure." He does a zipper motion over his lips to signify him closing his mouth, but pulls it back as he adds, "You know... if I happen to be cured, and you think that you still like me," he grins, "we can make it work."

"I'll already forget about you by then," she utters, crossing her arms.

"Hmm, I think you're just~ lonely~" he says in a singsong voice.

"So what if I'm lonely? Getting brave now, are you, just because I said I liked you?"

"I'm honoured," he corrects her. "But I don't want you to be pouring your feelings out to someone who's bound to die sometime soon."

"I said that I'll find another way to cure you, I'm not killing you."

"Unless the curse kills me first."

She glares at him, but can only release a heavy breath as she remains mum. She puts out a hand, shaking it as if she could make something conjure out of thin air. "Ah, I swear, I'll forget all about you when the first snow comes."

"Even if the first snow comes tomorrow?" he jokes.

"If it falls tomorrow, I'll forget about you then."

"Huh," he manages. "Why the first snow though?"

"Because I like snow," she utters, almost begrudgingly. "And it helps me to take away my thoughts from everything else."

"That sounds alright," he utters. "So promise me that you'll forget all about me once the first snow falls and," he puts out a pinky finger, "find someone better to fall in love with, properly. Love needs time."

She only stares at his stuck out pinky finger, wondering what he's planning to do with it, even as he's wiggling his pinky finger.

"Come on."

"What do you want me to do with your finger? Is that a threat?"

"Ah," he chuckles. "You've never done this?" He reaches out for her hand, grabbing it as he takes out her pinky finger before linking it with his. Then he brushes his thumb with hers, nodding in satisfaction. "That means you're sealing a promise with someone."

She purses her lips, finding no significance behind the gesture. "Then what, if you break the promise your finger will break too?"

San gasps as he shakes his head. "It's just a gesture, kind of like sealing a deal."

"Ah, I see. So making a promise is not just through words, but gestures too."

"Essentially." He looks at her from the corner of his eyes before he walks in front of her, turning around so that he's walking backwards as he looks at her. "What's your wish in life? Since you've lived longer than any of us, I'm wondering if you've achieved them, or you just simply don't have any new ones anymore."

"I don't have any wishes," she lies. "I just look forward to live day by day."

"Hmm," he hums, knowing that he's not really satisfied with her answer. "I feel like you do have a wish but you're not telling me. It's alright, I get it if you want to keep it a secret from me. I just hope that you'll get to fulfil that wish one day."

Sara doesn't say anything as she looks away, hoping that this topic would quickly go away. She likes spending time with him, but the more she looks at him, the more her heart wrenches with guilt and pain.

"You'll know when I'm able to fulfil my wish one day," she smiles.

"I look forward to that."

They spend more time at the garden, never running out of topics to talk about as he finds it amusing how she seems to be fully uninformed about certain things. She blames it on her lack of exposure to the real world after a long time of not living in a society, while he accepts her reasonings before continuing to tell her what he knows from all the books he has read and what he has experienced.

"So you like reading books, huh?" Sara asks.

San replies, shrugging. "I do. I've gone through every single book in the library back in the Nyla palace."

"Tch, is that something to be proud of?" She sticks out her tongue, "I've done the same too. I read every single book there is in the Ileara palace. I know all of their exact positions and placement. I can name every single book there is with my eyes closed."

He has an impressed face. "Then I guess you'll have to invite me over one day to your palace, so I can go through the books you have."

She falters for a moment, an invitation to her sacred palace seemingly like an intimate thing for her. Still, she nods anyway, "I'll bring you over there." She doesn't specify when, but she adds, "You know, since we're not going through with the... plan to kill you tomorrow... Would you like to go over to my palace? I'll show you all the books that I have."

He laughs. "Really? So soon?"

"I mean-" She cuffs her boots on the soil as she purses her lips.

He narrows his eyes. "You're not going to accidentally kill me tomorrow are you?"

She looks offended before she huffs. "Who do you think I am? No, I just want to show you all the books I have in my library."

He laughs, letting out a heavy breath before he smiles. "Sounds good." He pauses, "But how long would it take for us to go there though? It would take at least a few hours... right?"

She shakes her head. "I'm a witch, remember?" She grins, "We can teleport there, and save so much more time. We'll get back here even before we know it. Ah," she offers, "The journey might be a bit energy-consuming for someone who's not used to it. So, we'll bring a horse together." She chuckles, "If you feel like you can't stomach it, we can go back normally."

He shrugs. "Sure, I'll follow whatever you're planning to." He rubs his hands over his arms, "Ah, I should feel honoured shouldn't I? I'm being invited cordially to the Ileara palace."

They walk out of the garden after realizing that the 2 hours are up. As soon as they go back to the kitchen, they'd expect to see the workers already preparing for dinner, but they only frown as they see that Seonghwa and Akira are already suited up with armour.

The king and queen are waiting at the foyer, face relieved as they see San and Sara coming through the front doors. Yunho is with them, face serious as he's already equipped himself with his sword.

"What's happening?" Sara quickly approaches Akira, who has already supplied herself with Seonghwa's bow and arrows on her back.

"I'm really sorry," Akira says. "But it seems that all of you would have to go out of the palace before midnight, there's been a change of plans." She sighs as she grips Sara's hands, chuckling awkwardly before her face contorts with guilt and pain. "I heard that you were actually waiting to bake your donuts. I'm sorry but I think that you'd need to postpone that because apparently Jihyun's father had lied in the letter he had sent to her. They weren't planning to attack tomorrow noon, they're actually deploying their army to attack at midnight."

San and Sara look at each other, before the former nods towards the queen, assuring her that he'd be under control as long as he's with the witch.

"Just stay away from the palace at least for a day, I've already told the rest of the young masters to quickly pack up and I've made sure that you can find a place to stay in town."

"Please be safe," Sara utters. When the queen nods and looks like she's about to go away, the witch quickly grabs her hands. "I know this might be an inappropriate time, but I just wanted to say thank you for everything. Please stay alive."

Akira smiles, putting her hand over Sara's hand. "You don't have to worry about me. I should be thanking you."

"Your Majesty," Yunho's voice comes from behind her, "We really need to move now."

"Alright," Akira utters, already turning around. "We can talk more after I'm done shooting every one of my enemies," she tries to say it jokingly. "I'm looking forward to tasting your donuts after this."

Sara wants to say something more but the queen has already made her way back to join her group. The three of those heading the army are discussing among themselves, and the witch can't help but look at every one of their faces. Just thinking about the person she'd need to sacrifice in order to see San pulled out of the curse. Her eyes land on Akira's face as the corner of the witch's lips shoot up.

Is this it... the end?

We're really saying our goodbyes like this, aren't we?

It was nice knowing you, she thinks as she looks at Akira. But it's too bad that the happiness wouldn't last long.

At least... you get to taste happiness for a short while, right?