Ch.369369. Memories Flowing Upstream (3)

Honestly, in my heart, now that I’ve heard his true feelings, I didn’t care what happened next.

This walk was ultimately just a formality, and what I finally realized while traveling back in time through our memories was this:

Nothing had changed. I had simply been worrying needlessly, fretting all by myself.

Though it might seem trivial, this was enough. Having expressed his true feelings and confirmed Junon’s heart, Renias wanted nothing more. What did she need now that jealousy and obsession were no longer necessary, except for the memories they would build together going forward?

Today would end with this walk, and tomorrow would greet them with the same daily routine as always, just as it had been.

But Junon, still holding her hand tightly, said there was still one place left to visit. A place he wanted to go.

‘This direction is…?’

Walking slowly under the moonlight, questions began to surface. After all, weren’t they gradually moving away from the Real Winter Parade festival grounds?

Renias had a feeling they might be heading to a festival location she had missed, but she couldn’t shake the distinct impression that they were going in a completely different direction.

And gradually, familiar streets began to appear.

‘Levrant Academy?’

When he said there was a place to visit, he meant inside the academy?

Where on earth was he trying to go? This street wasn’t just off course—it was completely outside the festival area.

Until now, she hadn’t realized.

That this place was also an extension of their walking path.

“Huh? This is where you…”

“This is where I first saw you get angry. We hadn’t known each other long, but you got upset on my behalf. You have no idea how happy that made me.”

This was the place where those students had protested Professor Muniher’s new grading system, complaining about how Junon could possibly be in Class A while they relied solely on aristocratic teaching methods and contributed to position troubles.

It was also where she had stepped in, fuming at the sight of their indifference toward the person involved.

Walking a bit further…

“This is where Professor Denis held the impromptu duel. You were there too.”

Crossing another block…

“When I just got out of the hospital, you narrowed your eyes at me.”

Passing the fountain right in front…

“This is where you, exhausted after completing the semester-end evaluation as my pair partner, groaned while getting into the carriage.”

Finally, entering through the back door of the building right ahead…

They arrived at the dead end of their journey through memories.

“Where you and I… first met…”

“Yes. That’s right.”

The final words were sealed with Junon’s voice becoming Enin Renias’s.

Just as they had reminisced about the Real Winter Parade along their walk, the academy too held countless memories for them both.

Therefore, this place was both the last and the first.

It was the greatest turning point in the life of a girl who had suffered greatly from nightmares and obsessive-compulsive disorder, and the place where a ray of light in the form of a goal entered her empty, colorless life.

In other words, it was both the place to recall their final memory and the site of their very first meeting.

As the image of the two becoming partners with hands behind their backs formed in her mind, their interlocked fingers separated. Junon, who had said there was still one place to visit, slowly stepped back from Renias and knelt on one knee.

Renias’s pupils gradually dilated. In his palm was… a small box she had never seen before.

“O-Oppa?”

As Renias asked with a voice trembling more than ever, wondering if it could be what she thought, Junon slowly opened the box.

Though she had vaguely guessed what might be inside, seeing it in reality made her gasp in surprise. Her hands were already covering her mouth tightly.

“I heard you were feeling anxious. That’s probably my fault as your boyfriend. So I thought, wouldn’t a definite token help?”

It was indeed the most definitive token possible.

A small ring-shaped ornament that proved the love between two people, connecting them to each other.

“My time as your boyfriend is over. From now on, I want to live as your husband.”

As proposals go, it was rather conventional.

The location wasn’t particularly fancy. It wasn’t a luxurious wedding hall or a decorated hotel, just the back entrance of the academy building.

And what about the timing? This wasn’t something one would typically do at such a late hour, in a place lit only by moonlight, simply presenting a ring.

Even the ring itself was modest—a small violet light embedded in it, too small to be considered a proper wedding ring.

However.

“From now on, I’ll fill your life with memories even happier than those we’ve built so far. I came here to meet you. So, will you marry me?”

It wasn’t conventional at all.

The place where they had traced back all their memories to reach their first meeting was more meaningful than any wedding hall or hotel, and no decorations were necessary.

The late hour actually accentuated the soft moonlight, the only illumination shining upon them, and the quiet stillness allowed no sound except the beating of their two hearts.

It was enough to whisper words of love.

“What… do I do? Is this… a dream?”

Despite having dreamed of this moment for so long, Renias felt her sense of reality distort at the scene unfolding before her eyes.

She knew it wasn’t a dream. Rather, her happiness had exceeded what any dream could offer, surpassing some threshold of joy.

Junon urged her on, making it clear that this was no mere fairy tale or dream.

“I want to advertise everywhere that you’re the woman I’m going to marry and spend my life with, so hurry and give me your hand, Reni.”

Marry and spend his life with her—he wanted to put this ring on her finger. Her beloved man whispered sweetly, reminding her this was reality.

The left hand covering her mouth slowly lowered.

As the perfectly sized ring slid onto her finger, Renias didn’t wait another moment before approaching Junon.

She stretched out both arms and, with the hand now wearing the ring, held his face firmly as she shared her overflowing happiness.

With a kiss.

“Thank you. For coming to me. For saving me. For loving me.”

When their lips parted, Renias’s eyes were filled with the liquid form of deep love’s fragrance.

***

On their way back after everything was settled.

No regrets remained. The memories they had traced back reached their conclusion at the beginning, and that end signaled another beginning, promising new memories to be built.

With identical rings on the fourth finger of their left hands.

“How you prepared all this. Really.”

Renias looked at the ring on her finger every few seconds. While it was certainly something to be happy about, Junon felt considerable regret.

Though grateful for her delight, his disappointment wouldn’t subside.

“To only be able to give such a small violet light ring for those beautiful hands.”

“What?”

When Renias reacted with a surprised voice, he realized he had been muttering his dissatisfaction to himself.

Having already spoken it aloud, and with Renias having heard it, he decided to be honest.

“I wanted to give you one with a bigger stone. That would have satisfied me too.”

The ring he had his eye on was too expensive for what he could afford. He had even considered taking on several more lectures at the academy at once and extending his teaching hours.

“I could have borrowed money if that was my goal. There were people around willing to help. But I felt it would be meaningless unless I earned it myself and bought it directly.”

Would a ring purchased with others’ help truly have meaning for Renias and himself? After asking himself this question, he leaned toward resolving it on his own.

That left only the option of spending more time, but he disliked how his time with Renias had decreased since taking on his professorship.

It was a difficult tug-of-war between money, time, and love. The three were deeply interconnected, making it a tight contest, but the winner was decided by today’s events.

Just when Cain had come to explain the situation with Tembris, money and time lost all meaning.

“So I bought this ring in a hurry. I felt I needed to run to you and confess right away.”

He explained that after hearing the news, he had arranged their meeting place with Renias, leading to their current situation.

Blushing throughout his explanation, Renias could now understand the connection.

“What does the ring matter? It’s enough that it came from you. Besides, if you were particular about size, there are many other gems you could have chosen, but you specifically picked this one, which makes it meaningful.”

“You noticed that too?”

“Of course. I am a duchess’s daughter, after all.”

Indeed, the eyes of a noble lady couldn’t be deceived.

“You once told me my purple eyes were very beautiful. Much more than your black ones.”

The purple eyes that matched so well with her silver hair, glowing faintly with magical energy. He had indeed chosen the ring with those eyes in mind.

“That’s why I like this better. It contains so much more of your heart.”

“…”

“Oppa? What’s wrong?”

“Hm? Oh, uh… it’s nothing.”

At that moment, Renias’s eyes flashed sharply.

‘What was that?! Oppa’s reaction just now was a little strange!’

All she had done was two things.

One was affirming that she liked the ring.

And the other was…

‘Could it be?’

Blinking a few times, Renias thought “maybe” and subtly moved closer, linking arms with him again.

And what do you know? Junon suddenly stiffened in response!

For a brief moment, his gaze started to turn toward her before quickly shifting elsewhere. It was unmistakable.

-‘A woman’s greatest weapon against a man isn’t charm or anything like that. It’s clothes, and something else.’

‘I see. So that’s what Lumia meant…’

Renias was finally beginning to understand Lumia’s words.

Her advice, bordering on certainty, that Renias would understand after meeting Junon had been completely incomprehensible at first, but it was exactly as she had said.

This was a weapon that could create and exploit a man’s weakness.

“Oppa~? What’s wrong?”

“…Huh? What, what?”

“You haven’t been looking at me at all. I made myself so pretty today. Won’t you look at me?”

“Oh. Umm. S-sure.”

At those words, Junon’s Adam’s apple visibly moved up and down. The gulping sound was loud enough for Renias to hear right beside him.

Then, appearing to turn his head deliberately, he glanced quickly before immediately looking away.

This was her opportunity.

“Your dress is… um. Pretty. Really.”

“After such a quick look! You need to look longer to say for sure if it’s pretty!”

“…No. You’re actually too pretty whether you dress up or not.”

Tsk. So that’s how he escapes. He had always been a master at quickly changing the subject and evading.

‘But Oppa? This definitely won’t be the end!’