1. Cover
2. Insert
3. Title Page
4. Copyright
5. CHAPTER 1
6. The Agent of Spring—Hinagiku Kayo
7. CHAPTER 2
8. The Agent of Winter—Rosei Kantsubaki
9. CHAPTER 3
10. The Agent of Summer—Ruri Hazakura
11. CHAPTER 4
12. The Agent of Autumn—Nadeshiko Iwaizuki
13. CHAPTER 5
14. Rosei and Hinagiku
15. Afterword
16. Yen Newsletter

In the beginning, there was Winter.

Winter was once the only season in the world. When the loneliness of such an existence became too much to bear, it took a shard of its own life to create a new one. The new season was named Spring. Spring admired Winter as its teacher and trailed behind it day after day. Winter met Spring’s esteem with guidance, and the two seasons cycled each other in intimate harmony.

But the land cried out in protest, demanding time to rest. The creatures would fall in love, then soon plunge into slumber; the trees would grow green, then freeze over. The land claimed endless Winter was better than the current state of affairs. The Winter was too excruciating now that it had known Spring.

Winter was disheartened to hear these grievances but listened to the land’s wishes, once again creating new lives from its own. So came Summer and Autumn. The harsh heat of Summer was born from Winter’s cries after being rejected by the land. Autumn was born from the hope that the gradual loss of life would let the land welcome Winter once again.

The land accepted these terms, and the four seasons were established. As they all followed one another, the world followed their cycle. Spring ran after Winter, with Summer and Autumn behind them. Winter could always turn around and find Spring there, but it wasn’t the same anymore. Spring and Winter’s honeymoon was over.

Winter loved Spring. It loved as the creatures of the earth loved and wed. And Spring, too, as if by fate, loved Winter back.

Summer and Autumn noticed their hidden feelings and proposed to let residents of the land assume the responsibilities of their roles.

These creatures would receive part of their power and cross the land over a year. Agents of the Four Seasons.

At first, they let cows assume the role, but they were too slow and let the winter stay winter year-round.

Then they tried with rabbits, but wolves devoured them.

The birds did the job perfectly—until the next year, when they forgot all about it.

As the four seasons began to despair, the humans volunteered themselves. They asked, in exchange for becoming Agents, that the land bring good harvest and peace.

Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter gave a piece of their power to the humans, and so Winter was permitted to indulge in its love for Spring forever.

So were the Agents of the Four Seasons born.

The Goddess of Spring in the form of a girl looked out the window.

Her eyes, a rare yellow color, took in the blue of a clear sky and the white covering the land.

The world was in winter. The soft sunlight fell across the whole country of Yamato, and the morning gently enveloped the mountains covered in silver snow.

“…” She let out a deep sigh.

The season brought about by the God of Winter lacked the colors of spring, but it was beautiful.

However, beauty was hardly the only thing it brought the people.

Winter was the season of death. Food became scarce, as did light and warmth. Yet without this time of rest, the land would eventually wither.

Winter was inevitable. The seasons brought constant change to the people everywhere, but they did not do so unassisted. They were the products of the divine skills of the modern gods incarnate.

The eternal cycle was built atop great miracles and sacrifices, though this was not common knowledge. Most had let those blessings dissolve into the ordinary.

Whether someone wished for tomorrow to never come or prayed for it to arrive safely, the four seasons always came for all. Ever since the age of the gods, since the beginning of time itself, the contract between the human and the divine had brought about the cycle.

“We’re arriving now, Lady Hinagiku.”

The girl, Hinagiku, was captivated by the silver world; her heart ached for it like a girl in love.

The view out the train window was nothing but white snow, an ordinary, unchanged panorama in the eyes of this world’s inhabitants. The world had already been held in harsh, lonely winter for a few months now.

Many took the scenery for granted and found nothing of interest in it, and yet she could not look away. Did she rarely see the outside world? Did she simply like the snow that signified winter? Either way, she was too enraptured to respond to the one calling her.

She sighed again.

“Lady Hinagiku.”

The voice had an admonishing tone to it; Hinagiku’s consciousness was finally brought back to reality, and she looked at the one who had been calling her.

The train lurched, sending Hinagiku up in the air like a ball.

Immediately, thin arms reached out to keep her up as her retainer saved her from falling off her seat.

“Are you all right?”

Her retainer’s catlike eyes were wide with surprise at the sudden jolt. She was beautiful, with graceful lips and eyelids like petals on a flower. She wore her hair in a ponytail with a checkered ribbon, like a cherry blossom blooming in the night; her hair began a jet-black color and progressively turned a faded pink, curling in a spiral.

Once she confirmed Hinagiku was unharmed, she let her go with a “pardon.” She wore a suit jacket adorned with a lustrous dark-red necktie, a peach vest, and three-quarter hakama pants along with lace-up boots—the spitting image of a modern attendant. The katana by her waist drew as many eyes as her own beauty.

“…”

When the retainer tried to release Hinagiku’s hand, Hinagiku grabbed it back and stared deeply into her eyes. Wordlessly, she pleaded with her to stay.

The retainer’s eyelashes, long as a peacock’s feathers, brushed together. “The train is very shaky. Please be careful.” She smiled and gave her lady’s hand an affectionate squeeze in return. Soon, it was impossible to tell whose warmth was whose.

The local train running by the seaside rattled and clattered as it gently shook the two girls.

“Look… Isn’t it…beautiful?” Hinagiku glanced out the window again. “Hinagiku…loves…winter.”

She faltered in forming the words, but still her voice was as clear as sugary sweets. Most people were unsure how to react upon first hearing her erratic, choppy way of speaking.

“Is that so? Personally, I find spring to be prettier.” The answering voice was strong and graceful.

“You…hate winter…don’t you…Sakura?”

“I loathe it.” The retainer just barely refrained from clicking her tongue, but she could not hide the anger in her voice. “For me…it’s repulsive.”

“But…” Hinagiku’s face fell. “That’s…all…Hinagiku’s fault.”

“No, it’s Winter’s fault. Do not blame yourself.”

“No… No… It’s Hinagiku’s…fault.”

“It is not,” Sakura whispered, her expression full of complicated emotions.

Hinagiku tried changing the subject. “Hinagiku is back…starting…today… Do you…think Hinagiku…could…meet Winter?”

“Now that the Four Seasons Agency has given notice of the return of spring, I imagine you’ll come into contact at some point.”

“When…will Hinagiku…go…apologize…to Winter? To…Lord Rosei?”

“Why would you…? Winter should be the one apologizing.”

“But…Hinagiku didn’t… Hinagiku should… Lord…Rosei…”

“Lady Hinagiku Kayo. You are this country’s Agent of Spring.”

“Hinagiku…knows… But…Hinagiku thinks…Rosei…will be…disappointed… And…Hinagiku should…say sorry…”

“It’s over now. How many times must I say that I want you?” Sakura whispered sadly as she held Hinagiku’s hand tighter.

Hinagiku squeezed back. Their conversation was incomprehensible to outsiders, and the mood was too heavy for anyone to even consider intruding. Hinagiku anxiously fluttered her tiny feet, covered in boots peeking out from her hakama kimono.

“Will…the ritual…today…be okay?” she muttered.

Sakura noticed the diffidence in her words and quietly reassured her. “Yes, it will. I promise. I will make sure of it,” she said with pride, placing a hand on her chest.

Hinagiku frowned. “……But…isn’t it…Hinagiku…doing the ritual?” she replied with a mixture of fondness and reproach.

Sakura grinned back at her.

“You…” She peered into Hinagiku’s yellow eyes, and Hinagiku stared back at her. “You would do anything to hold onto me, isn’t that right? You promised,” she said. The line sounded almost flirtatious.

“Hinagiku will. Hinagiku will…do anything…to not let go of you. Hinagiku will bring…spring…thaw…winter…anything.”

They were the Agent of Spring and her servant.

“I’ll hold you to that.”

“Hinagiku will…”

Lady and vassal, with differing statures.

“And I will do anything to make sure you can fulfill your duties…even if I must sacrifice myself for it.”

“Hinagiku doesn’t…want you…sacrificing…yourself.”

Both girls shared a name with spring flowers—daisies and cherry blossoms.

“If that’s an order, I will make sure to fulfill it.”

“Please…do.”

“As you say, my lady.”

As the local train arrived at the station, the odd pair stood up and stepped foot into the snow-colored land.

The island nation of Yamato floated in the middle of the ocean, at the eastern reaches of the world map.

Also known as the Eastern Cherry Blossom, Yamato was an archipelago that got its nickname from the shape of its islands forming the crooked branch of a cherry blossom tree in full bloom. The archipelago was divided into five parts, beginning from the north with Enishi, Teishu, Iyo, Tsukushi, and Ryugu.

Enishi was abundant with natural resources, and most of the nation’s food was produced here. Its lands were vast and its sights pastoral; when the people of Yamato imagined a rural scene, they imagined Enishi.

Teishu contained Teito, Yamato’s imperial capital and primary point of contact with the rest of the world. Teito had Yamato’s biggest airport and was considered the main entrance to the country. Many foreigners lived in this area as well.

Iyo was famous for its hot springs and had a long history of thermal-bath cures. In the modern day, it was an important source of tourism-based revenue. It was the most popular travel destination in the country.

Tsukushi had many famous volcanoes, sacred mountains, and historical buildings. Many had the impression that it was an old place, but the city was modern, and it had a good balance of tourism and industry.

Finally, Ryugu was an island at the southernmost point of Yamato. The flora and fauna found there were unique compared to what was found in the rest of the archipelago. The sea was full of beautiful coral reefs, and trees guarded the mountains from harsh winds. It was known for having the biggest resorts in Yamato, and in normal circumstances, it was warm year-round.

The lady-servant duo stepped foot into this southernmost point of Yamato: Ryugu.

“Ryugu…City…is so…full of…snow… Hinagiku thought…it was…only the…airport.”

The Ryugu resorts had lost their appeal due to the snow.

“It should be…warm…like a southern…country…right?”

Sakura replied with a wry smile to Hinagiku’s confused question. “The cycle of seasons is a bit off-kilter at the moment. It’s only natural the power of another season would become stronger. The balance is broken. Summer, Autumn, and Winter alone can’t do the job.”

A shadow cast over Hinagiku’s expression as she hung her head.

“…Hinagiku is…sorry.”

“There is no need for you to apologize. Besides…that’s why we’re here.”

“……Right.”

“Lady Hinagiku, you will see many places like this moving forward. Don’t try too hard to take in the sights. The bright snow could damage your eyes, after all…so don’t stare. If you must focus on something, let me be the center of your attention. That would be best. The snow is too dangerous.”

Sakura spoke playfully, but Hinagiku shook her head.

“Hinagiku can’t…just…rely…on you. Even if…it’s…too bright…Hinagiku…will…look. This…is Hinagiku’s…job.”

“Are you sure?”

“…Yes.”

It was February 10, Reimei 20.

Rumors of a goddess and her retainer visiting Ryugu soon spread throughout the island.

Sakura phoned the biggest town hall on the island, and, five minutes later, a government employee drifted to the station in a private car. The pale-looking employee took the two young girls to the town hall. As they arrived, the person in charge seemed to be desperately looking for someone to blame in case anything went wrong with the visit, the poor thing.

“Lady Spring! To think we would be receiving you today. I mean, we are exceedingly grateful the Agents make use of our island every year, but we are just so surprised, since we received no notice from the Four Seasons Agency… Oh, I see…Lady Hinagiku wished to travel incognito… No, I—I am not complaining… It’s just, the visit is so unexpected, we weren’t prepared to receive you… Oh, but you didn’t need our support? I understand… Yes, I will issue permission to enter the mountains right away.”

Sakura, annoyed by the implications of blame, cut the talk short.

Insect.

Irritated, she walked back to the room in which Hinagiku waited.

Right outside the door was a crowd; it seemed the rumors had made their rounds, and people coming to the town hall to submit a form or request a consultation were now trying to get a look at her. An employee was attempting to keep them away, but some of the gawkers were pressing against the door. Most of them were elderly, although some youngsters had their phones at the ready, waiting to get a glimpse of Hinagiku. Sakura rushed in.

“Lady Hinagiku! Lady Hinagiku!” She pushed her way through the crowd but still couldn’t reach the door. “Everyone back off! It’s not a circus in here!” Sakura yelled, and the people finally opened a path for her.

She barged into the plain reception room and found her lady huddled in a corner, holding her knees.

“Lady Hinagiku! Are you all right?!”

Hinagiku had curled in on herself like a pill bug. She got to her feet again only once Sakura was close enough to lay a hand on her shoulder.

“Sakura… Strangers… They’re…coming in…”

She was pale in the face, and her hands were shaking terribly.

“Oh, Lady Hinagiku…I’m so sorry. You must’ve been frightened. Did you give them handshakes or photos?”

Hinagiku shook her head. A town hall employee had come to protect her from the crowd after they got in.

“I’m sorry… Your position simply draws all kinds of attention…”

Hinagiku looked truly worried at the sound of that. Silently, she dove into Sakura’s jacket.

“Lady Hinagiku…are we playing hide-and-seek now?”

“Hinagiku…wants to…be by…your…side.”

“I’m glad to have you so close, but wouldn’t you find it hard to move around?”

“Hinagiku…wants to…be by…your…side.”

“Lady Hinagiku…”

Sakura caressed her trembling lady’s back.

She was already the kind to turn heads, and now…

Sakura observed her lady again.

Her beauty really was fit for a goddess. Her voluminous hair was the color of amber, and it undulated as though she were standing at the bottom of the ocean, and with her every move, it danced and swayed like a jellyfish. She carried herself like a fairy-tale princess come to life. A white flower ornament and ribbon graced her head, while a single braid fell by her right cheek. Every element of her appearance was overwhelmingly clean and pure. Were an experienced artist to create their masterpiece depiction of a “spring girl,” the result would be not far from this.

Her graceful body was wrapped in faint cherry-colored hakama pants and pure-white kimono, with a high-neck undershirt. Lavish ornaments covered her entire outfit, ranging from ribbons to cloth flowers to embroidery; the butterfly knot, like a large flower on her waistband, stood out the most. Her feet were covered by understated short leather boots, which tightened her overall look. She perfectly balanced the traditional garments of Yamato with a foreign flavor and modern twist.

She has a magnetic charm, even if she doesn’t want it. Time to swat these flies, I suppose.

It was Sakura who had dressed her lady up to this bewitching state, but no use worrying about that now. She had to act.

“Don’t worry. We have a taxi waiting for us out back. We can keep out of sight. I will be with you all the way, so no degenerates will approach you.”

“We’re…going…to the…mountains…already?”

“Yes, Lady Hinagiku. I’ve seized permission.”

“Seized? Is…permission…something you…seize?”

Sakura gave an awkward smile. “Well, that’s the best word for it. We forced our way here today, after all. Maybe I should apologize to the locals.”

“Hinagiku didn’t…think…things…through… Sorry.”

Sakura shook her head, then spoke carefully to ease her lady:

“No, this is nothing. Lady Hinagiku, think only about what it is you must do. Do not let any of the noise around you inside your head. That’s your duty.”

Having earned permission to enter the mountains, they took a taxi to the foot of Mount Ryugu. The driver offered to take them farther up, but Sakura declined.

We can’t have him follow us and post videos online.

There was a reason why they didn’t involve themselves much with the common folk. What this odd pair was about to do was to remain entirely confidential. The view outside the car window was nothing but snow; there was hardly any color at all. On the other hand, the mountain trail had a tourist attraction for the island at the end, Ryugu Shrine, so the snow was kept off the path.

It’s about forty minutes walking.

Sakura carefully checked the map on her phone. She was on top of everything for the trip. Her face didn’t show it, but inside, she was a bundle of nerves and fear.

It’s okay. There haven’t been any problems so far. It’s all going off without a hitch.

She whispered encouragement to herself before putting on the smile that was only for her liege and calling to her. “Lady Hinagiku, I will carry you to the ritual spot. Is that all right?”

She was trying to be considerate, but her lady seemed startled and refused.

“N-no. No.”

“You will walk all the way? But…”

“Yes. Hinagiku can…do the job.” She nodded, and it was so cute that Sakura couldn’t react for a few moments.

But soon she came to her senses. “No, we’re here without support from the Four Seasons Agency and without the litter. I will take on the role myself.”

“Li…litter?”

She didn’t know the word. The litter was a wooden box with wooden handles on the front and back that people would hold up to carry the person inside. It was an ancient vehicle commonly seen in period pieces.

Hinagiku’s eyes went wide at the explanation and refused even more vehemently.

“No…Hinagiku…will…walk. Hinagiku…needs…no…litter. That’s…embarrassing.”

“Even if you find it so, it’s important to keep up your strength. And we don’t have one, so I suggested carrying you. And it’s not all about fatigue. It’s cold, and if I carry you on my back…”

“Hinagiku has…heat…packs…under the kimono. And…if you must…mention fatigue…then what about you? Weren’t…you…going…to protect…Hinagiku?”

“I will protect you no matter what.”

“But you can’t…if you’re tired.”

Her delicate, pale fingers flicked Sakura’s nose, leaving her blushing silently for a few seconds.

“…Are you worrying about me?”

“Why…not? Hinagiku…loves…you…Sakura.”

“Oh, Lady Hinagiku… Those words are too good for me.”

“How about I take you up there, then?” the taxi driver interjected into the beautiful pair’s lovely conversation.

Of course, the conversation was taking place inside the taxi, but still, Sakura shot him a murderous glare.

“No. And don’t interrupt us. I’ll throw you out this window if you do it again.”

Sakura was acutely alert of anything that could disturb her and her lady’s little world.

“Eep…” The taxi driver cringed under her glare. “Sorry. But…if we had heard the Agent of Spring was coming, then we could have gathered some townsfolk to carry her up there… We’ve cleared the snow on the path, but it’s already snowed again since then, so it might be dangerous… Oh, if only you had told us! We would’ve cleared it again, at the very least…”

The driver kept lamenting and insisting until Sakura shot him down coldly.

“We’re here now; the snow will go away soon. We should have signal up there, so we would like to call your company once again after we’re done with the ritual. Is that okay?”

The driver immediately brightened up and agreed. He thanked them repeatedly, overjoyed that he would get to brag to his wife and children about giving the goddess a ride. When it was time for them to go their separate ways, he shook Hinagiku’s hand and wouldn’t let go until Sakura gently pried it off.

She helped Hinagiku into an inverness coat and wrapped her in a scarf with a ribbon, then put a coat and scarf on herself before getting out of the car.

“Well, then. It’s time to work, Lady Hinagiku,” she announced theatrically. One could nearly hear a drum in the background.

Hinagiku clenched her fists tight. “Yes. Hinagiku…will do the job…as the Agent of Spring.”

Sakura mimicked her fighting pose.

Hinagiku had been transformed into a plump, fluffy creature, overdressed against the cold thanks to her worrisome retainer.

“Let’s keep that enthusiasm up all the way there.”

“Yes!”

“Although… Perhaps we should notify the other regions we’ll be visiting after this ritual… The Four Seasons Agency must be searching desperately for us right now, too.”

“…” Hinagiku’s energy withered like a flower.

Shoot, I shouldn’t have said that.

Sakura hurriedly added, “Oh, but I understand that you want to move incognito. Especially when this is your first ritual after being reinstated… Also…”

Sakura looked away as the loathsome past crossed her mind.

“I realize I was the one who lost my temper with the Agency for coming up with that ridiculous plan about gathering five hundred concerned persons and making it a public event… And I ended up ruining our relationship with the Spring staff…so…I’m sorry. I just hope it doesn’t affect us going forward.”

“N-no, Sakura, you…only…acted on my behalf. It’s…not…your…fault.”

Sakura was deeply touched by Hinagiku’s defense.

“Also…the ritual is…supposed to be…confidential. Getting…five hundred people is just…weird. It’s not…not a festival.”

“Yes, you’re completely right. The Spring staff simply want to make it bigger than it should be because it’s been ten years. It’s a festival to them, I suppose, but not for us.”

“No…it isn’t.”

“It’s something you give your whole life to. It must remain private.”

“Yes.”

And most of all, we need you to be confident about summoning spring. Now more than ever.

Sakura made sure her fear didn’t show on her face as she said, “We follow this straight path and get to the mountain trail toward Ryugu Shrine. I will show you the way, so no need to worry. Let’s go do this ritual.”

“Yes… Um…uh…Sakura?”

“Yes, is something the matter? Do you want me to carry you there?”

“N-no. Is that…a person?”

Sakura frowned questioningly and looked in the direction Hinagiku pointed. Right by the fork in the path, a bit away from where they were standing, there was a yellow dot.

“…?” Sakura strained her eyes, trying to figure it out, and her 20/13 vision soon allowed her to see that the dot was, in fact, a person. “You’re right. Someone’s standing there.”

“A child…right?”

“Huh? That’s a child?”

“Hinagiku has…20/3.3…vision. Hinagiku…thinks…that’s a grade-schooler.”

This 20/3.3 vision was beyond outstanding. Sakura was impressed, at least until Hinagiku continued:

“Sakura, they…may be…lost.”

“We just had them sound the alarms in the mountain. No one should be up here… It’s strange for a child to be here all alone.”

Where are their parents? A boar could jump out and eat them.

It wasn’t exactly an exaggeration; Mount Ryugu was famous for its frequent boar encounters. It was not uncommon to hear about late-night trains running over the poor animals.

“I don’t think we can ignore them. Lady Hinagiku, is it all right if I go over?”

“It’s…fine. Hinagiku’s…not…scared of…children.”

Her comment implied she was scared of everyone else. Sakura gave her a worried glance, but her lady looked back straight into her eyes. “Hinagiku would…like…to help…a…child in…need.”

Sakura nodded firmly at the gravity of her words. “Yes, of course. As you wish.”

Sakura ended up carrying Hinagiku on her back as she hurried across the snowy path. They had to get to the child as quickly as possible. Despite Hinagiku’s previous apprehension about being carried, her giggling suggested that she was enjoying the ride.

Soon, the child’s figure became clearer—she was wearing cute winter clothes and a yellow knitted hat, pulling a sled along. She walked with purpose, as though having a clear destination in mind.

Sakura observed the child as she approached. Hinagiku was right: It appeared to be a grade-schooler. This was risky. Someone so small and defenseless could be kidnapped easily.

“Hey! You there! Stop!”

Risky. Defenseless. Kidnapping. Sakura’s own thoughts made her queasy. She was too disturbed to call out in the friendly way she had hoped to.

The child, startled by the tall woman yelling and carrying another woman, immediately darted away.

A small chase began, until a chance for conversation finally presented itself.

“I’m going to clear some snow here.”

Hinagiku and Sakura finally got to hear what the child was doing here. Her name was Nazuna, she was twelve years old, and she lived right by the mountain.

“You’re…here…with a…sled…and shovel…to…clear…snow?”

“Can’t you play at home? You should go.”

Nazuna gave Sakura a confused look. This stranger was coming on very strong, it seemed.

Maybe she’ll listen if we tell her who we are, Sakura thought. “…I realize we haven’t introduced ourselves. I’m Sakura Himedaka, Guard of Spring. This is Lady Hinagiku Kayo. She is the nation’s Agent of Spring.”

She’d hoped that would shock her, but Nazuna didn’t seem to understand just how important Hinagiku’s standing was. She tilted her head and gave them an even more suspicious look.

“Sakura, she’s…just a…kid. She can’t…understand.”

“You’re absolutely right. I apologize.”

While Sakura thought about how to explain it, Hinagiku kneeled down to match Nazuna’s gaze. Sakura watched curiously.

“You see…Hinagiku…brings…spring.” Hinagiku smiled. Her voice was warm enough to thaw any heart.

“What’s spring?”

Nazuna seemed flustered with Hinagiku’s beautiful face so close to hers.

Hinagiku was shocked, too, in the end. The kid didn’t know the most fundamental thing.

“You…don’t know…spring?”

“No.”

The answer was like a frigid wind in her chest. Sakura was taken aback as well, just listening to the conversation.

“Really?” Hinagiku replied gently. “You see…spring is…” She explained as though reading Nazuna a fairy tale. “…It’s…one of the seasons. It…hasn’t come…for ten…years…now…but it’s…coming back…this year. You must’ve…heard people mention…four seasons? Right now…there are only…three. But…it’s…supposed to…be four.”

“And you’ll bring that fourth one? Spring?”

“Y-yes. It should be…spring, summer, autumn…and winter.”

“It’s winter now! The Agent brought it.”

“You…know…a lot. Yes…that’s true.”

Nazuna blushed gleefully at the praise. “I learned it in school. Spring…spring… Ah!”

“Did you remember…spring?”

“Yes, but…spring was lost, wasn’t it? Daddy said Ryugu changed after spring went away. He said it shouldn’t be snowing and it was always warm.”

Nazuna pointed at the snow around them, creating a white blanket in every direction.

“Yes. Up to now…Hinagiku wasn’t here…so Hinagiku couldn’t…bring spring to Yamato. But now…Hinagiku is back.”

“…Are you really the Agent of Spring?”

“Yes…Hinagiku is…the Agent of Spring…in this country.”

“Mmmm…I’m not sure. You look fake.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, you talk weird. Why is it all choppy? Is it because you’re a fake?”

Hinagiku was overwhelmed by the barrage of questions.

“Hey, kid, who do you think you’re talking to?”

Sakura had stayed out of it until then, but she couldn’t let that comment slide—among plenty of other things. She had always had a short temper, but she mainly lost it in defense of her lady. And what she hated the most was when people made fun of her lady’s particular way of speaking.

“Look, kid, we don’t care what you think. She is the Agent of Spring. She’s doing the ritual for the first time in ten years, and you’re getting in the way of our job. So go away already.”

Her voice turned colder and colder, and Nazuna winced.

“Saku…ra.”

“You have to be stern with children or they won’t understand, Lady Hinagiku.”

“Don’t scare her… Um…Nazuna. Hinagiku is really…the Agent…of Spring. Hinagiku will bring spring…to Ryugu. And then…you’ll see…the snow thaw…and winter end…and there might be…an avalanche. We already asked…to have…everyone…stay away. So please…”

“Prove it, then. Show me you’re a goddess, and then maybe I’ll do what you say.”

Sakura and Hinagiku looked at each other. What a difficult child.

But she was gazing at them with such round, expectant eyes—they silently agreed it might be quicker to just show her.

“All right. Hinagiku will show you…Nazuna. But…Hinagiku has to…correct…you on something. Hinagiku is…not…a goddess.”

It was something hard to define. Everyone had differing opinions on it—not just in Yamato, but around the world. Some said they were deities; some denied it. Some said they were people; some denied it.

“I believe the precise term would be goddess incarnate. Lady Hinagiku?”

“Ummm… Hinagiku doesn’t…think of myself…as a goddess. We are…Agents…of the Four Seasons. Not…gods.”

“Is that different? Don’t the Agents bring the four seasons using magic?”

“Yes…that’s true.”

“But they’re not gods?”

Hinagiku smiled awkwardly as she took out a pouch from her kimono’s sleeve. She plucked a flower seed from it and closed her warm hand around it.

“Hinagiku has…godly…powers. But they’re…not…really mine.”

Hinagiku softly opened her palm and showed her the seed, which was now budding like a hatching egg.

“These…are not…our powers. But…we can…do things…like this. Otherwise…Hinagiku is…the same…as everyone else. We’re…not…so…different.”

The bud grew leaves, then petals until it became a rose in full bloom—one too beautiful to find in any forest or mountain. She had created it.

“The Agents…of the Four Seasons…signal spring…cross through summer…pour out autumn…and offer winter.”

Hinagiku wove her words like a storyteller in her soft voice, while the child was enchanted by the rose.

“But…we’re only…that. Agents. Substitutes. Representatives…of the…four seasons.”

How do the seasons change? The textbook answer was simply that it was the work of the Agents of the Four Seasons.

The world was created differently in each nation, but they all shared the seasons and the day-night cycle. Spring, summer, fall, and winter were brought about by the Agents, thanks to the powers granted by the Four Seasons, while the cycle of day and night fell to the Archers of Dawn and Twilight and the arrows they loosed into the sky. This didn’t change even in the age of electronic communications, computational predictions, and wars.

The Agents were the descendants of those who had been delegated the responsibilities of the Four Seasons back in the age of the gods.

They crossed the mountains and valleys to the ends of the world, bringing the seasons to every corner of the globe. Each season had its own Agents, and in this far-east country, they were smoothly managed by the Four Seasons Agency.

In the early days, they would cross the continent on foot, but then the tours went from horseback to carriages, then from carriages to automobiles, then from automobiles to airplanes.

And although the travel had been modernized, the job itself hadn’t changed from ancient times.

They cycled through the four seasons without rest, in accordance with their covenant.

After the Agent of Spring made the flowers bloom, the Agent of Summer would summon the green fields under the scorching suns, after which in a few months the Agent of Autumn would suck the life out of the same land and furnish it with red leaves and a carpet of ginkgo nuts. Finally, the Agent of Winter would turn the red silver with snow.

This was the role of the Agents of the Four Seasons.

“And why are you here, Miss Agent?” Nazuna asked innocently.

Sakura, irritated by the question, answered, “We’ve already said we’re here to make spring bloom.”

“Then do it now!”

“Ugh, you little brat! We only haven’t because you keep taking our time!” Sakura yelled.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“You did, and you are! You shouldn’t be walking around here all alone in the first place! An elder should be taking you away to safety! That’s why we can’t go! We have a sacred ritual to do, and you’re wasting our time!”

“Sakura. Don’t…raise your…voice… You’re…scaring…her.”

Sakura tried to smile at her lady, but she couldn’t hide her fury. “Lady Hinagiku…you must be stern with children or they won’t understand. Little girl, you should leave Mount Ryugu now. Why are you even here in the first place?”

“To clear snow.”

“What? Why would you want to do that here and now? It’s all snow. Did someone tell you to?”

“No.”

“Then you’re doing it just because? That’s ridiculous. You’re lying.”

“I’m not lying!” Sakura’s irritation was infecting Nazuna, too. She puffed her cheeks. “I’m here because I want to be!”

“If you like clearing snow so much, go do it at your house. Listen… We would be in the middle of the spring ritual right about now if it weren’t for you. Our time is valuable. Go back to your parents already.”

Sakura hauled Nazuna up under her arm like a sack of potatoes. The kid was small already, but she looked like a plush toy when carried by the five-foot-seven woman.

“No! No! No! No! No!” Nazuna fluttered her arms and legs as though she were swimming in midair. She arched her back, leaning far enough to land a kick in Sakura’s side.

“Ow… What are you, a shrimp?”

Sakura released Nazuna, who landed gracefully and stuck her tongue out at her would-be captor.

Sakura twitched. “Stupid kid! C’mere, you shrimp!”

Hinagiku covered her mouth with her kimono’s sleeve and shook a little; was she finding this funny?

“Lady Hinagiku!”

“Wh-what…is it? Hee-hee.”

“This is no laughing matter! Time is a limited resource. We have to do the ritual before the sun sets!”

“O-oh…no… Hinagiku is…very…serious. Hinagiku is not…laughing. No. Look. Very serious.”

“You just giggled! Why are you lying? Oh, you’re too cute. I forgive you.” Sakura sighed.

But we must complete the ritual as soon as we can.

She realized then that Nazuna had escaped, now clinging to Hinagiku.

“Hey…Sakura. Could you…go…look for…her parents? Hinagiku will…stay with her…while you…bring…them here.”

“No! I can’t leave you unguarded.”

“Hinagiku will be…fine. It’ll just…be a…little while. You’re fast.”

“I can’t leave you, not even for a little while! You know that!” Sakura’s voice had risen to a shriek before she heard herself and covered her mouth.

“…Hinagiku knows. Sorry.” Hinagiku didn’t even flinch. “Sakura…you don’t…have…to worry…about that…anymore…you know?”

She spoke as softly as ever, and yet for Sakura, she was gently opening old wounds. Why do you say that?

“I’m with you. I must stay with you. Forever.” Sakura covered her own face this time. She couldn’t bear to look at the girl before her.

Hinagiku’s kindness and selflessness only made Sakura’s heart ache.

If only I could shut my eyes.

If only she could be spared…

If only I didn’t have to see her every move, hear her every word.

Perhaps she could be spared from hurting.

And yet, I cannot look away.

Her glance was helplessly drawn to her.

For the longest time, Sakura forbade herself from ever losing sight of her.

Hinagiku, aware or unaware of her retainer’s sentiments, still spoke with the warmth of the sun. “Yes… But see, Hinagiku…is here. We’re…here. So…don’t worry.”

The person with the right to reprove and chastise her was always kind.

“…Lady Hinagiku.”

“Yes?”

“I am your pawn.”

“You…are…not.”

“Then your sword, let’s say. Your only trustworthy ally.”

“…Yes.”

“I’m sorry. I forgot it briefly. I am your sword and shield, and as such, I must help you do everything you must and want to do.” Sakura successfully recovered her usual cool. “I will protect you, and I will make an exception to protect this child as well. That is what you want, isn’t it, Lady Hinagiku?”

“Is that…okay?” Hinagiku gazed at her with the warmth of the sun, then smiled at her before turning that smile to Nazuna. “Thank…you! Nazu…na. Sakura says…we can…go…so…would you…let us…come with…you?”

“I’m fine by myself.”

“Nazu…na. Did you…tell…people at…home…that…you would…be…going out?”

“…”

“See, if we…come with…you, then…we can…help…you make…some excuse.”

“………Really?”

“Yes…we…can,” Hinagiku murmured, her voice sugar-sweet. “You’re…still…too young…to be…out…here.”

Sakura glanced to Hinagiku. Not that you’re much of a grown-up.

In her eyes, Hinagiku was still a child, so whenever she spoke like an adult, Sakura remembered:

Right…she’s already sixteen.

She did it.

Sakura let the emotion wash over her as she stood in a blizzard of cherry blossom petals.

You did it, Lady Hinagiku.

Sakura had been distressed, actually. The path they walked there had been long and steep; often she had thought this day would never come again.

But you did it.

Many times, they were ready to give up. Many times, the both of them had wept like children. They had no allies. No one to protect them. So they traveled alone.

It’s a perfect manifestation of spring.

Sakura felt her chest tighten at the reminder of their past struggles.

“Nazuna, this is it. This is spring. Beautiful, isn’t it?”

However, Nazuna’s reaction wasn’t the elated reply she had been expecting.

“…Sakura.”

A drop of water, like melted snow, fell on the back of Sakura’s hand. It took her a moment to realize it was Nazuna’s tears as she held her.

“I know this…”

She was crying at the advent of spring, and the tears falling down her cheeks were as beautiful as diamonds.

“I knew about this…,” she said in between sobs. Her tears didn’t stop, and her voice was tight. “I’ve…seen this with my mom…”

Sakura could hear how frustrated she was with herself for forgetting.

“I’ve seen this pink stuff.”

She reached out for a petal in the air, but she couldn’t catch it. She laughed through her tears.

“I’ve breathed this warm air.”

The sunlight illuminated her glossy hair and skin. The child, only twelve, wailed at the sight of the sun thawing away the snow.

The layers of snow covering her mother’s tomb melted away.

“This…”

Nazuna’s voice rose with excitement as long-gone memories came back to mind. That time would never return, but the memories were here.

“I’ve seen this… I’ve seen spring with my mom.”

She didn’t know where she had been back then.

That vision was already faded in her mind. Likely, it was a popular spot they had visited for viewing the cherry blossoms.

“It’s so crowded. Will we find somewhere to sit?”

The world had been bright and beautiful to her baby eyes. There were many adults there, but she could not tell who they were. Rows of stalls surrounded her, as the people around all laughed and the birds flew overhead. The largest silhouettes in her unsteady field of vision were her mother and her father.

“I don’t think the baby can even tell what she’s looking at.”

“Don’t say that. It’s all about the experience. Right, Nazuna?”

They talked to her every day; they gave her warmth and sweet words whenever she felt uneasy. They were her guardians.

“All right. Come here, Nazuna.”

After a while, her mother took her away from the stroller and into her arms. With her sight unobstructed, she saw crowds of people walking by the cherry blossom trees.

“Look!”

All around her were images and colors she couldn’t experience in her closed little world. Nazuna usually fretted whenever they took her out, but on this day, she was in high spirits. She reached out to try and catch a petal, and although she failed, it was fun.

“See? She’s so happy. She wants to grab a petal. Let’s help her out.”

Her mother raised her up high among the dancing cherry blossoms. The blue of the sky, the white of the clouds, and the pink of the petals looked like something out of a beautiful dream to Nazuna.

“Hee-hee. She won’t stop giggling.”

Though unable to name the emotion welling up inside her, Nazuna engraved it into her heart. Amazed and delighted, she couldn’t help but heartily laugh at the vibrant colors and overflowing hope in the world around her. Her father joined and held her. He raised her higher and rougher than her mother.

“Nazuna.” Her mother called her name, peering into her eyes. “Look. This is spring,” she explained, as she no longer could in the present. If only she could have taught her so much more.

Back then, her family’s future was protected. There was nothing to harm them.

“      ”

The young God of Winter awoke from his slumber and hoarsely muttered something, not yet fully awake.

From inside the black luxury car, he stared at the view out the window like it was a friend he hadn’t seen in a long while.

He had a shapely, if intimidating face. He had shadowed eyes, thin lips, and raven-colored hair.

His profile looked boyish still; the relatively mature air about him emanated from an internal poise. There was a certain grace to the way he blinked his eyes and rested his hand on the window. His kimono was something no common man would have the luxury to wear—a purplish black nagagi on top, a black juban with golden embroidery underneath, and a light gray haori coat. His shoes matched the color scheme as well. One could tell at a glance it was all custom-made. The young man was a work of art himself, and the aura around him made him hard to approach.

The car was quiet, like a funeral, until he opened the window. The sound of the wind rushed inside, as did the chirping of the birds and the rustle of the trees.

Around them was a breathtaking, dreamlike view.

The location was Tsukushi. The date February 28, Reimei 20.

Two weeks had passed since the Agent of Spring, Hinagiku, brought her season to Ryugu.

Everyone all over Yamato celebrated the first coming of spring in ten years, and flower-viewing festivals were held in every corner. The luxury car was stuck in traffic due to such an event, so the sounds of nature were joined by voices from several radios.

“We’ve received well wishes from all over the world for the first appearance of spring in ten years here in Yamato—”

“The sudden increase of spring tourism has stock prices rising across the board—”

“The US president has sent us a personal word of congratulations. Presents from the Agents of Spring all around the world are arriving at Yamato’s Agency—”

“The question is, though, where was Yamato’s Agent of Spring for the past ten years? Experts weigh in—”

The young man closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the spring air. As he let it out, a rare sense of peace surfaced in his normally grave expression.

Spring blessings were coming from everywhere.

“Rosei, close the window.”

The moment of tranquility ended when his retainer, sitting beside him, interrupted his pleasant reverie.

While the young God of Winter’s beauty was smooth and clean, the retainer had an unruly charm about him. He looked to be about in his late twenties, early thirties.

He had black hair with silver highlights, like snow embraced by the night. He attempted to hide his raw attractiveness beneath a pair of sunglasses, but it managed to overflow anyway. From afar, his clothing looked like a simple three-piece suit with a black jacket and dark-gray vest, but up close, you could notice the fine golden embroidery that matched his master’s design. His tall, lean figure in his tailored outfit was envied by men and women alike. The only incongruous element of his appearance was the katana he carried on his waist. When quiet, he seemed like a serene butler whose every action oozed seductive charisma.

“What if they shoot at us? Shut the window.”

But when he opened his mouth, he sounded like a mother. Or father.

“Shut up, Itecho.”

Meanwhile, the young master sounded like a rebellious teenager.

“…”

His retainer tried closing the window himself, but Rosei elbowed him.

Itecho adjusted his sunglasses and sighed. “That’s enough mischief,” he admonished in his pleasant voice. Itecho’s sharp eyes were particularly stern, but Rosei only glared back.

The car was stopped, but if it moved now, they were close enough for an undignified accident.

“Move, Itecho.”

“I will not, Rosei.”

“…”

“…”

“Who would shoot us out here? We’re in a mountain pass.”

“Perhaps, but the car is stopped. It’s the perfect chance for anyone who wants to assassinate you.”

“I don’t see anyone within range. Are they gonna climb a tree or something?”

“It wouldn’t shock me to learn the extremists got their hands on long-range sniper rifles. We must keep all possibilities in mind. You think we’re spending extra on the bulletproof glass just for show? This is for your safety.”

“Just give me a second, okay? It’s been ten years since I last saw spring.”

“Since anyone in Yamato saw spring.”

“I can feel it: Hinagiku’s…Hinagiku’s back. Just give me two seconds.”

He seemed to struggle after saying her name. He was speaking so quietly that Itecho could barely hear him from inches away. Itecho stared at his master and sighed.

“You’ll get to meet Lady Hinagiku soon. We’ve an Agency Council coming up.”

“…I know. Did we get a reply to our letter?”

“No. They probably don’t want to see us. But we won’t let that stop us. It’s thanks to her that we’re alive now… We must say our thanks face-to-face. A letter won’t do.”

“…”

“You don’t want to see her?”

“…I do. But I don’t think she wants to see me.”

Rosei wanted his retainer to deny it, but Itecho grimaced.

“…I don’t know if that’s Lady Hinagiku’s opinion or her retainer’s…Sakura’s…but it does look that way. It’s not that surprising. Lady Hinagiku would be disturbed to see you, and she might even say to stay away forever.”

Rosei lowered his head, his faint hopes shattered. But he didn’t want to give up entirely. “At the very least, we’ll meet at the Agency Council. She might yell at me or even hit me…but I’ll still get to see her. Let’s keep hoping until then. I wanna do anything I can to help. Okay, Itecho?”

“Of course. I will arrange for anything we can do.”

“So on that note, you got any reports from the guards we sent? Like…how’s she doing?” he asked with a hoarse, lonely voice.

Itecho opened his mouth to answer, but after a bit of hesitation, he closed it.

“…” He tried again, his voice low. “There is. But it’s not good news.”

“…Did she notice we’re protecting her in secret? Sakura would be furious…”

“No, it doesn’t seem they’ve noticed. That’s not it… The report says…that she’s been acting differently from before she was kidnapped.”

Fear surfaced in Rosei’s expression. “Different…how? Is she hurt? Is she disabled?”

Itecho chose his words carefully. “No, that’s not it. Objectively speaking, she’s grown up well, but on the inside, she seems like a different person…”

Pain prickled Rosei’s heart.

Wait. He wanted to know how Hinagiku was doing, but a voice in his head asked him to stop.

“They say it’s as though it’s a different child in the vessel.”

Wait, please.

It was far worse than he could have imagined.

“It also seems likely her mental age stopped in early childhood. Maybe it’s a kind of PTSD. I sent survivors from the village, people who’ve been watching over us since back then. So you can take it as truth.”

Rosei let out a muffled scream. He squeezed his eyes shut.

I knew someone would tell me something like that one day.

He wallowed for a while, but he couldn’t ignore reality forever. He opened his eyes again and asked Itecho to continue. “What else?”

“It seems she has a hard time speaking smoothly now. Not stuttering, exactly, but pausing a lot.”

“Did they say anything good? Anything?”

“She successfully brought spring to Ryugu.”

Rosei let out a pained sigh. “Keep the guards on her. Let’s wait and see for a while before meeting her.”

“All right.”

“If I’d thought about it more, I would have realized…” Rosei’s voice was suffused with guilt. His hair fell over his eyes, hiding the way they shone with sadness. “The notice of spring’s return came in too abruptly. It manifested in Ryugu as soon as we heard about it. It’s strange.”

“Yeah…”

“That means her return was kept hidden from the Agency after we searched for her for ten years. There must have been a problem. If she’s still mentally a child, then it’s likely they’re forcing her to do her job. She’s probably on thin ice right now.”

“Sakura appears to be protecting Lady Hinagiku, but I also heard she might be overexerting herself… We’re the only ones who can help, Rosei.”

“…And I want to. Funny how the biggest reason I can’t is because of me, huh? If only someone else could take over as Agent of Winter, maybe the world would be a better place for her… I’d do it right this moment if she wanted.”

“Rosei…”

Itecho placed his hand on Rosei’s cheek, and their faces drew even closer. Itecho gave him a comforting gaze, and when the distance between them was nearly gone…

“Gwah!”

…Itecho dealt him a violent headbutt.

The impact shook the car itself. The tremor and scream made the driver frantically lower the partition window. When he saw Rosei in pain and Itecho adjusting his sunglasses, the driver realized it was business as usual and closed it again.

“Never say that again!”

Rosei was seeing stars and groaned at the impromptu lesson. “Why couldn’t you just say that?! Did you need to hit me?!”

Rosei was getting teary-eyed from the pain, but Itecho’s face remained cool.

“Yes. Words don’t get through to you, hence why you didn’t shut the window. And why you speak so poorly of yourself. You have such a gift for making me sad, I just had to use my head.”

“That’s not what using your head means! How about I get someone else to take over as my retainer, huh?”

Itecho frowned and reared back for another headbutt, but Rosei quickly put his hand out. They struggled against each other in silence.

After a few moments of brotherly roughhousing, someone knocked on the door on the opposite side of the rear seats. Rosei and Itecho glanced at each other, while the driver opened the partition again. “It’s Lady Ishihara from the Agency. She looked into the reason for the traffic jam.”

The member of the Security Department of the Maintenance Division of the Four Seasons Agency had accompanied them on the trip. Itecho opened the door, and TV-announcer-looking Ishihara was standing there with a nervous expression.

“It is awful out there.”

“What’s the matter, Ms. Ishihara? Will it take more time?”

“No… Lord Itecho, your fears were correct. There’s a traffic accident right by the turn on the road ahead. A truck coming this way hit a car right by the cliff, and it’s about to fall off. It’s over if the guardrail breaks.”

Rosei sat up straight. “Is there anyone in the car?”

“A family. I don’t know how many, but I heard a small child crying. The people behind them want to help out, but there’s not much they can do without a lifeline.”

“…Understandably so. I imagine someone’s called the authorities already, but I doubt they can get here soon. I’ll do something with the tools we’ve got in the car. We’ve got most things needed for emergencies. Ms. Ishihara, you take care of Rosei…”

“Got it.”

Itecho froze in place as he heard Rosei open the door.

“…Rosei?” He turned around, but his charge was no longer there. “Rosei! Stop right there! Ms. Ishihara, stop him!”

“Y-yes!”

Itecho scrambled out of the car. Many drivers were standing around, tired of the mysterious traffic jam, smoking or talking on the phone to pass the time. The one person in odd clothing grabbed the attention of everyone as he made his way across the cars.

“Rosei!”

A young man clad in traditional dress was already an unusual sight in Yamato, not to mention the extravagance of his black-and-gold attire. He looked like a mage tearing apart the colors of spring. The panicked man and young woman in suits chasing after him and yelling at him to stop gathered even more attention.

“Rosei! For pity’s sake!”

“Lord Rosei! Please wait! You can’t just go rubbernecking!”

“I’m not rubbernecking.”

Itecho caught up to Rosei and grabbed his arm, but he quickly let go as snow crystals cracked on the surface he touched. Upon escaping, Rosei switched from a fast walk to a run.

“Rosei! Dammit! How could you use that against a friend?! And how come you’re so fast in a kimono?!”

“Lord Itecho, Lord Rosei covered the ground with ice! I’m wearing pumps! I-I’ll slip!”

“You think you can stop us, Rosei?! Rosei!”

Rosei skated across the frozen ground. “No, I’m just warming up,” he replied. “If that makes sense. I can see it now.”

Rosei came to a sudden halt, making Itecho and Ishihara bump against his back. Itecho grunted as he was sandwiched between the other two, but his protests quickly died.

“…This is terrible.”

The first thing that caught his eye was the large truck that had overturned, blocking the road.

The driver had been rescued; he lay on the road, receiving treatment. As for the car, it was just barely up thanks to the guardrail, which was bent in a U shape. Cries could be heard from inside. The driver’s face was covered by the airbag, but they weren’t moving. Probably unconscious—maybe even dead. The front glass was shattered, covered in blood.

Can we help them?

Itecho was intent on being strong, but he couldn’t help doubting. The car was just barely keeping its balance, but it was only a matter of time before it slid off the cliff.

The slightest touch could send it over.

Any motion from the occupants was risky, too.

Everyone watching the catastrophe was doing so from afar.

Meanwhile, Rosei had come to a sudden halt. He took a fan out of his kimono’s sleeve and opened it, and cold air spread around it.

“Rosei, are you serious?” Itecho asked.

Rosei nodded.

Itecho wrinkled his shapely brow and snatched the fan away from him. “That’s against the Four Seasons Code.”

Rosei forcibly took back the fan. “No, it isn’t.”

“Yes, it is. Even if our people are in danger, you must not use your divine powers for reasons other than to manifest the season. That’s clause number one of the Code. I know how you feel…but we can’t act lightly. I’ll…I’ll help the people inside. You go back to the car.”

“…Hey, Ishihara.”

Ishihara had been holding her breath, listening to their conversation, and she jumped at hearing her name all of a sudden.

“Y-yes, sir!” Ishihara was floundering in the middle of this argument.

“Recite clause two of the Four Seasons Code.”

And now she was being rudely ordered around.

“…Huh?”

“Recite it, Ishihara!”

“Y-y-y-yes!” She was confident in her own memory; despite her agitation, she quoted it right away. “Clause two of the Four Seasons Code: ‘When an Agent of the Four Seasons finds themselves in trouble, they may use their divine powers on others!’”

“Good job, Ishihara.” Rosei slapped the small woman hard on the back, and she stumbled forward.

“Th-th-th-thank you.”

“Listen to me, Itecho. We’re stuck in traffic and running away from the radicals. The insurgents could attack at any moment, don’t you think?”

“Which is why I told you to close the damn window.”

“And the traffic jam isn’t clearing up anytime soon. Look at the truck blocking the way. We can’t go back, either. There are loads of people coming to see the cherry blossoms back there. If the insurgents struck now, we’d have nowhere to go, not to mention the collateral damage to the people if a battle starts at this location. This whole road is a giant traffic jam.”

Itecho got a headache from listening to him. How did I get stuck with such an unruly master?

Rosei wouldn’t listen anymore, no matter what anyone said.

“We could leave the car behind, but going down the mountain on foot from here would be unwise. So we need to clear this up. What I’m about to do is purely to get myself out of danger and, as the Four Seasons Code states, I can use my divine powers on others if I’m in danger. So I’m going to save…er, get the car out of the way. The people inside are also in the way, so I’ll get them out of there, too. That’ll be faster than waiting for an emergency response team to get here. The traffic jam will be gone, and I’ll bring myself to safet—”

“Fine, I get it.”

Itecho covered Rosei’s mouth with his hand. Rosei grunted and glared at Itecho until finally, he let him go.

“Look, Rosei. I’m only a nag because I care about you more than anything in the world. You understand?”

The sheer force in his voice lowered Rosei’s defenses slightly.

“…I know.”

“No, you don’t.” Itecho sighed. “What you’re about to do could put you in danger later on. You’ll put the people protecting you in danger. And I’m not talking about me. Don’t worry about me; I’m your retainer. I’ll gladly give my life for you, because I love you more than anything else… But think about your other guards. They have their own families. You’ll risk them all? Honestly, I’d rather you not.”

“…”

Itecho’s words stabbed at Rosei’s conscience. He had already been through a dreadful experience that would never let him forget what consequences his own actions could bring. But…

“…Sorry, I’m still doing it.” He didn’t back down. He pointed at the terrible scene. “There are lives there I could save.” Even as he spoke, he could hear the cries. “There’s a kid inside there and their parent. Maybe more.” It was his turn to attack Itecho’s conscience. “Their lives will go on if I save them. You understand what that means, don’t you?”

“…That’s not fair.”

“You did the same.”

“Only to help you remember your own standing.”

“I do remember. I know there’s a risk.”

“Then…”

“I can’t save thousands, not even hundreds. And I won’t. I’m not in that position. I don’t want to be a hero. Please understand that. I’m not letting the power go to my head.”

He gave Itecho a defiant glare.

“But there’s a parent and child right there who I could save.”

There was a weight to his voice that made it impossible to dismiss his convictions as a child’s sense of justice.

“…”

“Are you going to let them die, Itecho?” he entreated.

Itecho sighed a few times before looking at Ishihara with a complicated smile on his face.

“…Ms. Ishihara, I’m sorry for all the documents you’ll have to write up…”

That said it all. Ishihara grinned and nodded firmly. “Don’t worry about that, Lord Itecho! There’s a kid crying out there!”

“Well said, Ishihara. You’ve got promise.” Rosei slapped her back again, but this time, she smiled.

“Rosei. This is an exception, got it? Do it fast.”

“Yeah. I’ll tell you the plan. Ishihara, you wait right here. You have a nurse’s license, don’t you? I want you to take care of them once they’re out. Itecho, you and I are the only ones who can walk on ice. It’s time to put your overgrown body to the test.”

“Understood, Lord Rosei.”

“…Got it. Just don’t do the dance, okay? Keep it to the verbal spell. We wanna avoid attention…though I guess that’s impossible.”

Rosei opened his fan, decorated with a beautiful winter landscape.

“It’s not like I’m bringing winter back. This is a delicate task, so I’ll need the extra power from singing, but I’ll stay quiet.”

Itecho and Ishihara pushed through the crowd to the scene of the disaster.

Rosei heard two children crying from the rear seats. A boy and a girl asking for help, saying only one thing:

“Please save Dad… Help…”

Both of them asked for someone to rescue the unconscious driver, even though they had to be scared for their own safety.

I have to save them, no matter what.

Rosei took a deep breath and aimed the fan at the car. Everyone around observed the young man in the black kimono, wondering what he might do.

“Thrust the snow blade into the ground and dye the moon in white.”

A thin layer of ice emerged at his feet, spreading like waves all around until it reached the car hanging off the cliff.

“Eternal slumber is the dream of snow, moon, and flowers; solace for the ill.”

Shapes arose from the ice.

Ice vines, bushes, weeds, and sprouts grew into trees in the blink of an eye.

Life grew and reproduced.

The ice coiled around the guardrail and latched on to the car.

The vines reached out for the back of the car, hauled it up back to the road and away from the cliff.

Somehow, the colorless ice looked a lush green.

“Death to Autumn and death in Spring.”

Flowers bloomed in the green field of ice, beautiful and aromatic as spring itself.

“Give death to all the abominable.”

They were all spring flowers.

The Agent of Winter sketched the scenery of spring with ice.

He had other choices. He could have used winter flowers for his own season.

“And dye your laments in white.”

And yet he chose the flowers of spring.

He deliberately made a choice not to sully the land his fellow agent had dyed pink.

She wasn’t here; she wouldn’t receive them. But there was meaning in his choice to honor Hinagiku.

Karin—the flowering quince.

Yamabuki—the kerria.

Shoubusuisen—the freesia.

Rurikarakusa—the baby-blue eyes.

Mokuren—the magnolia.

Sumire—the violet.

Ukonkou—the tulip.

Araseitou—the stock.

Hiyashinsu—the hyacinth.

Ume—the plum blossom.

Shakuyaku—the peony.

Omoto—the sacred lily.

Kakitsubata—the iris.

Harujion—the fleabane.

Karatachi—the trifoliate orange.

Momo—the peach blossom.

Kinsenka—the marigold.

Satsuki—the azalea.

Anzu—the apricot blossom.

Gekkeiju—the laurel.

Shakunage—the rhododendron.

Suzuran—the spider lily.

Botan’ichige—the moutan.

Hanamizuki—the dogwood.

Hinageshi—the poppy.

Yabutsubaki—the camellia.

Murasakihashidoi—the lilac.

Kunuesou—the lavender.

Fuji—the wisteria.

Bara—the rose.

Sakura—the cherry blossom.

And the daisy—Hinagiku.

It was a scene out of a fairy tale.

A flower garden made of ice.

Everyone looked with bated breath.

Everybody was enraptured by the Agent of Winter’s divine work.

Sheesh. Trying so hard to be thoughtful.

Except for Itecho, who was smiling sadly. He knew why these ice flowers were in the image of spring flora.

That’s supposed to be a present for her.

And that was why it made his heart ache.

“Everything melts to alabaster snow,” Rosei murmured, and the stage was complete.

He snapped his fan shut, and the spring flowers opened a way among the icy field. Rosei stepped forward, and the vines opened a path for him.

“Hey, everyone okay?”

The children’s breath was leaving puffs of fog on the windows of the frozen car.

They were no longer crying but still terrified—more so about the magic in front of them than the possibility of death. Rosei reached out to them, and they shrank back.

This was one of those times Rosei hated his naturally intimidating appearance. He raised the pitch of his voice a little to not scare the children.

“Don’t worry—I’ll save you. The car is stuck to the ground thanks to the ice now, so it won’t fall. It’s all right… Itecho, could you help out?”

“I know. I’ll get the driver,” Itecho replied as he broke the window with his sheathed katana.

The sheath looked far more fragile than the glass, but it didn’t crack.

Itecho stuck his hand through the hole he had made and unlocked the door before yanking it open as easily as a box of candy.

Ishihara watched on with a straight face, but the audience found this jaw-dropping.

“…What’s with that guy?”

“No human could do that…”

“And what’s with all the ice? You think…he’s one of the seasons’…?”

Itecho adjusted his sunglasses, embarrassed at the rising chatter around them. Despite his attention-grabbing appearance, he did not like standing out.

“Hey, open the window,” Rosei told the stunned children. He knocked on the glass, but the children, apparently about ten years old, made no move to help him out.

“…”

Rosei waited for a moment before holding his hand up against the car. The icy vines wriggled in response, then wrenched open the door.

“I’m here to help you. It’s okay now.”

He meant to calm the kids down, but once the words left his mouth, he felt a pain in his chest. Not a wound, but a pain similar to a dagger stabbing his heart.

What?

Why would the words hurt him? After a moment of confusion, he finally realized.

“…”

Shit. I just said it.

Those were the words he wanted to tell her the most. The words he lived to say once the day of their reunion finally came. The words meant for her, the words he had saved all these years, had just left his mouth.

And it wasn’t for her.

A dark cloud fell over his heart.

“…I’m here…to help you…”

He hadn’t had a chance to say those words, and yet life went on.

There was someone else he was meant to be doing this for.

Idiot. Stop thinking about that.

This was painful and embarrassing.

He was ashamed of himself. Burning guilt and remorse whirled into a vortex within him.

Just think about the kids in front of you, you shameless prick.

Rosei knew the disease he was suffering from. There was something people described as a Cinderella complex, and in a similar vein, he had a hero complex.

His head was trapped in a fairy tale—climbing the tower, holding the princess close, and telling her she would be okay now.

But it was only fantasy. Of course, fantasies of heroism were nothing strange. People dreamed of it for a reason. The problem in Rosei’s case was that it was becoming more than a dream. And he found that ridiculous. In reality, scenarios of saving someone dear to him happened only inside his head. The real world was far harsher, and tragedy did not wait to strike. Salvation coming as he imagined it was nothing short of a miracle, and Rosei realized this.

Hinagiku, I will…

And that realization was why he kept on dreaming.

Hinagiku.

He dreamed of saving the Agent of Spring when she had been kidnapped ten years ago.

Five years ago, he had left one of them cornered enough to run away from the mansion.

Now he could do nothing but tell him it would be okay and hope it was enough to keep his spirit from breaking.

He thought the world he wished for would never come, and every waking second, reality underlined that fact.

But now, things had changed.

“Is something the matter, Lord Itecho?”

“Oh, nothing…”

Itecho chose to think of other things. He looked out the lounge window, at the cherry blossoms blooming in the night.

The opportunity for atonement—spring had finally come.

Salvation like this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Hoarsely, Itecho whispered:

“Sakura, do you still hate me?”

Unable to leave the cherry blossom behind on the floor, he picked it up and put it in his breast pocket.

Each of the Agents of the Four Seasons has their own hometown.

The Agent of Spring has the Town of Spring.

The Agent of Summer has the Town of Summer.

The Agent of Autumn has the Town of Autumn.

The Agent of Winter has the Town of Winter.

Ever since the first Agents received their powers at the dawn of time, their descendants have made their homes here.

The powers awakened naturally in one of those from the bloodline.

Once the current Agent passed, a perfectly ordinary person would inherit their powers as the next generation. For them, although the Town was their homeland in the sense that it would be the place they eventually left, it didn’t necessarily mean it remained a place they would one day want to come back home to.

In such cases, the Agents normally had a residence elsewhere.

The Agent of Summer’s hideout/villa was deep inside the forest.

The Yamato archipelago was commonly referred to as the Eastern Cherry Blossom.

One of Yamato’s islands was Iyo, and one of its provincial territories, Yaga, was a very popular tourist spot in Yamato. In the middle of the mountain was a valley with a big waterfall that got overcrowded every summer, and quaint homes could be found throughout the bountiful forest and mountains.

It was the perfect place for those who wished to withdraw from civilization and live among the green. There were a few inns known for past visits by national literary masters, and many people visited just for them.

“This villa was designated an important cultural asset, and it’s been used as a hideout for generations of Agents of Summer since it was bought.”

Hinagiku and Sakura walked among the snowy larches as they heard the woman before them explain, and they let out a sigh in admiration. The manifestation of spring had extended from Ryugu to Tsukushi, and now they were in Iyo to bring the season here, too.

They had predetermined places for the rituals, but this time, the Agency recommended they pay a visit to the Agent of Summer.

“The Agent of Summer can use their divine power to not only bring the season, but also employ animals. So they have a tendency to like places that are more out in nature.”

Although Winter still reigned, the chirping of birds and footprints of smaller animals were already spreading.

“Basically, this place was built for healing.”

They had traveled without rest to reach the Agent of Summer’s villa: a majestic Western-style building in the middle of the snow.

“But even without it, Yaga has ley lines that boost divine power. Lady Spring, I surmise you might be tired from all the manifesting, so I recommend you stay a few days here to rest before heading over to Teishu.”

The Guard of Summer, a pretty woman with glasses and black hair, smiled.

“Hopefully you can take some time to relax here.”

Her name was Ayame Hazakura. The sweet-tempered woman had invited them to the Summer villa and come to welcome them personally after hearing the lady and retainer of Spring would come. She was around twenty years old, still youthful in her expensive gray suit.

“Thank you very much for your kindness. The media won’t be able to easily reach this place, and it seems like it would be a very relaxing spot for my lady.”

“Please, no need to thank me. It is an honor to be able to give support to you ladies. As the myth goes, Summer was born from Spring and Winter. But more than anything, I want to give all my support to the comeback of this woman who’s so close to me in age. Plus, it is my duty as a Guard.”

Ayame was like the moon, faintly lighting everything around her. Sakura was only superficially courteous to everyone but Hinagiku, but Ayame’s sincerity and friendliness was drawing out an uncharacteristically cooperative side of her.

“Thank…you…very…much, Ms.…Hazakura.”

Hinagiku bowed, and Ayame did the same. The motion was smooth and clean; even Ayame’s loosely tied hair bobbed with grace. Her hair was decorated with small white flowers and a jade hairpin, while her skin was silky like a polished gem. She was the living representation of the phrase Yamato beauty.

Ayame seemed unaware or unaffected by the enraptured gazes of the other two women. “Please, call me Ayame,” she said. “After all, the Agent of Summer is also a Hazakura, so let’s avoid any confusion.”

Hinagiku blinked in surprise, and Sakura hurriedly explained.

“I’m sorry, I hadn’t told you. The lady and retainer of Summer are sisters.”

“Sisters… But lady…and retainer?”

“Yes. Other seasons tend to choose friends of the successor or people with outstanding physical skill…but we in Summer tend to pick family.”

“Hinagiku…isn’t Sakura’s…sister, but…we are…kinda like…sisters…so we…match?”

“Lady Hinagiku! I could never be so bold as to say that…”

“We’re…so close, so Hinagiku…thought…just maybe. But you…don’t like it…do you? Sorry…Sakura.”

Hinagiku dropped her shoulders, and Sakura rushed to elaborate. “No, I do like it! I can be your friend, your sister, and of course your blade! Please allow me to stay by your side in joy and sorrow.”

“…Sakura, you…already have…too much work. You need…rest.”

Sakura shook her head hard and looked her dear lady in the eye. “No, this is what I want!”

Sakura clenched her fist without any shame, worry, or falsehood. Hinagiku blinked before putting on a bashful smile.

“R-really?”

“Really.”

“Hee-hee… It’s…too much. Hinagiku…is too fortunate.”

“Hee-hee! As you should be!”

Ayame held a hand to her mouth as she watched the two fidget like a couple who had just started dating.

“I’d heard the Spring pair were very close, and they sure weren’t lying…”

Sakura timidly denied her claim. “I-it’s nothing major. I am sure you and your sister must have an even stronger bond.”

“You think so? Perhaps. We are family. But…we aren’t as intimate as you are,” Ayame demurred with a wry smile. “In fact, being family makes it harder. Even more so when my selfish little sister is my lady.”

“Sel…fish?” Hinagiku asked.

Ayame looked away. “Yes, she is… I wish she had grown up to be a goddess full of love and mercy for others like you, Lady Hinagiku.”

The Spring pair couldn’t bring themselves to pry further into it, so Ayame ended the conversation and led them to the Summer villa. While following behind her and taking in the sights, Hinagiku and Sakura looked at each other in wonder.

The Summer villa appeared even more spacious on the inside.

There was the entrance hall, the common living room, a few guest rooms, the playroom, the reading room, and the lounge bar. The various facilities ensured there was not a boring moment during the stay. If a guest didn’t want to step outside, they would still have plenty of space to walk. There was also one other feature of note: It was full of animals.

“There are…rabbits.”

“Indeed, Lady Hinagiku.”

“And…puppies…and…kittens.”

“It is downright outrageous.”

“And birds…and squirrels…”

“Have we stumbled into paradise, Lady Hinagiku?”

Hinagiku and Sakura blushed in excitement as they whispered to each other.

Creatures of all kinds showed up to welcome them to the living room. Some were in cages, but most of them moved freely around the room, some napping against each other, some playing with each other.

Hinagiku looked happy for sure, but the change in Sakura’s expression was striking. Her eyebrows softened, and her lips formed a smile. Despite her cool aura, she adored everything cute.

Ayame was helping the two with their luggage. “Hee-hee, I’m glad you don’t hate animals.”

Sakura gave her a shocked look, scandalized by the very idea that anyone could hate anything so adorable.

“Is this the power of the Agent of Summer?” she asked.

“Yes, they are all employed by the Agent of Summer. They’re Ruri’s friends. Her power is Life Operation. Every year, when manifesting summer, she takes in wounded ones or becomes friends with some she meets on her visits. The numbers never stop growing.”

“Can the…kitties and…puppies…speak?”

“Yes, although only Ruri has the power to communicate. I can’t; I have no idea what they’re saying. But you can tell from their movements. Ruri taught me.”

Hinagiku’s eyes lit up, and then she whispered enviously, “I wish…I were the…Agent of Summer…instead.”

“It’s not all good. The administration costs are outrageous,” Ayame replied with a laugh.

Sakura knew what she meant. “I can only imagine how much you spend on food,” she replied gravely.

Guards were also in charge of the accounting for their season manifestation journey. The relatability of the issue seemed to have broken the ice between the two.

“Yes. We do have the budget, but as the spending on this increases, we have less left for other expenses. It’s a big task managing to get by every month… But it’s something all Agents of Summer have historically done, so no one complains. The Town of Summer understands.”

“I would love to keep expenses down and save some money every month to have more for clothing for my Agent,” Sakura said.

Their conversation was warming, leaving the Goddess of Spring behind.

“I totally get it. My sister loves dressing up, so we keep the budget for that, but you know teenage girls; she burns right through those clothes. By the way…Lady Himedaka, isn’t it difficult for you wearing Yamatoan clothing all the time? Other seasons wear that style, too, and I always wonder how much it must cost them every time we have a meeting.”

“Yamatoan clothing is certainly prohibitive, but…look at her. It’s so lavish and lovely.”

Sakura held Hinagiku’s shoulder. Her lady and dress-up doll could only stare vacantly in a daze.

Ayame nodded fervently. “I don’t care about how hard managing expenses is whenever I see how incredibly cute she is!”

“Yes, our ladies’ clothing is an opportunity for us to show off our skills!”

“Exactly!”

“The Yamatoan style looks so nice… But she doesn’t like wearing clothes with low mobility.”

“Excuse…me… Hinagiku…would be…fine…wearing something…other than…a kimono. What about…a suit?”

“A suit? No, what are you even saying, Lady Hinagiku?”

“I agree, Lady Kayo. Western clothing could suit you as well, but I believe Yamatoan dresses fit you the best.”

Although she didn’t understand why, Hinagiku had no choice but to accept what they were telling her. She slumped in defeat.

After the enthusiastic discussion, Ayame finally invited them to come into the room instead of just standing and talking.

“There are a few members of the Town of Summer staying here at all times, as well as Summer representatives of the Agency guarding the villa on shifts. I will introduce them to you two later on. If you have any questions regarding the facilities, please ask either them or me.”

“Yes. Um…Ayame.”

“Yes, Lady Kayo?”

“May I…pet…your…friends?”

Ayame already liked the cute and reserved Agent of Spring, but the polite request for permission raised her opinion even higher.

“They’re all very friendly, so you can pet away, no problem. Just be careful and don’t try holding them if they don’t want to. If they follow you around, please pick them up. They have set feeding times, so if you join us, I think you’ll get closer to them quickly.”

“Nice! Let’s take some pictures later on, Lady Hinagiku. I need one of you and the bunnies—the greatest combination in the world.”

“Saku…ra, no. The flash…will hurt…their…eyes.”

“I won’t use the flash. I’ll take them from afar. Please just give me this…”

Ayame’s eyes lit up with delight. “By the way,” she said to Sakura. “Will the guards from the Agency of Spring be waiting outside? We can get a room for them, too.”

“They came in a camping truck, so no worries. We’re having them keep their distance.”

“…Is that so?”

The Four Seasons Agency was an independent organization that managed the seasons, separately from the four Towns. To put it simply, the Town produced the Agents, and the Agency managed them. Commonly, Agency staff were designated to guard and help the Agents with various tasks during their long-distance journeys for manifesting the season. Where an Agent went, the Agency followed, usually in the form of people in suits. Their main jobs in managing the Four Seasons were investigating any anomalies that arose, backing them up, guarding them and guiding them out of any danger, and negotiating with the authorities. However, since they took care of all sorts of problems relating to the Four Seasons, their duties were greatly varied. The only reason Agency staff hadn’t been by Hinagiku’s and Sakura’s side as they traveled to manifest spring was because the two of them didn’t enjoy having the auxiliary personnel.

They have good reason, after all, Ayame thought to herself.

“Should we not go greet the Lady Summer?”

“No, she’s in bed at the moment. I’ll introduce you if she gets up.”

The three entered their guest room as they conversed.

It looked like a hotel room, with a neatly made bed, a white cabinet, antique chairs, and a shabby-chic interior that stirred a maiden’s heart. They must’ve had the heating on before they got there, since a pleasant warmth welcomed them inside.

“Sakura…this room…is…fantastic!”

Hinagiku rarely seemed happy to get involved with other people, so Sakura was truly glad that they got to stay there.

“You must be tired from traveling,” said Ayame. “I’ll get you something to eat. The cook baked a cake just for you.”

“Lady Ayame, let me help. Lady Hinagiku, would you please wait here?”

“Yes. I’ll…get what…I need…out from the…luggage.” Hinagiku opened up the luggage with a big smile on her face and started settling in. That is, until she noticed a gaze on her.

“…”

She turned around, and there was a white rabbit sitting before the opened door.

“Hi…bunny.” Hinagiku waved timidly, and the rabbit twitched its nose in response. Once it had Hinagiku’s attention, it turned around and shook its behind before disappearing into the hallway.

“…”

Hinagiku followed in an Alice in Wonderland–esque chase behind the white rabbit. It was waiting out in the hallway, as though it had known she would follow.

“…Hello.”

She closed in, and the rabbit twitched its nose again. Then it beckoned her farther down the hallway.

“Is there…something…over…there?”

The fairy-tale situation was scary at first, but Hinagiku was not afraid.

It must…be a…servant of…Summer.

If she could indeed communicate with the animals, Hinagiku was certain that the white rabbit must’ve come for a reason.

And she was right. The white rabbit stopped before a door at the end of the hallway. The door looked dark, despite receiving light from the hallway window.

“…”

The white rabbit hopped around by Hinagiku’s feet, and she picked it up. She gave it a few pets for showing her the way, then summoned her voice.

“Ex…cuse me.” Her voice cracked from the nerves, on top of her usual choppy way of speaking. “Excuse…me… Is this…the Agent…of Summer?”

She got no answer, but the door opened a crack. The rabbit jumped off her arms and into the room.

It smells…like…summer.

The scent was green and fresh. Not even Hinagiku knew why she’d made the connection so quickly, but her blood just knew.

“Hinagiku…Kayo. Thank…you for…receiving…us.” She worked hard to let the words out, even if she was not fully articulate. “Did you…want…to…talk?”

Hinagiku had tried to imagine what Sakura might have said, and she managed to say them. A giant victory for the shy girl.

“…”

The silence persisted, though someone was clearly inside.

Hinagiku worried she might have said something wrong.

Did she think…Hinagiku’s…way of…speaking…is weird?

Hinagiku grasped her kimono’s sleeves and cast her gaze down.

She wanted to leave right away, but then she heard a voice come from the room.

“…Is my sister back?”

The voice was small; its owner sounded like a delicate person. Hinagiku didn’t know if she was allowed to come in, so she stayed by the door. It had been ten years since she had seen any other Agent.

“U-ummm…”

“It’s me, Ruri. The Agent of Summer.” Ruri kept the conversation going from the other side of the door.

“It’s…Hinagiku…here.”

“Is my sister back?”

“Ms.…Ayame?”

“…Yes. Did she say anything about me?”

“…” Ayame had, but none of it was good. Hinagiku paused before replying, “She said…you were…in bed…because you’re…not feeling…good.”

Hinagiku made the safe choice, but she felt her hands sweating as she spoke.

Hinagiku…only…ever…speaks…with Sakura…so…Hinagiku…doesn’t…know…what to do.

She realized the only person she talked to always went along with whatever she said. Now she was facing someone she had to be particularly considerate with, someone she couldn’t even see. Anxiety was rising inside her.

“…That’s all?”

“…Um, yes.”

“She didn’t say she didn’t know what to do with me or anything like that?”

“…Um…no…she…did not.”

Hinagiku had gotten the impression that perhaps they didn’t get along, but she couldn’t say that here. She waited for Ruri to respond.

“…I knew she didn’t care about me…,” she said coldly.

“Huh? N-no, that’s…”

“I mean, she goes out without telling me anything… I could’ve gone to welcome the Lady Spring with her if she’d told me.”

“Ms. Ayame…said…you weren’t…feeling…well…”

“That’s not true.”

“Huh?”

“I’m feeling great. But I’m not going out because I’m annoyed. I want to annoy her.”

“…”

Then Hinagiku realized she had called her there to vent.

“I can’t keep on living if she doesn’t need me… I care about her…but she doesn’t care about me… I’m so dumb… I don’t need her as my stupid retainer…”

“…Is that…so?”

She wanted someone to hear her out. Perhaps she wanted Hinagiku because she was a fellow Agent.

Hinagiku didn’t feel like it was something you should talk about to someone you’d just met, especially through a door, but she stayed and listened. The fear had let up a little.

She guessed the Agent of Summer was feeling lonely.

If she had another source of support, then she wouldn’t fixate on a single person. Hinagiku understood that without even seeing Ruri. And she could relate to that feeling.

“It’s not fair. If I hadn’t been chosen…then I wouldn’t have to rely on her. I could’ve led a different life. But I was… So she should be nice to me. She should want to protect me more than anything. Don’t you think?”

Hinagiku could feel the other girl’s anger against something big, though she didn’t understand what.

“…Excuse…me, mind if…Hinagiku…asks…you?” Hinagiku didn’t reply with sympathy but with a question. “If you…love her…that…much…then why…are you…mean…to her?”

She heard a gasp on the other side of the door.

“Hinagiku thinks…she’s…worried.”

The smile of that girl with the flower’s name who lived for her sake came to mind. The girl who respectfully called her Lady Hinagiku.

“Because…” A hoarse murmur came a couple of seconds later. “Because…I’m suffering more…!”

Her tear-filled whisper saddened Hinagiku, too.

“Listen…Lady Summer… Hinagiku isn’t…trying to…be mean… Hinagiku knows…”

Before she could finish, footsteps echoed through the hallway.

“Ruri came out from her room?”

She saw Ayame, and Sakura behind her. They had gone back to the room and noticed Hinagiku was missing.

“…!”

The door slammed shut right before Hinagiku’s nose, and she was so startled, she fell back.

“Lady Hinagiku!”

“I-it’s…fine.”

The fall hadn’t hurt her; Hinagiku got up in a hurry. She smiled bashfully at the undignified display, but Ayame exploded with indignation.

“Ruri! How could you be that rude to Lady Kayo?! Come out here!”

“P-please, it’s…fine.”

“You didn’t come here on your own, did you? I know Ruri. She must’ve called you here with an animal. Am I wrong?”

“Y-you’re…right, but…”

“Ruri! Ruri! Why won’t you come out?! You’re dishonoring the name of the Summer! I want to talk, so come out here! Stop running away whenever things don’t go your way!”

“M-Ms.…Ayame…” Hinagiku fumbled her way between Ayame and the door.

“Lady Hinagiku, are you hurt?”

“No, Sakura! Hinagiku…was just…saying…hello. That’s…it!”

Sakura nodded with relief after such a strong reply.

“Lady Ayame, my lady is not harmed in any way; it appears they really were just greeting each other.”

“But…!”

“Lady Hinagiku wouldn’t say this just to defend her. Lady Ruri was appointed Agent eight years ago, so it’s the first time meeting her. Of course she would want to say hello. Although I admit the right thing would’ve been to do so while we were present.”

Ayame glared at the door, still wanting to say something, but then she sighed and desisted.

The three of them headed back to Hinagiku’s room.

“I am sorry for losing my temper…,” said Ayame. “I thought she wouldn’t leave her room even for the Lady Spring, so I was surprised…and angered by how selfish she acted.”

Hinagiku replied to Ayame’s apology by telling her not to worry, but Ayame shook her head.

“I should’ve told you from the very beginning… But I decided to hide the shame.” She wilted with fatigue, and her voice fell to a gloomy monotone.

“My lady, Ruri Hazakura, is in the middle of a strike. This has been going on for the past three months… She’s cooped herself up in her room.”

The word strike confused the lady and retainer of Spring.

Ayame smiled self-consciously. “I’m quitting as retainer in order to marry. And in response…my lady and little sister has refused to carry out her duties…”

So began the visit of the Agent of Spring to the Summer villa.

After they were told to make themselves at home, Hinagiku and Sakura sorted their luggage at their own rooms, then met back at Sakura’s room.

“…”

“…”

The two of them were still processing what they’d learned.

“Marriage.”

“And a strike…”

They each hugged a cushion, as if holding their hazy anxieties to their chest, and said nothing else for a little while.

“Hey…Sakura, are you…planning on…getting…married?” Hinagiku broke the ice first.

“What?! N-no! I only wish to stay by your side forever! I have no plans or hopes for the future!”

Sakura shook her head so hard, it would have come off if it weren’t firmly attached.

“But, but, but… What if…Lord Itecho…asked you to?”

Maybe she shouldn’t have said that. All expression left Sakura’s face, and her voice turned grave. “What? What’s he got to do with anything? Have you been talking to him?”

“S-Sakura…you’re…scaring Hinagiku. It’s just…when we were…little…you liked…him.”

“That was ten years ago. I put those feelings in the trash can, the collector picked it up, and the incinerator’s finished its work. It was also one-sided and delirious, so please don’t speak of it again… Lady Hinagiku, you’re not thinking about going on strike yourself, are you? Please tell me right away if there’s anything you don’t like.”

“I-it’s…fine. Hinagiku…won’t.”

“Good to hear. I’m sorry… I just got a little worried.”

“Because…Hinagiku…did it…before?”

Silence fell after she said that.

Sakura wasn’t expecting her to mention it. “No, I…”

Sakura panicked under her lady’s gaze. She looked down, away from her beloved goddess. “It’s true you have a record on that, but…”

She scrambled to find words that wouldn’t hurt her.

“Your circumstances are different from Lady Summer’s…”

Once she said that, she gave Hinagiku a quick glance and noticed Hinagiku was frozen, her mouth half-open. “A record… Hinagiku…learned that…word…recently.”

Despite her care, Sakura had still fumbled.

“…S-sorry… It’s true…Hinagiku…is a…criminal.”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! You’re not! You aren’t!”

“It’s fine… Hinagiku does…have a…criminal record.”

“Please forget I said that, Lady Hinagiku! You have experience! Yes, that’s the right word! I’m just very bad at language! Forget I said that, and let’s go eat some snacks!”

“No…” Hinagiku shook her head, then inched closer to Sakura and grabbed her hand between both of hers. It was very warm.

“L-Lady Hinagiku?”

The retainer was flustered by the sudden closeness, and Hinagiku whispered words from the bottom of her heart. “Sakura… Sorry. Hinagiku…is a…criminal…but…”

She seemed to be referring to many things in her past. “For your sake…Hinagiku can…be good.”

All the sad, all the good, all the painful things that happened between them.

“Hinagiku…will be…a good person. So…please…don’t ever…leave…”

All of it was contained in her voice.

“Never…leave…Sakura. Hinagiku…can do…anything…for you.”

The natural light coming into the room lit up Hinagiku’s hair and skin and everything about her. To Sakura’s eyes, it formed a halo.

They were alone in the quiet room. The Goddess of Spring prayed as though begging forgiveness in a confessional.

But those prayers and entreaties were to a powerless human.

To just stay by her side.

Oh, she’s still so lonely after all these years.

Sakura was proud to be relied on, but at the same time, it was sad.

Many times before, this goddess’s actions had moved her, but never had she been shaken to her core like this before.

“I would never, Lady Hinagiku.” Sakura placed her free hand on Hinagiku’s.

“We are here like this now because of what happened in the past. We won’t lose. We vowed to overcome everything together, remember?”

Her voice was warm, filled with the truth.

“Yes…” Hinagiku was relieved.

Even though they had received separate rooms, in the end, they slept together in the same bed, like sisters.

The next day, the two of them went to check out the spot for the manifestation of spring and offered the song and dance.

The manifestation of the season came right away to the places they visited, but gradually to the surroundings.

Hinagiku’s song and dance became more and more fantastical the more times she repeated it.

“Look at the flurry of snow flow West, flow East.”

As though Spring itself had taken over her, yearning for Winter.

“The light snow and the ashen snow change color as Winter goes.”

There were many songs of the four seasons, and when she sang the love song, her voice grew loud and powerful.

“The faint snow, the powder snow, the petal snow flow West, flow East.”

Sakura wore a complicated expression as she watched, though she didn’t know why.

“Flow a thousand miles and a million more.”

Unlike Sakura, who had come to dislike Winter, her lady was merciful and voiced no grudges. If anything, she may have grown fonder of him the more time she spent away from him.

“And though Spring may never receive your embrace, she will follow behind.”

Even though her beloved was the cause of her kidnapping.

Sometimes, all that mercy only brings trouble.

“Thank you…for…watching. Spring…has…come.”

As Hinagiku finished her song and dance, Sakura ran up to her with a coat and blanket and wrapped her in an embrace.

“Good work. We must walk back to where we stopped the car, so please rest before we go.”

“…Yes.”

“We have houjicha and a cold sports drink—which one would you like?”

“The…tea…please.”

Sakura unfolded a chair and let Hinagiku sit down. She took a soup thermos from her bag, then unlinked the red oilpaper umbrella from the hiking backpack, opened it up, and stood beside her.

It was a picturesque sight—master and retainer under a red umbrella on a sunny winter day.

“…Sakura…you don’t…have to…do all…of this,” Hinagiku said apologetically, feeling awkward being the only one sitting.

“This is how it should be, Lady Hinagiku. You have the status.”

“You’re…also…tired…from…working.”

“I am not. Not in the slightest.”

“The umbrella…must be…heavy. Put it…down.”

“I chose the item that would fit you best, Lady Hinagiku. It’s very high-quality and quite light for an oilpaper umbrella. I must also protect you from the harsh UV rays.”

“Then…come and…sit down.”

“There’s only one chair.”

“Sit…down…Sakura. Hinagiku…will sit…on your lap.”

“Huh?”

“Sit…down. We can…use the chair…together.”

“…Now this is a request I cannot turn down.”

Sakura entirely dismissed her standing as retainer and accepted the deal. The two of them sat on the little chair, together like a couple of sisters. The umbrella remained open.

This is perfect.

It was quiet here. Nothing got in the way—well, except for the snow.

“Lady Hinagiku, please don’t look directly at the snow for too long. You’ll burn your eyes.”

“…Can’t look away.”

It would be perfect, if not for the snow enchanting her beloved lady wherever they went.

“Lady Hinagiku.”

“Hmm?”

“Please don’t. Rest your eyes,” she whined as she covered Hinagiku’s vision with a hand.

Even though she knew there was no point, at the very least, just for this moment, she wanted her lady to be hers and only hers.

“S…sorry.”

Sakura sighed at the apology. She felt Hinagiku’s eyelashes brush against her fingers. She was staring at the snow through the gaps. Hinagiku was usually meek, but when she dug in her heels, she dug them in deep. Sakura felt stupid for doing this when she knew what her lady was like.

Perhaps her position on Sakura’s lap was why Hinagiku’s attention was elsewhere.

Even though Sakura never looked away from her.

“…Do you…think…Lord…Rosei…is doing…well?” Hinagiku’s citrine eyes stayed fixed on the snow nearly melting. At the remains of his season.

“Who cares about him? It’s not worth worrying about.”

The words came out aggressive.

“…Hinagiku…was…just…wondering.”

“I hope he’s having a terrible time. He’d better not be doing well.”

“Don’t…say…that. Sakura…Hinagiku…really…doesn’t…hold a…grudge against…Lord…Rosei.”

“…”

“He’s…the person…I…loved… So Hinagiku…was just…wondering…even now.”

Hinagiku had said something strange.

Sakura replied with a question. “It’s not your own will…?”

“…Who…knows… When Hinagiku…first met…you…Hinagiku…knew…it was…you…but…it’s all…borrowed.” Hinagiku kicked her feet idly. “…It’s like…living…inside…a stranger’s…house.”

“But it is your house.”

“That’s…true…but…not…really… So…the replacement…Hinagiku…is very…grateful…to you…for being…so kind.”

Sakura pressed her lips together sadly at her lady’s bizarre words.

The girl on her lap suddenly felt so delicate.

Please don’t say that.

The plea echoed in her head, but it didn’t leave her lips.

“You can…go…home…now. Hinagiku…will just…die.”

It echoed.

“Lady Hinagiku, the doctor told you that you’re a different point on the same line.”

Sakura spoke strongly so as to convince herself, too. She could never put her anxiety into words; if she didn’t show confidence, then her lady would break.

“…Yes.”

“You are not a replacement. You are also Lady Hinagiku Kayo.”

“…”

“Even if you don’t believe so, I know you are. But you don’t need to try to go back to the way you were. I also love the new Lady Hinagiku. You are doing your best. And I love you.”

“………Yes.”

If only the conversation had ended there, wrapped in a neat little bow. But Hinagiku rested her head on Sakura’s and said, “…Then…”

It was a show of trust. And Sakura cherished more than anything the trust of this girl, who had stood up after her heart and spirit had been broken so many times.

She could not betray that trust.

“Can I…still love…Lord…Rosei?”

Do not betray her.

Not even if Sakura’s own words inspired her to ask for the unthinkable.

“Hinagiku…wants to…see him. Hinagiku’s…not sure why… Hinagiku…might be…a different…person now…but…these…feelings for…Lord…Rosei…don’t…seem to be…dead.”

No matter how her heart screamed, she must not betray her.

“Sakura…Hinagiku…wants to…meet…him. Hinagiku…wants him…to meet…her.”

But even the current Hinagiku might be lost if she did.

I can’t let her do that.

Sakura remembered the fear she felt when the girl on her lap had returned.

It was the year Reimei 18, autumn.

A lone girl visited the Town of Spring.

The Town of Spring, hidden in the mountains, was not on any map of Yamato.

It was one of a few special Towns for nurturing the Agents of the Four Seasons in this country.

The locations of the Town of Spring, the Town of Summer, the Town of Autumn, and the Town of Winter were all national secrets.

Among them, the most lush with natural beauty was the Town of Spring.

The Town was isolated from the outside world by a tall fence.

On the inside, there were many houses with thatched roofs. There was a main road extending from the entrance into the shrine forest. Beyond the forest was a small hill, and on top of it a long stone staircase, with seasonal flowers and trees at each side, until it reached the headquarters.

This place, where they venerated spring and nurtured the Agent of Spring, was called the Shrine. It was divided in two: the honden, where the servants lived, and the haiden, where the Season was enshrined. There was also a luxurious Yamatoan house on its spacious grounds.

A visitor from the outside stood timidly at the front of the Shrine in the old-fashioned Town.

The girl was, in a word, scruffy.

Her hair, black with some white strands, was unkempt and reached all the way to her hip. She didn’t seem to have the money to buy clothing; she wore a thin black shirt and denim shorts despite it being nearly autumn.

This wasn’t a place she could normally enter, but she had been invited. She had been driven in and made to walk through the mountain paths until she finally reached this place.

After a while, a woman in a kimono came out from the Shrine’s honden.

“The Townchief awaits… Do you have a change of clothes?”

The girl shook her head. She had nothing on her at all save for her rucksack, which only contained her carelessly stored katana.

“…They won’t see you like this.”

“Wasn’t it you who called me?”

“We called for the retainer of the Agent of Spring, not a filthy, homeless wanderer.”

“I don’t see the need to get all dressed up if we’re just gonna talk.”

The girl didn’t let the scornful glare get to her, and she glared back.

“…Fine, then, Lady Sakura Himedaka. Follow me.”

The luxurious house was like a castle.

A beautiful Yamatoan garden spread everywhere they walked.

Sakura surveyed the honden until they showed her to the reception room.

However, she was forced to wait for the one who had called her. Sakura had arrived at the Town just after noon, and the meeting didn’t begin until dusk.

“Who do you think you are, old hag? Stop wasting my time,” was the first thing Sakura said when the old woman stepped into the room.

The woman was unfazed. “Careful with that language, little girl.”

This was the Townchief of Spring, more than seventy years old.

The two of them sat on their knees across from each other in the Yamatoan room in a corner of the honden.

“Sakura Himedaka… You sold yourself to the Town of Winter in order to search for the Agent of Spring, Hinagiku Kayo… And now that even they have forsaken you, you’ve fallen to human settlements. Look at yourself… You should be grateful that we’ve received you without condemnation.”

Sakura responded to the cold words with a snort.

“I suppose it’s a matter of perspective. I was born in this Town, but I do not serve it. I only have one lady. Of course I’m looking for her now that she’s missing. I gained nothing by staying with you after how quickly you stopped looking for Lady Hinagiku. At least Winter was useful. And you didn’t ‘receive’ me; you were looking for me. Am I wrong?”

“You’ve become so foulmouthed.”

“Should’ve seen that coming after you abandoned a nine-year-old.”

“…We tried to raise you to stay strong and firm no matter what happened. But it seems we failed. Now you say you don’t care who you’re with so long as you profit from it. Like some whore.”

Sakura didn’t care for the slander and smiled coldly. “Say what you want. I’ll be a whore or a thief if it’s what my lady needs me to be. So if you can’t stand the sight of me, why did you call for me? You going to put on a trial here and now?”

“…”

“Or are we here to share intel? If, after all that’s happened, you want to restart the investigation, then I’ll give you everything I have.”

“We do not intend anything of the sort.”

Sakura had expected that; she gave a wry laugh. “Of course… You’re betting on her turning up dead.”

The tension was thick enough to cut.

Both parties could feel on their skin the terrible mood turning even worse.

The Townchief opened her mouth to say something, but Sakura spoke first. “So long as the Agent doesn’t lose their life or their divine power to manifest the season, they will be able to control spring.”

You horrible bastards, she thought.

“As soon as they lose that power, the next generation manifests.”

You should be ashamed of yourselves.

“It’s been eight years since she disappeared, and there’s still no spring. Lady Hinagiku is alive.”

Shame on you! Shame on you! Shame on you!

“But you wanted her to die as soon as possible! That’s why you cut the investigation short… If anyone should be ashamed, it’s you! You assholes make me sick!”

Sakura felt her head boiling. She was still sitting, but all the yelling had her short of breath. The stress had triggered the symptoms of her chronic illness.

“…!”

She shut her mouth and took a deep breath. She gulped down the suffocating feeling to try and stop her attack.

I said it. I finally said it to them.

Sakura had wanted to hurl the truth at them for a long while. But just saying it didn’t give her relief. It didn’t bring her joy. It only made her feel empty and indescribably sad. She bit her lip to stop the tears from welling.

“How could you…wish for a new Agent to be born?!”

Her last words came out hoarse from the pain.

The Townchief remained silent for a while. The Town of Spring had to admit fault—they had to.

Effectively, Sakura’s denouncement came from the following logic:

Hinagiku Kayo, this country’s Agent of Spring, had been kidnapped. Once an Agent of the Four Seasons died or grew too old to use their power, another person received the powers. This person was chosen supernaturally from the bloodline of those who began the Agent of the Four Seasons system back in the age of the gods. Considering the next Agent hadn’t been found, it meant that Hinagiku Kayo was still alive somewhere. And yet, the Town of Spring cut the investigation short. A girl was out there, abandoned after she was deemed unable to do her job.

“And as we speak, you’re still choosing to let her die out there, you disgusting—”

“The Towns were established in order to keep the seed of the first humans appointed as Agents of the Four Seasons.”

The Townchief kept her voice level in an attempt to mollify Sakura.

“We in the Town of Spring exist for the sole purpose of bringing spring without delay. Now that the Agent has disappeared, it is only natural to wish for a new one to come. We don’t have time or money to waste on someone who won’t come back. She was taken by the insurgents… It was clear she would pass soon.”

“You treat her like a literal goddess so long as you get some use out of her, but the moment you can’t, you dump her like garbage.”

“…”

“And your prediction was entirely wrong! She’s been alive for eight years! I shouldn’t have come here… I don’t know what you want, but just talking to you makes me want to throw up.”

“Wait… Sakura, listen.”

“To what?! If you’re not going to look for her, then why did you bring me here?! To laugh at me?!”

“That’s not it. Listen.”

Sakura stood up in silence. The Townchief grabbed her arm to stop her, but Sakura roughly shook her off. The Townchief grabbed it once again.

“If you think I’ll hold back just because you’re an old woman…”

“She’s back!”

Sakura didn’t understand what she meant right away.

“…What?”

Sakura couldn’t breathe.

“Agent Hinagiku is back. She was found half a year ago… We haven’t made any public announcement.”

“That…can’t…be…”

Her voice cracked. She should’ve asked for confirmation of the shocking news first, or maybe she should’ve felt light-headed at the sound of it. But none of that happened. Instead, her reaction was visible in her body. Her fingers trembled uncontrollably, despite the lack of cold, and she ground her teeth together.

“But…” Her voice was feeble, like a weak little girl’s. “Half a year ago…? Why didn’t you make an announcement…? Why didn’t you tell me…?”

“We didn’t know where you were… And we were planning on choosing a different retainer.”

It was another heart-wrenching truth, and Sakura was at a loss for words.

“…gh!”

Of course they wouldn’t want to appoint a retainer that was useless when her lady got kidnapped. But it still hurt to hear it.

But then why call me here?

The Townchief wasn’t caring enough to call her here just so she could meet the lady she once lost.

There’s gotta be a catch.

Sakura glared at her, and the Townchief realized what she was thinking.

“National Security handed Hinagiku Kayo over to us,” she began weakly. “We tried our best to get her back in shape, but she’s shown no improvement… She might never be able to work again. After the kidnapping…she’s changed dramatically. She’s broken inside—or perhaps it’s better to say she’s nearly become a goddess. We appointed her retainer after retainer to reverse it, but we haven’t had any success…”

Sakura’s face went pale as she heard of her lady’s situation.

“Can she speak?”

“She seems to have regressed, but she can still speak. Her mind might become unbalanced, and if she gets too close to her divinity…”

The following words shook Sakura even harder.

“…she might die.”

Now that she was sure Sakura wouldn’t run anymore, the Townchief let her arm go. “Protecting the lady’s body is not the true role of the retainer. You are assigned to guard their heart, to keep them human. As much as the Agents of the Four Seasons deny it, they are gods incarnate. They are not like us. If they lose their human mind and inch closer to the side of the gods…they won’t come back. Sakura Himedaka…we didn’t want you to come back…but if there’s anyone who can do something for her, it’s you.”

“How…dare…you…”

There were so many things she could have said.

“You come crying to me now, after everything?” “It’s all your fault.” “You’re the one who should die.” “Why didn’t you call me earlier?” “Then why did you throw me out?” “You abandoned me, and now you want me back?” “You didn’t help me.”

“…I know you’ll say I’m not being honest, but I do want to do something for her now that she’s back. Please save Lady Hinagiku.”

“Liar.” “You thought she’d die right away.” “And she didn’t.” “She lived for years after you abandoned her.” “I wish I could do the same thing to you.” “She’s just a tool to you.” “But to me, to me, she’s…”

“I’ll show you. She’s living in a corner of the haiden.”

“To me, she’s the most precious girl in the whole world.”

All those words whirled like curses inside her head, but Sakura didn’t speak. If even one of them escaped her, she might not be able to stop herself from clobbering the Townchief. And no matter how much she hated the old bitch, she was the bridge to reconnecting with her lost lady. She had to keep calm for now. And so she gritted her teeth.

But you will pay.

She concealed her wish for vengeance and followed in silence to the haiden.

The Townchief vanished as soon as they arrived, believing it would be best for her not to be here; she had warned Hinagiku that someone would be coming.

“Excuse me,” Sakura said as she entered the haiden. There was a room with statues of the four seasons and a sliding paper door going deeper in. She opened door after door like she had found herself in a fairy tale.

Dried flowers were hung up everywhere on the Yamatoan rooms she advanced through, and the sight was stranger and stranger as she advanced. The choice of flowers looked to be deliberate and carefully considered. Bouquets of baby’s breath, roses, lavenders, globe amaranths, statices, and more decorated the walls. Looking up, she found them on the ceiling, too. It felt more like being inside a flower than inside a room.

Eventually, she reached a space so full of flowers and plants that she could hardly tell it was a Yamatoan room. Sakura looked around, but she didn’t find anyone anywhere. Why was her lady isolated?

Sakura stood before the last room, where she’d likely find her lady, and looked down at her feet.

“…?”

The wind coming in from the gap in the door brought a petal. Light pink, in the shape of a peach. A cherry blossom.

She’s really here.

It was autumn. Red leaves and ginkgo fruit surrounded the Town. There couldn’t be any cherry blossoms. The mere existence of this was odd.

It’s the power of the Agent of Spring. It even smells different.

The distinctly non-autumnal scent beckoned her. It was an ephemeral fragrance, like a fleeting dream you might wake up from at any moment. The smell of spring. Sakura reached out to the door’s handle, and as she slid it open, more cherry blossoms danced out on the wind.

She gasped when she saw the world on the other side of the door.

The striking landscape entranced her instantly, like a spell from a queen enchantress.

Her senses were taken from her. The beauty was powerful enough to stop time.

“The cherry blossom twirls and sways,

The cherry blossom drops and sinks,

There it goes, lovely and fragrant,

Spring comes, so close your eyes; for whom does the beauty bloom?

For whom? For whom? Spring comes, please come through.”

A girl clad in a white kimono sat on the veranda, singing. In the garden, there was a cherry blossom tree the height of an adult man. Her Agent powers were weakened, but she could still manifest spring.

“Please come through, please come through…”

The girl shut her mouth in the middle of the song and turned around. Her eyes didn’t seem to recognize Sakura as an acquaintance. She quickly turned back around and stepped down barefoot into the garden. Her posture said she was ready to run.

“Lady Hinagiku!” Sakura shouted. “Lady Hinagiku, it’s me! Sakura! Your…your Sakura!”

The girl stopped all of a sudden. Sakura couldn’t say anything else right away.

Her lady was right there. The Goddess of Spring she had failed to protect was alive. That was enough to take her breath away.

“It’s Sakura Himedaka!”

Breathe in, and prove yourself.

“I am sorry I couldn’t protect you!”

Your goddess is right before your eyes.

“This whole time, I’ve always…”

She’s right here.

“I never stopped looking for you! Lady Hinagiku!”

Sakura realized she was on her knees, sobbing.

“…gh!”

In truth, she wanted to press her head to the floor, but the crying left her weak in the knees, and she couldn’t even clench a fist.

“…Agh… Gh… Bw-wuh…”

She could only hit the floor and weep. She had to straighten her posture; she moved her trembling hands desperately and placed her forehead on the tatami. But she couldn’t hold the position.

“Saku…ra.”

Hinagiku’s mechanical voice fell on her like rain.

She raised her head.

“…Sa…ku…ra?”

Sakura’s goddess walked up to her silently, watching her from above. Tears spilled from Sakura’s eyes as the girl’s tremulous fingers brushed over her face, her hair, and then her lips.

“Is it…really…you…Sa…ku…ra?”

“L-Lady Hinagiku…!”

“What…happ…ened…to your…hair? It…was…so…black…and…pretty…but…now…it’s…all…white.”

“Lady Hinagiku, Lady Hinagiku, Lady Hinagiku…!” Sakura extended a trembling hand. “Lady Hinagiku, I’ve wanted to see you again for so long… I was looking for you this whole time.”

She couldn’t bear it, and she clung to Hinagiku’s legs.

“…”

Hinagiku comforted her by patting her head and speaking, but her voice was strange.

“Lady Hinagiku…! Lady Hinagiku…”

“Sa…ku…ra… You…were…loo…king…for…Hi…na…giku?”

“I was… The whole time…”

“The…whole…time?”

“The whole entire time…! I never stopped, not for a single day! Lady Hinagiku…”

Hinagiku’s joyful expression suddenly warped into pain.

“I see… You…were…looking…for…Hina…giku… Sorry…”

“No, no… I’m sorry, from the bottom of my heart. I failed to protect you, to fulfill my job as your retainer… If you are still angry with me, please punish me the way you see fit.”

“N-no… That’s…not it. You…see…Hinagiku…is…”

“Yes, Lady Hinagiku?” Sakura looked her lady in the eye, ready to accept anything she could say.

“Hinagiku…is…already…dead.”

The words hit Sakura like cold rain.

“…Huh? What do you…mean?”

“The…original…Hina…giku…died. This…Hinagiku…is a…different…person.”

“…Lady Hinagiku?”

She could hear her heart beating.

A hint of a smile found its way to Sakura’s face. The person before her had grown up so beautiful.

This Hinagiku felt too ephemeral, but Sakura could never mistake her lady. It was clearly the Agent of Spring she had been looking for this whole time. The manifestation of the cherry blossom tree also proved it.

“What do you mean…‘a different person’? I’m sorry, Lady Hinagiku, I don’t understand…”

“You…see, the previous…Hinagiku…couldn’t…take it. She…disappeared. This Hinagiku now…is her replacement. It’s…not…the Hinagiku…you were…looking for.”

“…It’s true that you speak differently from before, but even so…”

“We’re…different. I’ve…been…telling…everyone.”

“…”

Sakura could feel something was up, and it wasn’t something she could easily picture. Hinagiku’s eyes softened sadly. Her expression said she was looking for a way to comfort this girl who had come out of nowhere.

Sakura let go of her.

“So…rry.”

The cold voice rained on her again.

“…Sorry…Sakura… But…you can…go home…now.”

Her gentle words sounded like a painful rejection.

“Someone…got the…wrong…idea, right? Hinagiku…told them…it was fine.”

Yes, Hinagiku was different from before.

“Hinagiku…knows…that everyone…had been…waiting…for ‘her’…to die.”

She spoke differently, and the expressions on her face weren’t like before.

“So…Hinagiku…will…give them…what they…want. This…Hinagiku…will die, too…so just…leave Hinagiku…alone.”

She looked the same, but it was as though someone else were inside her.

“And then…they can…serve…the next…person. So…you can…go home. Thank…you…Sakura.”

Shivers went down Sakura’s spine. This was not the reunion she had hoped for.

“…!”

Sakura was handed the choice to give up and leave.

She could go, as Hinagiku had said, and live the rest of her life forgetting about the Agent of Spring.

And the choice did cross her mind.

Stop.

A voice inside her immediately denied it.

Stop it.

She had lived for this girl and kept her at the center of her thoughts. Now that Hinagiku was back, alive, and unwilling to welcome her with open arms, Sakura had the choice to lead a new life.

I don’t need such a life.

She could just go home. She was still in her teens—she could make up for the time lost.

Here she had the opportunity to go live like any other person. Perhaps this was her point of no return. She could just tell herself the seasons didn’t matter and wash her hands of all of it. She could leave behind the girl who had saved her life, risking her own, ten years ago. Hinagiku herself was saying she didn’t need her.

But…

It was like…

But so what?

…like fate itself was urging her to accept the offer. But Sakura didn’t.

So what? I don’t need anything normal.

She hated herself for imagining a life without Hinagiku even for a moment.

Sakura could’ve made lots of other friends, gone to school, fallen in love, gotten married, maybe had children. She could have led a modest, tranquil life.

Shut up.

But to fate, Sakura said:

“No…”

Shut the fuck up.

She snarled at it.

Shut up! Die! Go away!

She killed the voice in her head telling her to betray her lady.

Again and again, she killed that girl inside her. She beat her. Ran her over. Strangled her. Stabbed her. Burned her. Crucified her. Shot her. Poisoned her. Crushed her. Mangled her. Executed her. Hung her. Assassinated her. Hollowed her.

She killed, murdered, and slayed her, until only loyalty remained.

“No, this is my home.”

And so the new Sakura Himedaka was born.

Kill all the noise. What do I care what it says?

Her lady was alive and didn’t need her retainer. But so what?

I don’t need it. I don’t need anything but the right to stay here with her.

“No matter what happens, I am your servant. My home is always with you.”

So what? The words burned in her soul.

“Please forgive me for my long absence. From now on, Sakura Himedaka will always remain by your side.”

Hinagiku looked at her in disbelief.

Lady Hinagiku’s trust is the one thing I cannot lose.

Now the anxiety was like a worm slithering all through Sakura’s body.

She could just indulge her lady with the words she was looking for. She ought to. She was no longer in the valley of hatred.

But Sakura’s pain was too great. The load was unbearable for a nineteen-year-old girl, and she didn’t realize how it bound her.

“It was Winter’s fault that you got kidnapped,” Sakura tried desperately.

I shouldn’t be saying this.

Sakura realized it wouldn’t work on Hinagiku.

“That’s…not true. It is…the insurgents’…fault.”

Hinagiku no longer needed Sakura to escape the pain in her life.

“They abandoned you. Your life was ruined because of them.”

Hinagiku had survived her betrayal and left it behind. Sakura still hadn’t. Perhaps she never would.

“If there’s anyone else we can trust…no. There’s no one.”

It wasn’t that she couldn’t.

“That’s…not…true.”

She simply didn’t want to.

“Yes, it is.”

Sakura did not want to get over it. She couldn’t function without the hatred.

“Why…do you…say that?”

Hinagiku stopped leaning on Sakura and turned around. Their gazes finally met. Sakura finally saw those citrine eyes she’d longed to see, although they shimmered with sadness.

“Is it…because…you feel…better…if Lord…Rosei…and Lord…Itecho…are the…bad guys?”

She’s a goddess.

“I…get it. I know…how you…feel. I…used to…feel that…way. It…hurt.”

My goddess.

“But…you know, you’re…just…putting…the blame…on them.”

You are so pure, so innocent.

“You…taught…me…that.”

And yet you see everything from a higher plane, it seems.

“Why do you…go against…what you…taught me? You know…that’s wrong. That day…the two…of them…tried to…protect us.”

And you hurt me.

“Trying…to put…the blame on…someone…will only…make you…suffer…more.”

Hinagiku’s words were like a pure prayer.

“Hinagiku…still…loves you…the way…you are…”

A shining light showing Sakura the painless way.

“But…Hinagiku…doesn’t…want you…to suffer.”

Still, Sakura didn’t want to leave the hatred behind. If she did that now…

“…Lady Hinagiku.”

…she would become weak.

I looked for you for years.

Weaker than she already was.

Even after Spring gave up on you. Even after Winter gave up on you.

And a weak woman couldn’t be her blade.

I need the anger.

If she was not a blade, she couldn’t protect her dearest girl.

I needed the hatred, Lady Hinagiku. You don’t know.

She couldn’t protect her dearest lady.

You just don’t know.

She couldn’t keep her safe.

Some of us can’t live without the hatred.

And if she didn’t keep her safe, they would both die.

“…”

Sakura sighed, attempting to gather her thoughts. “I’ll try my best to do as you say.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I will…do my best…so please…Lady Hinagiku.”

“…What?”

“Could you please tell me that you love me? I want the strength to persevere.”

Sakura realized how foolish a request it was once it had left her mouth.

This is foolish and disgraceful, I know.

She was a child throwing a tantrum. She was selfishly asking for affection because she didn’t like that the one she hated could receive it without asking. She knew she wasn’t Hinagiku’s mother or partner.

“I don’t care if it’s a lie…”

Lady and retainer. God and goddess. Woman and woman. Man and woman. The relationships were different in so many ways that it felt stupid to try to compete. She knew her relationship with Hinagiku was unlike Rosei’s.

Even if Sakura hated him, it was foolish to try to have her lady’s heart all to herself.

I’m sorry.

Still, she wanted this girl’s love.

I know it’s just a substitute.

After living on hatred for all this time, what Sakura truly needed was Hinagiku. She was her only hope.

I know you’re suffering, too. I’m sorry.

She wanted Hinagiku’s gaze. Her attention. Even her love. She begged for it.

“Why…do you…say such…things…again? Hinagiku…won’t…lie.”

She didn’t need to compete for the goddess to cherish her, but still she hurt.

“Sakura…I love you.”

The words Sakura longed for the most reached her ears without a trace of falsehood.

Thank you. When you say you love me…

“Hinagiku…loves you. Your kind…ness…your grumpi…ness…”

…I feel something inside me being forgiven.

“Hinagiku…loves you…a whole…lot.”

So I seek it out like some sort of excuse.

“Don’t…worry…Sakura.”

Even ten years back, the only one who could heal the wounds in her heart was Hinagiku.

“…Lady Hinagiku.”

Sakura tried not to look at the inconvenient reality.

“I love you, too, Lady Hinagiku.”

Sakura wanted to hate for a bit longer, but she released the umbrella and let it fall. Instead, as Hinagiku turned around, Sakura wrapped her arms around her. She hugged her lady tight, as though resisting the light being reflected from the snow to them.

Hinagiku smiled in her arms. “It hurts,” she said.

Sakura let go in a hurry. “Lady Hinagiku…”

“Don’t…worry…it’s…fine,” Hinagiku whispered comfortingly. She would never let Sakura go, no matter how badly Sakura erred.

“It’s fine…”

I’m sorry, Lady Hinagiku.

The reason Sakura had survived from the age of nine was thanks to emotions she was better off letting go of—her obsession and regret.

I’m sorry. If only I could be more normal.

She couldn’t live without them. She wasn’t allowed to live without them.

If only I could love you normally.

Sakura knew her love was twisted.

“I want to hear those words for the rest of my life. I want to stay closest to you—forever.”

Sakura’s love, while warped, was more guileless than anybody else’s.

“Yes…Hinagiku will…say it…as many…times as you…want. Because…Hinagiku…loves…you. Hinagiku…doesn’t…blame you. Hinagiku’s…grateful…that you…waited…and didn’t…forget. Hinagiku…loves you.”

Sakura couldn’t function any other way.

“Yes. I love you, too. And I will protect you for as long as I live.”

She needed the hatred and the dependency.

“It’ll…be…fine.”

Hinagiku understood everything, and she gave Sakura all the words and attention she wanted.

“Sakura, Hinagiku loves you.”

“…Yes.”

“Hinagiku loves you…so much.”

“Yes, Lady Hinagiku.”

The love she professed to her supplicant was not romantic love.

“So…it’ll be…fine.”

“…Yes, Lady Hinagiku.”

It was not romantic love, but it was far more intense and pure than platonic love.

“So long as I have you, it will all be fine.”

It was a bit broken, but it was a proper feeling between the two.

By the time Hinagiku had said she loved her about fifty times, Sakura could smile again.

A few days passed after they arrived at the Summer villa.

Hinagiku and Sakura followed the schedule and fulfilled their duty to bring Spring to Iyo.

The place had been chilly and full of snow when they first arrived, but it had been getting warmer. Winter was turning into spring.

After a few days of rest following the manifestation, they had to head to Teishu next.

“Lady Hinagiku, are you okay?”

After using her divine powers for multiple days in a row, Hinagiku had come down with a fatigue-induced fever the moment she went back to her room.

“…Yeah… It’s just…a little…fever.”

Her lady’s feeble response as she looked out from under the sheets hurt Sakura’s chest. She had spent too much time talking in the snow. Just thinking that this might have been the cause pained her.

Hinagiku noticed she was worrying about this and added, “It isn’t…because of before…”

“In any case, we need to get that fever down. I’ll go find some medicine. And we should grab you something else for dinner. I’ll borrow the kitchen to make it myself. Is rice porridge okay?”

“Could you…make it…with some…eggs? Or is that…asking…too much?”

“It is never asking too much. Please tell me whatever you want, whether you’re down with a fever or not.”

Sakura adjusted the cooling sheet on Hinagiku’s forehead before heading to the kitchen.

She had memorized the building’s structure in order to guard Hinagiku, so she reached her destination without any needless detours. The Summer villa was built like a Western mansion, and every room was spacious.

There were two fridges in the kitchen, too, perhaps in case of visitors. Sakura couldn’t find a cook there; she wondered for a while if she was allowed to just open one of the fridges.

“Were you looking for something, Lady Himedaka?”

Sakura turned around to find Ayame.

She was wearing a fancy rich-girl dress; perhaps she had just come back from an outing.

“Oh, Lady Ayame. May I use the food in the fridge? Lady Hinagiku’s come down with a fever… I was thinking about making something else for us tonight.”

“Oh my. Of course, go ahead. You can use anything in the kitchen. The cook is out shopping at the moment.”

“Thank you. I will help myself, then.”

Ayame watched with deep interest as Sakura opened the fridge and quickly took out all the ingredients and seasonings.

“…Is there any problem?” Sakura asked.

“No, I was just impressed that you can cook.”

“It’s just porridge. Anyone can make it.”

“…I’m ashamed to admit that I haven’t ever tried it.”

“What?!” Sakura exclaimed.

“The people around here have always made everything for me.”

Agent and retainer normally traveled from a young age to manifest the seasons. The accompanying adults cooked for them, so naturally, they would have no opportunity to do it themselves.

“And I’m about to get married… That’s not good, is it? I can’t have him cook for me all the time. I should be able to at least make porridge for my husband when he gets sick.”

Sakura hesitated to say, That’s right, so she simply asked if Ayame wanted to lend a hand. Ayame nodded with a smile, and the two of them stood together at the kitchen counter. It was nothing complex, though, so most of their time was spent watching the pot.

After a while, Sakura couldn’t take the silence anymore.

“Um, may I ask…about the strike?”

She had wanted to ask about it for a long time. Ayame deflated and replied weakly, “Ah… It’s so embarrassing. Who else has their lady on strike, right?”

“No, I…”

“It’s quite simple. She’s always felt entitled to me since we were children.”

Ayame reminisced about their past together.

“Since the Agents are treated like gods, they don’t go to school. They really are sheltered in childhood… So they depend heavily on their retainers. She must feel like her toy’s being taken away because I’m quitting to marry… Like she owns me…”

Sakura understood that feeling, but she knew that wasn’t exclusive to the Agents.

Aren’t we the same? Isn’t that why you worry the way you do?

The retainers, too, in a corner of their mind, thought of themselves as their Agent’s possession.

And this feeling got stronger and stronger the deeper their bonds became. Leaving their lady’s side brought agonizing pain. Even if the sisters didn’t really get along, Sakura couldn’t believe the retainer of Summer wouldn’t feel it.

She stared at Ayame as she said, “I must say…I’m shocked the Town approved it. Retainers are there to guard their masters, too, but their main objective is to not let them get too close to godhood… We’re here to keep their mental stability.”

“This is something particular to Summer. Their family gives them support when they are young, but as they come of age, they spend the rest of their life with their partner. It’s custom, so I’m not the only one getting married.”

“You mean the Lady Summer is also marrying?”

That revelation came as a shock to Sakura, but Ayame nodded like it was nothing.

“They’ve already met. Starting next year, Ruri’s husband will join her. He’s from a renowned family with strong blood ties to the successors; he’s a bit older but very kind and open-minded. Ruri doesn’t hate him, either, but…”

“…How old is Lady Ruri, again?”

“Eighteen, a good age. It’s time for her to leave her sister and turn her attention elsewhere… After all, the older she gets, and the more knowledgeable she becomes, the harder she’ll reject this kind of marriage.”

“…”

Ayame spoke softly, but it was all so bizarrely cruel.

I suppose she’s made her peace with it.

Even to Sakura, who cared for nothing but her lady, this arrangement was regressive. The world of the Four Seasons was very different from what was normal in society, but this made Sakura want to ask her if she really was okay going through with this. But once she noticed the way Ayame was clasping her hands, she desisted.

I see. This is not what she wants.

The families of those who devoted their lives to the Four Seasons were, in a way, sacrificing themselves for the world.

That included Sakura and the Agents. If they wanted to keep going at all, they had to convince themselves that there was no other way.

“Summer has been changing little by little lately. They didn’t allow the retainers to get married before. And the Agents’ partners were greatly limited. If Ruri and I can improve the policy…then perhaps we’ll be able to make it easier on the next generation.”

“That’s commendable.”

“Ruri also seems to understand this, but she won’t accept it. Even if her next retainer loves her…she only wants the one who’s been there with her since her childhood.”

“…”

“I’m sorry for all this… It’s so embarrassing… But I feel an affinity with you as a fellow retainer.”

“Oh, don’t worry.”

“You in Spring don’t have to worry about this, do you?”

“We…”

Sakura didn’t intend to put their shame on display, but she felt it would be wrong not to say anything now that Ayame had shared so much. Besides, expressing her anxieties could lighten the weight on her shoulders.

“…Actually, we’ve had a strike of our own, too.”

“What?!”

Sakura gave an awkward smile at the predictable reaction. “After Lady Hinagiku came back…from the kidnapping, she cooped herself up in her room… She was dealing with trust issues and post-traumatic stress disorder and so much more…”

“Ah!” Ayame exclaimed. “So the official announcement was inaccurate. When did she return, then?”

“Two years ago, actually. She spent that time healing until she could finally go out again.”

For a while, the only sounds in the kitchen were their breathing and the bubbling of the pot. After some time, Ayame spoke again. “…I did read the documents, but… Was it that terrible…?”

“What do you mean?

“The kidnapping, when they attacked the Town of Winter.”

“Yes… It was awful. I was there, so I was interrogated… I’ve read the documents detailing the case many times. I have it all memorized.”

Ayame stared at her, and Sakura stirred the pot as she recounted the events like a bard reciting a tale.

“It happened on February second, Reimei ten.”

Like One Thousand and One Nights.

“We were visiting the Town of Winter for the Season Descent. It was three in the afternoon when an extremist anti-Agency group attacked the Town of Winter… They infiltrated through the sewers and shot the staff. Many were wounded…”

The pot roiled and seethed.

“When the battle erupted, Agent of Winter Rosei Kantsubaki, age ten; his retainer, Itecho Kangetsu, age nineteen; my lady, Agent of Spring Hinagiku Kayo, age six; and I, Sakura Himedaka, age nine, evacuated the honden…”

The boiling in the pot seemed to spill into the words coming from her mouth, knocking on the door of her memories.

As dispassionately as she described the situation, she couldn’t help remembering.

“The four of us were able to leave the Town of Winter, but the extremists caught up to us at the shrine forest on the outskirts. In the struggle, Guard of Winter Itecho Kangetsu covered Lady Hinagiku, receiving a serious gunshot wound.”

Knock knock, sounded the door of her memories.

“Lady Hinagiku manifested spring in that moment, creating a big cherry blossom tree that protected the three of us; we would have been dead otherwise.”

Knock knock, knock knock.

“Then she negotiated with the extremists. She offered herself if they would leave us alone.”

Knock knock, knock knock, knock knock.

The rhythm persisted as the door itself was pried open.

“They accepted, and she was kidnapped. We were saved.”

Knock knock, knock knock, knock knock.

“Then…the perpetrators got in touch with National Security.”

Knock knock, knock knock, knock knock, knock.

“They requested limits on the powers of the Agents of the Four Seasons and requirements to use those powers in new ways.”

Knock knock, knock knock, knock knock, knock knock.

“National Security immediately set up a task force and began negotiating with the extremists, even offering money. The Agency of the Four Seasons, National Security, and the Yamatoan government rejected the terms…”

Knock knock, knock knock, knock knock, knock knock, knock knock.

“One day, they stopped revising conditions and trying to communicate…”

Knock knock, knock knock, knock knock, knock knock, knock knock.

“They completely lost track of her and failed to reach a resolution.”

Knock knock, knock knock, knock knock, knock knock, knock knock, knock knock, knock knock, knock knock, knock knock, knock knock.

“The survival of my liege, Lady Hinagiku Kayo, was proven by the lack of a succeeding Agent of Spring and the absence of the arrival of spring.”

And she was choosing now to complain about her sister’s fiancé.

“…Is this the time?” Sakura butted in.

Ayame covered her face in shame.

Ruri’s indignant rant didn’t stop there. “It’s a huge deal for me! Of course I’m mad; you just told me you were getting married out of nowhere!”

“…Ruri!”

“You’re my retainer! When did you even meet him? Why did you hide it from me? We’re twins! There’s no secrets between us! I always told you!”

“…Because I knew you would interfere if I told you! And please stop. This isn’t the time to argue about that!”

“Then when is it the time?!”

“Literally any other time!”

Sakura’s gaze wandered side to side as the argument heated up. Hinagiku tried to stop it, standing in between them with arms raised.

“Don’t…fight. Let’s…get along.”

Lady Hinagiku, you’re just the best. Sakura’s heart was warmed by her lady’s response.

Meanwhile, Ruri was embarrassed at the scolding from the younger Goddess of Spring.

“…I’m sorry,” said Ayame. “This is disgraceful… Ruri, we have to protect the Lady Spring, too! We need your power right now, so please just tell us what’s going on! How are we supposed to protect you?!”

Ayame slapped her shoulder, and Ruri crossed her arms grumpily.

“…There’s no sign of any further insurgents coming to attack us…,” she said, “but there is a car that’s been parked within three hundred feet for the past hour, so the birds living around here told me to be careful. Also, there’s been several car crashes out in the road, so it’s better not to go out.”

“You…can…tell?” Hinagiku asked in shock.

Ruri raised her hand slightly, and the birds flying around the living room gathered at her feet.

“That’s what my friends are telling me,” Ruri said, giving off the scent of fresh summer green.

“We tried approaching the car, and it drove off. If there are any more intruders outside, we’ll take care of it. You can go ahead and rest.”

“Thank you.”

Sakura locked the entrance door after receiving the report from a member of the Spring staff.

In the end, I can’t do it alone.

She sighed. She wished she could protect her lady all by herself.

Everyone staying at the Summer villa remained. They concluded it would be more dangerous to try to evacuate at night when there was a large-scale power outage and multiple car crashes out there.

They had contacted National Security, too, and quickly received backup. If they were to leave this place, it would have to be in the morning, when they were no longer at risk of getting attacked in the dark. Thankfully, the only worry besides potential intruders was a lack of light and heating. It was a relief knowing their lives weren’t in immediate danger.

“We still have candles and lanterns in the storage room. Let’s go get them.”

“Should we make dinner? Good thing I had some rice cooked.”

“Get a wet towel for Lady Himedaka. We should at least let her wipe her face.”

Ayame was busy with the rest of the Summer villa staff. Hinagiku and Sakura, being guests, could only stay put in the living room with the animals. They offered to help, but there was little they could do, and there was no guarantee they wouldn’t accidentally get in the way.

“…”

Sakura stole a glance at the other girl staying put.

I think that’s the one I met in the kitchen.

She needed to put her jumbled thoughts in order. The Ayame who had received them at the station was the one in the suit. But the Ayame she’d spoken to in the kitchen was the one in the dress.

“Lady Ruri,” Sakura called.

Ruri raised her head. “Yes, Lady Himedaka! What’s the matter?” she responded cheerily.

Sakura examined her for a few seconds. Her silky black hair and glasses were the same as Ayame’s, but the rest was different. Her slender body was wrapped in an elegant A-line dress. It was made of pure-white cloth, decorated with lace and flowers and a light-green ribbon—very summerlike. She had a tuft of hair tied up with a lovely pin. She didn’t look cold in the thin dress, perhaps because of her nature as the Agent of Summer? Ayame had handed her a cardigan to cover up, but she only put it on her shoulders.

There’s no doubt. She has the sunlike warmth to her.

Ruri smiled, happy to have her start a conversation.

“You pretended to be Lady Ayame when we met in the kitchen, didn’t you?” Sakura asked.

“…”

“Didn’t you?”

Ruri’s smile weakened. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to trick you. I just wanted to know what sort of person the retainer of Spring was.”

All pretense vanished in that moment. The pouting girl before her was the Agent of Summer, Ruri Hazakura.

“You didn’t even need to disguise yourself.”

Ruri nodded. “I’m good at playing the part. I do it when I wanna go out by myself. I have a lot of practice under my belt.”

“Practice you shouldn’t be getting.”

Ruri laughed. Apparently, she was a veteran actress. “But it’s the only way I can have any fun. The Agents need supervision to do anything, but I’m a teenage girl, you know. I wanna go out shopping and stuff.”

She deserved pity for the situation, but just hearing about it was giving Sakura a headache, and Ruri wasn’t even her lady.

Thank goodness I serve Lady Hinagiku.

No wonder Ayame had such a hard time handling her.

“What…are you…talking…about?” Hinagiku asked timidly from behind Sakura.

“We’re talking about how I pretended to be Ayame when I talked to Lady Himedaka, Lady Spring. I just apologized, so please forgive me.”

“…”

Hinagiku tilted her head curiously, and Sakura nodded with a similar expression of confusion.

“I wanted to know what kind of person she was, but I didn’t want to just go outside when I’m trying to stay in my room, so I pretended to be Ayame. I considered causing some trouble for her if she turned out to be a bad person, but, well…”

“Huh?!”

Sakura was about to complain, but Hinagiku was faster. “Sakura…is…a good…girl!” she said, leaning against her.

Both Sakura and Ruri were surprised at the proclamation.

“L-Lady Hinagiku, I am your good girl and yours only… I’m not really good to anyone else… But I am glad to hear you think so.”

“No, you were a good retainer even to me. I’m jealous… It’s like the Agent of Spring has her own knight in shining armor.”

Sakura, confused by the praise from both sides, turned red. Thank goodness the lights were out. But even as she blushed, Sakura noticed the gloominess in Ruri’s voice. The twins had shown no sign of making amends after their argument. Even now, as she spoke with Hinagiku and Sakura, her gaze followed Ayame.

It’s undeniable she loves her sister.

And her feelings were too big for Ayame to handle. They kept overflowing, spilling onto the ground, and she was angry that she couldn’t hold them. They were selfish feelings, but considering Ruri’s upbringing, one couldn’t discard them so easily.

In the Agents’ eyes, their retainer is meant to share life and fate with them.

Anyone would be distressed if they were to lose their irreplaceable someone after so many years together.

But I shouldn’t stick my nose in.

The fact they were family only made things more complicated. Not to mention they were currently under attack.

Sakura pondered what to do, but then Hinagiku spoke with resolve.

“Lady Summer…may I…speak…for a…moment?”

“Sure. There’s nothing else to do anyway.”

“We will…be leaving…tomorrow.”

“Oh, yes… You gotta go bring spring to Teishu. Bad timing for this to happen,” Ruri said apologetically. “Gosh… We’ll go back to the Town, too… I’m gonna have to put up with their grumbling again… Don’t take me there…”

It turned out many Agents had complicated feelings about their hometown. As Ruri deflated, Hinagiku continued. “Lady Summer…once you…go back…to your…Town…will you…shut yourself…in your room…again?”

“I dunno.”

“You won’t…make up…with…Ms. Ayame?”

Hinagiku’s question was too serious for Ruri to reply with a joke.

“…”

Was she at a loss for what to say? Ruri looked away to flee from the conversation, but Hinagiku quickly added, “Hinagiku…has done that…before.” She pleaded for Ruri to listen. “Sakura…would…knock on the…door every…day. Just like…Ms. Ayame…does.”

Sakura straightened upon hearing her name.

Lady Hinagiku, what are you thinking?

This was unusually assertive for Hinagiku; whatever she wanted to say had to be important. The tension of the battle earlier was nothing compared to this.

“Um… Yes, Lady Himedaka told me about that.”

“We…are Agents. But we’re also…human. When we…go through…something painful…we want to…run away.”

“…I sure do.”

“But…you see, running away…and…refusal…aren’t the…same thing. If you…stay like that…bad things…will happen.”

It was like she was delivering a prophecy.

“Hinagiku…knows that…so…Hinagiku doesn’t…want to…leave you…like this.”

Like a sage warning a youngster at the mercy of fate.

Lady Hinagiku.

Sakura finally understood what her lady was trying to say.

You’ll speak of it yourself?

And understanding it only made her worry further.

You’ll only hurt yourself.

The two girls in her field of vision were lit up by the flame of the candles.

Hinagiku was serious.

Ruri grimaced; she must be taking this as a scolding. Usually, Hinagiku would have seen her face and stopped. But this was not the usual Hinagiku Kayo.

“Hinagiku…hurt…Sakura…like that…and received…punishment. One day…Sakura…didn’t knock…on the door. Hinagiku…was surprised…and thought…Sakura had…finally…given up.”

Her voice echoed like it would in a void, in a cold world full of snow, in an empty room. The sad echo spread throughout the quiet space, and everyone present stopped to listen.

“…”

Ayame and the staff stayed still, too, holding their flashlights and watching curiously.

“Lady Hinagiku, that wasn’t your fault…”

Hinagiku ignored Sakura’s comment and continued speaking only to Ruri:

“Hinagiku…didn’t want…to do…the Agent of Spring’s…job. Hinagiku…hated…this world. Don’t you…feel the…same way? Why must…I bring…the season? More so…after…today. They…attacked us. Do you…still want…to do…it?”

Both asking and answering this question was a taboo for any Agent. It was not something one of the Four Seasons’ goddesses should be saying.

“…No. I don’t want to keep living like this.”

“…Right?”

But it was also something only they could talk about.

Their lifestyle, time, and future were consumed to make the seasons go round. They lived for this huge and inescapable responsibility.

“Hinagiku…was attacked…by the insurgents…and the Town…did not…help. They…abandoned…Hinagiku. That was…so painful…Hinagiku decided…to refuse…them…in revenge. To not…give them…spring.”

Hinagiku’s words had more weight than anyone else’s, for she had gone through the worst pain an Agent could.

“Of course. I would do the same.”

Ruri nodded in agreement, but Hinagiku shook her head.

“But…that’s…not good. Bringing…spring…is Hinagiku’s…duty.”

She struggled and faltered, but she enunciated each and every word with all her might.

“Some people…cultivate…rice. Some…plow the…fields. Some…plant the…flowers. Some…study…bugs. Some…study…animals. Some…make a living…from tourism. A lot…changes…about…the sun…and the land…and the sky…in spring. And it’s…not just…about the…people. The animals’…lives…their safety…the breath…of the…land…it’s all…connected to…the season. Hinagiku…was…a criminal.”

She condemned herself for her failings.

“Hinagiku…is a…bad girl. But Sakura…didn’t abandon…Hinagiku for…being…selfish. When Hinagiku…was kidnapped…she looked…all over. Hinagiku…could tell…how hard…she looked…by how hard…she cried…when we met…again. Hinagiku…stole…Sakura’s life…from her. So…Hinagiku thought…Hinagiku ought to…try to…trust in…Sakura…at the very least.”

“Lady Himedaka is a good retainer who cares a lot for her Agent.”

“Yes. But…Hinagiku wasn’t…like that.”

“…”

“Hinagiku…was too…stubborn…for too…long…and ended up…wasting…Sakura’s…efforts. Sakura was…exiled…from the…Town of Spring…because Hinagiku…wouldn’t bring…spring.”

“Lady Hinagiku…,” Sakura said with worry.

Hinagiku turned to smile at her and grabbed her hand before continuing. They could already understand each other just by holding hands.

“It was all…Hinagiku’s…fault. The Town…thought that…Sakura…was useless.”

Sakura could only listen on with anxiety. Hinagiku kept her in check.

“But it was…Hinagiku who was…useless. Sakura was…forced to…take respon…responsibility. Hinagiku was…told a…new retainer…would come…soon. And then…Hinagiku realized…how stupid…Hinagiku had been.”

Ruri would relate to the testimonial. Hinagiku was not a girl of many words. She was introverted. But now, she spoke with all her might, for the sake of someone else.

“There are…very few people…who really care…about Hinagiku…in this world. Hinagiku was…stupid…for troubling…one of them.”

For the girl who kept her sister at a distance.

“…”

The egocentric girl uncharacteristically listened in silence.

“Hinagiku…was stupid. And because…of that…Sakura left. It hurt…so…so much…Hinagiku could only…cry.”

Hinagiku looked down as she reminisced.

“It was…a cold…winter day. Very cold… My tears…would freeze.”

“And then what did you do?” Ruri asked in a small voice, the way she would ask if they were sharing a secret.

Hinagiku gave her a weak smile. “Even if…Hinagiku hated…the world…and couldn’t…trust it, Hinagiku…trusted…Sakura. Hinagiku knew…she would…wait…out there…somewhere…for Hinagiku…to come.”

Hinagiku spoke like a bard weaving a story.

“So…Hinagiku…ignored everyone…in the Town…saying no…and went…out to…look. Hinagiku…manifested spring…over and over. They pulled…Hinagiku’s legs…and she trapped them…in plum trees… They held…Hinagiku’s arms…and she blinded them…with a blizzard…of cherry blossoms. Hinagiku…did not…care. Only thought…about leaving…the Town…and looking for…Sakura.”

Everyone listening to her unsteady words could imagine the scene—the young Goddess of Spring crying out for her only retainer. The image of her finally giving in and using her miraculous powers, for the sake of finding one girl.

“But…then…”

She was out of breath. She had lived in a cage. Her heart and her legs couldn’t keep up with the action.

Yet she ran, knowing she would regret it if she didn’t.

“Then…I got out…of the Town…and went down…the long…long, stone stairway…and just outside…the gate…Hinagiku heard…a voice.”

The story from then on was also Sakura’s.

“A girl was…crying.”

Sakura replayed the scene in her mind as Hinagiku described it.

One of her most vivid memories in her nineteen years of life. One she could always remember.

“Hinagiku’s…Sakura…was crying. Hinagiku had…to stop…her tears.”

I can remember how salty they were.

“Once Hinagiku…thought that, there was…nothing else…Hinagiku could…care about.”

How small the goddess was in my arms.

“And then…Hinagiku brought…spring…on the way…to Sakura.”

I could never forget how beautiful that winter day was.

Sakura had been thrown out of the Town on a freezing day.

As the Agent of Spring hadn’t yet used her powers again, winter in Yamato dragged on.

The Town of Spring, hidden in the mountains, was no exception. It was wrapped in a blanket of frigid air.

The only door inside the Town was heartlessly locked.

Sakura’s things had been packed for her and thrown outside. More than ten people had to dump her out like an abandoned animal. The cold profiles of the people responsible were burned into her eyes.

“Lady…Hinagikuuu…”

The tears had spilled over then. Just as things were finally looking up, this happened.

Just as she had finally won Hinagiku’s trust after such a long time.

Just as she was thinking she finally got a chance to return the favor for saving her life.

“Lady…Hina…gikuuu…”

They had taken away the right to stay by her side.

“Someone open up… Please…”

Her fist bled as she knocked on the door. The door was streaked with red, and a puddle was forming on the ground.

Still, she could not stop knocking.

“Lady Hinagiku…”

Who’s going to protect her in that den of demons?

The people of the Town of Spring thought only of themselves, of how they could profit short-term. They might care about the Agent of Spring, but there was not a single person there who would look after the once-kidnapped Hinagiku Kayo.

How could I not cry, knowing that?

“Open up… Please…”

I know how fearful and quick to cry she is.

“Open…open uuup…”

But she’s also kinder than anyone else.

“Please, I don’t need anything else.”

And she’s broken now.

“I just want to be by her side… Please open the door…”

She won’t come back.

“Lady Hinagiku…”

Things won’t go back to how they were, but still…

“Please… Let me in…”

No matter how much she changes, she is still my goddess.

She wailed hoarsely like a small child. Her hands were numb with the cold, and soon, she felt no more pain. No one was coming, but she still sobbed and clung to the door.

She didn’t know how long she kept it up, but out of the blue, she heard the crows cawing up in the cold winter sky. They wheeled overhead as though trying to alert her of something.

“…”

After the crows came the foxes, running through the sea of trees. Something was changing.

“Lady Hinagiku…!”

She got a whiff of the scent of spring and a touch of the warm air.

The icicles hanging from the door melted away with tremendous speed.

“Lady Hinagiku… Lady Hinagiku!”

So she knocked and knocked and knocked on the door.

“I’m here!”

She had to make her presence known to her lady.

“Lady Hinagiku! I’m here! Lady Hinagiku!”

She knew spring was coming. She saw cherry blossoms among the snowflakes. She heard the wooden steps of geta shoes. She could tell the Goddess of Spring was coming down the long stone stairway.

She was singing. She sung as tears ran down her face.

Sheathe your edge, O hazy Moon,

As mist shivers in the night,

Endure your longing and let the Spring Banquet shine,

Let the hills and fields spill over with wisteria; let the land dye itself with crucifers,

No flower blooms forever, my dear Winter,

But forever I will follow after you, as does the moon.

“Lady Hinagiku!” she screamed, and the time between that and the lock opening felt like an eternity.

A narrow path of spring beyond the open door wound its way toward Hinagiku’s retainer, and Sakura smiled through her tears.

See? You can do it.

The goddess had so easily summoned spring, after refusing vehemently to do so, just so that she could follow after her retainer.

“Lady Hinagiku…”

It’s the same as it’s always been.

The goddess never hesitated to use her powers to help someone.

She would gladly make the flowers bloom for those she loved.

“Sakura…don’t…leave…Hinagiku.”

Her beloved goddess’s hair and pin were a mess as she wept.

She must have looked for Sakura everywhere. She was short of breath; she wasn’t used to running.

Hinagiku wailed like a child as she clung to Sakura.

“Don’t…leave…Hinagiku. Without you…Hinagiku…can’t stand up…again.”

She held Sakura close, the only thing she could do anymore. Sakura hesitated to return the gesture with her bloodied hands, but the hesitation lasted only a moment. Even if it meant tainting her goddess, she had to receive those feelings, and so she hugged her back. After a while, they finally caught their breath again. Breathing in this world was too hard for either of them when they were not in each other’s arms.

“Hinagiku…won’t be able…to stand up…again.”

They had to be together.

“It’s the same for me. There is no point in living…without you.”

It was their only way to resist the cruelty in this world.

“Please…stay by…Hinagiku’s side. Hinagiku…will do…anything.”

“Please let me stay by your side. I will do anything. I still haven’t done anything for you.”

Their way to counter against those who attacked them.

From that moment on, Hinagiku and Sakura were as one.

“Hinagiku…will…protect you…Sakura.”

“No, I will protect you…as you protected me when I was nine.”

“Sakura…this world…is too…scary. Hinagiku…doesn’t know…what to do. But…even though…it’s scary…Hinagiku…still lives… Hinagiku must…still live… But what…should Hinagiku…do? Hinagiku…only knows…how to…be with…you.”

“Lady Hinagiku…”

“So tell…Hinagiku…what to do. Help…Hinagiku. No one…else but…you…will. Please…Hinagiku…is so afraid…afraid…to live.”

“I will protect you. I will guard you from anything that frightens you.”

She could never, ever forget that winter day.

“And because…of that, Hinagiku…was able to…change.”

The Goddess of Spring spoke softly to her elder, the Goddess of Summer, here in the dark.

Sakura’s vision blurred. Don’t cry, stupid.

The same thing had happened with Nazuna. It made her realize how quick to cry she really was. She wanted to be strong, but whenever she was with her goddess, she regressed into a child.

Crying won’t make anyone protect you or change the past.

That moment between them thudded in her chest, stinging her eyes.

“And after…changing…Hinagiku became…closer to…Sakura. Even if…you can’t do it…as quickly… If the…girl you…love the most…in the whole…world…is your…sister…” Her whisper softened even further. “Then don’t…be mean…to her.”

Ruri wasn’t looking at Hinagiku anymore. Her head was lowered, tears streaming along her face and dropping onto her lap. She nodded lightly, then again and again, and she wiped her face with her sleeve.

“You might…really not…get to…see her…again. So don’t do…something you’ll regret… Be kind…to those you…love.”

That night, they slept all together on the futons they laid in the living room; Ruri snuggled up to Ayame’s side like a small child.

The day after the blackout, the Agent of Spring and her retainer left the Summer villa.

The power wasn’t back yet, but people were out directing traffic. The Agency, too, had decided that Hinagiku and Sakura ought to leave right away. The Summer folks were to move to a different area.

The Spring couple got ready to leave early in the morning, and the birds and cats and dogs and rabbits and all the other animals came to say good-bye at the door. The Agent of Summer and Guard, too.

“Lady Hinagiku, since we won’t be seeing each other until the Agency Council, please give me your contact info,” said Ruri as she shook Hinagiku’s hand.

After a night of chatting, they had become close enough to call each other by their first name.

“Lady…Ruri…Hinagiku…can’t…use…phones,” Hinagiku managed to answer as she wobbled from the recoil.

“What? Is your retainer financially abusing you? She didn’t let you buy one?” She glared at Sakura in disbelief.

“Excuse me! No. She’s just bad at texting. She’s still learning… We will get her a phone.”

“Oh, then give me your number, Lady Sakura. And then you can give me hers.”

“Very well.”

Hinagiku observed their lighthearted conversation. Come to…think of it…they’re only…one year…apart in…age.

Sakura didn’t seem particularly happy, but Hinagiku was glad that her retainer had made a friend.

Ayame seemed to be thinking the same; their eyes met as they smiled at the interaction. The sisters were twins, both eighteen and with the same face, yet Ayame still looked a bit older.

“Lady Kayo, I will be praying you have a safe trip. We’ll meet again at the Agency Council. I’ll remain in my position until the end of this term, so I will be there. I hope to see you.”

Hinagiku smiled back at Ayame, imitating her kind expression.

“Yes…and…you both…too… Please…be…well.”

Ruri and Sakura finished exchanging contacts while the gentle pair smiled at each other.

“And it’s done. I don’t use emojis and all that, by the way, just so you know.”

“Why? You don’t have any stickers? I’ll send you some.”

“No, I don’t… Hey! I don’t need them. Please don’t send me any more.”

“All right, please give me your number once you’ve mastered the ways of the phone, Lady Hinagiku.”

Hinagiku tilted her head with uncertainty. “Not sure…Hinagiku will…master it… Hinagiku’s…stuck at…six…in a lot of…ways.”

“Oh, it’s easy peasy. You can do it.”

“Can…grade-schoolers…text…well…nowadays?”

“It’s not about your academic level. Agents don’t even go to school. Lady Sakura, please get her comfortable using the phone. I—I want you to play me in this game, too! Let’s duke it out online!”

“Is that…so. Oh, but Hinagiku…can play…games! Hinagiku is…really good…at pushing…buttons!”

“Really?!”

“She’s amazing at rhythm games. I’ll let you know which ones later on.”

They wanted to keep chatting, but the Spring Agency staff were insisting that they had to go.

Hinagiku and Sakura chose to let themselves be escorted to a safe place, considering they had just been attacked. The Winter Agency staff vehicle was also ready to leave.

“Hey, Lady Hinagiku, you’re going to Enishi after you’re done with Teishu, right? That’s where the Town of Winter is… Will you be meeting up with the Lord Winter?” Ruri asked before saying good-bye.

It was a serious question, and she was channeling her Ayame persona as she asked. She must have been worried.

“U-um…I haven’t…received any…messages from…Lord…Rosei, so…probably…we won’t…meet until…the Agency Council.”

“What?! You saved his life ten years ago and he hasn’t even sent you a message?”

“…” Hinagiku kept silent.

Sakura flinched, but she said nothing.

“What a dick,” said Ruri.

“H-he’s not…”

“A jerk, then. That guy’s so unfriendly and scary. Honestly, I don’t think much of him.”

“That’s not…”

“I mean, not only that. After just five years with the investigation, Winter—”

Sakura lost color on her face and broke her silence. “Lady Ruri, that’s enough.”

She was happy to join in the Rosei-bashing, but she didn’t want to make Hinagiku sad.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem to upset her.

“Winter…stopped…large-scale…investigations…but they…kept looking for…Hinagiku. That’s…what…National Secu…rity said. Hinagiku…doesn’t…hold any…grudges.”

“Hmmmm… So you don’t hate the Lord Winter.”

“No…”

Ruri stared closely at her. “Actually…you wanna see him?”

“U-um…” Hinagiku faltered. She covered her mouth with her kimono’s sleeve and cast her glance down as her eyelashes quivered. “Hinagiku…”

The fairy of Spring looked troubled.

There was nothing wrong with fellow Agents forming close bonds, but if these happened to bloom into romance, then problems might arise. The feelings not only got in the way of their duties, but both Towns would oppose it. And it was particularly easy to guess how they would react in this instance.

It was far easier, far less likely to upset the balance, to simply find someone else to fall in love with.

Hinagiku had been reinstated as the Agent of Spring. Simply stating affections aloud could have major repercussions.

And more than anything, such a love would not bring happiness to anyone. The scars were too big.

Hinagiku was better off getting rid of her feelings, both for her own sake and for the sake of those around her.

“Yes… Hinagiku wants…to see him,” she whispered, as though begging for forgiveness.

Her feelings didn’t seem like just the remnants of the affection of the “other Hinagiku,” who had already been worn down.

“Hinagiku…wants to…see him…so badly.”

There was pain in her voice.

“Because…I…longed to…see him.”

Hinagiku had been in love when she was little. Her love had been her support for ten years—even if people thought she was stupid, even if they criticized her for it, Hinagiku Kayo wanted to fulfill that wish. And no one could control her feelings.

“Lady Sakura, if I may.”

“Uh, yes, what’s the matter?”

“This isn’t good. Don’t tell me you’re okay letting such a lovely girl get with that…gloomy guy?”

“Gloomy? Do you mean Rosei?”

“Yes, Rosei Kantsubaki. Gloomy blizzard man.”

Did that nickname come from his cold, taciturn demeanor?

“I’m not okay with it… I do not want her to see him unless he himself calls or visits because he sincerely wants to, not as a part of any formality.”

Hinagiku’s expression fell, and her eyes were as sad as a puppy’s. Ayame couldn’t bear it and interjected:

“Lady Kayo…if I may offer an outside perspective, the Agent of Winter may not be sure how to approach you.”

“Ms.…Ayame…”

“Your reinstatement as Agent was very sudden, and besides, I would think he is trying not to get in the way of your journey after you went straight into manifesting spring. If it were me…I would have sent you a message, but I would wait for a better time to meet you.”

Hinagiku glanced at Sakura hopefully. Sakura curled her lip and replied, “I didn’t tell you. He did send a message, but it was just a formal greeting.”

Hinagiku’s face lit up again.

Ayame continued softly. “There is no way he’s not worried about you; you can see it in the way he sent some of his guards to protect you. No other Agent would send their own security to work for another season. Especially considering he’s Winter, who’s frequently targeted by the insurgents… It must have been tough convincing his guards to follow that order.”

Ayame’s words of comfort were all correct. Hinagiku nodded a couple of times, picking herself back up.

Ruri, on the other hand, was visibly opposed to the idea, but reluctantly, she yielded. “Fine. If that’s what you want, then okay. You can tell me if he’s ever mean to you. You too, Sakura. Summer is willing to help with anything. This is a promise from the Agent herself.”

In the end, that seemed to be what she wanted to say.

Hinagiku smiled, and Sakura bowed deeply.

After the Spring pair had gotten in the car, Ruri spoke to them through the window.

“I’ll have the birds watch over you until you leave the mountain. Don’t worry.”

“Thank…you…very much.”

“Also, if you want to, I can send one of my guard dogs over to you, though you’ll have to pay for their food. What about a Doberman? They’re really strong.”

“We will think about it.”

“Also, also!”

Ruri just wouldn’t let them go, and Ayame had to physically restrain her.

“Sorry, I’ll get Ruri off your backs,” she said. “Have a safe trip.”

“Nooo! I still wanna talk!”

As it happened, Ayame had some martial arts experience. Ruri struggled, but she couldn’t move an inch. Ayame signaled them to go with her eyes, and Sakura nodded with an awkward smile.

“See…you!” Hinagiku waved.

Ruri finally gave up and hung her head. “See you at the Agency Council!”

“…Yes! See…you!”

Hinagiku and Ruri said their good-byes about a million times, stopping only once the car couldn’t be seen from the Summer villa.

“…”

Even after they were gone, the sisters remained.

Ayame had already let Ruri go; now it was Ruri holding Ayame in a hug.

She held her tight to distract herself from the loneliness. This meeting with Spring, with her harshness and kindness, had meant so much to her.

“Just when I got a friend who didn’t simply watch from a distance…,” she said as she clung to Ayame.

“I thought you hated me,” Ayame said impishly.

“What we say during arguments doesn’t count,” Ruri replied grumpily.

“It doesn’t? I was serious when I said I wanted your blessing.”

“…”

“I want to give you my blessings for your wedding, too.”

Then Ayame hugged her sister in return.

She patted Ruri’s back like a mother comforting a crying baby, with a practiced hand; she had done this many times before. Although they shared the same face and the same gender, it was her little sister who had been chosen as Agent of Summer. And Ayame had given everything to support her.

“I’m happy to know that you need me. I’ve always felt it was my duty to support you, Ruri.”

Ruri argued back in a quiet voice. “Then stay just a little longer…”

“But we can’t stay like this.”

“…You mean you can’t stay like this?”

“I’d be fine. I know how to deal with things.”

“You’re saying I don’t?”

Ayame was about to tell her what exactly was wrong with her way of handling difficulty, but then the figure of the goddess who spoke to her with the warmth of the spring sun came to mind. “I know you’ve been feeling lonelier and lonelier,” she said.

She did not scold with the harshness of Summer.

“The more you grow, the more a void I can’t fill grows within you.”

She chose the words that would light up the way with a prayer.

“Being an Agent must be a heavy burden on you.”

“…It is. It’s too much.”

“You didn’t want to become the Agent of Summer. I know that, and I know you’ve tried your best despite it. But you see…I don’t think I can heal your loneliness. I think you’ll feel better once you have the recognition of someone else, someone who isn’t family. That’s a different kind of loneliness, and you have more of it than regular people.”

Ruri had just experienced firsthand what Ayame pointed out last night. There was something to learn from people who had led different lives than her—something she could not get from her family.

“That’s what it means to be understood.”

Getting to know who you are and who you ought to be.

Getting a different perspective on the path so you can keep walking once again.

At the very least, this was Ayame’s point of view. She understood this because she had discovered an emotion her sisterly relationship wouldn’t give her.

Ruri grunted. “This is all so complicated. I don’t get it.”

“Yes, you do. You pretend to be dumb, but I know you’re not.”

“…” The silence was a tacit admission.

“Stop pretending to be dumb. You can be independent—you just need to try.”

“I’m not like you… Even if I could, I’m still a kid. I don’t want to get married yet… I want friends… I want…”

A wet spot was growing on the shoulder of Ayame’s suit.

“I want to be with you forever… I don’t care about summer. I only do it because…because you say you like looking at the summer flowers…”

The tears ran down Ruri’s cheeks.

“I’m not doing it for the world. I only do it…because you tell me you want to see summer…”

“Ruri, I’m sorry…”

“It’s always been like this. There’s no other way to get me to do it.”

“Oh, Ruri. Ruri.”

“You can have your boyfriend. You can…get married…but stay by my side…”

“…Ruri, I’m sorry.”

“Stay with me next year, and the next, and even when we’re old… Keep asking me to show you summer…”

Her last whisper was like a knife in Ayame’s heart.

“…”

I’ve always treated her like a kid throwing a tantrum—trying to get her in the right mood.

“Show me summer, please.”

“Ruri, show me summer.”

“I love your summer.”

She offered encouragement all the time. They were magic words. A necessary ritual for the two of them. Without it, Ruri wouldn’t do her job as a goddess incarnate.

Oh, Gods of the Four Seasons.

The gods had surely made a mistake. At the very least, that’s what Ayame thought.

Why did you choose my sister? She isn’t made for this.

“I don’t want you to go… I don’t want to be a goddess for anyone else…”

She’s a spoiled kid with no sense of responsibility, and she’s too bull-headed.

“Why do you have to change? You’ve always been my sister. Mine.”

Just a child who loves her sister.

“I want to keep going…but…”

She could have been free. She could’ve grown more. Lived more.

“But…it’s only because you’re here with me…”

The girl chosen by the gods was special.

“Without you…”

Special—and unfortunate. She needed a protector.

“…there’s no reason for me to keep going.”

Perhaps this was her way of atoning.

Ayame had the same face, yet she was granted freedom.

Anyone in the Town could have become the next god, but only her sister was chosen.

If Ruri hadn’t been chosen, she would have led a much, much different life.

She could’ve joined the Town’s orchestra; she’s good at singing.

She could’ve found a hobby to dedicate her life to.

She likes talking, and that’s a useful skill in many careers.

But the world gave her no choice.

She was allowed none of these lives. Ayame, on the other hand, would quit being a retainer after marrying; she still had her future open.

I’m sorry, Ruri.

Naturally, Ayame had to give up many things to become a retainer.

She’d given her teenage years to Ruri. But she only had to bear it a little more, and she would be released from her position. She would be free. She wouldn’t have to endure anything. Her own life was about to start.

“Ruri.”

It was the end. Ayame had the right to be happy. She didn’t have to feel any obligation just because she was family.

But it’s strange. Now that freedom is a step away, I…

“This is my last year. The Town has made the decision. Don’t gift summer to me next year. Be strong.”

…Somehow, I get confused.

“If only…it hadn’t been you.”

I wanted to get away from this goddess.

“If only I could’ve taken your place.”

I didn’t like my sister.

“If only it hadn’t been you.”

I hated her, in fact.

“If it hadn’t been you, I…I would’ve…”

But I also loved her.

“…maybe I would’ve been a kinder sister.”

A tear ran down Ayame’s cheek, full of genuine emotion.

“I’m sorry, Ruri. I wish I could’ve taken your place.”

The seasons keep going round, whether or not someone is weeping.

The migratory birds passed by the mountains of the Summer villa.

The cherry blossom trees began blooming among the light snow in the mountains where spring was coming to life.

The young Goddess of Autumn played among the height of spring.

She was about seven or eight years old.

She had the face of an angel, almost transparent skin, chestnut-brown curly hair, and eyes the color of forget-me-nots, like an amalgamation of all the blues in creation.

She wore a canary-colored kimono with a flower pattern, and on top a haori coat the tint of dried wood, embroidered with ginkgoes. On her head was a classical beret adorned with fun ribbons and ornaments. The blue contrasted with her autumn-colored outfit, but it went perfectly with her eyes. The care put into her clothing showed how loved she was. Now she was pretending to be on an outing while indoors—having a picnic.

The place was Tsukushi, Autumn’s country house.

She was in the elegant sunroom made of white walls, a glass ceiling, and wooden floors.

The weather was clear outside; it was the perfect weather for a picnic, and yet, she was holding it indoors.

There was a reason why. The adults had tried to be considerate; if she couldn’t go outside, they may as well let her do it in a place where she could see it.

Many would feel sorry for the girl to be locked inside at a playful age, but she seemed to be enjoying herself well enough. She was good at finding her own joys, even under supervision.

She was wearing outdoor clothes to help create the proper mood. On the rug, she had a backpack, toys, and plushies all around her. She’d already had her fill playing with them.

Her full attention was in her drawing at the moment. Her little hands, like maple leaves, held the crayon as she scrawled cherry blossoms across the page. She studied the falling, prancing petals through the sunroom window and copied them down.

It had been ten years since the last spring in Yamato. This goddess was also one of the children getting to see their first spring.

Her little voice counted the petals falling. “One, two…” Her babysitter watched her with a smile as she prepared tea over by the wooden table. It was a warm and gentle moment of spring, in every sense.

The young girl looked over her shoulder as though just remembering something and called someone’s name. “Rindo, Rindo.”

A bit away from the peaceful space in the sunroom, a man carrying a sword stood back from the sun, hiding in the shadows.

He was in his early twenties. He had brown skin, bright sanpaku eyes, and gallant features. His hair was parted on the side and the color of the autumnal yellow chrysanthemum; it formed a harmonious combination with his skin. His lean body was enveloped in a gray suit and black vest. He wore a hazel ascot tie and polished leather shoes, giving him an almost majestic air.

One could tell from a glance that the man thought well of himself.

“What’s the matter, Nadeshiko?”

Despite his pompous appearance, his voice was quite serene. The velvety sound of it echoed quietly in the sunroom. His tone was indulgent toward her.

“You call those sakura, right?” she asked.

“Yes, those are the cherry blossoms. Here’s how you write it in kanji.” Rindo approached her and grabbed a crayon to scrawl on a new page in her notebook. “Like this. They bloom in spring. It is your first time seeing them, isn’t it? Aren’t they beautiful?”

“Yes, they’re so pretty… Hey, what about my name? Nadeshiko’s an autumn flower, right?”

“Yes, as is rindo.”

“What was the name of the Lady Spring?”

“Hinagiku. Lady Hinagiku. Like a daisy.”

“We’re all named after flowers!”

“Most descendants of the Four Seasons are named from words of the season, and most of these tend to be flowers.”

“But the Lady Summer isn’t a flower. Nor is the Lord Winter.”

Rindo didn’t understand what she was getting at; he listened without any change in his expression.

“But now there’s another flower! It’s the first time someone’s had a name like mine!”

“And that makes you happy?”

“Yes!”

After a moment, Rindo’s dour expression softened. “That’s good to hear.”

Nadeshiko stared at his affectionate gaze for a moment before grinning back. Then she held out her hands. Rindo said nothing as he picked her up.

They were like a pair of close siblings.

“Rindo, Rindo.”

“What is it, Nadeshiko?”

She smiled, blushing at the sound of her name right by her ear. “You’re my prince.”

“…There’s been no royalty in Yamato for a very long time.”

Nadeshiko pouted, her good mood evaporating.

Rindo had known full well how she would react, and he chuckled when she played her part.

“I meant you’re charming as a prince.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. You’re my prince, Rindo.”

“If anything, I would say I’m your knight, my princess.”

“I’m a princess?”

“Of course. You are my Autumn, my dearest princess.”

Delighted to hear that, Nadeshiko hugged him harder and kissed his cheek.

This game of knight and princess continued for a little while, until the babysitter interrupted.

“Lord Azami, security is calling for you,” she said. She was wearing an earphone and mic.

“Are you leaving, Rindo?”

“I’m sorry, Nadeshiko. I’ll be back soon.”

“Don’t forget about me! Not even for a second.”

“Not a moment goes by when I’m not thinking of you. I’ll be away, but the glass is bulletproof, and you’ll be under supervision the whole time. Another guard from security will be here to take my place in the meantime, so please keep enjoying your afternoon.”

“I’ll leave some snacks for you. An apple tart!”

“Thank you, Nadeshiko.”

“We’ll take care of her, Lord Azami. Come, Lady Nadeshiko. The tea is ready.”

The moment Rindo turned his back on her, the smile faded away from his face.

“Notify security. I’m leaving the Fairy’s side. I’m heading over there,” he said into the mini mic in his breast pocket.

Rindo glanced back at the girl once before leaving the room.

The Autumn country house looked like a modern building with an open-air concept, but the interior was anything but.

All the glass in the sunroom was bulletproof. One step out of the room and you were in a concrete-wall corridor.

Security cameras were set a few feet apart, all monitored from the underground security room.

Rindo walked back to that security room, and a short woman in a white coat received him. She was older than he was, in her late twenties. Her dyed blond hair was up in a ponytail. Under the coat, she wore a red dress, the same color as her shoes and the frames of her glasses. Clearly it was her favorite.

“Hey, you’re here. We finished the security plan to present at the Agency Council. We just need you to review and submit it. The deadline’s almost here, so do it now.”

“Fine.”

“By the way, Azami, how’s the Fairy doing?”

Rindo sighed at the question. “No problems. She’s perked up now that she’s in the sunroom.”

“Good, good. I was worried.”

“It’s easy to calm her tantrums by just putting her out in the sun and giving her some snacks. Hey…Nagatsuki, stop eating curry in here. You’re gonna stink up my suit.”

Rindo had become a completely different person once he left the sunroom.

The woman, Nagatsuki, wasn’t surprised in the slightest. “No, no, it’s curry udon,” she replied with a smile.

He acted soft in front of his lady, but he grumbled and swore away from her. This was Rindo Azami, the retainer of the Agent of Autumn, Nadeshiko Iwaizuki.

Security for the Agent of Autumn had fewer overall guards in favor of surveillance and GPS technology. The Fairy was the code name for their object of protection. Rindo’s colleague, Nagatsuki, switched on the air purifier as she said, “Little Miss Fairy hasn’t been able to go for a walk recently. We can’t even get her to bask in the sun, the poor thing. If only it wasn’t for the explosion at the power plant and the attack at the Summer villa…maybe we could’ve taken her for some flower viewing.”

Rindo nodded in agreement. Nagatsuki was talking about the blackout incident that had taken place in Iyo the other day. The Agency had informed Autumn about the Agent of Spring’s stay at the Summer villa in Yaga, Iyo, and the insurgent attack that took place.

“If the insurgents also caused the explosion behind the outage, it could be a message to the Agency Council, saying they’re watching… The warning shot must’ve been a shock to Spring in particular. Did you hear about what happened, Nagatsuki?”

“Ah, you mean that the Lady Spring and her retainer escaped from a plan to hold a ritual before a big crowd?”

“Yeah, it’s unbelievable.”

“For sure.”

“The retainer of Spring is such an idiot.”

“The Agency of Spring is so stupid.”

When they realized they had been disparaging different people, they stared at each other in disbelief.

“…”

“…”

Rindo began with his side of the argument:

“Clearly it’s the Spring Guard who’s in the wrong. She can’t rein in her Agent.”

Rindo plopped down on the nearest office chair. He turned around to face Nagatsuki and crossed his arms before continuing.

“The Agent must be kept in check. They’re not people; they’re important cultural property. They have to obey.”

“The Agents are not people?”

“No.”

“They’re cultural property?”

“Yes.”

“So what was all that sugary-sweet nonsense with the Fairy just now?” She smirked.

Rindo winced. “Nadeshiko…has some selfish tendencies, but it’s not excessive. Besides, it’s easy to see her mental state. The precision of her divine powers varies greatly depending on her mood and condition. It makes perfect sense to be careful with her and keep her functioning in the best state possible. It’s like how you protect books from humidity and sunlight. It is my job as her retainer to care for her, to keep her in check. I have my Agent in the palm of my hand.”

Nagatsuki clicked her tongue. “That’s the thing. The divine powers of the Agents vary depending on their emotional state, and the research backs this up. Which means that making them go against their will—like putting them onstage to dance and sing for a crowd like they’re some kind of pop stars—is the worst thing their caretakers could do. Not to mention the girl in question was kidnapped and missing for ten years.”

Rindo raised his eyebrows, unable to argue against that. Nagatsuki sat on her chair and swayed her ponytail rhythmically, speaking in a singsong kind of way. “Everything they do depends on their mood.”

Nagatsuki couldn’t keep herself from talking when this topic was brought up.

“It sounds bad to put it like this, but their emotions really dictate everything. Whatever their age, whatever their experience, incredible things happen if their emotions get out of control. A hundred years ago, the Agent of Winter built a castle of ice to protect the Town, including giant ice soldiers to fight off the insurgents. It’s quite frightening…”

Rindo had never heard of this. He raised his eyebrows again.

“Winter has a lot of legends like this, since they’re the most specialized in combat among the seasons… But the others aren’t without their own sagas. The current Lady Spring is a good recent example. She formed giant cherry blossom trees to protect her retainer and the Agent of Winter and his Guard, even though she hadn’t finished her Season Descent. Both events were born out of a desire to protect, hmm?”

Rindo gave a sullen response to the lecture. “They’ve got guts, at least.”

“This isn’t about guts, you idiot. Lady…Hinagiku Kayo, I think her name is—she has a power unlike anyone else in history. I mean, she did that at the tender age of six. Not that far from our Fairy’s age. It’s amazing.”

Rindo took offense at that comment. “Stop comparing her with Nadeshiko.”

The apparent belittling of his lady felt like a reflection on him, too.

Nagatsuki didn’t care. She laughed. “No, I’m not trying to put her down. I’m just pointing out how much power that girl had at six. The Agents’ powers grow as they age and accumulate experience, so one can only imagine how powerful she is now. And with that much power, she’s also more likely to lose control. Which must be why her retainer shut that down.”

She finally reached the conclusion to answer their original argument.

Rindo kept a straight face, but inside, he realized what Nagatsuki was trying to say. Rindo had assumed the retainer of Spring had neglected full security just to meet her Agent’s whims, but Nagatsuki proposed she had actually purged any unnecessary potential influences on the Agent’s emotions so that her first manifestation ritual in ten years was a success. They would never know the truth, however, unless they spoke to the woman in question.

“There’s no official record on how the Agent of Spring…Lady Hinagiku got away from wherever she was taken, but just between you and me…” Nagatsuki inched forward to Rindo so their knees bumped into each other and whispered, “Apparently, she destroyed their secret base. Amazing, isn’t it?”

Rindo froze in shock. “…”

“You should look at your face right now. Yeah, I know. I reacted the same.”

“…”

“Hey, you in there? What’re you thinking?”

After a while, Rindo responded with confusion. “If she could do that, why didn’t she do it earlier?”

“…”

Nagatsuki’s jaw dropped. She kicked his office chair with her red pumps, and Rindo slid all the way to the wall.

“Hey!”

“Oh, you’re the kind of guy to tell an abuse victim, Well, why didn’t you put up a fight?”

This slander Rindo could not take. “I would not!”

“Ugh. I’m done with this conversation.”

“Come on, Nagatsuki.”

“No. Get away from me, you heartless dick.”

“No, but I’m serious. I wouldn’t say that about a regular person, but the Agents have the powers of the seasons. Don’t you think she could’ve escaped at any time if she used them?”

“Okay, you need to go read a book or two and cultivate some empathy. I’ll also lend you some about the psychology of people under special circumstances. The kid was six, remember? You think she’d put up a fight if they told her they’d attack the Town of Winter again if she didn’t?”

“…”

Rindo still wanted to argue back, but he kept his mouth shut.

They were too unprepared. We won’t make the same mistake.

He knew better than to put his thoughts into words.

“All right, chat’s over. Let’s do some work. Check the plan already so we can bring up anything that needs revision. This is a ritual we cannot postpone.”

“I know. I’ll give it a look.”

Rindo sat at the security desktop and opened up the text file on the computer.

The document outlined the Agency Council. The prayer that had been taking place since ancient times.

The Agents of the Four Seasons gathered to pray all together.

Without it, the seasons would not be passed on, and the country would stop receiving their blessings.

It sounds made up, Rindo thought as he read it. We held the Agency Council while the Agent of Spring was gone. Couldn’t they do it without Autumn this year?

He grumbled internally about the ritual that had been in place since the age of the gods.

Hinagiku Kayo had been absent from the Agency Council for ten years, and there was no sign of the Agents losing their powers. However, they had received more reports of the fauna changing.

The passage of the seasons without spring was unstable, and many crops withered.

The signs of collapse were there. If this was because of Spring’s absence from the Agency Council, then it was worth seeing how this year would turn out. Rindo finished reading the document and marked it off.

“Done.”

Nagatsuki had been doing other work in the meantime. She was already back to normal. “Good, good. That’s all, then. You can go back.”

“Yeah… I’ll say, though, security’s quite tight compared to past years.”

“I mean, Spring and Summer were attacked. We need it.”

“Not that I mind…but is there really a need for this high a level? I’m here in case anything happens.”

“We can’t let our guards down. Autumn may not be the target of many attacks, but there’s no guarantee we won’t be attacked. Just go back to her already. Little Miss Fairy starts grumbling the moment you’re not with her.”

Rindo felt like talking to an adult for a while longer, but he gave up and got to his feet. He glanced at the monitor and saw Nadeshiko doodling serenely in the sunroom.

Annoyed at having to babysit again, Rindo yawned as he walked upstairs.

The schedule for today is…class with her tutor, was it?

It was spring. The season in which all those buried under the snow finally felt the sun on their faces. Work for the Agent of Autumn would begin after the Agent of Summer wrapped up her manifesting.

The days tended to run together when the other seasons took the stage.

After studying, it’s time for dinner. Then the bath, and then…

It was a boring routine, perhaps, but one worth cherishing. Boredom is a sign of peace—and no one ever notices until it’s gone.

How much free time will I get?

Rindo Azami wasn’t as diligent a retainer. Compared to others, he didn’t fixate on his Agent. He saw it only as a job.

Ugh, what a bother.

But still, he was not one to wish for his routine to be broken.

“Huh…?!”

The moment he got upstairs, the moment he saw the projectile from the hallway window, the moment he shouted in surprise—everything changed.

It hit the Autumn country house before he could even recognize the shape of it. The missile destroyed the peaceful afternoon.

Rindo’s body hit the wall as the country house exploded, and he dropped back down the stairs.

One could say he had been lucky.

Right after he fell, the underground’s entrance’s fire shutter activated and closed. A crowd of insurgents swarmed the first floor and easily made it through the guards who relied on surveillance. The armed invaders assaulted everyone they came across, but they passed by the shutter, so his life was not in danger.

Thus, he was lucky. And the most fortunate part of it all was that he was unconscious and spared from watching it happen.

The bulletproof glass of the sunroom was not missile-proof, and it burst in a shower of shards. Agent of Autumn Nadeshiko Iwaizuki could do nothing. The babysitter and guards had unfortunately ended up unconscious under the rubble.

Nadeshiko looked like a bloody corpse when the insurgents found her. A small doll dyed red.

The insurgents, armed with military-grade equipment, approached her to see if she was alive. One especially large man took her pulse, and he shook as though he’d been struck by lightning.

Everyone watched as Nadeshiko’s body glowed with a faint light. She was already unconscious, but her powers activated on their own.

The Agent of Autumn had the power of Life Putrefaction. She made the trees and the land decay, preparing them for the world of Winter. However, what Nadeshiko was doing at this moment was a little different.

“A-aa-a-a-aa-aaaaaah!”

Nadeshiko held the hand of the man who touched her, and he screamed.

She had sucked the life out of the insurgent’s body, circulating it into herself.

This was the Agent of Autumn’s special power. Nadeshiko was unconscious, but her body was aware of the massive loss of blood—the approach of death. It instinctively activated her powers.

Her desire to live drew the life force out of the insurgent. Defying all the laws of modern medicine, Nadeshiko’s body healed so quickly, her wounds were closing visibly. Foreign splinters of glass fell down one by one as her body expulsed them.

The armed insurgents drew back before the fantastical sight. This was the power of a god. Nadeshiko let go of the man once she was satisfied, and he slowly keeled over.

He clearly needed urgent care, but nothing could save him now. His skin was dried up, his tongue lolled out of his mouth, and blood oozed from every hole in his body. He had become the bearer of Nadeshiko’s pain.

“Let’s take her,” said an armed woman.

“But, Gozen, the plan was to kill her,” said the tallest of the insurgent group.

“Yes. We had no intention of keeping her. But…look…” Gozen kneeled before Nadeshiko. “She’s so young… Just like the other girl… Don’t you see it, Mikami?”

Mikami seemed less sure. “You mean to let a pet bite your hand again, Gozen? One time was enough. We can’t make beings like the Agents into our pawns.”

“You don’t know. And she can heal… If we raise her well, she could learn to heal people. Think of all the lives that could save. More people will realize that we’re doing the right thing! They’ll understand the Agency is wrong!”

“But, Gozen!”

“We’re taking her.”

The head of the insurgents ignored Mikami’s objection and reached out for Nadeshiko. Now that she had healed herself, the girl did not use the powers of Life Putrefaction on the woman as she held her up. The limp child breathed shallowly in her arms.

“Let’s go.”

The insurgents left as quickly as they had arrived.

It was a full day before the survivors were saved—both those left in the country house and those fortunate enough to have been locked underground by the malfunctioning emergency-escape door.

The small mercy among the tragedy was that the sprinklers set all over activated properly, and a fire did not break out.

However, the Autumn country house was barely recognizable.

The place where Rindo had thought of the girl as annoying was in shambles.

The hallways her little feet had run through were dirtied with the victims’ blood.

The bedroom where he had held her little hands until she fell asleep was covered in rubble.

The sunroom where her little eyes had gazed upon nature held a puddle of blood, exactly where she had been sitting last. It remained like a burn mark.

“…Azami… The Fairy… Nadeshiko’s…”

Nagatsuki, who had also been spared, couldn’t stop herself from tearing up at the sight of the blood.

Rindo was in utter disbelief. There was no way this could’ve happened, he thought.

“This can’t be…”

Rindo Azami had been the retainer of Autumn for only one year. Both Agent and retainer were novices. He had been chosen despite his much older age because he was the most experienced in martial arts in the Town.

“…We had the security cameras, and…”

His ancestors had been retainers; his family was well-established in the Town of Autumn, known for producing many retainers across generations.

“There was no sign of them coming.”

He had done an excellent job during his first year as Guard.

Although he grumbled behind her back, he cared for Nadeshiko Iwaizuki in his own way. His pretense, his deception was his way of showing his feelings. He did not like children.

“…This isn’t fair…”

But he played his part. He acted like a good retainer for her sake. And in return, Nadeshiko always called his name out with joy. He’d thought this would go on forever. He’d believed that even if danger came, he could take care of it himself. He had the confidence. But in reality?

“Nadeshiko…”

He wasn’t even given the chance to fight. Everything was over before he could regain consciousness.

“Nadeshiko.”

She was gone.

“Nade…shiko…”

Only the puddle of blood remained.

“Are you leaving, Rindo?”

“I’m sorry, Nadeshiko. I’ll be back soon.”

“Don’t forget about me! Not even for a second.”

She was no longer there.

Nothing was left. There was no one left to atone for. No one left to heal. Nothing.

Only his sense of powerlessness as he watched the scene before him.

I could do nothing.

I could do nothing.

I could do nothing.

And yet, his eyes saw; his nose smelled; his mouth could taste; his heart kept on beating; he could still experience the world as it kept going, even after this tragedy.

This isn’t right.

Why was the world still breathing? Why was it still there even after such a terrible thing had happened?

“Nadeshiko…”

His Fairy was no longer there to answer the call.

“Lord Rosei.”

“Please don’t. Don’t go.”

“………Lord Rosei. I had fun this winter. Thank you for hanging out with me.”

Why did this have to happen?

“Hinagiku, listen. I was trying to die. That would solve everything.”

What did they do wrong?

“Thank you for the ice flower.”

“Just wait. I’ll die instead.”

Who was in the wrong?

“Thank you for all your kindness, Lord Rosei.”

“I’ll die. I’ll die right now. And then you won’t have to go.”

Was his own birth at fault?

“And I’m sure I’ll be saved, too. So please.”

Ahhh, if I was going to go through this…

“So please, will you pass the time with me again?”

…I wish I had never been born.

Despite having no one to pray to, Rosei made his appeal.

“I’ll die. I’ll show you… I’ll die right here; please tell them I will.”

He prayed to the young Goddess of Spring.

“Please. I’m sorry, Hinagiku… I was stupid.”

He knew no one else to pray to. He had no one but her.

“I should’ve killed myself earlier… Please don’t do this; you don’t know what they’ll do. You have no idea what they’ll do to you.”

Because she had protected him from punishment, because she had kept him away out of love.

“Please don’t. Please, I’m begging you, Hinagiku, I…I love…”

There was little he could say to his first love on the other side of the cherry blossom trees.

So he had to use that time to tell her as much as he could.

“I love you. Please listen to me…I love you.”

He relayed his love with a prayer for her not to leave.

“Lord Rosei—”

Hinagiku’s voice was interrupted by the voice of an insurgent.

They were ready to leave. They had accepted the deal.

Sirens rang in the distance. National Security was on the move. It was over. They were taking her away. Rosei could hear footsteps on the snow.

“Lord Rosei! Lord Rosei! I will give you an answer!” Hinagiku’s voice reached his ears as she was taken away. “So please, Lord Rosei…”

The dream came to the same end as reality.

No changes happened in the repeated nightmare.

Rosei relived the same story again and again, like some sort of punishment.

“Will you please live?”

He dreamed of the girl who had protected him with heart-wrenching kindness.

He was always left weak after waking up.

“…ngh!”

Someone shook him awake, and he tried to ground himself in reality.

He touched his face. He was no longer nine. He had the complexion of an adult.

But the tears were the same.

“Rosei, what happened? Were you having another nightmare?”

Itecho was right beside his bed, like always. He had woken Rosei up; he must’ve seen him tossing and turning through the security camera.

He’d been doing this for ten years.

He wore his life away in atonement for his failure all those years ago. He was nineteen then, twenty-nine now, and still keeping an eye on Rosei. It was like a curse.

His kindness was sometimes annoying to Rosei, sometimes another reason for his pain.

“…Itecho.”

Rosei was now twenty. After growing up, he realized what a burden Itecho had had to carry at nineteen. In the glow of the lamplight, Itecho’s face looked like a source of light itself. A light always softly illuminating Rosei’s darkness.

“It’s okay, Rosei. Spring is back now.”

Itecho’s presence gave him courage.

I have to stop living like this, Rosei thought at that moment. In every way, he was reaching a breaking point.

His current situation, his past, his future, his face wet with tears, his trembling hands, the drugs he had to take, living with people holding his head down—he hated it all. He hated this life.

Fuck this.

His present was the worst. His fate was too cruel.

His future was despair. His past was better discarded.

There was nothing good in the life the God of Winter led now.

He felt nauseous at the thought of finding a culprit to pin the blame on.

Yet again, the suicidal thoughts ate away at him from the pit of his stomach, taking over every inch of his body. Maybe it was best for him to succumb. He always had that little desire to die. But…

Not now.

He didn’t want that thought to win.

He would die someday anyway. He just didn’t know when.

Death came equally to all. Perhaps the insurgents would kill him. Maybe an illness. Right now, the most likely possibility was himself.

But that isn’t now. There are still things for me to do.

Now, Rosei was alive.

Spring is back. I have to act.

He was granted this life by her protection. He should use it for something good. He wanted to live in a way he wouldn’t be ashamed of.

And the person he most wanted to see it was back now.

Get on your feet.

His first love had told him to endure and wait until the time for battle.

I’ve endured enough. The time for battle is now.

She had granted him his life, and it wasn’t so he could lose—she let him live so he could win.

Now was the time to challenge fate and take revenge.

He wanted to yell at everything that made them suffer. Flip it the middle finger where everyone could see.

Tell it, Now it’s time for you to get a taste of your own medicine.

“Itecho, if I told you I wanted to do something stupid, would you come with me?”

The question was thoughtless; there was no context for what he was talking about or expecting. And yet, his retainer did not raise an eyebrow or think it over; he just nodded.

“I’ll follow you wherever you want.”

Perhaps he had been waiting for this moment, too—when his master stood back up.

“Well then, where should we begin?” he asked back, and Rosei was reminded again why he wanted this man alongside him on his journey to the grave.

The next day, Rosei contacted the Guard of Spring, Sakura Himedaka.

He called the Town of Winter guards to put her on the line and talked to her for the first time in five years through the phone.

“Sakura, can you hear me?”

He hadn’t heard her voice in years, but they had lived together once. Even after she left, he never stopped thinking of her.

He heard her gasp in shock.

“Rosei…”

He could still vividly remember her yelling at him, calling him a traitor. The last time he saw her was when the Townchief of Winter had decided to stop large-scale investigations. She had cried and attacked them for betraying her trust, and Itecho and Rosei would never forget the expression on her face. They begged her to wait as they tried protesting the decision, but by the next day, Sakura was gone.

“What do you want?”

It was a miracle that she had answered the call.

“Sorry for calling you out of nowhere and without the proper procedures. I really wanted to make a time to apologize in person, but the situation won’t allow for that now.” He gripped the phone tight. “…Hinagiku’s there with you?”

He had wanted to hear their voices all these years.

“…”

“I know. You won’t let me talk to her like this. If you don’t want to talk, then just listen. Give me a moment to speak.”

He wanted to apologize for not supporting her.

“I assume Spring has heard about the kidnapping. It’s a shame that this happened… I spent a month with the Agent of Autumn for the Season Descent. She’s a sweet girl…just a little kid. Very lonely. She liked calling her retainer’s name all the time.”

He had no intention of abandoning her. Even though investigations weren’t happening on a large scale, he didn’t give up in his personal search for her.

“…I hear this is hurting Hinagiku, too.”

Trying to find a single girl in this wide world was a massive undertaking.

It was also understandable why Sakura would be disappointed and leave the Town of Winter without listening.

“…It’s incredibly sad… But to be honest, at first, I didn’t think of doing anything about it. Summer and Autumn did nothing when Hinagiku was kidnapped.”

But if he was to be allowed…

“…Of course. I have no sense of obligation, either,” said Sakura.

If he was to be forgiven…

“Right. You and I were told to stay put, after all. We’re just pawns. Pawns aren’t allowed to move unsupervised. The tragedy is very regrettable, but we can do nothing but grieve… That’s the easiest.”

“…”

“However.”

If he could be pardoned…

“I…I wanted someone to help back then.”

He wanted to stand up at this moment.

“I wanted everyone in the world to help. I begged everyone to save Hinagiku.”

He wanted to get back on his feet, no matter how many times he fell.

He didn’t want to lose. He knew he couldn’t keep silent now.

“They took the girl I love because of me. I didn’t care what happened to me. I just wanted someone to help… And Autumn must be feeling the same way now. Abandoning her would be like abandoning our past selves, don’t you think?”

“…”

“…Maybe I can’t change your mind right away, but…”

“…You.”

“What?”

“Do you still love Lady Hinagiku?”

Rosei wondered why she had asked that, but he answered sincerely. “Yes. I love her.”

Without a moment’s pause.

A long silence followed. Rosei waited patiently until Sakura spoke again.

“Lady Hinagiku changed after her kidnapping. The one you’re looking for no longer exists. Can you say you love her even then?”

She was testing him.

But Rosei responded right away. “Yes. I fell in love with the woman leading Hinagiku Kayo’s life. It doesn’t matter what changes—her appearance or anything else. I love her.”

“She’s a totally different person. Her way of talking, her whole aura, it’s all different.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“I’m serious. You’ll be shocked.”

“Really? It’s no problem.”

“You haven’t even met her… You don’t understand…how serious this is…”

“…I understand why you’d say that. But it’s true. I’ve loved her the whole time.”

“…”

He didn’t understand whether Sakura had accepted his answer or given up before he changed back the subject.

“You’re going to help Autumn?”

“That’s what I want to do. I just said that they didn’t help me ten years ago, but that was the previous Agent… It has nothing to do with Nadeshiko. The Agent of Summer is different now, too. They weren’t even there back then; holding it against them is what the insurgents do. I may be the Agent of Winter, but I was Rosei Kantsubaki first. And as Rosei, I want to help Nadeshiko. She’s only seven. What about you? What do you…and Hinagiku…think? You can answer as yourself personally or as Guard. Just give me your opinion.”

“…I have no personal interests. I live for Lady Hinagiku. And my opinion is only one.”

She raised the tension, then kept silent for a while.

It was obvious she was hesitating whether to tell Rosei or not.

Among the silence, he heard fragments of a girl’s voice.

Hinagiku?

The girl whose voice he hadn’t heard in ten years was saying something on the other side of the line.

I want to hear you.

Sakura replied to her lady with an overly sweet, soothing tone before moving.

“What’s Hinagiku saying?” Rosei asked in a strained voice.

“She left already.”

Apparently, she was tired and went to bed. She had woken up after hearing the conversation and stepped out to see what it was.

“Did you tell her you were talking to me?” Rosei desperately asked.

“No. I would never. She’d be distressed if she knew you were on the phone.”

“…”

“About your question…I would rather feign ignorance about the whole thing with Autumn…but I don’t like my chances of that. Lady Hinagiku is very unstable right now because of the insurgents’ attacks and…what happened to the Agent of Autumn. She’s exhausted, but she can’t get a full night’s sleep. She might be getting sick… Plus…”

Sakura’s voice fell to a mumble.

“She’s been crying and whispering about poor Lady Nadeshiko.”

It was then that Rosei finally noticed the nasal quality of her voice.

Perhaps it had been like that for the whole conversation. He thought she was only tired, but that sounded more like she had been crying.

Sakura.

Just how worried was this girl, keeping by her lady’s side, trying to protect her now that she was finally back, while the circumstances didn’t allow her to get a good night’s sleep? She had no adults around who she could trust.

And yet, she never talked about herself. She only talked about Hinagiku. She never mentioned how terrible her living conditions must have been while looking for Hinagiku, how hard a time she’d had, and how alone she felt even now. She must have wanted to break down sobbing more than anyone, and she never did.

“She talks about how Lady Nadeshiko must be crying right now. Even though she isn’t a part of this, Lady Hinagiku wants so badly to reassure her.”

Sakura was a prideful girl. She could suppress her emotions as much as she needed to for the sake of her friend, her Spring.

Now she was on the verge of collapsing.

“…She cried herself to sleep today, too. I can’t stand to see her like this. It’s too much… And just when she was finally back on her feet… Now it’s back to ten years ago. She’s in a different position, but she’s having to see the same nightmare… I have to get rid of everything that hurts her. I have to condemn anyone who makes her cry; I have to remove anyone who harms her. Making my lady cry is blasphemy against the gods of the Four Seasons. As her retainer…as her friend, I can’t allow it. So…I want to do something. Looking for her will become harder and harder by the day.”

“I completely agree.”

“Will you be doing anything about it?”

“Yes. Winter—well, Itecho and I—have decided to help in the search for Autumn. It won’t matter what the Agency or the Town says; we’ll act on our own.”

“And so you’re asking us to do the same?”

“No. I asked your opinion, but I’m not asking you to act. I just wanted to let you know we will be. I want you to stay safe. We’re going to do something about this, so…I wanted that to be encouraging.”

“Idiot. What will Winter alone achieve?”

“…”

“Rosei, you’re always terrible at organizing anything. And most of the time, you’re reacting. You’re so sluggish, I can’t believe you’re Itecho’s master.”

Rosei had no argument to defend himself with.

“You’re twisted and gloomy, and you always look like you’re at a funeral. I don’t want to give you permission to love my lady.”

“Was all that really necessary?”

“But what angers me the most is you treating me like I’m a damaged little girl.”

Sakura’s tone changed then.

“I…”

Her voice was curt and hoarse.

“I am Lady Hinagiku’s retainer. I cannot stand silently by while you humiliate me.”

But there was a mighty strength to her every word.

“It’s already too late, you idiot. Spring is already planning to act. We’ve also gotten in contact with Lady Ruri Hazakura, the Agent of Summer, and received her approval. Spring and Summer will be working together for the rescue of Autumn.”

Rosei was surprised at the sound of that name. He knew Ruri Hazakura from meeting her every year at the Agency Council, but he had no close relationship with her.

“Summer? The Hazakura twins are always arguing. You managed to convince them?”

“…I think that’s a bit rude, but yes.”

“Did you make a deal? Are you giving them something in exchange?”

“Nothing of the sort. If anything, it’s a deal of…friendship.” Sakura chuckled, confusing him even more.

“But you met just the other day!”

He raised his voice in envy. Rosei’s only friends were still Hinagiku and Sakura.

“Bonds between women are strong once formed. And you can thank Lady Hinagiku’s character for that. You don’t have anything close to what she has. By the way, Lady Ruri had plenty to say about how gloomy you are, too.”

“…Stop bad-mouthing me behind my back.”

“That’s not bad-mouthing; it’s just stating the facts. And it’s that gloominess that makes you so bad at organizing. While you were busy hesitating, I was already getting things done.”

“…”

Why not say that from the very beginning, then? Rosei thought as he waited in silence for her to continue.

“And besides…”

Still, listening to her lifted his spirits. It was good to hear that she hadn’t given up.

“This battle to save Autumn…might be a good chance to settle the score from ten years ago. I was nine back then, but I’m nineteen now. I can fight much better. I have the martial arts skills to go head-to-head against the insurgents. Lady Hinagiku, too. She’s exhausted, but she’s ready for battle.”

The girl who had cried alongside him in the cherry blossom trees that day was now fighting back against the enemy. The mere fact gave Rosei courage.

“It’s time for revenge.”

The Guard of Spring, Sakura Himedaka, would not run away from fate.

“Once Spring has finished manifesting in Enishi, we will head to Teishu in secret.”

She was incredibly straightforward—she was strong, if also very stubborn.

“Rosei… Maybe I should’ve said this earlier, but I hate you. It was because of you that Lady Hinagiku got kidnapped. You should have vetoed the Town of Winter’s decision to stop looking for her, and I’m still angry that you didn’t. But you took me in from the streets. You taught me how to fight. You gave me the strength to be a Guard, and I am grateful to you even now… All of it is helping me now—it’s my means to protect Lady Hinagiku. Which is why…I’ll give you a chance to make up for it. Although I really wish I didn’t have to. This is your chance to clear your name for what happened ten years ago. We really need the numbers to look for her; we can’t afford to turn down any help. So let me ask you this directly.”

This was the moment, the instant—

“Lord Winter. We’ve endured long enough. Is it not the time for battle?”

—Rosei felt as if the color had come back after ten years of gray.

“Let us fight side by side.”

The path his life should take had been laid right before his eyes. He was finally seeing again after so much time in the darkness.

“The Four Seasons will join hands to save Autumn.”

And it was because they had survived the tragedy ten years ago.

Ten years. It lost weight when put into such simple words, but it was like an eternal hell to the one going through it. And they had endured it.

They had grown during the time Hinagiku had given them with her sacrifice.

They were no longer weaklings abandoned and wounded.

“Rosei.”

He turned to look at his side at the sound of his name, to face Itecho.

Itecho gave him a firm nod. His eyes told him to agree. The most cautious man was telling him to give in to the ardor and face the fight. Rosei shuddered.

His retainer had been there for him in sickness and in health.

Rosei nodded back with gratitude and answered:

“Lady Sakura Himedaka, Guard of Spring. I thank you for setting aside your grudge and requesting my support. As you said, we’ve endured more than enough. Let’s go to war. Winter will give full support to Spring’s requests… And, Sakura—stay with Hinagiku and wait for me.”

And so the lady and retainer of Spring headed to Teito, Teishu.

The various struggles that shook the Four Seasons that year were reported across Yamato through the Agency.

The disappearance of the Agent of Autumn, Nadeshiko Iwaizuki, was like a repeat of Hinagiku Kayo’s case.

The system worked such that a new Agent was born after the previous one collapsed.

The signs of a new Agent varied by season.

For Spring, cherry blossoms.

For Summer, lilies.

For Autumn, chrysanthemums.

For Winter, peonies.

A divine mark called the stigmata appeared on their bodies, making it so they couldn’t deny having been chosen.

That was the first sign. Then a voice called to the person appointed. The Voice of the Four Seasons, as it was known, called the name of the chosen in celebration until their powers manifested, whether or not the future Agent willed it.

However, none of this had happened even after Nadeshiko had been gone for three days. Which meant she was still alive out there somewhere. The search had begun in collaboration with National Security and the Agency, but they had no traces.

Teito was the capital city of Teishu. The independent organization that watched over the Four Seasons of Yamato, the Agency, had its headquarters in the business district of the city. Daily search meetings were held there. Guards who were present at the time of the kidnapping, Nagatsuki and Rindo, were there to aid in the investigation.

It had been exactly one week since the abduction, and no progress was being made—until the arrival of one visitor. Or rather, two.

The lady and retainer of Spring had just finished manifesting the season in Enishi amid the fatigue, worry, and desperation. They had arrived without even stopping by their Town.

And they finally got to face fate in a revenge match.

“I am Sakura Himedaka, Guard of Spring. This here is Lady Hinagiku Kayo, this country’s Agent of Spring.”

The girls abandoned by the world, stronger than anybody else, gracefully introduced themselves.

“Yes… Hinagiku…Kayo.”

I hope this message finds you well. What season is it as you read this book?

Cherry blossoms arrive in spring, sunflowers in summer, maple leaves in autumn, chrysanthemums in winter.

Is there anything that reminds you of the season nearby? Any flowers blooming?

The seasons are there with you wherever you go. This is a feeling I hope comes across as I write this. By the time you’re reading this, I’m sure it’s a different season from the one I’m experiencing.

It’s a curious feeling, don’t you think? This book, the feelings I send to you, are like the light of a star in the sky—an afterglow from the past.

Now then, I wrote plenty about the seasons and their continued losses in this book.

The seasons have become more and more ambiguous to me than when I was little. I’ll never again see the spring I saw when I was ten; I’ll never relive my winter when I was fifteen. Above all, I wanted to convey this feeling through the story.

However, the main theme of my stories is always the same.

This is my show of support to everyone who keeps on living despite it all.

I weaved this story like embroidery with the hope that, once you finish reading it, your world might be a little bit kinder. I wanted to give you something wonderful.

I couldn’t get it right at first. For three years, I went through trial and error, thinking about how I should let Hinagiku spread her wings and take flight out into the world, about how best to convey the world of the Agents of the Four Seasons.

Will this reach you? Will reading this make you sad? I reread it again and again with the questions in mind, worrying and worrying until I no longer had any idea what was what.

I have great aspirations built on poor craftsmanship. In the end, though, I can’t quite give up hope, and so I write day after day. I don’t know where you might be or what you may be doing, but I keep weaving this story with the hope that one day you’ll read it. I wonder how many more stories I will get to write in the remainder of my short life.

Was this story the right thing to spend my limited time writing?

I thought so hard about all of it, never knowing for sure, sometimes nearly in tears—but I made it.

I’m so relieved right now. Whatever its shape ended up being, I am glad that I could deliver this to you.

I have nothing but gratitude for the bookstores, the publisher, my editor, and everyone else who became a part of delivering this book to you.

Suoh brought this story to life with some wonderful illustrations. I was ready to be turned down when I made the request, so the joy I felt when you accepted is indescribable. Thank you so much.

And thank you for reading this. There’s still more I want to tell you, so I’ll keep working hard at it.

May we meet again in the second volume.