The princess's dance came to an end.

  Quiet returned to the shore, and only the sound of waves echoed gently from afar.

  She sat down beside Saori once more,

  and after a long silence, spoke softly.

  "…There’s no need to rush.

  You can take your time.

  Little by little, let yourself feel—

  what hurt you so deeply?"

  Silence.

  But not a silence that scolded—

  a silence that waited, patiently, gently.

  Then the princess murmured.

  "You were diligent, weren’t you?

  Kind to your juniors.

  That’s why… you didn’t want them to suffer.

  So you took it all on yourself."

  Saori’s soul gradually calmed,

  as if exhaling for the first time in ages.

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  "That sense of duty… that kindness…

  they made your pain grow, didn’t they?

  Because you kept thinking,

  'If I just endure it, everything will be okay.'"

  A soft breeze passed, carrying the scent of the sea.

  Drawn by the princess’s voice,

  emotions spilled from Saori’s soul.

  "…It was hard," she whispered.

  It wasn’t a cry.

  Just a trembling—an invisible grief,

  shaking the soul.

  The princess leaned close, her voice a breath.

  "…So. You can finally cry now."

  A gentle light wrapped around Saori’s soul.

  "It’s okay. Cry as much as you want.

  There’s no one here to see."

  Her sleeves stirred gently, brushing the sand.

  The world remained soft, still, and kind.

  "This place… it belongs only to you.

  The deepest part of your heart,

  where no one else may enter."

  "So it’s all right.

  Even if you collapse, even if you can’t speak—

  leave that pain here.

  Let this place hold it for you."

  The princess sat quietly beside Saori’s weeping soul,

  speaking with a voice like the rhythm of waves.

  "And once you’ve cried yourself tired,

  you can rest.

  You haven’t been able to sleep… have you?"

  "...I’m sorry," Saori’s soul whispered, her head bowed.

  "You don’t need to apologize.

  You’ve done nothing wrong."

  The princess gently touched her.

  "The one who shouted at you that day…

  they didn’t know where to put their pain,

  so they threw it at you.

  It wasn’t your fault."

  "And those unreasonable demands?

  Those people just wanted to use you.

  To make their lives easier,

  they pushed their selfishness onto you."

  A single tear traced Saori’s cheek.

  The princess, too, was crying.

  "You couldn’t cry, so I’ll cry for you.

  No one understood you…

  so I’ll stay by your side."

  She looked up at the sky.

  "But those juniors you protected…

  they remember.

  They’re grateful.

  They’ve said it, again and again in their hearts—

  'Thank you for standing up for us.'"

  A flicker of light returned to Saori’s soul.

  "They’re worried, you know.

  One of them cried, saying they’re sorry—

  sorry for letting it happen."

  "There were people who saw you.

  People who knew how much you gave for others."

  From Saori’s soul, soft particles of light began to rise.

  They floated upward,

  shimmering like stardust.

  HIKARI-ARE KOTODAMA-NI NORI KAZE-NI MAI

  INOCHI-NO IBUKI KAGAYAKI HANATE

  * Let there be light,on words spirit carried by wind.

  May breath become radiance—life, ever shining.

  With the light still rising,

  the Princess of Utsusemi opened her arms

  and let herself drift into the wind.