Chapter 22 At least at this moment, they are happy

　　"She seemed to want to tell her husband something."

　　The break time happened to coincide with the start of the mini-game festival, so Eden was pulled by the excited Elysia to open the game made by Minamiya Yu together.

　　According to Elysia, this contains the joint work of the two of them, so of course they have to share it together~

　　So, even though Eden had no interest in games, she couldn't resist Elysia's coquetry and was pulled by her to sit in front of the computer.

　　As a result, they didn't expect that such a small game would quickly make the two of them addicted to it.

　　Seeing the conversation between John and River by the bed, Eden frowned and expressed her doubts.

　　"Yes, whether it's that 'she' or that paper rabbit, they seem to be secretly reminding John of something, but John seems to be completely unaware of it."

　　Elysia also wrinkled her pretty face and said with some distress.

　　"Why not just say it?"

　　"Yes, if you have any ideas, just say them directly. It is the most important thing for people to communicate openly with each other..."

　　Elysia paused for a moment, and she immediately turned her head and looked at Eden, who also looked at her at the same moment.

　　"It's River's disease!"*2

　　They couldn't wait to watch as John played their piece, having made some guesses.

　　Sure enough, the subsequent memory-travel plot quickly answered their doubts.

　　Asperger's syndrome, the name of the disease that River suffers from.

　　This is a type of autism spectrum disorder that usually manifests as social difficulties, along with restricted interests and repetitive behaviors.

　　As Elysia read out the introduction in the Destiny Encyclopedia, the answer became clear.

　　Why does the communication between River and John seem so awkward.

　　Why does River always fold paper rabbits?

　　Why, she always asks John the same question over and over again.

　　All of this had answers at this moment, but Elysia was not happy after knowing the answers. Instead, she became even more silent.

　　Especially after seeing John confess to River that he pursued her only because he felt she was special, River cut off her long hair and sat silently at the table.

　　The folded paper rabbits were scattered all over the ground, but she was still folding them in her hands.

　　"Did you see the rabbit I left for you? Tell me about it."

　　"Well, it's yellow."

　　"What else?"

　　“It’s a little fat.”

　　"What else?"

　　"......"

　　The expectation of "what else?" finally made Elysia's eyes red. One, two, three times, one day, two days, three days.

　　As I kept asking questions, half of my life had passed.

　　Even after experiencing disappointment again and again, even at the end of his life, River still stubbornly asked John the same question.

　　"What else?"

　　"What else?"

　　"......"

　　Unfortunately, all I got was John's silence or changing the subject.

　　She was like a small boat sailing alone in the darkness, unable to find a lighthouse to illuminate her. In the end, she could only sink into the endless darkness with eternal regret.

　　"This is too much, Eden, this is too much..."

　　Eden, who understood her best friend's character, gently hugged Elysia, who was sobbing. She patted Elysia's shoulder gently, and said in a warm and gentle tone: "The torture of illness is beyond human control. Although John can't understand River's problem, he loves River so much. This is also touching, isn't it?"

　　"But, but River, she shouldn't have died."

　　In his last days, John wanted to use the money to treat River's illness, but River refused.

　　Why does this house make the River feel more important than life?

　　Elysia and Eden don't know, and neither do Sirin and the audience.

　　What exactly does paper bunny mean.

　　What exactly did River want to tell John?

　　The fog still shrouds everyone's eyes and the plot has not stopped.

　　Then they saw a lively wedding and the newlyweds who were extremely happy in front of the lighthouse.

　　Seeing River leaning against the lighthouse, he said, "Do you like the name Anya?"

　　"Would you...like to call her Anya?"

　　Suddenly, the fog dissipated a little.

　　"So the name of this lighthouse is 'Anya'. So, the reason why River cares so much about Anya is because this lighthouse is a witness to their love?"

　　Covering her red lips, Eden was a little surprised.

　　"But no matter how important the testimony of love is, it is not as happy as two people holding hands and walking in the sunset."

　　Still lingering with the emotions from before, Elysia's mood was a little low.

　　Until, she watched John take River's hand and watch them walk all the way to the top of the lighthouse.

　　Watch them slowly begin to dance under the silver sand scattered by the full moon, in the bright lights, and with the accompaniment of the waves.

　　At this moment, they have no worries about illness, no concerns about the future. They only have the warmth of their palms touching, the breath of closeness, and the happiness that is within reach.

　　"That's great~"

　　Elysia sighed softly.

　　Eden also smiled slightly. She knew that her best friend loved to see this kind of scene the most.

　　"But......"

　　Because it is memory looking forward from the past, the more we deal with it now, the more painful the regrets in the future will be.

　　Eden interrupted Elysia's murmurs. She looked at Elysia and said seriously, "The ending is never more important than the process. At least at this moment, they are happy, aren't they?"

　　Eden's comfort had a clear effect, and Elysia became visibly more active.

　　"Well, Eden, you're right."

　　She looked at the scene of the two people hugging each other and dancing, and said slowly: "Although the disease separated their thoughts, love would not. They loved each other so deeply until the end of their lives."

　　In order to make John understand her feelings, River folded the paper rabbit over and over again without getting tired of it, and the same question filled the rest of their lives.

　　This is especially true of John.

　　Although he could not understand River's intentions, even if River had asked the same question for decades, he would always answer River's questions patiently and calmly. Even if he could not get River's approval every time, he never got discouraged.

　　Even about the lighthouse that River loved, John never expressed any doubts. He just silently guarded it until River left.

　　Because he loved her, he also loved everything she liked.

　　Because she loved him, she didn't want any gap between them and hoped to awaken her husband's memory.

　　This unreserved love between each other warms people's hearts, makes them sentimental, intoxicated and brings them to tears.

　　As the plot progresses step by step, more smiles appear on everyone's faces.

　　At the grand wedding, the world witnessed their vow to be together for life.

　　Relatives and friends sent their sincere blessings, and his mother said excitedly: "Oh, Joey, you are the pride of my life." Joey is John's nickname, and his mother always likes to call him that.

　　In the spacious stable, there was laughter as they rode on their horses.

　　Watch them get to know each other, fall in love, and watch them paint a youthful and smiling picture in the cinema.

　　It's all so beautiful, so beautiful that one wants it to stay there forever.

　　The platypus beside the stream became their prop to move forward, transformed into the most profound fragment of memory, leading them all the way to John's childhood.

　　But at this moment, a white light flashed, and a bottomless darkness appeared between them and John's memory.