~Detective's Helper~

~Ending~

As we got to the center of the city, I led them over to a small bakery where I'd ordered us some dessert to try. We sat at a table, and I sat back, watching them eat, before they handed me a little cake, a wide smile on their face. "Try this one, Heizou! I'm sure you'll like it!"

I took a bite, enjoying the taste. But there was something even better before me, the person I loved, the person I would now spend forever with... I couldn't even keep myself from staring...

They were perfect from the moment I met them; from the minute they appeared in my life... They were the best thing to ever happen to me, and I genuinely couldn't live without them.... They were my everything, but yet, life is fleeting, things wouldn't possibly stay this way... not when they didn't even belong here.. 

Thinking of it again caused tears to run down my cheeks, with me unable to stop them. [name] stared at me in concern, reaching out to move the drops of salty tears from my eyes. They frowned, asking me what was wrong, only causing me to cry harder. I had a feeling, one I couldn't shake. 

I gained the confidence to simply mutter out "[name], my intuition tells me you won't be here much longer." 

They knew just as much as me, my intuition was never wrong... I was cursed to forever be right, including on when my spouse was destined to leave. 

We soon left to get some rest at a nearby hotel. They seemed a little spacey upon the realization that they'd be leaving soon. I sat beside them, their hand immediately grabbing mine. My eyes soon came to their ring, the one I gave them. I took a moment to wonder if it would stay on their finger when they returned home.. I hoped so, so that they'll know this was all real.

I wondered also if they would still think of me often. I wondered if I would still matter to them as much as I did now. Would they still call out my name when they woke up? Would they still dwell on these moments as memories? Would anyone believe them? What would people say if they knew?

How would I feel? Moreover, how would I explain to my friends? How would I tell them the [name] they came to know was gone? How would I live in our house everyday knowing they were no longer there? How would I explain to the other [name] what happened?

And so, we hesitantly went to sleep, knowing they'd most likely be gone.

And I was right. 

([name]'s pov)

The sunlight ran into my room, and I'd hoped I was still in Fontaine... I was scared to open my eyes, honestly. What was it all for if I was just going to escape in the end....? I never wanted to leave. I never asked for this. I never asked to come back. I slowly opened my eyes, noticing my old room in place of the fancy Fontainian hotel. How much time had even passed....? Life seemingly carried on without me. Things looked somehow different, and the decorations had changed somewhat. I stood up, staring into the mirror, noticing the changes that had happened.

So time passed as normal, huh? I checked the date to read the year "2025". It was unexpected, the last I remembered, it was late 2022, but I guessed things have really changed, huh? The ring on my finger had vanished, and I was completely different than I had adjusted to. Guess I'd need to relearn to be a student again... Guess that's just life, yeah? 

I'd never forget Heizou, or the time we spent together. He was someone who taught me a lot, more than I'd like to admit to. I'd miss him, more than I probably should. I had no idea what to do now, so I moved on, opening the same computer I'd opened every day before, seeing how many updates happened since I disappeared. Crazy to think the Natlan patch was already out, especially when I left this "world" around the time Sumeru was about to release. Things would be different from here, but what would I do?

I updated the game, my eyes immediately falling to the man I loved, Shikanoin Heizou, his red hair as vibrant as I remembered, his green eyes duller than I remembered, and a soft frown on his face as he stood on the edge of a cliff in Mondstadt, where I last logged off. He shifted in place, going to do the idle animation where he was in thought, the smile returning to his face as he finished. 

I did my commissions, the tears streaming quicker and quicker down my cheeks with every word he said during the fights with the hilichurls. 

I teleported to that teleport right in front of Fontaine, speeding through the nation, personally recognizing every bit of the beautiful landscape, traveling through the entirety of the court of Fontaine, my eyes lighting up every time I saw a place I walked through. The music was beautiful here, and with the newfound love for Fontaine, I found myself finishing the entire archon quest, as well as a lot of the exploration in a few days. 

I snapped a few screenshots of the beautiful redhead, my tears continuing once more. I wondered what he'd say. Probably that I shouldn't cry. Something like I'm "deserving of all the good in the world" or that I was "cared for and loved like no one else". I miss him already. Silly, I know. To love a character this way.

I brought him to the hotel I disappeared in, standing still for a bit. The music I was listening to played in my headphones, and it felt like I was there again, like I was back again. I could almost feel his arms around me, his gentle embrace comforting me. Just as it did before. This would be torment, I was sure. How would I ever move on? 

I tried to get into other things, I watched tons of other anime, even branching out to other games, but I still found myself on genshin every day, my eyes lighting up anytime I saw that damn redhead. I'd seriously never recover. All these thoughts swirled around in my head, everything seemed to blur together afterwards, but I eventually found other things that would momentarily distract me. I was recovering from the whole thing, still logging on every day though. 

I was playing one day, while thinking of someone else, listening to other music, my game still on in the background. I hadn't moved, so a few idles played in the meantime.  I wasn't paying attention until I heard the line: "There's something in the air... something tells me a new case is brewing...."

And that was when I decided it was all okay.. He supported my decision to move on. It was okay to live a normal life, and it was okay... no shame. A new door has opened, it's now or never, right?

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To my lovely little stars,

my readers whom stuck with me through this all, 

thank you :3, for everything. It's been tough, and a lot's happened since I started writing this, it was cringe at times, it drove me nuts... but in the end, I'd never change a thing. I've been in a not-so-great place since I started here, but honestly, this is the best thing that's ever happened. i seriously appreciate all your support (and patience!) till now... <3!

Also, thanks for 2K reads! that's literally an insane number, and I couldn't be here without you all... 

This is goodbye from me (for this book at least, since I have many more to upload), but I wish u all happiness, love, hope and light always!! may the universe always protect you, and I hope to see you later <3! 

Hope the ending wasnt tooo angsty btw lol

and as always, lemme know if i made any mistakes :3

~Sincerely, Mars, your author, who you've grown with! 

<3

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