Even Madness Strikes Thrice - ✿ dusk blossoms ✿

The streets were lined with various stalls, and many people wandered through the alleyways, both browsing and shopping.

‘Wow, what a crowd. It feels like the entire capital is out here.’

As I followed behind Yuri, kids holding candy ran past, stirring up the hem of my skirt. For just a moment, I became distracted, and the sturdy back that had been in front of me vanished.

‘Huh? Where did Yuri go?’

There were so many people that Yuri was hard to spot. I looked around in a panic.

“Yuri?”

Just then, someone touched my shoulder.

“Titi!”

“Yuri!”

I had only lost sight of his face for a brief moment, but seeing him again brought me such relief.

Yuri seemed just as startled, letting out a long sigh.

“I was worried. You suddenly disappeared.”

“Me too.”

I had thought Yuri’s pink hair would stand out anywhere, but with a hat on, he was difficult to find.

‘Oh well, whatever.’

After a moment of hesitation, I reached out and gently grabbed the tip of his finger. Yuri looked back at me with wide eyes. I touched my reddening ears and spoke in a small voice.

“I was afraid of losing you…”

Yuri smiled warmly and adjusted his grip to hold my hand tightly.

“Let’s go check this place out.”

The place Yuri led me to was a street lined with shops selling beautiful glass crafts and hair ties. As we wandered around like tourists, we ended up at a crossroad leading to the castle after walking up a slight incline.

Whether it was due to the humid weather or the rare occasion of laughing and chatting joyfully, my throat quickly became parched.

“Ah, I want something cold to drink.”

An ice cream would have been perfect to walk around with. As I was thinking that, Yuri tugged at my hand.

“Titi, let’s go over there. They have something called ocean soda.”

A makeshift café with chairs set up along the road had a big sign advertising ocean soda. Curious, we approached and ordered one, which turned out to be a slushy drink with pink on the bottom and blue on top.

“Wow.”

The taste was just a typical sweet flavor, but the colors were so pretty that they caught my eye. Yuri squinted slightly and remarked,

“I guess they used coloring. Even mixing just pink and blue gives it a nice effect.”

I nodded.

‘Could it symbolize the sunset over the ocean? The sky turns such a deep pink at sunset.’

I had been selling rainbow roses mixed with four colors and blue roses dyed in just one shade, but even these two colors looked lovely.

“Wouldn’t it be nice to mix pink like that with blue roses?”

I said seriously while looking at the ocean soda, and Yuri chuckled.

“See, going out gives you ideas, doesn’t it?”

“Geez.”

I pouted and took a sip of the ocean soda. The ice melted quickly in the hot weather. Fanning myself, I said, “I’m glad we bought clothes. If I’d been wearing a thick Oxford shirt, I would have been sweating buckets.”

“Exactly. So let’s buy some more clothes on the way back. You don’t have many clothes, Titi.”

Yuri’s response, as if he enjoyed shopping, sounded refreshing. I propped my chin on my hand and asked curiously, “How do you know so much about women’s clothes? You even know where the shops are.”

Yuri’s answer was as sweet as the ocean soda.

“Of course, I looked it up beforehand. It might be fun to wander around with you, Titi, but I didn’t want to make you go through the hassle.”

“That…”

I hadn’t expected such an answer, and my face turned red on its own. Yuri leaned his chin on his hand and smiled lazily.

“And I told you, didn’t I? I know everything about you, Titi. I’ve thought many times about what would suit you, so I can come up with answers right away.”

Why do you even think about that?

‘Yuri is acting a bit strange today.’

He was completely different from his usual self. To hide my flustered expression, I deliberately sipped my drink slowly through the straw.

His friendly and intimate gestures, the way his gaze was fixed solely on me, and his kind and affectionate tone.

Despite all that, I couldn’t connect his demeanor to romantic feelings because his attitude was straightforward without being clingy.

‘I don’t get it.’

Unaware of my confusion, Yuri stuck out his tongue slightly, saying something idle like, “Drinking ocean soda made my tongue blue.” I squinted at him and replied,

“You’re being silly again.”

At my words, Yuri made a face as if he were about to cry.

“That’s harsh! Do you know how mean you’re being today, Titi?”

“Haha.”

A man dressed in a funny outfit appeared from the other side, starting a street performance while I smiled broadly. As he exhaled, a round, transparent sphere glowed with aurora colors and spread in all directions.

‘Soap bubbles.’

The soap bubbles I had seen once or twice as a child beautifully adorned the air. As I absentmindedly followed the bubbles floating above my head, my gaze naturally drifted to Yuri, who was sitting across from me.

His clear blue eyes were watching the bubbles like a child.

‘Beautiful.’

His prominent nose, round forehead, and eyes the color of the blue sky were truly captivating.

In a small voice, I whispered, “…Thank you.”

Yuri turned to look at me, as if asking what I meant. I shook my head and added in a much lighter tone, “I can’t remember the last time I sat idly like this.”

At my words, Yuri nodded with a carefree smile.

“Right.”

What was he agreeing to? I poked Yuri’s cheek with my finger.

“Not you. Before meeting me, you were always lying around.”

“No, I wasn’t! I lived a very busy life.”

“Liar.”

I had seen him never even leave his blanket.

I chuckled to myself, recalling Yuri as a caterpillar. Then, Yuri leaned forward, resting his arms on the table, and stretched his neck toward me.

“Look into my eyes.”

In Yuri’s transparent eyes, like marbles, I saw my reflection, like I was gazing into a mirror. The nose I thought was pretty slightly bumped against mine. Yuri continued speaking, unfazed by the slight contact.

“See? These are the eyes of someone who doesn’t know how to lie, right?”

“Yuri.”

I pushed Yuri’s face back with my palm.

“Now that we won’t lose each other, no more touching.”

“Titi, you’re so cold.”

Even as he grumbled, Yuri retreated without any sign of displeasure or hesitation. I pouted.

Yuri’s behavior always confused me. I couldn’t tell if he genuinely had feelings for me or if he was just playing around.

When in doubt, it was best to push away. So, I turned my head with a haughty air and replied, “Drawing boundaries is part of growing up.”

I expected Yuri to laugh and retort, but instead, he unexpectedly pouted and said, “Why do you draw lines with me but not with that woman?”

That woman?

There was only one person around me whom Yuri could refer to as “that woman.” I let out a small, incredulous laugh.

“Charlotte and you aren’t the same.”

“What’s different?”

It seemed Yuri was quite bothered by the fact that I brought Charlotte without consulting him and let her mistakes slide. Such childish comparisons.

But to me, Charlotte and Yuri were distinctly different. I chuckled and replied, “You’re someone I rely on.”

“…!”

Charlotte was someone I needed to guide and teach, but Yuri was someone I could depend on and trust.

‘If I didn’t trust him, I wouldn’t have come here with him in the first place.’

The bubble show must have ended, as no more bubbles floated on the breeze. Feeling a sense of emptiness, I looked back in that direction, and Yuri, taking my hand, helped me up.

“…I’m hungry. Let’s go have lunch.”

“Uh?”

Throughout this, he never looked back at me. From my angle, his white neck was now blushing red.

I laughed out loud, surprised, and asked, “Are you embarrassed right now?”

“…Hurry up.”

Perhaps genuinely embarrassed, Yuri only pulled me along without turning to face me. Seeing him flustered for once, I playfully tugged on his arm.

“Yuri, you seem feverish. I need to see your face!”

“No, you can’t.”

“Come on, I really want to see it!”

“Ah!”

As I pulled with force, Yuri’s loosely worn hat fell off, revealing his face fully in the sunlight, blushing like a tomato.

“Titi, really…”