Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, six months had passed. Akari became a second-year student at university, marking her third year since returning from ancient times.
Akari said goodbye to Suzume and prepared to return home. Suzume said before she left.
"Enjoy your vacation! Remember to bring me gifts from home, and I'll bring you some too. And remember to tell me how things are going with your boyfriend."
Akari laughed and waved goodbye. Shunji was waiting for her below and smiled when he saw her.
"That's it?" Akari nodded.
"Won't you let me say goodbye to your friend?" Akari looked at him and thought that the boy had heard everything, as usual. Akari gave him a little pinch and scolded him, saying.
"Don't think I don't know you love secretly listening to Suzume's compliments." Shunji laughed.
"Come on, we have to leave early tomorrow." Shunji nodded. They quickly went to the mountain. The barrier had been reinstalled, and the place was almost completely restored, with no trace of Naoki's destruction. The new barrier was built jointly by Shunji and Akari.
When Akari entered Shunji's room and saw her drawing framed on the wall, she couldn't help but sigh helplessly. The day she gave the drawing to Shunji, he almost cried with happiness and promised to keep it safe. She never expected him to frame it and put protective charms on it so it wouldn't get damaged. She thought it was a bit exaggerated, but Shunji didn't give in.
That night, since they had to leave the next morning, they both packed their luggage and went to bed early. In the middle of the night, Akari could hear Shunji quietly getting out of bed and leaving. Hearing this again made her feel worried. This had been happening ever since Akari said she was coming back. At first, she thought he was nervous about meeting her family, but while this had some impact, it wasn't enough reason for Shunji to be having nightmares for so long, to the point of being unable to sleep.
After thinking about it for a while, Akari realized it was her fault. After Shunji confessed his identity, there were no secrets between them, so Akari decided to tell him the truth as well. She told him everything about what she had experienced in ancient times, the world consciousness, the original story of this world, and her identity as a transmigrant.
Shunji readily accepted it on the surface, but Akari didn't realize that this caused him to become afraid. He was afraid that the world consciousness might drag her back to ancient times, even though Akari had told him things were different now because the world consciousness wasn't as powerful. He couldn't shake his fear that one day, upon waking, he wouldn't find her in this world.
Upon learning of his insecurities, Akari regretted telling Shunji everything, since Akari couldn't promise that she would always remain here. Even she wasn't sure. Thinking about this, only one way to calm him down for now came to mind. Akari got up and found him sitting on the edge of a rock, staring at the sky in a daze.
"Can't sleep?"
Shunji was startled when he heard Akari's voice. He looked at her guiltily, saying.
"I'm sorry. Did I wake you up? Come in, it's getting cold." Akari shook her head and said.
"I'm fine. You, on the other hand, don't seem to be doing well." Shunji sighed helplessly; she was so intelligent that he couldn't deceive her.
Akari approached and hugged him. Shunji returned the hug.
"It's my fault, isn't it?" Akari said.
Shunji lightly tightened his arms and didn't respond.
"Shunji, I don't know what to do to make you stop worrying, so I can only tell you this: Even if I have to leave, I'll make sure to take you with me."
Shunji raised his head and looked at her.
"So no matter where I go or where I am, you will always be with me." Akari said with a smile.
Shunji finally smiled and said.
"That sounds much better." Akari sighed in relief.
They both went inside and lay down. This time, Shunji was able to sleep more peacefully.
**
The next day, they both left early, arriving at Akari's house at midday. Shunji was a little nervous, but everything went well; Akari's mother and brother accepted him without any problems. Shunji sighed in relief, and Akari laughed at seeing him so tense.
After lunch, they both strolled around the courtyard before Shunji saw the room where the well was located. He immediately tensed up and grabbed Akari's hand tightly. Akari calmed him down, and they both walked to that place.
Akari opened the barrier and entered the place she hadn't set foot in for three years. They both descended the stairs and found the place where the well used to be, now empty. Shunji and Akari sighed with relief and left, sealing the room again.
The rest of the day passed without incident, and at night, they were both sitting on the roof of the house, talking.
"So for now there's no problem, right?" Akari nodded.
In the original story, Kagome returns three years later with Inuyasha, but this was because of her desire to see him. Akari had no desire to return, and besides, Kikyo was there. Nor did there appear to be any imminent danger, as the global conscience had not attempted to send her any messages.
Shunji laughed and said grumpily, "It's best if they don't call because I don't intend to let you go."
Akari found his behavior amusing and thought that her consolation had been somewhat helpful. However, Akari knew that words were not enough, so an idea arose in her heart. If they could somehow connect their souls, couldn't their words come true? Akari knew that all beings in the world had the threads of their soul; if she could somehow entangle the threads of their souls, their connection could not be separated by anything or anyone.
Not only that, perhaps by merging them, they could even share their lifespan. It was just a theory, but once it arose, Akari couldn't stop thinking about it. This would not only alleviate both of their worries but also prevent Shunji from ending up with the same fate as his mentor. Akari knew that Shunji was aware of the risks of falling in love with a human and planned to follow in his mentor's footsteps.
Akari didn't want that. So she wanted to find a way that wouldn't harm the world, so they could both be together while they lived and even after death. However, this required deep experimentation, and Akari didn't dare do it on their own because if something went wrong, they could die. Even so, as long as they were alive, she would come up with something. If she didn't succeed in one year, then in two, or if not, in five or ten. She would investigate for as long as it took.
She looked at Shunji and decided not to say anything for now; she didn't want to get his hopes up. If things worked out, she would tell him without hesitation. After all, they had plenty of time ahead of them, since their life together was just beginning.