Bewitching Invitation [Part 2]

Lilja: Kamikakushi, Tokoyo...

Lilja: It sounds beautiful, but a bit scary...

Koyomi: You have good intuition. Tokoyo is the otherworldly realm.

Koyomi: The scene is sometimes described as follows. It is a beauty that cannot even be described in pictures.

Lilja: I'd like to see it...

Koyomi: I'm honored that you liked it. However, we cannot see Tokoyo.

Koyomi: Tokoyo is a place from which one cannot return once they've wandered into it. It's said that they become trapped in a beautiful otherworld and wander there for eternity.

Lilja: Gulp...

Koyomi: ...I was joking. It's nothing more than a legend.

Lilja: ...Koyomi, please tell me more about Tokoyo. I want to see the paradise of beauty. It must be wonderful.

Koyomi: Um... Did you not hear what I said earlier? I explained that it's just a baseless legend.

Lilja: There's no evidence that it doesn't exist. Where's the entrance? No hints?

Koyomi: Well, it's often depicted in fiction as a deserted square or something like that...

Lilja: Let's go.

Koyomi: Ah, wait a minute, Lilja-san!?

Lilja: There's no one here. All the conditions should be met...

Koyomi: That's why I said Tokoyo is just a fairy tale—

Koyomi: Ah, someone came. Please hide.

Boy: What's wrong? Why'd you call me out here?

Girl: ...There's something I really want to tell you.

Koyomi: Fufu, I sense a bittersweet atmosphere. Hehe, girls in love are lovely, aren’t they? Beautiful.

Lilja: So, is that girl a resident of Tokoyo? Then, as a greeting—

Koyomi: You mustn't interfere, you know!? This is a moment where one should read the atmosphere!

Lilja: ? But there's nothing written in the air.

Koyomi: Not like that! Anyways, please keep watching!

Girl: I... I like you...

Koyomi: Hehe, just as I thought. Young love is truly beautiful...

Lilja: I see. A summer festival confession, another aspect of Japan's beauty. Koyomi, I want you to confess to me for a moment.

Koyomi: Why!?

Lilja: About the beauty of this country. Koyomi said she would teach me. No?

Koyomi: Uuu, I suppose there's no helping it... To go back on what I've said once would not fit the name of Senju...

Koyomi: I-I'll only say it once, Lilja-san.

Koyomi: Lilja-san, I... I love you...

Koyomi: ...A-are you satisfied?

Lilja: ...

Koyomi: A…Are you listening to me, Lilja-san?

Boy: Th-thank you. Actually, I... I like you too.

Lilja: Oh, it seems they both feel the same way. Did you see it too, Koyomi? You were muttering something to yourself.

Koyomi: Th-this is embarrassiiiiing...

Lilja: But I understand now. This doesn't seem like Tokoyo. Do you have any other hints, Koyomi?

Koyomi: That’s why... from here on, it's all just like chasing foxes or being swallowed by a kaleidoscope.

Lilja: There's no fox here. But I did buy a kaleidoscope.

Lilja: When you look into it... it's beautiful. It feels like being swallowed...

Lilja: ...I should have been swallowed by now. Is this Tokoyo? Are you... Tokoyo's Koyomi?

Koyomi: I'm just Senju Koyomi...

Lilja: I see, Tokoyo is far away. It's frustrating not being able to see it when you want to.

Koyomi: Perhaps that's how it's meant to be. Invisible to the eye. That’s why it’s beautiful.

Lilja: No, I can't call something beautiful if I can't see it. I want to see it and touch it. Existence is everything.

Koyomi: But Lilja-san, you've also fantasized, haven't you? Imagined scenes that couldn't be put into pictures?

Lilja: That's true, but...

Koyomi: Tokoyo, which is far away, cannot be seen by anyone. Therefore, it becomes a beautiful scene that everyone imagines differently.

Koyomi: Perhaps the beauty of this country that captivated Lilja-san was what was in her heart.

Lilja: ...Something beautiful that's invisible. Is there such a thing in my heart too?

Koyomi: Yes, since you've noticed such subtle beauty. If it’s Lilja-san, you can learn it right away.

Koyomi: That concludes our fairy tale. All's well that ends well. Do you understand now? About the mystical beauty?

Lilja: ...If it's beautiful even when invisible, can we call even the wind that rustles the trees beautiful?

Koyomi: Yes, the wind moves the trees and the pinwheels. What did Lilja-san feel from the beauty of ordinary days?

Lilja: ...I felt like the wind was calling me. Maybe Tokoyo is over there.

Koyomi: It's very much like Lilja-san to be curious, but also troubling... Just don't go too far, or you might get lost, you know?

Lilja: It's okay. I'll be back by dinner.

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Pub: 28 Mar 2024 19:03 UTC
Edit: 28 Mar 2024 19:04 UTC
Views: 79