“How have you been lately, Arisa?”

“Been doing well. School life these days is really fun,” said Arisa.

The two were in the pavilion for the dam visitors while watching each other’s younger siblings. Vemia dragged Vanilla to enjoy the view of the sunset.

“However, just now I didn’t expect you to introduce me to Vemia as one of the people from the future.”

“As I explained earlier. Because my unstable record of the past led to Vemia knowing my true identity. Then, she asked for a reasonable explanation for my existence in the midst of her family.”

Arisa nodded. “But, I don’t think it’s necessary for you to reveal who else is coming at this time besides you, Rio.”

Rio turned his face away. “Well, I’m sorry since I can’t really think straight in that situation. So, I accidentally mentioned the other volunteers as well.”

“It’s a good thing that Vemia is a good girl so that our secret is still safe until now. Imagine if she wasn’t the person you thought she was and leaked everything to everyone,” Arisa commented.

“I know, I know. You could say that I’m lucky enough that the one who knows my identity is Vemia, not some other shady person.” Rio took a short breath, “For now, we don’t have to worry about our identities. Vemia also eager to help me in contributing to the mission. After all, I can’t pretend anymore because my record of the past no longer works for her.”

“So whenever our real identity is revealed to this timeline’s resident, it’ll be no longer have an effect. I never heard something like that in our briefing before. Does the scientist in the future respond with your case?”

“I haven’t sent anything yet to them. How about you? You sent your report before, right?”

“There’s no answer yet and my record is still unstable as usual. However, I’m used to it.” Arisa smiled bitterly.

“I hope you’ll always be okay. Since your unstable record of the past can make everything messy, am I right?”

“There’s no need to worry. I know very well what to do.”

Rio smiled in response. When he saw where Vemia and Vanilla were, they were busy talking about the flock of birds that had just crossed over the dam towards the city’s south. Rio guessed Vemia must have given some trivia related to the said herd to a girl who was a few years younger than her.

“Rio, I apologize for not accepting your feelings back then.”

He looks at Arisa with an expression that is hard to explain. Or actually, he also didn’t know what to reply.

“I understand how much it means to you. You said that you’ve been looking for me all this time, right? Driven by that feeling for years, I believe that your feelings definitely important for you until now. However, I turned you down because I do not feel the same. I also have no intention at all to have a close relationship in term of romance.”

“Ah, about that–” Rio stopped because he wasn’t sure whether someone should apologize because they turned down others’ feelings. His brain only caught half of what Arisa said. His feelings and thoughts were suddenly not in sync, so it was difficult to digest what she meant.

After all, being accepted and turned down are two sides that cannot be separated if someone decides to confess their feelings. Rio can’t imagine what if she accepted his feelings just out of pity, not because Arisa liked him back.

So, how should Rio respond to this?

When he wasn’t sure what to feel, his cell phone vibrated. Rio takes it from his pocket and reads the text carefully.

‘Yo, bro. Go to the forestry division ASAP. She wanted to take my cell phone so I couldn’t tell you, hahaha. Rita is so focused on her research so she didn’t notice me coming.’

Rio smiled and gave a reply. Arisa, who was beside him, didn’t understand his expression.

“There’s something funny on your phone?” asked the girl.

“It is nothing. Let’s go back to our conversation earlier.” Rio clears his throat. “Indeed, as you said, Arisa. It’s true that all this time I’ve always been looking for you who suddenly disappeared from my life. It’s because I like you, that’s why I keep looking for you until we meet again in this city. Who would’ve thought that I need to travel through time to meet you.”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“I see.”

“Well, that’s why I appreciate any of your answer for my feelings. I think your honest refusal is far better than you accepted my feeling yet you don’t feel the same.”

Arisa is silent to hear Rio say it so straightforwardly. The girl turned her gaze to the artificial lake, which was losing its twilight light. And then, she nods.

“So that means it’s okay for me to not accept your feeling?”

“I don’t know what to say when you put it like that, haha. But, I learned that a feeling is so dynamic, Arisa. Human feelings cannot be forced to accept something they couldn’t or they will never be able to truly connect to each other. One has to experience that a feeling should come naturally in order to be genuinely appreciated.”

A dynamic feeling, huh? I guess that’s how actual human feelings work, similar to the information and data I’ve read in the laboratory. How could I have forgotten if those feelings would naturally emerge on their own?

Perhaps, It’s the same thing when I feel comfortable amid my past family. Perhaps, that’s what Rio meant about a genuine connection.

Arisa turns her gaze forward, seeing the two little girls approaching the two of them. Without realizing it, the girl smiled faintly. Realizing that, Rio sighs while smiling too.

“I’ll go home soon with Vanilla,” said the girl.

“Me too,” added Rio shortly.

“Okay. Until we meet again another time.”

The four of them say goodbye to each other as they go their separate way.

It was getting late, and it was natural for this time to be used to rest. So, the two volunteers from the future decided to go back home with their own siblings.

Still, Rita isn’t having a relaxing weekend, just like Arisa or Rio. She is still determined to carry out the genetic engineering that could match Rio’s ideas. She didn’t even realize that she’s been at the greenhouse for more than six hours. Her mind returns to the past few hours when she finally takes a break for a while.

It’s when Valerie came with his usual nosy smile, suddenly arrived in this place uninvited.

“Wow, so there’s someone who is coming to work on weekend,” teased the blonde man.

“V-Val? Since when did you come in?”

“About five minutes ago. But, you were too fixated on your plants that you didn’t notice someone else was here,” he replied with a smug smile.

“…nobody should be coming in on a Sunday like this. So why are you here on the weekend?”

“I have an appointment for a date today. Coincidentally, our meeting point is close to the office. So, I stopped by for a while because I left something in my room.”

“Ah, I see….”

“More importantly, are you here because you are doing research related to Rio’s proposal?”

“This one?” she is referring to one of the mixed greens that shouldn’t exist in this era. “That’s right, it’s still in the development stage. It would be easier if Rio had already decided what building he wanted to implement these plants into.”

“Oh, ahem. Yes, yes. Of course Rita would do it for Rio, right?”

“W-what do you mean? If you have nothing else to do, you’d better go away!”

Rita seemed to want to throw something nearby, and Valerie was ready to dodge.

“Why the sudden hostility, hmm?” The blonde man laughed bitterly. “I’ll be going right away, don’t worry. I was just checking things out and reporting to my best friend, that’s all.”

“You will tell him that I am here?”

“That’s right, I just sent it,” Valerie replied while showing his cell phone screen.

Rita ran to grab the device and failed successfully. He is swift enough to dodge every attack from his friend.

“Okay, it’s time to go! See you tomorrow!”

“Hey, wait!”

Valerie quickly disappears, running away, so his phone doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. Rita sighed and continued her research after that. Her face was quite red for some reason, and she quickly washed it off with water.

Why does Valerie need to tell Rio, anyway?!

The evening has arrived, and Rita is relaxing her muscles under the artificial light in the greenhouse. When she checked the clock, she had spent quite a time here.

Time to go home. There is still work to be done tomorrow. Better to rest now.

She rushed to pack up everything and headed out of the room.

—and found that Rio was waiting there.

“R-Rio?”

“Good job today, Rita. Here, I bring warm milk. You don’t mind, do you?”

Rita isn’t answering. She leaned down and took her warm milk, and Rio smiled and went to enjoy his portion. While Rita is still looking at him with a face that begins to blush slightly.

She is somehow getting shy. So she drinks her milk in a hurry, and her tongue suffers the hot temperature.

“Why are you here on the weekend?” she asked quietly when her tongue is alright.

“Nothing in particular except that I want to thank you for cooperating with me even to the extent of working overtime on a weekend like this.”

“…no problem, really. After all, this is also for our volunteer agenda, right?”

“Yeah, you could put it like that. Also, I would like to repay for everything you’ve done to me. You always came when I’m doing late night work and brought something to enjoy together, right?”

“…”

“…”

“…thank you,” Rita replied quietly.

Rio ganders at his friend, who is sipping warm milk slowly as he smiles faintly. There was also a warm feeling in his chest.

“Since it’s quite late, how about we have dinner together?” Rio offered.

And Rita couldn’t get happier more.