Yue Feather’s world held no trace of Silver Bell anymore.
But he carefully stored everything she’d ever used. He preserved them meticulously, waiting for her return.
Days, months, years…
Time slipped away like a breeze.
Though Silver Bell was gone, Yue Feather worked hard to keep his promises to her.
He studied diligently, put aside games, abandoned the beloved 2D world, and buried himself in books.
His grades soared—from the class bottom to the top ten in his grade.
Girls noticed his achievements and confessed their feelings. He rejected them all.
His heart was already occupied. By someone irreplaceable.
To others, she might not exist. But to Yue Feather, she was vividly real.
In this long, aching wait, he savored its bittersweet joy. Hoping she’d appear before him one day.
Free of distractions, Yue Feather stayed alone. Often lonelier than before. Yet he never felt lonely. For in his heart lived her—a girl who gave him hope. A girl he longed for.
He got into a prestigious university, just as promised.
Another promise fulfilled. Many more awaited.
He’d vowed to buy Silver Bell a new outfit every year. These clothes filled his wardrobe. Preserved more carefully than his own. To him, they were priceless.
University kept him busy. Not just with studies, but with life beyond them.
He met more people, saw more things. Yet Silver Bell’s place in his heart never wavered. Her image stayed crystal clear. As if she might step out of his mind any second.
At a class reunion, a girl joked, “Do you still have a girlfriend?”
Yue Feather answered yes.
“Still Silver Bell?” another asked.
“Mm-hmm,” he replied without hesitation.
“Wow—still together after all these years? We’ll be eating your wedding candy soon!”
“When will you bring her to meet us? We heard about her in high school but never saw her.”
“What does she look like?”
“Beautiful. The one I love most,” Yue Feather smiled. He was still alone, yet confident now. No longer the insecure boy he’d been.
“Haha, Yue Feather’s changed! So cheesy now.”
He smiled faintly, steering the topic away. As others chatted about high school memories, he drifted off. Thinking of her—the girl who’d appeared one summer and haunted his life forever.
Her mint-fresh lips still felt vivid. As if she’d kissed him just moments ago.
A fleeting kiss. Pure and innocent.
Years passed. The ten-year promise drew near.
Yue Feather graduated, returned to his small town, and opened an ice cream shop. He poured his heart into it.
He crafted flavors he thought Silver Bell might love. Unexpectedly, his shop became famous. People flocked for its unique, whimsical ice creams. Within a year, it was the town’s most popular spot.
Even a food show featured it for free.
The host asked, “Why name it ‘Silver Bell’? It sounds like a craft store.”
Yue Feather replied, “It’s a girl’s name. We promised to meet again after ten years. So I named it to wait for her.”
The reporter spun his words into a bittersweet love story. Knowing the owner had history, more customers came—especially girls. They begged him to share tales of Silver Bell.
Yue Feather reluctantly told fragments, never finishing. These half-stories fascinated them. Online, fans created a “Silver Bell Ice Cream Shop” forum, weaving their own versions.
Yue Feather grew famous and wealthy. He bought shops along the street until he owned it all.
Grocery stores, restaurants, nail salons, toy shops…
Every storefront bore the name “Silver Bell.”
With age, he knew his youthful dreams were naive. But he refused to lose that beauty. Even if Silver Bell might never return, he honored her this way.
In a sense, he kept her alive in reality. Many knew her name. Online stories made her vivid. As if she truly existed.
Ten years passed. Only months remained until August.
He’d matured. Knew childhood fantasies were unrealistic. Yet hope still flickered in his heart.
What if… what if she really came?
August arrived. Silver Bell didn’t appear. Days slipped by. By late August, hope turned to disappointment.
Now, others managed his shops. Alone in his unchanged home, Yue Feather gazed up at a framed note on his shelf. Silver Bell’s words.
Elegant handwriting.
“See you again in August, ten years later!”
The note had yellowed slightly. Proof of time’s passage. A full decade gone.
Yue Feather smiled bitterly. He picked up a pen and scribbled the same words on a fresh slip.
His handwriting was small and elegant—unlike his usual style, yet undeniably his.
This note, his lifeline of hope, was just a fantasy he refused to shatter.
If he tried, he could mimic that delicate script.
Which meant the note “from” Silver Bell… was actually his own.
As melancholy washed over him, soft little hands suddenly covered his eyes. A playful voice chimed behind him: “Guess who I am~”
Yue Feather’s heart jolted. Then raced wildly. Blood surged through him. He turned, disbelieving. Silver Bell grinned at him, head tilted.
“S-Silver Bell… it’s really you!”
“Of course! I promised, didn’t I? August, ten years later—I’d return!”
Time had left no mark on her. She was still the pure, youthful girl from a decade ago. While Yue Feather, nearing thirty, felt aged in comparison.
“Thank you…”
“Huh? For what?”
“Thank you for not letting my hope turn to despair. Thank you for making my childhood dream real. Thank you…”
“Silly! Hey, I want ice cream. Got any at home?”
“Ice cream?” Yue Feather blinked. Then rushed to the fridge, pulling out a homemade scoop. “Here. Try it.”
“Mmm~ Delicious!”
“I’m glad. Oh—and this.” He flung open his wardrobe. Inside hung ten years of outfits, each carefully chosen for her. “These are for you. All bought over the years.”
“Whoa… so many! They’re all beautiful.”
“Pick whichever you like.”
“Hmm… where’s the wedding dress?”
“Wedding dress?” He froze, then hurried to a sealed closet. He pulled out a gown he’d worn before. “Here.”
“Nah, not now. I’ll wear… this one.” Silver Bell chose a cute Lolita dress. She glanced shyly at him. He understood, stepping out of the bedroom.
Moments later, she twirled before him in the new dress. “How do I look? Cute?”
“Adorable!”
“I want… to visit our old places.”
“Sure!”
Yue Feather drove her everywhere they’d been. Not a spot missed.
“This place got torn down…”
“Yeah, but the new plaza’s huge now.”
“Mm.”
Ten years had reshaped the town. Familiar places vanished.
After the last stop, he brought her to his “Silver Bell” commercial street.
The road itself was now “Silver Bell Road.”
“Ahead is my ice cream shop. Full of flavors you’ll love. Let’s try them!”
(Side Story: Even Fantasies Don't Exist - The End)
"Mm~" Silver Bell smiled but slowed her steps, asking, "Yue Feather, how have you been lately?"
"Everything's fine, but... I still miss you so much."
"Hehe, I know. You've said that so many times already."
"You've asked that so many times too."
"Because I want to hear if there's a different answer."
"A different answer... I really want to be with you forever. I wish you weren't illusory, but real—a person truly living in the real world."
"Is that your wish?"
"Wish?" Yue Feather paused for a moment, then nodded firmly.
"Mmm~ Then wait for me here. Don't follow me."
"What is it..."
"Just wait as I said."
Silver Bell ran smiling toward the corner ahead and vanished from Yue Feather's sight.
This flustered Yue Feather. He feared she'd disappear from his world again. One decade of waiting had been torment enough—must he endure another?
Just as Yue Feather hesitated about following, Silver Bell dashed out from the corner. Now she wore a simple white wedding dress.
Holding up her skirt, she ran toward Yue Feather with a smile.
"Yue Feather~"
In that dress, Silver Bell was so breathtaking that passersby couldn't help but stare.
"Bell... N-no, that's right... That's my wish...!"
