Part I - Summer (Middle) - "... we stayed at the inn."

The four of them lay on the tatami floor of their room at Embervyl Inn, having changed back into their original (now dry) clothes.

(Heinrich, back at the shop, after Miyu and Yuka returned their rental clothes: "Why did both of you rent clothes? Yuka, you're picking up a dress for your wedding, why didn't you just wear that?"

Yuka, incredulous: "… Are you stupid? I'd look ridiculous wearing a wedding outfit in the shoutengai."

Heinrich: "Looks … kinda the same to me, to be honest. My human eyes can't tell the difference. … So that's what you're wearing when you get married?"

Yuka, sighing: "It's one of the outfits, yeah."

H: "'One of'? … How many are there?"

Yuka: "Like, ten?"

H, C: "TEN!?"

Yuka: "Yeah. This was the only one that needed a slight adjustment."

Heinrich, staring at Yuka's chest, nodding: "Ah, yeah. That makes sense. It was probably too loose around the—OH NO DON'T HURT ME."

Yuka, fists raised: "… You're lucky we're indoors."

Tsumugi: "Can you all just leave my store already …")

Cameron was the first to break the silence. "Guys. It's getting late. We should go out to eat—the shoutengai restaurants are going to close soon."

Heinrich yawned. "I don't wanna get up."

"Me neither," the two elves said, in unison.

"Lazy. You're all so lazy," chided Cameron. "We're gonna starve tonight if we don't get up."

The other three groaned.

Cameron, sat up, and then stretched. "Fii-iine. I'll go pick something up and bring it back. You can stay here and relax."

The other three cheered.

"… Except for you, Heinrich. You're helping me carry it back."

"What? Why me? I don't wanna—HRUGGH!" he whined, letting out an involuntary grunt of pain, as Cameron picked Heinrich up off the floor, nearly pulling his arm out of its socket.

The two human boys left the room, made their way through the inn, and stepped out the front entrance into an orange sunset.

"You know, when they first said we were all sharing one room," said Heinrich, "I was pretty surprised."

"… Yes, Heinrich. … I know. I—I was there."

Heinrich, continuing anyway: "But I guess elfen inns have pretty big rooms. And plus, you can re-arrange the futons however you want—and there's a big divider in the middle of the room you can slide shut, so if the girls want privacy—"

"Yes, Heinrich. I was there. Why are you repeating all this—… Oh. Hey. Elegia. Good timing. We're getting food. Come help us bring it back to the inn."

Elegia, shrugging: "… Okay."

"Weren't you at the bookstore? You didn't buy anything?"

"… I read them all."

On the way back to the inn from the shopping arcade, after they finished buying dinner, the trio carrying between them a total of five meal sets packed in wooden takeout bentos—Heinrich going on about one thing or another to Elegia; and Elegia either listening intently, or … not listening at all (it was always hard to tell with him)—Cameron's mind returned to the act of analyzing, and re-analyzing, the most recent Instance, which had occurred just before they checked in at the inn, and whose unexpected Giver had been none other than (… wait for it …) the boy Dalton, who had left Cameron with the words, as he left to go back home to supper: "Our battle didn't end properly … But Miyu-nee seems happier with you now, so … I guess I'll let you have her. But you better treat her well."

To hear Miyu OG, or Miyu Prime, or whatever, mentioned again—even if it was by someone in another village altogether—hardly rattled Cameron by this point.

While it was true that he was still concerned with the lingering mystery of, "Why didn't he know her, and where had she gone?", the mere appearance of a new Instance by itself didn't really change things one way or the other.

… However.

With Dalton, there was a new point of data now, a new inference to make. … Because Miyu left for school three years ago. Dalton would've been too young to develop his puppy love crush before then.

Which meant …?

Which meant he must've developed it during the summers when Miyu came home from Crystal City Academy.

… Which, in turn, meant that Miyu Prime existed in some form during their relationship.

Cameron was still turning this over in his head, when the boys opened the door of their room, Heinrich happily announcing the arrival of food—

—only for them to be greeted by the sight of a sniffling Yuka, her eyes bloodshot from crying, and Miyu by her side, comforting her.

"Oh. Uh …"

Miyu smiled slightly. "Sorry, guys. Can you come back later? … You can go eat first."

"Come on," Elegia said, nudging the two human boys, who were still hovering around, staring awkwardly, unsure how to react. "… Let's go."

And as the three finally turned to leave, they heard Yuka say, her back turned to them now, not wanting them to see her face: "Wait. … Cameron can stay."

"Oh, uh," stuttered Cameron. "Um … Okay?"

The boys exchanged looks. Heinrich and Elegia shrugged at each other, before stepping out into the hallway. Cameron closed the door, one last wordless glance between him and his roommate through the gap in the door, and then he shuffled awkwardly to where the two girls were.

"So … What's up? … You good, Yuka?" he asked, knowing how stupid that sounded, fighting the temptation to just say, You know, actually, I kind of have a stomachache, and excuse himself out of the room …

Yuka smiled, sarcastically, dabbing at the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. "Oh, yeah! Clearly. Look at me, can't you tell? I just can't wait to get whisked off to Summergrün, and spend the rest of my life with somebody I don't even know."

"… Yeah … I … Yeah. Sorry."

"… What? Why are you apologizing?" A flash of annoyance in Yuka's face. "Don't do that."

"I … I dunno. Sor—… Okay." He didn't know what else to say.

"Anyway—… Urgh, why does he have to be from Summergrün, of all places!? You know what they say about Summergrünians … They're loud … rowdy … And that's coming from me, so you know it's bad …"

Cameron scratched the back of his head. "What's, um … What's so bad about Summergrün?"

Yuka's eyes drifted to Miyu. "… You want to fill him in?"

Miyu, still kneeling beside Yuka: "Ah … Well, first of all, 'bad' is kind of a strong word. They are different, true—remember when we first met, Cameron? And you told me you thought all of us worship crystals?"

Cameron turned red. "Oh. Yeah. … (Don't remind me.)"

"… And I said that there are some villages that are against using crystal technology? … In any form? Well, Summergrün is one of those villages. No crystal power, no machines."

"Oh. … But … They're okay with holding the ceremony in Lazumere? Aren't you afraid some of them might throw a fit or make a scene because you guys use crystal power?"

Yuka, rolling her eyes: "(Oh, gee, wouldn't that be a shame. Guess we would have to call the entire wedding off. … We sure wouldn't want that.)"

Miyu, seriously: "Well, just because we have different philosophies doesn't mean we can't have friendly cross-village relations. … They're not some crazed dogmatic cult, Cameron. They're just people. Like us."

Nobody said anything for a while. Yuka sniffled.

Then, Yuka: "I mean … I'll admit, that things are slightly better than they used to be. Like the Elders keep reminding me, how lucky I am. How back in their day, you would be Betrothed, and never see your home village again, and you wouldn't even see the husband until the day of the wedding. You were pretty much property. At least, I got to live in Summergrün for a bit last winter, and spend time there first. And get to know the guy first. Before, in the olden days, you didn't even get that much."

"Oh," said Cameron, feeling … marginally (?) more relieved. "… So, he's not really a complete stranger."

"No. Not completely. Look, he's … fine. He's a nice guy, right? We get along … fine. He's not a creep or anything. But it's—I mean, I'm certainly not in love with him. If I'm getting married, is it too much to ask to get married to someone I love?"

Miyu said, reassuringly: "Marrying for love is nice, Yuka-tan—but look at all the happy families in Lazumere that exist today because of the Betrothal. They got married, and then they got to know each other—just like you and him will."

"Well … that's easy for you to say, Miyu-Miyu, when you get to choose."

Another long silence.

Yuka: "… You probably think we're a bunch of backwood elves, right Cameron? Be honest."

Cameron, a bit too quickly: "Of course not, Yuka! … I mean, even we still have arranged marriages too, in the human territories." (He actually wasn't sure if that was true.)

"But it's not the same, right? Arranged marriages are usually done by the families right? You got two families that agree to marry their children to each other?"

"I … Yeah, I think so. I dunno. I guess?" (Certainly none of his classmates in Crystal City, at least those who had gotten married young, had been forced into one.)

"… Well, in my case, it was all ordained by Princess Aerya."

(He supposed maybe some of the citizens who had recently arrived from the—Wait. Hold on. What did she just say?)

"Oh," he said. "… Oh. So … Wait … That would mean …"

Yuka nodded. "It means that Miyu-Miyu—"

Miyu interrupted, smiling, declaring excitedly: "—It means Aerya acted through me, and I carried out her will! I conduct the Betrothal every year, and last year Yuka ended up being chosen by Princess Aerya."

Cameron stared at Miyu, not sure how to react to that statement. "You … conducted the Betrothal."

Miyu smiled even wider and nodded. "Uh-huh!"

"So … you matched Yuka up with her Summergrün husband."

"Yup!"

So you're the one making her cry right now.

You're the one responsible for Yuka's pain.

Miyu, proudly: "Isn't it beautiful? It's all part of Princess Aerya's plan!"