Ever since I was born, my world lacked color. It wasn't that I was physically colorblind; it was simply the way I perceived reality.
It wasn't that I lacked all affection for others, nor was it that I couldn't feel joy or sadness. It was just that none of those fleeting emotions ever managed to light a fire within my heart.
For a long time, I walked while looking only at my own feet. While I understood that there were "correct" ways to walk, I never possessed a goal or a dream that made me want to choose a specific path. I never felt the kind of happiness that would make me think I was glad to be walking at all.
I couldn't find a purpose, and I didn't understand the concept of happiness... yet, I never once considered myself unfortunate.
I possessed emotions and reason, but without a goal or an understanding of happiness, I suppose I was an empty vessel in a way. Even so, I never felt inconvenienced, and I never felt the urge to change who I was.
I was content to stare at my feet, walking forward with a steady, unchanging stride. I believed there was no reason to wonder where the road led, nor any need to know.
Occasionally, as I walked, the road would branch.
"How about it? Care to become one of my subordinates?"
Someone had invited me to walk their path.
"Please! I have no one else to turn to!"
Someone else had begged me to walk a path for them.
Each time, I chose my direction and continued walking. But it never felt like anything truly changed. No matter which road I took, I only ever looked at my feet. I never looked toward the future, and I never glanced back at the past. I simply continued walking in the way I deemed correct.
I found those who set goals and chased their dreams to be admirable, yet I never wanted to be like them. I offered blessings to those who achieved their dreams and spoke of their happiness, yet I never felt the desire to obtain it for myself. At most, I felt a faint flicker of curiosity, wondering what such a thing might feel like.
I assumed I would spend eternity without a dream or the touch of happiness, forever walking through a colorless world with the same mechanical stride. I was fine with that. Dreams I couldn't hold were unnecessary, and happiness I couldn't understand wasn't worth seeking. I was satisfied with the status and saw no reason for change.
...Or so I thought.
But then, I met you.
The moment I laid eyes on you, the world I had thought was colorless was suddenly painted in hues so vivid they were almost blinding.
The moment I laid eyes on you, I felt a distinct, undeniable warmth bloom in a heart that had never known heat.
The moment I laid eyes on you, I felt my unchanging self transform into a completely different being.
The moment I laid eyes on you—even without anyone to teach me the meaning of the word—I understood that I had fallen in love.
Standing in the corridor wrapped in the darkness of the night, I stopped my cart. A sliver of light spilled through the window, and I turned my gaze toward it. In a cloudless night sky, a massive moon hung suspended, radiating a gentle, silver glow.
"How lovely..."
Gazing at the beautiful sight, I thought back to the conversation I had shared with Kaito-sama just moments ago.
Kaito-sama had lamented that he was always the one being taken care of, but that was a profound misunderstanding. What I provided was nothing more than trivial service. It was wrong to even compare my small actions to the immense happiness Kaito-sama had given me.
Kaito-sama changed everything for me. The moment we met, I was truly reborn. Compared to that, nothing I did could ever serve as a proper repayment. It was all so insignificant...
Before I met Kaito-sama, I had spent my entire life looking at my feet. Now, for the first time, I looked toward the future. And what did I find? Radiant and unmistakable, there stood the path I wanted to walk and the future I wanted to find—things I had never believed existed.
Since meeting you, the world that once seemed so dull now appears entirely different. Not just you, but the world you live in and the environment that allows you to smile... I find it all so precious.
I want you to be happy forever. Nothing brings me more joy than seeing your smile. I love the person I have become—the person who can feel these things—so much more than my old self.
"As expected... it seems tomorrow will be... a bit chilly. For his morning drink... perhaps I should bring something... to warm him up..."
I savored the feeling of happiness dwelling in my heart. It was felt so clearly now that my previous inability to understand it seemed like a lie. I began to push the cart again, but I paused one last time to look at the moon.
"Kuhihi... As I thought... it is I... who has received... far more than you."
The person I loved more than anything, the one who illuminated my world... perhaps you still haven't realized it?
"At least... until I met you... I never knew... that the moon in the night sky... was such a beautiful thing."
The scenery I now watched while bathed in happiness, the world I had finally learned to find beautiful—everything was a gift from you.
I adore you, Kaito-sama. I pray that your future is filled with reasons to smile... and, if it is permitted, I wish to be by your side to see those smiles.
Serious-senpai: "Guaaaaah!? Stop with the Violence of Heroine Power... seriously, stop it..."
???: "It’s amazing to think that, in the original plans, she was supposed to be a madness yandere character. Well, there are still traces of that in the first extra chapter..."
Serious-senpai: "Wait, really? Then why did the plan change?"
???: "It seems the author changed course because the God of Earth, who was recently introduced and was supposed to be more dignified, underwent a dark evolution into a catastrophic yandere. Having two of them would have been redundant."
Serious-senpai: "...So, in a way, we have that goddess to thank for this?"