090　Updated daily

It's finally the new year, Hikaru is 47, Reizei-san is 29, and Yugiri-kun is 26. Kashiwagi-kun is 31 and has been married to San-no-miya for eight years. I thought they might get bored or argue, but they seem to be getting along well with no such rumors. 

"I wish you a Happy New Year. How are you doing, Your Majesty? I hear that you and Kashiwagi-kun are good friends. I would be happy if you could tell me something about him."

I wrote a letter to my son, Mikado, in the new year.　

"Thank you for your letter, Father. This year is your 50th birthday celebration! I'm also consulting with San-no-miya and making preparations, so please look forward to it. Kashiwagi is as energetic as ever! He went to the mountains to find materials for good fishing rods. I want to try fishing too, so I'm thinking of building a pond in the garden of the Imperial Palace." 

"Thank you for your quick reply. It's such an honor to have you all celebrate my 50th birthday. It is difficult to build a pond in the garden of the Imperial Palace, so you can use Suzaku-in. Please stock the pond with fish and enjoy fishing." 

Mikado has been friends with Kashiwagi-kun since he was the Crown Prince, so he seems to have been greatly influenced by his love of fishing. I can feel Kashiwagi-kun's extraordinary passion for carefully selecting the materials for his fishing rods, but I'm relieved that he seems to be doing well. I also wrote a letter to my daughter. 

"I wish you a Happy New Year. How are you, San-no-miya? How is Kashiwagi-kun? If there is anything you want, please let me know so I can send it to you." 

"Thank you for your letter, Father. He seems to be busy preparing for your celebration, but he plays his six-string Koto with a nostalgic look on the beautiful moonlit night. The sound he plays is so amazing. We are doing well, but I think it would be more fun if we had children. He invites me to go to the hot springs again." 

I wonder if she's talking about the hot springs in Arima? They are located in the mountains, but I wonder if Kashiwagi-kun liked it. I read the letter thinking that if they were to go to Arima, it would be in the spring or fall. He plays the Koto for San-no-miya... It may have been an usual thing for them, but thinking about his impending death made me feel like they were making precious memories and I was sad. Kashiwagi-kun seems calm, but I wonder if he's already made up his mind. I didn't read those prophecies, so I still couldn't believe his death, and I didn't want to believe it forever. 

◇◇◇

"Murasaki is in good health. Your 50th birthday celebration will be in February." 

Hikaru informed me in a letter at the end of January. I was relieved to hear that his partner is also doing well. My 50th birthday celebration took place as planned in mid-February at Kashiwagi-kun's house, where San-no-miya was married. Hikaru, Mikado, and Reizei-san all sent me congratulatory messages and gifts, and I was grateful for their thoughtfulness. 

"Wow, your boys have grown a lot!" 

"So adorable, right?" 

I was amazed to see Hotaru's two sons dancing in beautiful costumes. They are probably only 5 or 6 years old. It's surprising that they are around the same age as Yugiri-kun's third son. Even though Hikaru and I already have grandchildren, he still seems to be popular... He warmly watches over his sons, but I hear that he still lives alone, so his late wife must have been a special one to him.

It made me smile to see not only Lady Tamakazura's sons but also Yugiri-kun's sons dancing so cutely. They must have practiced a lot for such little boys to be able to dance so well. 

"Congratulations on your 50th, Suzaku-san." 

Kashiwagi-kun welcomed me with a big smile and seemed very cheerful. His sense of color and clothing was outstanding, and I heard that he was in charge of the costumes of today's little dancers. In recognition of his performance at this celebration, Mikado promoted him to the vice-councilor of state.

Sutra readings were held at 50 temples, as befits me as a monk, and sutras dedicated to the Dainichi Buddha were also recited. Thanks to that, even though the celebration is gorgeous, there is a solemn atmosphere, and I feel like my soul is purified. I was happy because Kashiwagi-kun's father, younger brothers, the Ministers and Councilors, and Yugiri-kun all came to his house. 

"Thank you very much everyone for taking time out of your busy schedules to come today." 

I was more happy that I was able to act contrary to those prophecies than that I turned 50, so I expressed my gratitude to everyone. It makes me happy to see people come together and smile because of my celebration. I think Kashiwagi-kun is the proud son of the Retired Minister and the great older brother of his younger brothers.

"Would you like to listen to our performance?" 

Kashiwagi-kun said so, and in the back room he let me listen to San-no-miya's 7-string Koto and his 6-string Koto ensemble. When I heard that, my heart was filled with various emotions and I was speechless. After marrying Kashiwagi-kun, San-no-miya looked very happy being loved by him. I'm glad they met and ended up together. If her mother, Imperial Princess Genji, were alive, she would surely be happy for her daughter's happiness. 

I have no regrets about marrying my daughter to Kashiwagi-kun, but I am saddened and concerned about his expected short lifespan. I wish those books of prophecies had never been discovered. Or are we lucky to have found those books? I've been trying to disrupt those prophecies as much as possible though... 

This world we live in is someone's creation, we are just pawns, and our fate may not be able to be changed. Still, today was different from that prophecy. If today changes, tomorrow will change, and the day after tomorrow and beyond will certainly change. Even though our destination is the same, the scenery and memories we see before we arrive are updated to be different. It occurred to me that those books of prophecies may not have been our future, but our past. Maybe we're here to start life over again.