Cherry Blossoms After Winter: Volume 1 Novels & Stories

“Because I don’t think you’re doing any of this intentionally.” “But I am doing it.” Lysandra stayed quiet for a moment. Because there wasn’t really a comforting way around that answer anymore. The flowers near the windows shifted slightly. At first, it looked like nothing more than the movement of air from the cracks near the glass. Then one of the pale winter blooms nearest to Celeste slowly curled inward. The color faded from the petals almost instantly. Lysandra saw it. Celeste didn’t, or if she did, she pretended not to.

The netizens jokingly called him a hopeless romantic, and the fans who shipped us were utterly obsessed. But one day, when he was still logged in on his WhatsApp account on the tablet, a woman sent him a message with a video. In the video, the woman was cosplaying as a bunny police officer, and her gaze was suggestive. She was sitting in a kneeling position with her legs spread apart, and both her hands were unfastening the buttons of her shirt, revealing supple skin that seemed eager to break free. "Bunny really misses Benny. I want Benny to do things to me!"

*Winter* The car murmured as it glided over the snow-covered roads, a muted contrast to the vibrant chaos of my emotions. I stared out the window, the landscape blurring into a surreal painting of white and muted colors. The snowflakes danced like tiny fairies, swirling and twirling in an intricate ballet around the windshield. I wondered fleetingly if I was still dreaming, my mind teetering on the edge between reality and something far more magical. Each flake was a whisper from a world I felt I had only just glimpsed—the very essence of mystery wrapped in crisp cold.

VEX POV The night air is thick with the scent of cherry blossoms, petals drifting across the stone paths like pale snow. Lanterns flicker, casting long shadows over the carefully manicured courtyard as I walk beside Brynn, her hand still in mine. Every step toward her room is deliberate, controlled. Not because she cannot handle herself—she can—but because the world around us is dangerous, and I refuse to let her become collateral.

Alice rubbed her cheeks wondering if they were still red. There was an undertone of excitement in the air surrounding her. The plastic cherry blossom tree, with its pretty pink flowers, was looming above them, and for a brief moment, Alice wondered exactly how much paper would have been wasted for making this tree. It wasn't the most appropriate thought for the situation she was in, after all, she had just been kissed.

She would no longer be a Princeton. Her face now dry of tears, she spread her arms as she stared up at the petals of cherry blossoms raining down on her, landing on her face and body. She chuckled and whispered, “Spring is nearly over.”

Driven by pure instinct as a doctor, I rushed over and immediately began performing CPR on him, but he suddenly grabbed my hand. I shouted in panic, “Let go! Are you trying to get yourself killed?” His eyes were unfocused, as if covered by a thin layer of fog, a sign that his consciousness was slipping away. “Summer.” He murmured my name softly, then pulled open his coat. Inside, carefully protected against his chest, was a perfectly preserved Skyspire snow lotus. “The lotus repairs damaged heart channels. You’ll get better. You won’t have to suffer anymore.” John’s obsession stunned all the people that were present on that moment.

I was a nuisance alive, but if I were dead, my mother's connections and hidden assets would slip away. Neal stood nearby, brow furrowed, haunted by my calm gaze as I sat on the warehouse floor. There was no fear, no plea for help, and not even a glance in his direction. That look pierced him like a needle, stirring an inexplicable panic. Liam spoke up. "I found this in the alley behind the warehouse." He opened his hand, revealing a small silver bookmark etched with half a frost flower. It was my cherished keepsake. Olive's sobs paused, then grew louder. "That is Eira's favorite bookmark. Something has happened to her."

Nikolai led her through the mansion, down a different set of hallways to a set of French doors that opened onto the most beautiful garden Anya had ever seen. It was early spring, the kind of soft, hopeful warmth that made the world feel new again. Along the winding stone path, cherry blossoms were just beginning to bloom, their petals drifting like confetti in the breeze. In the center of it all stood a fountain, water gently spilling over stone-carved wolves. A few benches were tucked into quiet corners, made for slow breaths and silent thoughts. The whole place felt like a pause in time. "It's beautiful," she said.

"Edward, please collect the pieces of that book and make sure that every last page is burned." As we step into the valley and make our way through all the cherry blossom trees, I know that this shall be the parting scent that I shall know my beloved as. But what moves me beyond the beauty of their pink flowers is the rows of fairies that bid us farewell as we leave. They, too, do not know my beloved, but my beloved is receiving their blessing into the world beyond. One small tear escapes my eye; I believe these shall become frequent for a long time, if not forever.