The third day of the Hokkaido trip.
A soft breeze stirred the sands of a quiet beach where four figures gathered beneath the shade of a rented parasol. The afternoon sun painted golden halos on the sea's surface, and above the distant horizon, the sky bore a faint but unusual glow.
"You can see the shape now, right?" Kasumigaoka Utaha murmured, squinting at the sky, her long coat fluttering slightly in the wind, revealing glimpses of her dark swimwear.
Yukima Azuma followed her gaze. Amidst the soft blue, a subtle brilliance—icy and foreign—streaked across the sky. A luminous body, separate from the azure above, drifted slowly into view.
Charlotte.
The legendary cot that only appeared once every 1,200 years.
Tonight, it would be at its closest to Earth, and here in Hokkaido, the observation conditions were said to be perfect. The rarest celestial event of the century was about to grace the skies—and their lives.
"Shaved ice, anyone?" Eriri called out brightly, appearing with an armful of frosty, colorful desserts, her own swimsuit still covered by a light jacket.
"You bought all those without asking?" Azuma gave her a dry smile as he reached for the green apple-flavored bowl.
"How could you not have shaved ice at the beach?" Eriri retorted. She spun around playfully with her lemon-flavored treat—only to stop short and clutch her forehead in pain. "Ack, brain freeze!"
Yukima Azuma laughed and gently rubbed her forehead. "You never learn."
Kasumigaoka Utaha and Kato gumi exchanged looks, silently agreeing: Foolish people really are blessed.
The four settled under their parasol, watching the gentle waves shimr beneath the sun's rays. Normally, a trip to the beach ant diving into the water, splashing around—at least a quick dip. But today, even though Eriri had brought her inflatable swim ring, no one felt like moving much. There was sothing different in the air.
Azuma had other plans.
He pulled out four cruise tickets. "I got us these for tonight. To see the cot clearly, you need either a mountaintop or open sea. Mountains are full of bugs and humidity—no thanks."
The cruise promised clean skies and an unobstructed view from the heart of the ocean.
Eriri sighed, lying flat with sunscreen freshly applied. "So boring..."
"How about we build a sandcastle? Maybe bury Eriri while we're at it?" Azuma mused lazily.
"That sounds fun."
"Agreed."
"Hey!" Eriri shot up, suddenly very not bored.
The beach erupted into playful chaos. Laughter, shouts, splashes of sand—ti passed effortlessly until late afternoon, when they packed up and headed for the port.
A deep, resonating whistle echoed across the harbor as the colossal cruise ship slowly docked.
"...It's even bigger than I thought," gumi said, tilting her head to see the top. Even on tiptoe, the luxury liner's height seed to vanish into the sky.
The anchor chains alone were thicker than her arm.
"Kind of nostalgic..." Eriri murmured with a soft smile.
gumi blinked at the unexpected tone.
She knew the Sawamura family was wealthy, but only monts like this revealed the gap. Still, Azuma whispered with a smirk, "Don't take her seriously. Back in middle school, she invited to a party—said it was just her mom's friends. I asked Sayuri-obasan and found out it was actually a VIP mixer full of politicians and billionaires."
gumi stifled a laugh as she imagined the scene. Azuma, once just an ordinary student, unwittingly stepping into a den of Japan's elite.
"She wasn't showing off. She just had no idea how different her life was," he added.
gumi smiled faintly, brushing her hair behind her ear. "But now... you don't seem out of place at those events anymore."
Azuma looked at her for a long mont. "You know, the mory that stands out the most... is the ti I just sat in my friend's bookstore in Tokyo, reading light novels to escape the sumr heat."
Her fingers paused mid-motion.
That was who Yukima Azuma was. Soone she could still reach. Soone who hadn't forgotten his roots.
From nearby, Utaha had been walking over, intending to interrupt their quiet conversation. But as she heard Azuma's words, she stopped in her tracks. She too rembered those early days. When success and fa didn't matter. Only the joy of writing and companionship did.
They boarded the ship.
Their rooms were comfortable, and after unpacking, the group headed straight for the onboard pool. The clean, blue water felt heavenly after a hot beach day, and they splashed and swam to their hearts' content.
Eventually, the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in warm hues. As the moon rose, the sea turned silver.
Standing on the upper deck, Eriri let out a breathless whisper. "It's so beautiful..."
In the dark canvas above, the cot Charlotte finally made its grand appearance. A long tail of blue and violet streaked the heavens, its light burning a path through the sky. It was like watching a dream etch itself into reality.
Kato gumi raised her cara.
Click.
Click.
Click.
The shutter echoed in the quiet.
"A eting 1,200 years in the making..." Utaha said softly, her voice tinged with awe.
Azuma looked up, wondering why the sight stirred sothing deep inside. Not fear, exactly—but anticipation.
"Let's take a picture together," he said suddenly.
gumi set up her tripod, adjusted the angle, and ran to join them. The four of them stood side by side, the cot blazing behind them, the moon casting its light over the endless ocean.
Click.
A mory, frozen in ti.
gumi hurried back to check the photo, eyes lighting up as she confird Azuma's profile was perfectly captured. Her hands adjusted the cara again—
Then froze.
Her expression shifted.
"...This doesn't look right," she whispered.
Azuma turned quickly. The girls looked up too.
In the sky, the cot was splitting.
One part continued along its expected path. But the other—detached—plumted in a trail of fire.
A burning teor.
Eriri grabbed Azuma's arm, tense. Utaha stood silent, eyes sharp, heart pounding.
"That's not normal," Azuma muttered. The teor didn't look like it would burn up in the atmosphere. As it punched through the clouds, tearing a gaping hole in the sky, everyone on the ship watched in stunned silence.
The fragnt disappeared beyond the horizon.
A mont later, Azuma's phone lit up. He made several quick calls, speaking in short, clipped tones.
"The cot Charlotte split. The fragnt... fell in Gifu Prefecture. Serious damage reported. Rescue teams are en route."
Relief washed over the girls, followed by guilt. It hadn't hit them. But soone else's ho was burning tonight.
Without another word, they returned below deck.
Later, the three girls gathered in Azuma's cabin.
"...It's going to be hard to sleep tonight," gumi said honestly.
"Yeah." Even Eriri had no jokes left.
Utaha leaned on Azuma, running her fingers along his palm. She could tell he wasn't just shaken—he was thinking. Analyzing.
He had fixated on this cot for weeks.
Now it made sense.
Though nothing concrete had happened—yet—Azuma couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning.
He contacted Laplace Corporation. So far, no signs of Adolescence Syndro worsening. Kurokawa Akane was fine.
Maybe... it was just a disaster. A terrible accident.
But sowhere deep inside, Yukima Azuma couldn't quite believe that.
He stared in the direction of Gifu through the cabin window, thinking about what ca next.
They would monitor it.
They would prepare.
Because sothing about that falling star felt like an on.
And ons rarely ca alone.
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