In Tokyo, there was only one place where one could truly feel as though they could touch the sky.
In the early morning, Hoshimori Shion awoke to the first faint hints of dawn. Igarashi Rie was still fast asleep. Careful not to disturb Rie, Shion moved with the utmost gentleness to retrieve her phone.
Rie had mentioned yesterday that this particular spot would be exceptionally crowded, necessitating an early start—around seven or eight in the morning. If it was nearing that time now, then it was indeed time to rise…
With this thought, Shion pressed the button, illuminating the screen.
It was four-thirty in the morning.
‘Shion wanted to smack herself. Why on earth had she woken up so early? By her reckoning, she’d barely managed four hours of sleep.’
However, the thought of actually striking herself—and thereby almost certainly waking Rie beside her—made her reconsider. ‘No, better not…’ she decided. ‘I’ll just go back to sleep. An hour and a half more, then I’ll get up at seven…’
‘Yes, seven it is,’ Shion affirmed to herself.
And so, Shion closed her eyes once more.
Perhaps an hour and a half truly did pass…
“Shion-san? Shion-san?”
Shion felt a voice calling her name, close to her ear. But after such a long time, this was her chance to luxuriate in bed; how could Hoshimori Shion possibly let it slip away? Determined, Shion remained resolutely still.
“Shion-san? It’s almost time to leave now…”
Shion rolled over, though she didn’t quite register that if Rie were still beside her, such a movement wouldn’t have been possible. Yet, at this moment, it felt as though the bed itself had cast some powerful binding spell upon her, rendering her utterly unable to rise. ‘No, it’s not that I don’t want to get up,’ she reasoned, ‘it’s simply that I *can’t* get up. That’s all there is to it.’
It was then that a voice, like a mischievous whisper from a devil, drifted into Shion’s ear.
“It’s almost noon already~”
“Noon?!”
Shion immediately shot upright as if propelled by a spring. However, she seemed to have completely forgotten that she was staying in a capsule hotel room, and in her panicked haste, her head collided directly with the low ceiling.
“Woah?! Huh?…” Shion sat up, realizing her mistake too late; her head had already made contact…
‘Doesn’t hurt, though?’
As Shion rubbed her eyes, she finally saw Rie, squatting before her with a wide grin, holding a pillow precisely where Shion’s head would have struck the ceiling upon rising.
“Shion, you silly goose, why such a rush to get up?” Rie chuckled, lightly tapping Shion’s nose with a finger.
“Because it’s already twelve o’clock, isn’t it?…” Shion scratched her head, clearly bewildered by the situation.
Rie produced her phone, illuminated its screen, and held it before Shion’s face.
It was… Shion rubbed her eyes again, finally making out the digits on the screen.
Eight o’clock in the morning.
“Igarashi-senpai, you’re so mean!” Shion mumbled, her face still pale with sleep. Her words came out soft and indistinct, like a tiny marshmallow, punctuated by lingering yawns even as she spoke to Rie. To Rie, the Shion before her not only lacked any intimidating presence but rather stirred a mischievous desire within her.
“Without a little trick, how else could I rouse my adorable junior from her sweet dreams?” Rie said, covering her mouth with a hand as she laughed. “After all, I’ve just discovered that my cute junior is quite the sleepyhead.”
“But we stayed out so late with you yesterday, Senpai!” Shion protested. “I’m still so sleepy!”
“Then perhaps Senpai can take you out even later next time~” Rie replied with a smile, offering Shion a rice ball.
Shion accepted the rice ball and took a bite. “Hmm… play what, though?”
“As expected of Hoshimori-san, to not know this,” Rie remarked, observing Shion’s wide, questioning eyes. She didn’t elaborate further, leaving Shion with a look of utter bewilderment. Regardless, for some reason, after their outing last night, Rie seemed significantly more affectionate towards Shion today.
The capsule hotel’s communal bathroom was not to Rie’s liking, especially in the morning. So, upon waking, she had simply ventured to the nearest mall to purchase mineral water for her ablutions, even reserving a bottle for Shion.
Was this truly Tokyo? Shion glanced at the price tag on the mineral water, almost hesitant to use it. A single bottle cost more than her usual breakfast.
****
In contrast to its usual hustle, morning in Tokyo presented the great city at its most tranquil. After the revelry of the night, the neon lights had served their purpose and now lay dormant, extinguished in the dawn. The previous night, a holiday, had seen countless individuals celebrate until the late hours, and now was their time for repose. The main thoroughfares, typically choked with vehicles, held only a scattering of cars at this hour, moving with an almost listless quietude.
Here, there was no morning dew adorning wildflowers by the roadside as in a quiet town; only dry asphalt silently bore the weight of the urban landscape. Nor was there the cheerful chirping of birds at dawn, merely the sporadic honk of a car horn and the distant cadence of footsteps.
Yet, the morning breeze remained delightfully cool, and the sky, remarkably clear. Perhaps these were the only elements in this vast metropolis that echoed the serene charm of a small town.
As the two girls emerged from the final tunnel, a towering spire, piercing the very clouds, materialized before them.
And ‘towering into the clouds’ was no mere figure of speech. The entire structure rose like a colossal silver titan, forged from steel girders and frames, a testament to human ingenuity and strength. It stood proudly upon the earth, a magnificent emblem of humanity’s yearning to touch the heavens.
Shion craned her neck, but unless she tilted her head back to the point of discomfort, she couldn’t hope to glimpse the tower’s summit.
Beside her, Rie was absorbed in her phone, meticulously searching for the perfect photographic angle. She held her device aloft, comparing views, until, after a moment, she finally settled on a spot she deemed ideal.
Without warning, she tugged at Shion’s arm.
“Huh?!” The abrupt tug caused Shion to stumble, her feet sliding out from under her, and she tumbled directly into Rie’s embrace.
But this, it seemed, was precisely the effect Rie had intended. The instant Shion’s head rested against her shoulder, Rie pressed the shutter button.
In that fleeting moment, strands of red and white hair intertwined. Rie’s sly smile and Shion’s adorably bewildered expression merged seamlessly, while behind the two girls, the magnificent Tokyo Skytree soared into the sky.
The photograph Rie had used for comparison was an old one, featuring herself as a child alongside her father.
The red-haired girl had grown, and the person by her side had changed, yet the Tokyo Skytree alone remained, a constant sentinel.