In the Tokyo Skytree’s ascending elevator, Igarashi Rie, pulling Hoshimori Shion along, navigated through the moderately crowded space until they reached a quiet corner.
The elevator ascended swiftly, the numbers on the display steadily climbing higher and higher.
“Shion-san, open your mouth.” Seeing Shion continuously rubbing her ears, Rie quickly advised, “When you ascend to such a high altitude quickly, your ears can pop.”
Shion parted her lips, and sure enough, the discomfort in her ears subsided considerably.
Taking the opportunity, Rie popped a small candy into Shion’s mouth.
“Mm! That’s… so sweet.” Shion chewed the candy, its sugary fruit flavor lingering on her tongue.
Rie gently ruffled Shion’s white hair, whispering into her ear, “I bought these this morning. I’m glad you like them, Shion-san.”
As the doors slid open, the morning sun poured into the elevator through the observation glass. Rie, eager to explore, promptly pulled Shion out.
This was the Tokyo Skytree’s observation deck. The eastern dawn was just awakening, and sunlight pierced through the pristine clouds, making the cerulean sea sparkle brilliantly. On the other side, against the pale horizon, Mount Fuji’s snow-capped peak emerged as a distinct silhouette in the early light.
“It’s so high!” Shion exclaimed, her legs involuntarily trembling as she approached the glass curtain wall and truly grasped the immense distance below the Skytree. She wouldn’t typically use the word ‘distant’ to describe height. She had always believed that looking down on the town from Hoshimori Shrine was already a considerable vantage point. Yet, yesterday, the Palette Town Ferris Wheel had first challenged her perception of height; the Tokyo Skytree was now doing it for a second time.
“Shion-san, over here!” An excited Rie, having just put down her phone after taking photos, jogged over and took Shion’s hand. Shion rarely saw Rie this overjoyed. Watching the smile on Rie’s face, Shion couldn’t help but crack a small smile herself.
‘It’s truly wonderful to see her so happy.’
“This way, this way!” Before Rie pulled her into a rather narrow entrance, Shion glanced up at the sign. ‘Tembo… Tembo Corridor?’
“Shion-san, look down!” Rie cried excitedly, just like a child on their very first spring outing.
Shion, having been preoccupied with the sign, hadn’t paid attention to her steps. The moment she cast her gaze downwards, she nearly collapsed to her knees.
‘This floor is transparent! It’s so high!’
This was a corridor extending from the observation deck, its floor a vast expanse of transparent glass. Beneath their feet lay the Tokyo skyscrapers they had once gazed up at, now resembling tiny building blocks. Railway lines stretched out like a city’s intricate spiderweb, reaching into every corner. And the Rainbow Bridge, spanning Tokyo Bay, now appeared like a sun-drenched cheese stick.
‘Am I… am I afraid of heights?’ Shion began to question herself internally. ‘Surely… surely not? A Miko who lives on a mountain at Hoshimori Shrine every day, how could she be afraid of heights? Haha… ha…’
‘Alright, while I’m not *terrified*, I think I can gradually understand how Kujou Sakuya felt when she was so scared in that haunted house she nearly wet herself!’
“Shion-san, this way, this way!” Rie linked arms with Shion. However, after a few tugs, she realized Shion hadn’t moved.
“So… so high…” Shion stammered, her voice trembling, a sixteen-year-old girl sounding like an eighty-year-old woman.
“Shion-san, are you actually afraid of heights?” Rie tilted her head, asking.
Shion longed to nod, yet in truth, her acrophobia wasn’t that severe. After all, her home was nestled on a mountain, surrounded by numerous cliffs, and she typically felt no fear standing near them. But… but the Tokyo Skytree was simply *too* high…
‘The kind of high that’s genuinely terrifying!’
“I-I’m not *that* scared,” Shion insisted, “but it’s just so incredibly high here, I’m a little unaccustomed to it.” Despite her words, a noticeable tremor laced her voice.
“Then how about… this.” Rie embraced Shion from both sides, prompting her to extend her arms outwards.
“Shion-san, imagine you’re a lovely, free bird. Spread your wings and soar through the sky,” Rie whispered into Shion’s ear.
Shion nodded, then closed her eyes.
With one arm wrapped around Shion, Rie gently propelled her forward, step by careful step.
The sensation of firm ground beneath her feet brought Shion a sense of security. With her eyes closed, she no longer felt the dizzying emptiness. It felt no different from her usual strolls around the shrine.
“Don’t be afraid, Shion-san, just keep walking forward. I’m right here with you~”
Rie’s intermittent words of encouragement, whispered into Shion’s ear, significantly eased the latter’s initial tension. Gently, she continued to move forward, one step at a time.
“Alright, open your eyes, little princess~” Rie patted Shion’s head, and Shion’s eyes fluttered open.
At that moment, the two girls stood at the very end of the Tembo Corridor. In the distance, as far as the eye could see, Tokyo Bay stretched into the ocean, shimmering with golden light in the morning sun. The vastness of the sea seemed to embrace the entire world, and the colossal ships traversing it now appeared like tiny black paper boats gently drifting on the surface.
“It’s so beautiful!” Shion couldn’t help but exclaim.
“Isn’t it breathtaking?” Rie said with a smile. “Oh, by the way, it would be even better if there was a window here and the wind could blow through.”
“At such a height, the wind would be incredibly strong, wouldn’t it?” Shion retorted.
“Actually, the way I just held you was exactly like Jack holding Rose in *Titanic*,” Rie said, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. “If only there were some wind, we could perfectly recreate the scene.”
Shion’s face flushed. Of course, she knew the story of *Titanic*. “Senpai, really, stop teasing me.”
“No, I’m not joking with you, Shion-san.” Rie released Shion, leaning against the glass wall and turning her head to gaze at Mount Fuji in the distance. From this angle, the golden sunlight perfectly created a shimmering rainbow halo.
“Speaking of which,” Rie turned to Shion, “Shion-san, did you have fun?”
From Shion’s perspective, the dazzling morning sun was rising directly behind Rie, its golden rays casting a radiant sheen upon the girl’s red hair.
“Yes!” Shion nodded emphatically, a joyful smile gracing her lips. “I really did have a wonderful time.”
“It’s good that you had fun, Shion-san.” At this, Rie took a deep breath, clenching her right hand into a fist as if steeling herself. She patted her own chest, then looked at Shion, her fiery red pupils seeming to hold an lingering regret and a tiny spark of determination.
“There’s something I absolutely must tell you, Shion-san.”