“Hey, look, what’s that?” Nanami tugged at Shigure’s clothes, who was still crying on the ground, and pointed to the sky.
Sakuya looked up at the sky, her hand flying to cover her mouth.
Shigure, wiping her already reddened eyes, slowly lifted her gaze towards the heavens.
It appeared to be a star plummeting. This was no fleeting meteor streaking across the sky; it was a luminous star, descending from the high heavens directly towards the earth.
Strangely, however, no one else seemed to notice this falling star. Almost everyone’s attention remained fixed on Ayane, whose performance had just concluded.
Ayane rose from her prayer stance, perhaps feeling the weight of exhaustion. She struggled to stand, even stumbling slightly, but managed to regain her balance and offer a graceful bow to the onlookers.
“Is that star going to fall here?” Nanami murmured, watching the star grow increasingly bright.
“It looks like… it looks like it is…” Shigure clutched the hem of her skirt, gripping it tightly.
“Hey, hey, hey, what kind of joke is this? This isn’t some sci-fi novel!” Sakuya buried her face in her hands. “If a meteor really hit, we’d all die here!”
“Quick, we need to evacuate everyone else…” Nanami was the first to regain her composure in this chaotic situation, having faced numerous risks at sea. She scanned her surroundings, her gaze first landing on the stage with the loudspeakers. Ayane was still on stage; if she could make the announcement…
However, as Nanami’s eyes met Ayane’s, Ayane offered a relaxed smile. She placed her index finger to her lips, making a shushing gesture.
“Don’t worry,” Nanami felt Ayane’s voice resonate in her ear, and her previously anxious heart instantly calmed.
“What’s wrong?” Shigure asked, wiping away the last traces of tears from her eyes.
Nanami shook her head. “It feels like… that star won’t hit us. I suddenly just got that feeling.”
“Me too. It was as if someone whispered, ‘Don’t worry,’ or something similar…” Sakuya also seemed bewildered. “Was that just my imagination?”
As the three girls exchanged bewildered glances, an old man approached. “Hey, little Miss Kazama, how much for this fish?” He began sifting through the remaining fish at Nanami’s stall.
“Huh? Ah?” Nanami was momentarily stunned before quickly snapping back into focus. “Oh! The prices are written right here…”
And so, the three girls became busy once more, tidying up the last of the salmon.
****
From Shion’s perspective, the star’s descent lasted only a few seconds.
The last thing she could do was desperately fling the talismans from her hand.
The talismans, light as paper airplanes, floated gracefully, soaring past countless black specters and flying straight towards the azure-haired girl.
Despite the night, with every passing moment, Shion felt the sky above her head grow brighter, as if day had abruptly arrived.
The star in the sky had fallen.
The black beast tide vanished in an instant, like ice encountering a thousand-degree sun, reduced to dust and ashes.
Indeed, it felt as if a sun, a brilliantly shining sun, had materialized beside her.
Rie stood beside Shion, staring blankly at the unfolding spectacle. The light from the falling star was warm, like a healing force, mending her wounds.
‘This must be something only a Divine Being could accomplish,’ she thought. After mistakenly releasing the sealed specters, she had witnessed the Divine Being rescue a severely injured Shion. There was no other explanation. Rie pondered.
The talisman Shion had thrown drifted down, landing above the azure-haired girl’s head.
It traced a beautiful arc around her, shimmering with silver-white light. The azure-haired girl felt only a slight burning sensation, but the immense energy caused her no harm.
The next moment, the light gradually faded.
In the distance, the melodic background music of the Autumn Festival venue drifted over. The warm orange lights, though not overly bright, were more than sufficient to illuminate the forest beneath the shrine.
Everything seemed as if nothing had happened. Yet, the intense battle had utterly drained both Rie and Shion. Thanks to Shion’s protection and distraction, Rie had sustained virtually no injuries, but Shion herself was covered in wounds.
“Shion-san, what was that?…” Rie struggled to comprehend what had just transpired. However, the sudden relaxation of her body almost made her lose her footing. Just as she was about to fall, Shion caught her.
Though Shion was much shorter and her strength was inherently small, in that moment, Shion’s shoulders felt unexpectedly reliable.
“Are you alright, Senior?” Shion asked, a little out of breath, her own strength depleted. She quickly retracted Spirit Cutter and wrapped her arms around Rie, preventing them both from tumbling to the ground.
‘Was this the first time she’d been held like this by Shion?’ Even though the Miko was covered in blood and sweat, it couldn’t mask the soft, delicate fragrance emanating from her.
“Hey, hey, hey, Senior, you can stand, right? Don’t drag me down; I’m out of strength!”
Before Shion could finish, Rie pulled her down, and they both collapsed onto the soft grass.
“What’s wrong? Let’s rest for a bit. Besides, this grass is really comfortable,” Rie said, holding Shion tightly as they lay on the grass. She idly stroked Shion’s snow-white hair, gazing up at the stars in the night sky.
“Senior, let go of me!” Shion gently tapped Rie’s shoulder, her tone playful.
“Hmph, no way. I’m tired; I need to rest. Grandpa Butler will come looking for me soon. Do you want to come back to my place to rest later?”
“Eh? No! The Autumn Festival isn’t over yet, Senior! Senior!”
Before Shion could finish, she heard Rie’s soft breathing. She was truly exhausted; ever since taking charge of the seal, she had never experienced such a high-intensity battle, so she had simply fallen asleep on the grass.
As Rie’s grip loosened in her sleep, Shion managed to wriggle free from her embrace. She lay on the ground, gasping for air, and looked up at the stars.
“The night sky is quite beautiful today,” Shion said, taking a deep breath.
“Hmm, I think so too.” An azure-haired figure suddenly peeked into Shion’s view, offering a faint smile.
“Eh? Eh?” Shion quickly sat up, looking at the azure-haired girl. She wore a light brown and white school uniform, with small black leather shoes that seemed to match. The scent of the ocean clung to her. She blinked her cloudy, sky-blue eyes, revealing a gentle, cloud-like smile.
“Guardian Lady, we meet again. It’s just… after our first meeting, I thought a lot… Ah, you might have forgotten, so, let me introduce myself again.”
The azure-haired girl extended her hand. “My name is Hanami Yuki. This is our second meeting. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”