The hallway of Hanamoriya Academy was noisy from morning on. Morning sunlight streamed through a window at the end of the corridor, illuminating the stone floor as students bustled past each other. Celeste moved against the flow, chasing after her homeroom teacher, Professor Dawn. "[serious]Professor, do you have a moment?" When she called out, Professor Dawn—early thirties, always carrying stacks of documents despite never being seen actually reading them—turned around. His eyes were gentle. He wasn't a scary teacher. Which was precisely why this conversation was so difficult. "[gentle]What's wrong, Celeste?" "[serious]About the Garden last night. I saw The Shadow. Black mist at the outer edge of the Dead Zone—and it was spreading wider than yesterday." Professor Dawn's expression shifted slightly. But it wasn't worry. If anything, he looked troubled. That felt like an answer in itself. Professor Dawn showed Celeste the thick file he'd been holding. "[gentle]Look at last night's Garden observation logs. Everything's recorded here—see? All within normal parameters." Celeste took the file and scanned the numbers. The data did say "normal." But. "[serious]But I actually saw it. The mist was moving, approaching the flowers—" "[sarcastic]Did Professor Celeste get scolded!?" A voice called out from the hallway. Celeste turned to see her classmate Raize standing there. His light brown hair was disheveled as usual, and he grinned with his arms crossed. Always grinning, always appearing at moments like this. "[sarcastic]So you finally got caught skipping class, huh? RIP." "[angry]That's not what we're talking about!" "[gentle]Raize, homeroom has already started." "[surprised]Oh, seriously? I'm going." Raize disappeared down the hallway without hesitation. In that moment, Professor Dawn hugged his documents to his chest and gave Celeste a gentle smile. "[gentle]I really do think your intuition is sharp, Celeste. But according to the data, there's nothing abnormal. Some flowers become unstable during seasonal changes. Try not to worry too much." "...Yes." The teacher left. Celeste stood alone in the hallway. She realized she'd forgotten to return the file, but she didn't have the energy to chase after him. Outside the window, the morning blue sky stretched wide. It was beautiful. But right now, the beauty of the sky mattered less than what she'd seen in the Garden at night. (Five years ago, someone probably told her the same thing—not to worry so much.) Celeste pressed her lips together firmly and headed to class. --- The afternoon practice room was dimly lit. Luminous Dive training—the technique of projecting consciousness into the Celestial Garden through deep concentration—was easier in somewhat dim lighting. All second-year students at Hanamoriya Academy could do the basics, but proficiency varied greatly. Raize always dove in thirty seconds and returned in five minutes. His catchphrase was "The Garden's too bright." Celeste lay down on a bed. Raize was beside her. Three classmates were in the row across. Professor Merlin quietly kept time. "Walk only the designated route along the outer edge and observe the flowers' condition. If you need to deviate from the route, you must file a request first." Celeste closed her eyes. Breathing. The sensation of her body becoming light. Her consciousness drifting upward— A meadow of light spread before her. Dream flowers swayed. Golden dream flowers were someone's hope, blue-violet was thirst for knowledge, pale pink was—romantic love. Each bloomed in the Garden as flowers of light born from people's dreams. An entire garden of light. Normally, she'd think it was truly beautiful. But not today. (The eastern edge of the outer perimeter. How far has yesterday's black mist spread?) Her spiritual form drifted. Celeste took one step off the designated route. "[laughing]She's doing another sleepy dive!" The voice reached her from far away. When heard from within the spiritual form, the edges blurred slightly. "[laughing]Professor, Celeste's swimming to weird places!" (Unnecessary commentary!) "[gentle]Celeste, check your route—" "[serious]T-this is advanced route self-training!" When she spoke from within the Garden, her mouth apparently moved outside too. She knew her excuse was weak. "[gentle]If you deviate from the route without filing a request, you should first..." The teacher's warning continued slowly. In that gap—Celeste pushed her spiritual form deeper. The boundary of the outer perimeter. Beyond this was the edge of "Public Bloom" that anyone could visit. Further in—the map had nothing written there. The light changed. The depths of the meadow shifted to a different color beyond some boundary. A soft milky-white wall, or rather a membrane of light, or—something not in any map or textbook was definitely there. (What is this?) Celeste approached. The wall of light stretched endlessly in height, seemed translucent on the other side, but she couldn't tell what lay beyond. As she drew near, warmth reached her fingertips. Not like plants—something broader, quieter— "Go back." A voice. A person stood right in front of her. Celeste's spiritual form stepped back several paces. She hadn't noticed him at all. Black hair with red streaks. Deep crimson eyes looking straight at her. Vertical slit pupils—almost human, but not quite, with something distant about them. A small black tattoo beneath his left eye. He wore the Hanamoriya Academy uniform but had a hood up, his expression completely unreadable. But his voice—she understood it. Low and clear, with the full weight of "you shouldn't be here" compressed into a single word. "[surprised]...Who are you?" "Doesn't matter. This area is off-limits. Go back now." "[serious]But it's not in the textbooks or maps—this wall! Why is it forbidden?" "It requires the administrator's permission to enter." "[surprised]Who's the administrator?" "Me." Celeste's head filled with question marks for a moment. "[surprised]You? You're a student here, aren't you? Why would a student be the administrator?" "..." "Why are you guarding it alone?" "...Doesn't concern you." "Are the flowers here not withering?" For the first time, Elian's blank expression shifted slightly. His brow furrowed. It was the look of someone who wouldn't answer but wouldn't ignore either. Celeste understood from that look. (Bullseye.) "[serious]Hey, do you know about The Shadow? The black mist in the Dead Zone. I saw it directly yesterday—" "I know. That's why you need to go back." "[serious]If you know, why won't you tell me?" "You don't need to know." "[angry]Whether I need to know or not is my decision!" Elian's eyebrows rose for a moment. Perhaps surprised. But he quickly returned to his blank expression and tried to push her spiritual form back toward the exit with his hand. She felt herself drift backward. Apparently you could physically push things in the Garden. "Don't push me!" "Go back." "[serious]Pushing won't work! I can brace myself!" "...You're not bracing. You're floating." Celeste looked down at her spiritual form's feet. She was indeed floating slightly. Embarrassing. Elian sighed and turned away. "[cold]Just go home. Don't come here again." In that moment, words spilled from Celeste's mouth. She hadn't been thinking about it. They just came out. "[sad]...My mother's dream flower withered, and for five years she's only seen me as the nice girl from the neighborhood." Elian's movement stopped. He stopped, still facing away. Celeste continued. Her voice trembled slightly. She hadn't meant for it to. "[sad]The same thing is starting to spread in Nightbloom now. I can't stop it alone. But no one believes me. Professor Dawn says the data is normal. Raize just teases me. I'm the only one—" Her words trailed off. She hadn't meant to say all that. But she couldn't stop. Elian slowly turned back. His red vertical-slit eyes narrowed. It was a measuring gaze. She didn't think it was scary. Just deep. There was something in the depths of those eyes. A long silence stretched. The Garden's wind rustled the light meadow. The flowers swayed with soft sounds. Celeste kept watching Elian. Elian kept watching Celeste. "...This section too." His low voice reached her quietly. "Black stains have started appearing. Small. But definitely spreading." Celeste held her breath. (I knew it.) "[surprised]How long?" "Three days ago. At first it was pinprick-sized. Now it's about one flower's worth." "[serious]Did you report it to anyone?" "Can't." "Why—" "[cold]Don't tell anyone." His voice suddenly sharpened. "[cold]If the academy finds out this section exists, I'll lose my position. That's—absolutely not allowed." Only that last part carried real force. No explanation of why. Just the clear will that "this is absolutely not allowed." Celeste thought for a while. She didn't know if she could trust him. But this boy knew about The Shadow. He knew the stains were appearing in this section. And—he was desperately trying to protect something. (Just like me. Trying to protect something alone.) "[serious]...Okay. I won't tell anyone." Elian relaxed his shoulders slightly. It might have been her imagination. But Celeste thought she saw it. "We can share information. Me on this side, you on the outer perimeter side. We each report what we see." "[excited]That's good. I'm observing the Dead Zone in the outer perimeter, so if I can understand The Shadow's movements—" "Next time you come here, come alone. Don't tell any academy staff." "[serious]Understood. I promise." Elian didn't respond. But he didn't deny it either. That was consent. Celeste felt relieved and almost smiled. But she held it back. A smile might break the atmosphere. The light wall swayed quietly. Beyond it were flowers that hadn't withered yet. A place The Shadow hadn't invaded. Yet black stains were beginning to appear—this information was important. Very important. Celeste turned to leave, and then. "...Come again, Celeste." Celeste stopped. She turned back. "[surprised]Celeste. With a 'te' at the end." Elian was silent for a moment. "...I get called Eliam a lot." "[surprised]Huh?" "People mix it up. Frequently." Celeste thought for a moment. Elian and Eliam. They were similar. "[surprised]Who?" "...Various people." There, Elian looked away. He gazed toward the far side of the light meadow. He'd said it so quietly, and didn't continue further. Celeste tried to say something—but couldn't find the words. It wasn't the kind of moment to talk about disliking having your name mispronounced. But it wasn't funny either. It was just... a strange silence. Yet strangely, it wasn't unpleasant. "[gentle]...I get called Celesta or Celesia sometimes too. I wonder why people mix them up." Elian didn't answer. But his mouth moved slightly—very slightly—as if he might have smiled. Not a full smile. But something shifted a little. The Garden's wind blew again. In that instant, a strong impact came from outside. The professor in the practice room must have rung the end-of-session bell—Celeste felt her spiritual form being ejected. Her consciousness was forcibly pulled back. Her vision turned white, and Elian's red eyes receded into the distance— She woke up on the bed. The ceiling came into view. A thin layer of sweat beaded on her forehead. This always happened when pulled back by the end of practice time. Her heart was beating a little fast. Cold sweat clung to her neck. When you received a strong impact in the Garden, your consciousness was ejected and left these physical reactions in the real world—just as taught at Hanamoriya Academy. That was all it was. Celeste told herself that. It had to be. "[laughing]You're done. Where were you actually going?" Raize called out from beside her. His grin was unchang