"[whispers]……Tsukasa-kun." The moment the name slipped from her lips, Rei clamped a hand over her mouth. Early summer dusk. A lukewarm breeze drifted through "Sora no Wa," the rooftop garden on the Azabudai campus in Minato Ward. It was so quiet you'd never guess you were in the heart of the city—the distant hum of traffic sounded almost like ocean waves. (Why did his name just come out of nowhere…?) Sitting on the bench, mulling it over, she felt an itch deep in her chest. Rei furrowed her brow hard. The red streaks mixed into her short black bob caught the sunset and glinted. Almost time for night patrol. She wasn't just some college student. She was a miko of Hikawa Shrine, and also—Sailor Mars. A warrior who protected this city from the scum of the Kagenosekai. "…Time to go." She murmured it and stood up—then sensed someone right nearby. Her body tensed on reflex. "Ah." That voice made Rei's heart leap before she could even think about being on guard. "…Tsukasa-kun." This time she said it clearly. Isozaki Tsukasa poked his head out from beside the telescope, his pale aqua-blue short hair swaying softly as always. His dull silver eyes widened a little, surprised. About 175 centimeters tall. Lean, and the eyes behind his glasses were always gentle. "[surprised]Hino-san. You're still here." "Well, yeah. What about you? Been stargazing all this time?" "[gentle]Yes. Jupiter is especially beautiful tonight." Tsukasa smiled, soft and a little goofy. It completely disarmed her. Normally, if some guy just wandered up to her, Rei would snap, "What do you want?" without a second thought. But with him, she couldn't. She didn't know why, but hearing Tsukasa's voice loosened the barrier around her heart. (What is this, seriously…) "[excited]Hino-san, would you like to take a look? Jupiter's bands are at their clearest right now." "Wait, me?" "[gentle]Yes. Go ahead." Tsukasa stepped aside from the telescope, making room for her. The gesture was so utterly guileless that refusing felt stupid. "…Fine. Just for a second." She peered into the lens. For an instant, her breath stopped. Floating in the pitch-black void of space was a pale beige planet wrapped in stripes. Jupiter. Beside it, a row of tiny points of light. "[whispers]Wow…" "[gentle]The Galilean moons. From the left: Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto. Galileo Galilei discovered them in 1610, and that led to the heliocentric theory being…" Tsukasa's voice suddenly came alive. He was usually so reserved, mumbling his words, but once the topic turned to stars, there was no stopping him. "And Io has volcanoes, and Europa has an ocean—they say there might even be life there—" Rei lifted her head and looked at Tsukasa's profile. Bathed in the sunset, his aqua hair glowed translucent orange. His silver eyes were sparkling, just like a little kid's. (What is that face… That's just not fair.) Her chest stirred restlessly. "[excited]And and, Ganymede is bigger than Mercury! A moon that's bigger than a planet—isn't that kind of fascinating?" "…You really do love stars, huh." "[surprised]Huh?" Crap. Did her voice just go a little too soft there? Rei hastily averted her gaze. "[angry]I-It's just a normal observation, okay?!" "[gentle]Ah, yes. I love them. Ever since I was a kid, always." I love them. Those words looped in her head, way too many times. (No no no, he just means he loves stargazing… What am I even thinking… jeez…) "R-Right. Well, see you. I've got work." As Rei turned to leave, walking briskly, Tsukasa's voice caught her from behind. "[gentle]Hino-san." "What?" "[gentle]Please come again. Next time, I'll show you Saturn's rings." Without looking back, she raised a hand lightly in reply. Her heart still pounding, Rei hurried off the rooftop. —Why am I so worked up? She didn't know. She didn't know, but she already found herself thinking about coming back to Sora no Wa after her next shift. Hikawa Shrine. Tucked right in the middle of Azabu-Juban in Minato Ward, this was also Rei's family home. Her grandfather Kazuo was the head priest, and Rei worked part-time as a miko three days a week. "Welcome back." A gravelly voice called out from the back of the shrine office. "I'm home." She answered while changing into her miko attire. A white kosode and a scarlet hakama. As she fixed her hair in front of the mirror, a familiar earring glinted on her right ear—shaped like a tiny flame. "Rei, your face is a little red. Something happen?" "[angry]Nothing happened!" Spread across the shrine office table were a brush, ink, and washi paper. She was making ofuda—handmade talismans. Hikawa Shrine's genuine ofuda were special, imbued with Rei's spiritual power. "[serious]The barrier's stable today, too. The Kagenosekai scum can't get in here." She picked up the brush and loaded it with ink. In one swift motion, she inscribed the spell onto the pure white paper. She could feel an invisible power seeping from her fingertips into the characters. The protective power of Mars—the power of flame—was taking residence in the ofuda. "[serious]But still, Rei. I've been sensing something a little off in the air around Azabu-Juban lately. My spiritual sense isn't that strong, but even I can tell. A sickly sweet, strange presence is seeping into the streets." At her grandfather's words, Rei set down the brush. "I feel it too. It's not clear yet… but something's there." "Be careful. Ever since you were little, your power's been prone to running wild when your emotions spike. When you fight, always keep your heart cool. Understood?" "I know." A breeze swept through the shrine grounds. The leaves of the great sacred ginkgo tree rustled with a soft, gentle whisper. Even in the middle of the metropolis, the air here was crisp and pure—time itself seemed to flow differently. Even the Kagenosekai's evil reach couldn't break this barrier. Rei closed her eyes and drew a deep breath. (This place, at least, is safe no matter what comes.) Just thinking that was enough to calm her heart. Three days later. Rei had come back to Sora no Wa. She had one goal: to invite Tsukasa to the "Hoshi no Oka Observatory." Hoshi no Oka was about an hour and a half from the city center by train and bus—a small hill 120 meters above sea level, the entire area turned into a park. With minimal light pollution, you could see a sky full of stars. A famous date spot among astronomy fans—or so she'd learned after frantically researching online yesterday. (Calm down, Rei. Natural. Just ask him naturally.) She ran the simulation in her head. *"Hey, Tsukasa-kun, have you ever been to Hoshi no Oka?"* That works. That's natural. Let's go with that. Tsukasa, who'd been sitting on the bench, noticed her and looked up. "[gentle]Hino-san. Hello. You can see Saturn today." "[angry]Hey, you. Do you know about Hoshi no Oka?" Fail. That was an interrogation. Why does my mouth do this? Tsukasa blinked, looking puzzled. "[gentle]Yes. It's a famous spot for astronomy fans. About an hour and a half from the city center, 120 meters above sea level…" "Then! Let's go together! You're going, right! You're not going?!" She flustered herself even as the words came out. What was that barrage? The "you don't get a say in this" vibe was way too intense. "[surprised]Uh… um, together… you and me?" Tsukasa looked bewildered, his cheeks flushing just a little. Seeing that face, Rei felt her own face flare with heat. "[angry]If you don't want to, then forget it!" She should just go home. This was mortifying. She wanted to dig a hole and bury herself. Just as she spun on her heel— "[serious]I'll go. I want to go." A small voice, but clear. Her heart gave one huge, heavy thump. "[whispers]…Oh. Then, it's settled." "[gentle]Yes. I'm looking forward to it." Tsukasa's face, crinkled into a smile, looked bright red in the sunset. No—the one turning red was probably her. Unable to look directly at Tsukasa's face anymore, Rei looked up at the sky. At the edge of the city sky, the first star of the evening twinkled faintly. That night. In the grounds of Hikawa Shrine, Rei checked the notifications on her phone. On social media—a "murmuring" app—posts about the Azabu-Juban shopping district were buzzing. *'Just now in the shopping district, some random old guy suddenly screamed "I love you!" at me…'* *'Under the arcade, a couple was making out on the street and no one could stop them.'* *'Something feels weird. My head's all fuzzy and I suddenly really want to touch people.'* Multiple posts. All from just moments ago. "Romantic feelings running wild…" Rei's expression tightened. (This isn't just some incident. I sense the Kagenosekai.) She hurriedly stripped off her miko attire and changed into clothes that were easy to move in. Dashing out into a secluded alley behind the shrine, she raised a protective talisman—an ofuda—in her right hand. "Protection of Mars! Dwell within me!" Flames engulfed Rei's body. White light swirled, and from within it emerged Sailor Mars, clad in a combat suit of black and red. Her toned, athletic figure stood out against the suit's silhouette. A holster for her ofuda hung at her hip, and a flame emblem blazed on her back. "Let's go!" Azabu-Juban Shopping District. A bizarre atmosphere hung beneath the arcade. A salaryman in a suit was grabbing a woman he didn't know by the hand, shouting. "[crying]I've always loved you! I was born to meet you!" "Stop it! Let go!" A little further away, a couple who looked like students were clinging to each other, kissing over and over with no regard for anyone watching. Both of their eyes were vacant—you could see their reason had been blown away. "What in the world…" Arriving on the scene, Sailor Mars swept her gaze across the area. (Just as I thought—it's the Kagenosekai.) From the victims' bodies, thin black haze—the residue of Koinodo—was rising. It wavered like smoke, carrying a sickly sweet scent. "Mars Sniper!" She raised her right hand, and three flaming arrows shot from her fingertips. The arrows pierced the black haze, sending purifying flames racing through it. *Fwoosh…* The moment the haze vanished, the shouting salaryman snapped back to his senses. "…Huh? What was I…" "Get away from here, quickly! It's dangerous!" One after another, she loosed flaming arrows, burning away the haze clinging to people. But still—something felt wrong. This was different from the Kagenosekai enemies she'd fought before. This sickly sweet energy—like honey, but with poison dissolved in it—was deeply unsettling. (Someone is deliberately making people's romantic feelings go berserk.) A heat spread deep in her chest. (…Stop it.) It resembled her feelings for Tsukasa, but it was something else entirely—a twisted, distorted heat. "Aku no Taisan!" She raised her ofuda and shouted. A massive vortex of flame incinerated the miasma hanging in the air all at once. The spell's characters rose from the ofuda, ascending into the sky with the flames. A few minutes later, the atmosphere had returned to normal. All the victims had regained their senses—some going pale at their own actions, others confused by gaps in their memory. But there was no lasting harm. (Once the emotions settle, they come back to their right minds… but still.) If she didn't catch whoever was causing this phenomenon, it would happen again. "I'll definitely track you down…" Sailor Mars looked up at the night sky and clenched her fist tight. She released her transformation, returned to her regular clothes, and walked the road back to Hikawa Shrine. The commotion in the shopping district had completely died down, the night quiet once more. But Rei's head was a mess. (Before the date, I have to uncover the true nature of that miasma.) And yet. *"I'll go. I want to go."* Tsukasa's voice kept replaying in her