Four days since that miasma incident. The town was quiet. As if nothing had happened, people walked their usual school routes with their usual faces. But deep in Rei's chest, the restlessness never settled. The central library of Touto University was filled with the mingled scent of old books and air-conditioning chill. A labyrinth of shelves reaching to the ceiling. Afternoon light slanted through the windows, making dust motes glitter. The farthest corner of the reading room, the astronomy section. Tsukasa had a star chart spread across the desk, his eyes shining. His pale aqua hair swayed softly under the fluorescent lights, looking gentler than usual. "[excited]Here, right here! The Summer Triangle this time of year is truly beautiful if the air is clear. Vega, Altair, Deneb. Three first-magnitude stars forming a triangle just like this." Tsukasa's fingers danced across the star chart. Normally he mumbled and stumbled, but when it came to stars, he was a completely different person. His silver eyes sparkled, and his voice rose a full pitch. "[gentle]And here is Jupiter's path. At this time slot, it should be visible at roughly this angle…" "Wow…" Rei murmured her acknowledgment, but she wasn't looking at the star chart. She was watching Tsukasa's profile. (*Why does this guy get so ridiculously happy just talking about stars…*) The furrow between her brows had vanished before she knew it. Her lips had softened into a smile she wasn't even aware of. "And also, please look at this photo. I took it last week through the astronomy club's telescope." Rei leaned in to peer at the astrophotography collection Tsukasa had pulled out. Their faces drew closer. —Their fingers touched. Tsukasa's hand, reaching to turn the page, and Rei's hand, leaning in to look, accidentally overlapped. Tsukasa's fingers were warmer than she'd expected. Her heart gave a violent thump. "[angry]Wha—what are you doing!" She shouted on reflex and tried to yank her hand back. Her face was burning. Definitely bright red. But. "[gentle]Ah, sorry… but your hands are cold." Tsukasa murmured quietly and gently squeezed back. Rei's fingertips really had gone cold. And Tsukasa's hand, in contrast, was startlingly warm. "Wh-what are you saying…" "[gentle]Hino-san, you're always pushing yourself too hard. Are you getting proper rest?" Tsukasa's silver eyes gazed at Rei with concern. That look drained all the venom out of her. (*You… that's exactly the problem with you, idiot.*) She couldn't pull her hand away. She didn't want to. The silence of the library wrapped itself around just the two of them. She could have sworn the librarian at the counter glanced their way and smiled. "[whispers]…Idiot." Rei hung her head and murmured it again. Her voice trembled. It was embarrassing, but she didn't hate it. If anything, she wanted to stay like this longer. If only time would stop. It was the first time in her life she'd ever thought such a thing. Dusk. After leaving the library, Rei walked the approach to Hikawa Shrine. Tall cedars lined both sides of the stone path. Even in broad daylight this road was dim, and by evening the shadows grew deeper still. The air was hushed, the city's clamor fading away like a lie. (*Earlier was… dangerous…*) The sensation of Tsukasa's hand still lingered on her fingers. Every time she remembered, something deep in her chest tightened. —Rustle. There was no wind, yet the cedar leaves swayed. A chill premonition raced down her spine. "[sarcastic]Well now, pure-hearted shrine maiden." A voice. A man stood before her. When had he— Long, pale-purple hair loosely tied back. Odd eyes—right eye deep crimson, left eye gold. Black markings ran along his lips and fingertips. An androgynously beautiful youth. But the air around him seemed distorted. Like a mirage. "[cold]Who are you. This is sacred ground. It's not a place for ordinary people to enter." Rei instantly readied herself. Her right hand unconsciously reached for her ofuda. "[laughing]I am no ordinary person. I took the liberty of peering into your heart… and my, what a delectable scent of *koi no odo* you have." "Koi no… odo?" "[cold]The energy born at the moment pure love ripens and begins to transform into desire. For a warrior, you give off such a sweet fragrance." The man's voice was close, as if whispered directly into her ear. Rei drew her ofuda. "[angry]A dweller of the Shadow World! You're the one who drove the townspeople mad!" "[sarcastic]So impatient, warrior." The man snapped his fingers. *Click.* The air froze. "[whispers]Isozaki Tsukasa… a fine man, isn't he. But you want to touch him, want him to hold you, so much you can't sleep at night, can you?" The words stabbed into her heart like a knife. "Wh-what are…" "[whispers]Just moments ago, you were happy when he held your hand. Deep in your heart, you wanted him to touch you more. Am I wrong?" He wasn't wrong. Every single word hit its mark. (*How do you know that…*) "[cold]Come now. Release those true feelings you've been suppressing. Show me." In that instant. A sweet numbness raced through Rei's entire body. A heat like electricity surged from her fingertips to the top of her head. Sweat burst from her brow. Her knees trembled violently. "Ah…" She couldn't stand. She collapsed onto the stone path. Her mind was flooded with Tsukasa. Tsukasa's face. Tsukasa's voice. The feel of Tsukasa's fingers. That warmth when they'd touched in the library. "[whispers]Tsukasa-kun… I want to see you… I want to touch you…" A sweet voice that didn't sound like her own spilled from her lips. She clutched at the chest of her shrine maiden robes herself. Underneath, the blouse she'd worn before changing from her uniform clung with sweat. Hot. The core of her body burned unbearably. "[angry]Stop… it… I'm… Sailor Mars…" She tried to pull out her ofuda. But her fingers trembled and had no strength. The talisman fluttered to the ground. "[laughing]Yes, that expression. The scent of your *koi no odo* grows even richer." Eros looked down at Rei with a smile steeped in delight. "[cold]Do not resist. This is your own desire. I merely amplified it." Those words pierced her chest twice over. (*My… desire…*) She wanted to deny it, but she couldn't. Because when Tsukasa had touched her in the library, she really had wanted him to touch her more. Had wanted him to hold her. And this man had seen right through it. "[crying]Stop… please…" Tears spilled down her cheeks. Eros crouched down and placed a hand under Rei's chin. Forcibly, their eyes met. The odd eyes gleamed eerily right before her. "[whispers]I'm looking forward to your date. On Star Hill, beneath a sky full of stars, when your reason is completely blown away… just imagining how delicious a harvest of *koi no odo* that will be excites me." The man's finger wiped Rei's tears. "[cold]Until then, suffer as much as you like. The sight of a shrine maiden drowning in love is truly beautiful." With those final words, Eros's body became a black haze. As if dissolving into the air, his form vanished. Left behind was only Rei, collapsed on the stone path. "[crying]Uu… aah…" The tears wouldn't stop. The ache in her body that craved Tsukasa still continued. Deep in her thighs throbbed with heat. The inside of her head was a mess, like dissolved sugar. (*I'm a warrior… yet in front of the enemy, I was powerless…*) Humiliation, self-loathing, and then—an irrepressible longing. All of it mixed together, and Rei kept crying in the middle of the shrine approach, stifling her voice. How long had she been there? The sky had gone completely dark. Somehow dragging herself into the shrine grounds, she scooped sacred water from the chozuya with a ladle. *Splash.* She poured it over her head. The cold water ran through her hair, soaking her shrine maiden robes. (*Please… calm down…*) But no. It didn't calm down at all. The heat deep in her body, if anything, seemed stimulated by the water's coldness and grew worse. "[crying]I can't take it anymore… I want to see Tsukasa-kun… please, hold me…" In a corner of the shrine office, she murmured to no one in particular. It felt like she was ceasing to be herself. Late night. Rei's room. Wrapped in her futon, hugging her knees, trembling. Her smartphone screen glowed white in the darkness. Her message history with Tsukasa. *'I looked into Star Hill, and it seems like a really wonderful place. I'm looking forward to it.'* Just looking at those words made her fingers shake. I want to see him. I want to hear his voice. I want to touch him. Rei began typing a message. *'Can we meet now?'* Her finger hovered over the send button. (*No!*) She frantically deleted it. (*If I see him now, I'll definitely lose control…*) She wrote again. *'There's something I want to talk about.'* (*No, it's not talking, that's wrong…*) Deleted again. She didn't know how many times she repeated it—write, delete, write, delete. Before she knew it, she was standing at the entrance. She'd unconsciously tried to go outside. Had been about to head to Tsukasa's apartment. "What am I doing…" She hurried back down the hallway. Passing by her grandfather's room, she stopped. She could hear Chief Priest Kazuo's sleeping breaths. She couldn't cause trouble for him too. (*I'm… Sailor Mars… and yet, so… pathetic…*) She bit her lip. The taste of blood. Returning to her room, she burrowed into her futon. She was afraid of morning coming. The promised time to meet Tsukasa was ticking closer, moment by moment. If she saw him like this, she would absolutely lose herself. She'd cling to him like she was devouring him and never let go. Exactly what the enemy wanted. But. "[crying]I want to see him…" Curled up in her futon, she cried, stifling her voice. Without a single moment of sleep, the world outside her window began to lighten. With trembling hands, Rei took out her private clothes for the date. A white blouse and a pale pink skirt. The outfit Tsukasa had said "looks like it would suit you." "[whispers]What am I supposed to do, idiot…" Her duty as a warrior, and her longing as a woman. Caught between the two, Rei's heart felt ready to burst. The early summer morning sun poured mercilessly through the window. The day of the date was beginning.