"[whispers]……I think I might die." The face in the mirror stared back at her like a ghost. Sleep-deprived eyes. Cheeks flushed an alarming red. Lips, bitten over and over, just a little swollen. *(A date. It's just a date. Going to see the stars with a friend.)* Chanting it like a mantra, Rei dropped her third outfit onto the floor. A white blouse? No, too girly-girl. Jeans? No, trying too hard, looks stupid. A skirt? That's just everyday wear. "[angry]Ugh, why can't I decide!" A mountain of clothes piled up in the corner of the room. In the end, what she pulled from the shrine's uniform room was a simple white dress, not for ritual use. Cotton, with sleeves that puffed out just a little. "[whispers]This isn't for rituals……so it's not like it's for a date or anything." Who was she making excuses to? When she stood at the bus stop in Azabu-Juban, the summer morning sun was already beating down harshly. Her phone in hand. She opened and closed her message thread with Tsukasa over and over. *'I looked up Star Hill, and it seems like a really wonderful place. I'm looking forward to it.'* Just seeing those words made her chest tighten. *(I won't say "hold me." I won't hold his hand.)* Rei muttered her vows under her breath. "[whispers]I'll act totally normal. Look at the stars, say they're amazing, and that's it. Yeah. Normal. Just normal friends——" "You alright there, missy?" The older man standing next to her was looking at her with concern. "[angry]I-I'm fine! It's nothing!" She thought her face was going to burst into flames. An hour and a half, switching between trains and buses. The Star Hill Observatory was a much quieter place than she'd imagined. The entire small hill, 120 meters above sea level, was a park, and the scent of summer grass mingled with the wind. "Hino-san!" At the entrance, Tsukasa was waving. His light blue hair swayed softly in the breeze, and his dull silver eyes smiled gently. A white T-shirt and jeans. A camera hung from his neck, and his backpack probably held several volumes of star charts. The moment she saw his face—— ——*Thump.* Something burst deep in her chest. *(Ah, this is bad.)* A sensation like her vision was being wrapped in a pinkish haze. Her heart surged up into her throat, making it hard to breathe. Eros's power. The heat she'd barely managed to suppress with reason until this morning was now flooding out all at once. "[gentle]I'm glad you came. It looks like it'll be a beautiful night for stars." Tsukasa's voice sounded like it was echoing from far away. *(Please, stop. Don't use that gentle voice, don't give me that smile.)* Her head was screaming that, but her body moved on its own. "[whispers]……Tsukasa-kun." Before she knew it, Rei had wrapped her hand around his arm. "[surprised]Eh, Hino-san……?" Tsukasa let out a small gasp. Through his arm, she could feel his heartbeat. *(So warm……I want to touch him more……)* "[whispers]Hold my hand." A spoiled, coaxing voice escaped her, one that didn't sound like her own. Tsukasa froze for a moment, but then gently laced his fingers with hers. "[gentle]……Alright. Let's go, then." The bench at the observatory was a special seat where you could monopolize the star-filled sky. Far from the city center, there was almost no light pollution. Countless stars were scattered across the sky, and the Milky Way was faintly visible. "[excited]Look, that's the Summer Triangle. The brightest one there is Vega in the constellation Lyra——" Tsukasa's lecture began. But. Almost none of it reached Rei's ears. Only the vibration of his voice came through his arm. The warmth of his shoulder. The fingertip pointing out constellations. The shape of his lips when he occasionally turned to smile at her. *(I can't, anymore.)* "——That star is Deneb in Cygnus, and if you connect the three——" "Tsukasa-kun." Cutting off Tsukasa's words, Rei pulled his shoulder closer. "Eh——" She pressed her lips to his. Soft, and warm. After freezing for a while, Tsukasa slowly wrapped his hands around her back. *(Ah, this. This is what I've wanted to do all along.)* She knew it was because of Eros's power. But she couldn't stop anymore. When their lips parted, Tsukasa's silver eyes, slightly moist, were looking at her. "[crying]More……touch me more……please……" Her voice trembled. "[gentle]Rei-san……" Tsukasa gently stroked her back. With the warmth of that hand, something broke. She kissed him again. This time, much deeper than before. Through their thin shirts, the sound of each other's hearts echoed. Fast, pounding beats, indistinguishable whose was whose. *(No, this isn't me——)* In a corner of her mind, she heard her own calm voice. She had to pull away right now. But. "[whispers]Nn……" The moment Tsukasa's hand stroked her hair, that voice was swallowed by a sweet vortex. On the bench, the two of them exchanged kisses over and over. Under the starry sky, not caring if anyone saw. She wrapped her arms around Tsukasa's neck, desperately holding back the urge to dig her nails into his back. "[whispers]Haa……ah." The voice that escaped with every breath was so sickly sweet it embarrassed even her. But she couldn't stop. She wanted more. She wanted more of his warmth. In the distant shade of the trees. Eros's silhouette shimmered faintly. His long, pale purple hair swayed in the night breeze. His odd eyes narrowed like a cat eyeing its prey. "[laughing]Delicious……truly delicious, that *koi no odo*." Twisting the corner of his black lips, he murmured. "[cold]The day of the date is just the appetizer. Next time, even deeper——" His form melted smoothly into the darkness of the night and vanished. Late night, Hikawa Shrine. At the shrine's purification font, Rei dipped her hands into the sacred water drawn in a pail. *Splash.* She washed her face. The cold water stung her flushed skin. *(Again, and again.)* *Splash.* "[crying]A warrior……and a shrine maiden……losing to the enemy's power, and I kissed him myself……" *Splash.* She'd lost count of how many times she'd washed. But. "[crying]It won't go away……" Tsukasa's body heat. His heartbeat. The feeling of his lips. It was seared firmly deep in her chest. Even the sacred water couldn't wash it away. Rei fell to her knees on the stone pavement and cried, stifling her voice. She felt the sacred tree rustle, though there was no wind. The next morning. The morning sun, which she greeted having barely slept, dyed the room white through the paper screen. Her phone vibrated. *'About yesterday……I also think it wasn't bad.'* A message from Tsukasa. "[crying]Idiot……" With a tearful, laughing face, Rei clutched the phone to her chest. She was happy. But scared. How much of this feeling was her true self, and where did Eros's influence begin? *(What am I supposed to do now?)* Should she face him as a lover? Or should she keep her distance to avoid hurting him any further? Deep in her ear, Eros's voice revived. *'The day of the date is just the appetizer.'* Still gripping her phone, Rei collapsed face-down onto her futon. A warrior's duty. A woman's craving. Torn between the two, her heart felt like it was about to burst. Outside the window, the summer cicadas were starting their droning buzz.