Above the Starfall Circle Garden, rainbow light burst. Hikaru, Lantis, and Umi had just stepped out of the inn, the Weathervane. Before their eyes, the fountain at the center of the garden suddenly began to shine with outrageous brilliance. The spray turned into particles of light, glittering as they danced upward. "[excited] A-ha-ha-ha! You've been waiting, haven't you! It's Puppet-chan's time!" Fluttering wings like a rainbow butterfly, a tiny fairy burst forth. Atop its head, a pink and light-blue mohawk bounced and bobbed. "[surprised] What the—the sun's already setting, and now what are you trying to start!?" Hikaru yelled. But Puppet paid no mind. If anything, it raised its voice even louder, as if to draw an even bigger crowd. "[excited] Listen up, good children of Fontaine! Right here, right now, we're holding the First Cephiro Love Janken Tournament!" "…Love Janken?" Lantis spoke aloud, which was rare. Her face was even more expressionless than usual. Proof of her bewilderment. "[scared] L-Love…" Hikaru's face flushed hot. No, this is because of the curse. They told themself that in their heart, but the pounding wouldn't stop. Puppet surveyed the residents beginning to gather in the twilight square and began explaining the rules in a loud voice. "[serious] The rules are simple! You pair up and play janken. If you win with rock, you confess to the person you like! If you win with scissors, you hold the other person's hand for ten seconds! If you win with paper, you hug the other person for ten seconds! That's it!" A stir spread through the crowd. Nearly a hundred people had gathered now. Everyone wore the expression of someone who'd found a perfect bit of entertainment before dinner. "Eh, what's that? Sounds super fun." "I'm in! Who do we play against?" "Hey, what happens if you lose?" The residents raised their voices in a clamor. Puppet spun happily in the air. "[laughing] If you lose? Obviously, you have to do whatever the winner says! No right of refusal!" "[angry] D-Don't screw with us! Why do we have to go along with something like this!?" Hikaru raised their voice. When they yelled in a boy's low voice, it had a force that surprised even them. But Puppet wasn't scared at all. "[teasing] Oh my? Could it be you're scared to hold hands with Lantis-chan? Or maybe you don't want her to confess to you?" "[scared] Wha—!?" Words failed them. In that instant, the residents behind them buzzed. "Hey, the Magic Knight's chickening out." "Guess they've got no confidence in that body, huh?" A vein throbbed in Hikaru's temple. If I back down here, I'm no man. No, I was a girl, but right now I'm a man! "[angry] F-Fine, I'll do it! Bring it on!" Hikaru shouted. They surprised even themself. Beside them, Puppet now flew toward Umi. "[teasing] What about Umi-chan? Are you scared, little one? Can't be helped, I guess—you're just a kid, after all." Umi's expression changed. Her sullen look was instantly dyed with anger. "[angry] …Who's scared? I'll do it! I'll clear a childish trial like this with a perfectly cool face, just you watch!" After she shouted, she gasped. She realized she had been completely baited by Puppet's provocation. "[crying] Y-You… tricked me again…" Umi's cheeks flushed bright red. She clenched her small hands into fists, grinding her teeth and trembling slightly. "[cold] Puppet… I will absolutely make you remember this later…" Lantis said nothing. She simply walked quietly toward the center of the Starfall Circle Garden. Her long black hair swayed gently in the twilight breeze. Her profile was far more feminine than usual, and Hikaru hurriedly averted their eyes. The tournament began. The residents' excitement filled the Starfall Circle Garden. Puppet's commentary was surprisingly professional, and the square turned into a festival-like uproar. "[excited] The first match is Umi-chan versus the baker, Dario! Now, janken—" "Pon!" Umi threw scissors. The baker threw rock. "I-I lost!?" "Little lady, that's my win! By the rules, I get to confess to you!" Dario, still in his flour-whitened apron, knelt before Umi. "[laughing] Little lady, I'm head over heels for you!" "[angry] Wh-What are you saying! I-I don't like anyone at all!!" Umi's face went bright red, her voice cracking. Her small body bounced up and down as she desperately denied it. It was so funny that everyone in the square burst out laughing. "[crying] Y-You guys, stop laughing! This is, um…" Tears welled up in Umi's downturned, sharp eyes. "[gentle] Umi, I'll be your opponent next. Let's finish this quickly." Lantis placed a hand on Umi's shoulder. But Lantis's current form was that of a beautiful woman. The gesture looked like an older sister soothing her younger sibling, and Umi's expression grew even more complicated. "[sad] Lantis, you're so beautiful right now… when you act like that, it just makes me feel even more miserable…" Lantis blinked, unable to say anything. As the tournament progressed, screams and laughter erupted everywhere. The baker's daughter shrieked when a young man from the inn held her hand, and a timid apprentice from the Library Tower confessed to the person they liked and received applause. And then, finally. "[excited] Now, from here on, it's a special match! Lantis-chan versus Hikaru-kun! Now, fight!!" Puppet declared grandly. "[scared] Wh-What!? Why does it have to be that!" "[teasing] Because everyone wants to see it, right? A serious showdown between heroes!" "We wanna see!" "Do it, do it!" "Confess!" The onlookers clapped and jeered. There was no backing out now. Hikaru swallowed hard. Lantis stood before them and slowly extended her right hand. The air crackled with tension. "I'm counting on you." "Y-Yeah…" Their eyes met. Lantis's deep blue eyes sparkled, reflecting the sunset. Her long eyelashes trembled softly. Thump-thump, thump-thump. Shut up. My heart is so loud. (This is definitely because of the curse! And because of this tournament!) Screaming inside their heart, Hikaru clenched their right hand. "First is rock! Janken—" At Puppet's call, both their hands swung down. "Pon!" Hikaru threw scissors. Lantis threw rock. "[excited] Hikaru-kun wins! Since you won with scissors, you hold the other person's hand for ten seconds!" They won. They actually won. Their mind went completely blank. "[whispers] …What's wrong?" Lantis quietly held out her right hand. Slender, white fingers. But they were the hands of a knight who wielded a sword. Faintly, the hardened parts of her skin were visible. Hikaru timidly reached out their own hand. They touched. They thought Lantis's hand would be cold, but it was faintly warm. "[scared] …!" Hikaru's body jolted. "[laughing] O-one! T-two! Th-three!" Puppet began the count. "F-four! F-five!" The residents shouted along. Their joined hands grew steadily warmer. From Hikaru's hand to Lantis's. From Lantis's hand to Hikaru's. They couldn't tell whose sweat it was anymore. Lantis kept her eyes down, perfectly still. But Hikaru noticed that her fingertips were trembling ever so slightly. (Is Lantis angry? Or—) "[crying] S-six! S-seven! E-eight!" Ah, I can't take it anymore. My head is spinning. My heart feels like it's going to leap out of my throat. "[excited] N-nine! T-ten!!" "[angry] H-How long are you going to hold it!! The rule was ten seconds!!" Umi's shriek shattered the world like magic. "[surprised] Whoa!" Hikaru hurriedly pulled their hand back. In that instant, Lantis's fingers squeezed Hikaru's hand back. Just for a moment. The briefest moment. A tiny movement that no one would notice. "…I was reluctant to let go." Lantis murmured quietly, her face expressionless. But it didn't reach Hikaru's ears. Hikaru was too desperate to do something about their pounding heart to notice anything else. Lantis dropped her gaze to the ground, as if averting her eyes from the blazing sunset. With that, the tournament ended. "[laughing] Everyone's hearts moved just a little bit, didn't they~! But the shards are still zero~" Puppet spun around in the air, laughing maliciously. "[angry] They're not zero at all! What was the point of this tournament!!" "[serious] If you keep running from your own feelings, the shards won't appear. Well then, see you at the next trial!" Poof. The fairy vanished, leaving behind only the sky where stars were beginning to twinkle. "…I am never, ever doing something that embarrassing again." Umi stomped off toward the inn, fuming. Lantis, saying nothing, followed after her. Hikaru was left alone in the square. They quietly looked at their own right hand. The place where Lantis's hand had been just moments ago was still a little warm. (…Somehow, I thought I wanted to touch it again.) At the words that surfaced in their heart, Hikaru shook their head furiously. "[whispers] N-No! This is because of the curse. It's definitely the curse!" Even though no one was listening, they denied it out loud. But their face was bright red, all the way to their ears. A sensation deep in their chest—aching, yet ticklish. The shards of truth were still zero. Time remaining: two and a half days. Beneath the sky where the stars had begun to shine, a wind of undeniable change had begun to blow—only within Hikaru's heart.