Even after returning to the Windmill Village inn, the "Weathervane," Hikaru still clutched the torn scrap of the letter in their hand. [whispers] "Why did she tear it up, that idiot…" Lantis had not shown herself since leaving the plaza. Hikaru crept up the stairs, muffling their footsteps. In front of Lantis's room, they took a deep breath. Knock, knock. No answer. [angry] "Hey, Lantis. I know you're in there." Bang, bang, bang! They pounded the door with their fist. Still, it did not open. A restless feeling stirred deep in their chest. Lantis's trembling hands back in the Windmill Village plaza. Her back as she walked away in silence. (Was it because I tried to peek…?) Hikaru bit their lip. [scared] "…Lantis?" In the dead silent hallway, only their own voice echoed hollowly. Then, footsteps came climbing the stairs. [gentle] "Oh my, Hikaru-chan. Looking for Lantis-san?" It was Monica, the innkeeper. Her plump body swayed her apron as she tilted her head. [serious] "Lady Lantis packed her things and left this evening." [surprised] "Huh…?" Hikaru's mind went completely blank. [gentle] "She didn't say where she was going, though. But she had such a terribly sad look on her face." Hikaru bolted. They tumbled down the stairs and burst out the inn's entrance. Outside, it was already night. Lights flickered on, one by one, across the city of Fontaine. They sprinted down the main street toward the Tower of Will. Past the fountain in the "Starfell Circle" plaza, turning toward the Library Tower. Not there. Nowhere. [panting] "Lantis…! Where are you…!" They were out of breath. Even though a boy's body could run so much faster than a girl's, their heart felt like it was about to burst. They emerged onto a street lined with shops. An old fruit vendor already closing up for the night called out. [surprised] "Oh, Magic Knight-sama. What brings you out at this hour?" [panting] "Sir! Lantis—have you seen a tall woman with black hair?!" [thinking] "A beautiful woman with black hair? She was just down that alley a moment ago, looking up at the sky." [excited] "Really?!" Hikaru dashed into the alley he pointed out. A narrow cobblestone path. Laundry swayed in the breeze. But no one was there. [crying] "…Dammit." Had she left right away? Or had she avoided Hikaru coming? They didn't know. They didn't know anything. Through the alley, back to the main street. Then— [laughing] "Ahaha! What's with that? So weird!" [laughing] "She's so tiny, but she's wearing grown-up clothes!" A ring of children had formed near the plaza fountain. Five or six small kids surrounded something, laughing. [teasing] "Why do you talk like that? You think you're a princess?" [mocking] "So cheeky for a shrimp!" Hikaru's heart jolted. Through a gap in the crowd, they saw—blue hair. A small body. "Umi…!" Umi stood in the middle of the children's circle, silent, head hung low. She, who would normally snap back instantly, only bit her lip hard, her small fists trembling. [angry] "Hey, you brats!" Hikaru shouted, leaping into the circle. [scared] "Whoa! It's the Magic Knight-sama!" [angry] "Don't you dare make fun of Umi! Get lost, scram!" Hikaru waved their arms, and the children scattered like startled spiders, shrieking with laughter. Umi was left alone by the fountain. [whispers] "…Umi, you okay?" As Hikaru approached, Umi looked up. Her large sapphire-blue eyes glistened with tears. [whispers] "…You were watching?" [scared] "Huh…?" [crying] "You were watching, weren't you! Me, being made fun of by those little kids, not able to say a single thing back…!" [scared] "N-No! I just got here—" [angry] "Enough!!" Umi screamed and slipped past Hikaru. Her small back fled toward the Weathervane. [scared] "Umi! Wait!" Hikaru chased after her. But now, Hikaru's legs were a boy's legs, and Umi's were a small child's. They caught up quickly. Umi dashed into the inn and threw herself into her room on the second floor. Slam! The sound of a lock clicking. [sad] "Umi, open up." Hikaru stood frozen before the door. No answer. [gentle] "…Hey, Umi. I wasn't laughing at you or anything, right? So…" [whispers] "…Leave me alone." A small, trembling voice came from behind the door. [sad] "Umi…" [crying] "I said leave me alone…!" Her voice cracked. She was crying. Hikaru sank down and sat in front of the door. The hallway was utterly silent. From outside the window, the faint sound of night insects drifted in. (Lantis is gone. Umi, too.) (It's all my fault.) A hot sting welled up behind Hikaru's eyes. Joining the rock-paper-scissors tournament. Saying unnecessary things in the embarrassing-line battle. Trying to peek at Lantis's letter. Not noticing Umi was suffering all alone. All of it. [crying] "All of it, my… no, my fault…" Once they said it aloud, the tears spilled over. They wouldn't stop. Hikaru hugged their knees and cried, stifling their voice. Even in a boy's body, the way they cried was still a girl's, sobs choking their throat. [crying] "Why… can't I just say it'll work out somehow…" Their catchphrase wouldn't come. For the first time ever. Only tomorrow night remained until the time limit. And yet, they had zero fragments. Lantis had vanished, and Umi had closed off her heart. What should they do? There was nothing they could do. How long had they been like that? Exhausted from crying, Hikaru wandered out of the inn in a daze. The fountain stood alone in the nighttime plaza. During the love rock-paper-scissors tournament, they had held Lantis's hand here. That hand had been warm. They sat on the fountain's edge and looked up at the sky. The stars were beautiful. Then— From far away, a faint humming reached them. "♪~~~" Hikaru looked up. High above, at the very top of the old clock tower overlooking the plaza, a tiny light floated alone. Puppet. The rainbow-colored fairy who was always flitting about was motionless tonight. Just gazing absently at the night sky, humming to himself. His profile wasn't the usual mischievous one. He looked somehow… lonely. [whispers] "…What're you doing?" When Hikaru called out, Puppet's body jolted. [surprised] "H-Hikaru-kun!? What are you doing here dechu!?" [gentle] "…That's my line." Puppet hurriedly tried to put on his usual smile. But it wasn't working. [flustered] "P-Pape-chan was just counting the stars dechu! It's not like I'm lonely or anything dechu! It's not like I wanted to talk to someone dechu!" "…I see." Hikaru said nothing more. They just stared blankly at the fountain again. Puppet fell silent, too. He drifted softly down from the clock tower, floating at about shoulder-height to Hikaru, who sat on the fountain's edge. Silence stretched on for a while. [whispers] "…Hikaru-kun, were you crying dechu?" Hikaru stiffened at the sudden question. [angry] "I-I wasn't crying." But their voice was hoarse. Their eyes must still have been red. Puppet stared intently at Hikaru. His large golden eyes reflected the starlight, shimmering. His usual "Ahaha~!" or "Don't lie dechu!" didn't come. "…Is that so dechu." Saying only that, Puppet drifted back up into the night sky. His butterfly wings scattered rainbow dust. Just as he was about to melt into the darkness—he glanced back. [gentle] "…The fragments will still gather dechu." It wasn't his usual high-pitched voice. It was a low, quiet voice. [surprised] "Huh…?" [serious] "So don't make that face dechu. Pape-chan won't allow it dechu." The next moment, the fairy vanished into particles of light. Hikaru sat alone by the fountain. The fragments will still gather. They didn't know why Puppet had said that. But deep in their chest, they felt the faintest stirring of something. They looked up at the night sky. The stars were shining. Tomorrow was the time limit. Even so, Hikaru stood up.