[excited] "Kyaa! Sakura-chan, did you see that just now!? An incredible best shot!" 　Tomoyo's delighted voice rang out through the after-school classroom. 　Kinomoto Sakura twirled the bag slung over her shoulder as she stared intently at her best friend in the neighboring seat. "[surprised] Tomoyo-chan, you were filming again?" 　The western sun streaming through the window shone golden through Tomoyo's waist-length black hair. Her blunt bangs cast shadows over her fair-skinned face. Her deep violet eyes peered into the LCD screen of the video camera in her hands, gleaming brilliantly. "[gentle] Yes. Just now, behind the library, second-year Sakai-kun and first-year Sugimoto-san were there. Sugimoto-san's downcast eyes, and Sakai-kun's hesitation over where to place his right hand—it was all so very innocent and sweet." "[sigh] Haaah... Tomoyo-chan, you really do love that kind of thing." 　Sakura was exasperated, but couldn't help smiling. 　Tomoeda Middle School, Class 2-1. This seat by the window was Sakura's designated spot. Cherry blossom season was long past; now it was the season of lush green leaves. This was Tomoeda, a residential city in the Kanto region. When the windows were open, the faint scent of water sometimes drifted in from the Nadare River flowing east of town. 　Suddenly, she felt something hazy swirling inside her chest. 　Out of habit, Sakura twirled a strand of her fluffy brown short bob around her finger, right where her bedhead tended to stick up. "[whispers] Hey, Tomoyo-chan... can I talk to you for just a minute?" "[gentle] Of course, Sakura-chan. What is it?" 　Tomoyo switched off her camera and turned her chair toward Sakura. 　A faint cloud passed over Sakura's large emerald-green eyes. "[whispers] Well, you see... I've been feeling strange lately. Whenever I see Syaoran-kun, my heart pounds. And then, how do I put it... I feel like I want to fly!" "[surprised] Oh my! You want to fly?" "[embarrassed] Yeah. It doesn't make sense, right? Not 'I want to run,' but 'I want to fly.' I think it's weird too. But why is it only with Syaoran-kun...?" 　Sakura was prone to tripping, and just today she'd put a fresh band-aid on her knee. The idea that someone like her would want to fly was ridiculous. Unconsciously, she traced the small crescent-moon scar on her left temple. 　Tomoyo gazed steadily at Sakura's face for a while, then slowly smiled a smile like an angel's. "[gentle] That must be because your heart remembers, Sakura-chan." "[confused] My heart... remembers?" 　Tomoyo offered no further answer, simply turning her narrowed violet eyes toward the viewfinder of her video camera. 　That was when it happened. 　Clatter. 　The sound of the classroom's sliding door opening. 　Sakura reflexively stood up. 　And at the same moment— 　Thud! "[surprised] Wah!" 　She'd collided with something hard. 　No, not something. Someone. 　Her vision spun. 　—Ah, I'm falling again. 　The instant she thought that, Sakura's body had already tumbled to the floor. 　But that wasn't all. Someone was on top of her. Right next to her face, dark brown, unruly hair. "[angry] Wh-what the hell are you doing?!" 　Amber eyes filled with strong will glared at Sakura, now bright red. 　Syaoran's face was far closer than she'd ever imagined. A roughly styled lock of his unruly hair brushed softly against her cheek. He smelled... a little nice. "[scared] Huh? U-um..." 　The handful of classmates still in the room all turned toward them at once. 　A moment of silence—then. "Kyaaaaaa!!!" 　Multiple high-pitched squeals overlapped. "[excited] Sakura-chan, Li Syaoran-kun, I have properly recorded this latest happenstance!" 　Before anyone knew it, Tomoyo was standing in a completely different spot, filming. The speed of her movement was as if she'd used teleportation. "[excited] You two should just go out already!" "[laughing] Yeah, yeah, you're perfect together!" 　Their classmates' teasing flew back and forth. 　Sakura turned red all the way to her ears. "[scared] N-no, that's not it! We just bumped into each other! It's not like we're going out or anything, it's, um..." 　She couldn't make sense of anything anymore. 　Sakura twisted her body out from under Syaoran and stood up, not even grabbing her bag. "[crying] I-I'm sorry!" 　She shouted just that and fled the classroom. 　—Clatter, clatter, clatter! 　She ran down the hallway. 　She knew her arms flailed up in a banzai pose when she ran, but right now she couldn't help it. She just wanted to escape this hot, explosive feeling inside her. 　Through the hallway window, the distant Tsukimori Hills were visible. The hills spreading across the west side of town were cast in shadow, dyed by the twilight. The priest at Tsukimori Shrine, halfway up those hills, once said, "An invisible power dwells in this land." 　—She was only remembering that old story because she wanted to escape reality from this feeling right now. 　Back in the classroom, Syaoran had also gotten to his feet, bright red. "[angry] ...Damn it." 　He let his tightly clenched fist fall limply. That palm had, just moments ago, definitely gripped Sakura's slender shoulder. He shook his head, as if to shake off the delicate sensation and warmth lingering there. "[whispers] Next time I see her... she's mine." 　An unconscious murmur. 　Words that seemed to mimic the signature line of the hero from an old Hong Kong wuxia film he'd once seen. 　Hearing it, Tomoyo smiled quietly behind him. "[gentle] ...This truly promises to yield some wonderful footage." 　Her video camera's recording light had been on the entire time. 　──── 　The second floor of her home, a south-facing six-tatami room. Through a gap in the pink curtains, the light from the streetlamps shone in a thin line. 　Sakura lay collapsed on her bed. She buried her face in the floral-patterned bedcover, rubbing it back and forth. "[crying] I can't take it anymore... I don't want to go to school tomorrow..." 　The scene from earlier wouldn't leave her mind. 　Syaoran-kun's face was so close. 　His unruly hair... it looked like it would be soft if I touched it just a little. 　He's always so cool, but at that moment he was so flustered. "[embarrassed] ...Syaoran-kun said, 'she's mine.'" 　What did that mean? 　That he'd absolutely never forgive me? 　Or maybe... 　Thump. 　Her heart leaped hard again. 　Something pulsed intensely deep in her chest. She felt like she wanted to fly. "[whispers] That's not it, right? He was just angry. I'm so stupid." 　Sakura hugged the stuffed toy by her pillow tightly. 　A plush toy with a round, chubby body and small wings attached. It was a deformed, two-heads-tall figure, like a small yellow creature. Tomoyo had made it by hand in the handicrafts club. 　Its name was Kero-chan. "[gentle] Kero-chan... do I like Syaoran-kun? But... what does it mean to like someone?" 　The stuffed toy, of course, gave no answer. 　It just stared at Sakura with its round, button-like eyes. 　Before long, Sakura's eyelids slowly lowered. 　————The world changes. 　Wind was blowing. 　The sky was dyed an eerie purple. 　She was wearing something. A skirt fluttered softly—easy-to-move-in clothes. No, this was a magical girl's costume. In her hand, a pink staff adorned with a small bird ornament. "[shouting] This way, Sakura!" 　She turned to see Syaoran there, sword at the ready. 　His clothes were unfamiliar, like the robes of a Chinese sorcerer. In those amber eyes were strong determination and—feelings for her, overflowing. 　An enemy was closing in. 　A formless mass, like darkness. "[shouting] Sakura, behind you!" 　Syaoran shouted. 　At the same time, a fierce impact struck Sakura. 　Her body was sent flying. "[crying] Syaoran-kun!!" 　She screamed, reaching out her hand. 　Syaoran desperately reached out his hand too. 　But their fingertips, just a few centimeters apart, couldn't touch. She was being pulled further and further away. 　His face grew more and more distant— 　Snap. 　She woke up. "[scared] ...Huh?" 　Her heart was pounding loudly. 　A clammy, unpleasant sweat on her forehead. 　Sakura bolted upright and looked around. 　This was her room. 　Pink curtains, floral bedcover. "[confused] That dream just now... what was it?" 　It was terribly real. 　Herself, as a magical girl. 　And Syaoran-kun, protecting her. 　And then—that awful feeling when they were torn apart. As if she was on the verge of losing something she'd truly lost once before, all over again. "[whispers] I shouldn't know this... but I feel like I do..." 　That was when it happened. "[casual] This here's a world where the cards ain't gathered. Sakura, the time's come for ya to remember yer true feelin's." "[scared] ...Huh?" 　Sakura's movement stopped. 　Slowly, stiffly, she turned her head to look at her pillow. 　The Kero-chan stuffed toy— 　Its short arms moved, just a little. 　Its round, button-like eyes looked up at Sakura with intent. 　The stuffed toy moved. 　Not only moved. 　It spoke. "[casual] What's with that weird face? Ya look like ya seen a ghost." "Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!" 　Sakura's scream echoed through the Kinomoto household, and into the quiet Tomoeda night. 　In the corner of the room, Tomoyo's video camera—which had slipped inside at some point—quietly recorded the entire scene from start to finish.