The morning light carried a still slightly chilly breeze. Kinomoto Sakura walked along the cherry blossom-lined path leading to Tomoeda Middle School. The bag slung over her shoulder swayed gently with every step. [sad] Hah… Her sigh wasn't white with cold, but somehow it felt heavy. She couldn't get last night out of her head. —The stuffed animal talked. *"This is a world where the cards haven't gathered, ya know."* Kero-chan's slightly Kansai-accented way of speaking. Was I half-asleep? Was it a dream? Thinking that, she'd stared hard at Kero-chan by her pillow this morning, but the stuffed animal had gone back to being just a stuffed animal. Just looking back at her with those round, button eyes. [whispers] My true feelings… what are they, really…? And that dream, too. Herself, dressed in a magical girl's outfit. Syaoran-kun holding a sword, desperately reaching out his hand, but then, they were pulled apart— *Thump.* Her chest leaped again. Just remembering Syaoran-kun's face did this. And it wasn't just a simple pounding heart. She felt like she wanted to fly. A strange feeling, like wanting to reach her hands toward the sky and float away. [embarrassed] Ahh, seriously! This is weird! I'm being weird! Sakura shook her head vigorously. Her soft brown bob bounced around her ears. She arrived at school and changed her shoes. In the hallway heading to the classroom, a voice called out from behind her. [gentle] Sakura-chan, good morning. Turning around, Tomoyo stood there, her waist-length black hair swaying silkily. Beneath her straight-cut bangs, her deep purple eyes were narrowed gently. In her hands, of course, was a video camera. [surprised] Wah, Tomoyo-chan! Good morning! [gentle] This morning, you seemed to be rather lost in thought, Sakura-chan. That, too, was incredibly lovely. [embarrassed] Huh!? You were watching!? [gentle] Yes, perfectly. Sakura-chan on her way to school is wrapped in a veil different from Sakura-chan at dusk, and the way the light hits her is almost angelic… Tomoyo spoke, utterly absorbed in looking at the camera's LCD screen. Sakura felt just a little relieved. Tomoyo's usual, unchanging demeanor saved her, just a bit. And so, the two of them opened the classroom door. In that instant, a flash of dark brown, unruly hair entered the corner of her vision. Li Syaoran. He was sitting in his seat by the window, staring intently outside. His amber eyes, filled with a strong will, seemed to be gazing at something far away, and she thought he looked cool. *Thump.* Again. She remembered yesterday, how they'd collided and fallen over. Syaoran-kun's face had been so close, his messy hair had just barely touched her, and then— *(Ahhh, no, no! I can't remember that!)* Sakura turned bright red all the way to her ears and walked quickly to her seat. Deliberately avoiding Syaoran, she sat down as if using Tomoyo as a shield. [excited] Sakura-chan, just now, you looked at Li-kun and remembered what happened yesterday, didn't you? From the next seat over, Tomoyo leaned in, looking utterly delighted. The recording light on her video camera was, naturally, on. [scared] N-No, I didn't! I said no! [gentle] It's quite alright. I have that wonderful happening perfectly recorded, so let's review it together later, shall we? [crying] No! I don't want to! When Sakura collapsed onto her desk, Tomoyo smiled even more happily. ◇ PE class was endurance running out on the school grounds. The October sky was high, and clouds drifted slowly by. White lines were drawn neatly on the track. [excited] Ready… Go! The PE teacher's whistle blew, and everyone started running at once. Sakura ran too, swinging her arms almost like she was cheering "banzai." She wasn't good at running, but she didn't hate it. The wind felt nice. But— She tripped. The tip of her shoe caught on a small pebble on the track. [surprised] Wah! Her body pitched forward. The ground rushed up— That's when it happened. She heard the sound of someone's footsteps racing toward her at incredible speed. Faster than anyone else. "—!" *Thud.* Sakura's body didn't hit the hard ground. Instead, she ended up plunging into someone's chest. [angry] What the hell are you doing!? A familiar voice, tinged with a bit of anger. When she looked up, Syaoran's face was right there. His amber eyes, dead serious, were staring intently at her. Syaoran-kun had caught her from the front, holding her tight. Syaoran's hands were wrapped around her back. Heat radiated from his palms. —In that instant. Something burst inside Sakura's head. This isn't reality. But it's something that definitely happened. A different world. A purple sky. I'm wearing a magical costume. Someone catches me, just like this, when I'm about to be blown away by an enemy's attack. It's Syaoran-kun. Syaoran-kun, wearing Chinese-style clothes and holding a sword, protected me. Back then, too, he held me tightly, just like this. *(Huh… what is this…)* It was like images were flowing directly into her mind. An event that lasted only a single moment. But it felt like a very long time. [embarrassed] …! Her consciousness was pulled back to reality. Sakura turned bright red all the way to her ears. Her face felt like it was about to burst into flames. No, her whole body was hot. The pounding wouldn't stop. And the urge to fly grew stronger than ever before. Without a word, Syaoran slowly lifted Sakura up, supporting her until she was standing. Then, he took off the jersey he was wearing and draped it over her shoulders. [cold] …Be careful. Saying just that, Syaoran turned on his heel and ran off. Brusque. Curt. But. *(He came for me that fast.)* He'd rushed over faster than anyone else. And then, he'd caught her properly. The jersey smelled like Syaoran. A little bit like a sunny spot. The pounding in Sakura's chest was beating much harder than when she'd been running. [excited] Sakuuura-chaaan!! From far away, Tomoyo came running with a terrifying look on her face. While holding up her video camera. Apparently, that girl never missed a chance to film, even in the middle of an endurance run. [excited] That embrace just now, it was so wonderful! I must replay and edit it many times! [crying] Tomoyo-chan, it's embarrassing, so stop! Sakura buried her face in Syaoran's jersey and wailed. ◇ After school. The chime rang, and everyone started getting ready to go home. Sakura glanced at Syaoran. With his usual sullen face, Syaoran quickly left the classroom. *(I have to say thank you for earlier.)* But right now, just seeing his face made her heart feel like it was going to explode. And besides, she was also worried about those images that had flowed into her head. [whispers] Tomoyo-chan… Sakura spoke to Tomoyo in the next seat, as if seeking help. [whispers] Let's go to the rooftop. As if sensing something, Tomoyo nodded quietly. ◇ The rooftop door was locked, but Tomoyo took a duplicate key from her pocket and opened it. [surprised] Tomoyo-chan, why do you have a key to the rooftop!? [gentle] I have copies of the keys to all the places where I can get a good shot. [scared] Th-That's scary! When they stepped out onto the rooftop, the wind was blowing strongly. Beyond the fence, they could see the whole town of Tomoeda. In the distance, the green of Tsukimori Hill was visible. The two of them lined up and leaned against the fence. For a while, they stood silently in the wind. [whispers] Hey, Tomoyo-chan. I… had a strange dream yesterday. Sakura began to speak, bit by bit. The dream about the magical girl. How Syaoran-kun had tried to protect her. And then, how images had flowed into her head during PE earlier. [confused] Could I have… been a magical girl…? When she murmured quietly, Tomoyo smiled gently. [gentle] I don't know whether Sakura-chan was a magical girl or not. Tomoyo said that, and then carefully readied her video camera. [gentle] But, don't you think there might be a hint in the footage I've taken? Tomoyo operated the small LCD screen on her video camera and played back a certain clip. It was footage from a little while ago, during preparations for the cultural festival. In the video, Sakura was drawing a picture on a large sheet of poster paper. And then, when she suddenly looked up, she unconsciously reached out her hand. The snap of her wrist. A gesture like swinging something. As if swinging an invisible staff. The moment she saw that footage, a voice echoed in Sakura's head. *"Release the seal!"* It was her own voice. But not her current self. A stronger voice, filled with determination. [scared] …! Sakura squeezed her right hand tightly. With this hand, I had swung a staff. A real, magical staff. [whispers] I really was… a magical girl… The conviction spread slowly through her chest. It wasn't scary; it felt more like finding a missing puzzle piece that had finally clicked into place. [excited] Sakura-chan, that expression of yours that just turned to certainty is incredibly lovely! If you don't mind, could you do the staff-swinging gesture one more time, with that exact expression? Before she knew it, Tomoyo's camera was capturing Sakura's face from the best angle. Her purple eyes were sparkling brilliantly. [embarrassed] Tomoyo-chan, stop making these unreasonable requests! When Sakura hid her face with both hands, Tomoyo giggled. [gentle] I will definitely record Sakura-chan's shining moments with this camera. Those words sank deep into her heart. She still didn't know for sure what she had been. But Tomoyo-chan was by her side, watching over her properly. Just that made her feel like everything would be alright. The wind on the rooftop gently lifted Sakura's bangs. ◇ After calming down a little, the two of them left the rooftop. Tomoyo said she was going to the handicraft club room to swap her video camera's battery for a spare, and disappeared down the hallway. Thinking she had to return the jersey to Syaoran, Sakura headed back to the classroom. In front of the classroom entrance. "—!!" Sakura thought her heart would stop. Leaning against the wall next to the classroom's sliding door was Li Syaoran. Arms crossed, staring intently at her. As if he'd been waiting for her to come all along. [cold] Sakura. He called her name in a low voice. [scared] Y-Yes! Wh-What is it, Syaoran-kun!? Nervousness made her speak strangely. Staring straight at Sakura, Syaoran took two steps closer. [serious] I had a dream last night. [confused] Huh…? [serious] A dream where you were blown away by an enemy. I couldn't protect you. My hand… couldn't reach you. Sakura's chest tightened painfully. That's the dream I had, too. Syaoran-kun had the same dream— [angry] I absolutely hate it. I never want to feel that way again. Syaoran grasped both of Sakura's hands tightly. His hands were trembling. Syaoran-kun, who was always so cool, now had a desperately urgent look on his face. [serious] I'm never letting go again. When I said you'd be mine the next time we met, I meant it. [surprised] Hweh!?!? A strange sound escaped Sakura. She couldn't believe Syaoran-kun was saying something like that. And his hands were so warm. He was holding on so tightly, not letting her go at all. Ah, her head was spinning. *(No good, I'm going to fall—)* Her knees buckled weakly. [angry] Hey, oi, are you okay!? Syaoran hurriedly supported Sakura's body. Because of that, they ended up even closer this time. So close she could hear the sound of Syaoran's heart, and it was beating incredibly fast. Syaoran's heart was pounding like this, too. *(I have to let go… I know I have to let go, but…)* Sakura thought to herself. *(Syaoran-kun's hands are so warm… And they make me feel so… safe…)* Even though her heart was pounding so hard it was scar