The battlefield was littered with the bodies of fallen humanoid wolf mercenaries. At its center stood a girl and a boy, no older than ten.
The white-haired, purple-eyed boy lay on the lap of a golden-haired, blue-eyed girl. A gaping hole pierced through his chest. Blood stained her hands. Her clothes. The ground beneath them.
The girl spoke, trembling.
"Orion… stay with me… please…"
Tears streamed down her face.
Orion lifted a shaking hand and gently touched her cheek.
"Don't cry, Lyra…"
He coughed. Blood spilled from his lips.
"It's enough… that I was able to save you."
Another cough. More blood.
Lyra shook her head desperately.
"No! You promised! You said we would travel the galaxy together!"
Orion smiled faintly, like a dying star losing its final light.
"Then… let's meet again… at the end of stars…"
His hand fell. His eyes closed.
"ORION!" Lyra screamed.
She shook him desperately.
"No! Don't go! How am I supposed to live without you?!"
She pressed her hands against the hole in his chest, trying to stop the bleeding, but it was useless.
Just as despair swallowed her whole, a small voice of a little girl echoed in the air.
"There is a way to save him."
Lyra looked up sharply.
"Who's there?!"
No one.
"There isn't much time. If you wish to save him… You must drink his blood and form a bond. That is the only way."
Lyra didn't hesitate.
"I don't care. If it saves him… I'll do anything. Even if I stop being human."
She leaned down toward Orion's neck.
And then Erika slammed the book shut.
"The HELL is this?!"
Her face was completely red. She gripped the novel like it had personally betrayed her.
Yes, this was the light novel Akira wrote — Orion: At the End of Stars. The characters Orion and Lyra were based on Akira and Erika, but for Erika… this was not like her.
She turned her head toward the author sitting next to her.
"Why?"
Akira blinked.
"What?"
Erika asked. "Why did you write it like this?! I did NOT say any of that!"
Akira frowned slightly.
"Well… I passed out. I didn't hear what you said. So I wrote it according to your character."
Erika's eye twitched.
"My character?!"
Akira nodded calmly.
"Yes. She's exactly like you."
"She is NOT like me!" Erika screamed.
She then noticed the startled passengers and immediately lowered her voice, hissing under her breath.
"I did not cling to you like that! And I did not act like some dramatic little girl!"
Akira tilted his head.
"…But you were a little girl."
"That's not the point!"
"And you did cling to me."
"I did NOT!"
"You did."
"I DID NOT!"
"You literally followed me everywhere."
"I…"
She wanted to deny it… But she did remember following him everywhere.
Akira continued calmly,
"Lyra might be a bit different, but her core character is based on your character back then. Don't doubt my perfect memory. You were exactly like that."
Erika opened her mouth to argue again.
"I did not…"
She stopped.
Because the problem was… she wasn't entirely sure.
There were parts. Small parts. Maybe.
But still.
She slowly turned to look at Akira.
For a brief moment, she genuinely considered grabbing him and throwing him off at the next station. But she inhaled. Exhaled.
"Calm down. Public place. Murder is illegal."
She asked quietly,
"…How famous is this novel?"
Akira answered casually, like discussing the weather.
"Hmm? Pretty famous, I guess. The first volume broke debut sales records. The series has sold several million copies so far. There's been talk about an anime adaptation. A game too. Maybe a movie too, but I am still on the fence."
Silence.
Erika slowly covered her face with both hands.
"…Several million?"
"Yeah."
"…Anime?"
"Probably."
"…Game?"
"Maybe."
She leaned forward, elbows on her knees, face still buried.
"I can't go outside anymore…"
Akira blinked.
"…Why?"
She lowered one hand just enough to glare at him through her fingers.
"Did you not get it, you… you…"
Akira tilted his head.
"What is it? Is it about the crying part?"
Erika's shoulders trembled.
"Stop talking."
Just then.
Ding.
The train slowed.
"Next stop…"
The doors opened.
Erika stood up immediately.
"Let's go."
She walked off, leaving him behind.
Akira quickly got up and rushed after her.
"Wait for me!"
They got off the train. Erika immediately started walking faster, trying not to look at him, but Akira quickly caught up.
"Wait for me," he said, slightly out of breath.
Erika slowed a little, and soon they were walking side by side in an awkward silence.
After a few seconds, Akira glanced at her.
"…Uh… Erika… can we hold hands?"
Erika jerked her head toward him, eyes wide.
"Huh?"
Akira looked oddly serious.
"I want to hold hands."
She frowned, confused.
"Why are you asking it like that? We hold hands all the time."
He scratched his cheek, averting his gaze.
"Yeah, but… this is our first time since we're dating, right…? So… can we?"
He carefully reached out his hand.
Erika's face slowly turned red. She stared at his hand for a moment… then sighed softly.
"…Fine."
She placed her hand in his.
They continued walking.
The road was lined with blooming cherry blossoms, petals drifting gently in the wind, making the scene peaceful, but both of them were far too aware of each other to relax.
They walked down the sloped street together as people passed casually.
Then a gust of wind swept through the road.
Something white flew across the air.
A white beret spun toward them.
Without thinking, Akira stepped forward. His hand snapped out, and he caught it cleanly mid-air.
A small pause followed.
He looked up the slope. A girl in a white one-piece dress stood several meters away, startled, instinctively reaching for where the beret had been.
Akira's eyes sharpened slightly. He calculated distance, wind direction, and timing, and then threw the hat back.
Perfect arc. Perfect spin.
It landed directly on the girl's head.
The street went silent.
Then.
clap clap clap clap clap
Pedestrians applauded. An old man even whistled.
Akira blinked once… then dramatically bowed.
"Thank you, thank you."
Erika froze.
Her brain shut down for three seconds.
Then rebooted into maximum embarrassment mode.
Her face turned bright red as she grabbed his hand tightly and started dragging him away.
"We're leaving."
Akira looked back at the crowd.
"Hm? But they're still clapping."
She pulled harder, refusing to look back.
"We're leaving."
They hurried down the street, completely forgetting about the girl.
Akira tilted his head slightly.
"…Why did that scene feel familiar? Did I just trigger another romantic anime encounter again? Well, whatever. I didn't even see the girl properly. Not my problem."
Behind them, the girl lightly touched her hat, watching their backs as they disappeared around the corner.
"…Erika-san has a boyfriend."
Her tone carried simple curiosity.
Erika didn't stop walking.
No, dragging was the more accurate word.
Her grip on Akira's hand tightened as she pulled him down the street, away from the slope, away from the crowd, and most importantly, away from the girl whose hat he had just thrown with sniper-level accuracy onto her own head.
Akira stumbled slightly behind her.
"Why are you dragging me away?"
"What were we supposed to do, put on a show?" she snapped without turning back. "You were accepting applause! Why were you bowing?!"
Akira answered reasonably, "They clapped. It would be rude not to acknowledge the audience."
"That wasn't a performance!"
They turned a corner.
The street became quieter, lined with small shops and cafés. The morning rush hadn't fully begun yet, leaving the area calm.
Only then did Erika slow down.
She exhaled and finally released his hand.
"Why in the world did you do that? Couldn't you just give the hat back to the girl normally?"
"Well, I thought it was more efficient," Akira said as if that's the most natural thing to do.
Erika stared at him.
For a moment, she considered explaining social norms.
Then she gave up.
"…Let's just go."
They soon reached the café Machida had told him about.
Akira checked his phone.
10:15
"We're early," he said, sending a message.
Akira: We're here. Outside.
The reply came quickly.
Machida: I'm already inside.
"Well, she's inside. Let's go."
Akira said and entered. Erika nodded and followed him.
A soft bell chimed as they stepped inside.
The café was warm and quiet. The low hum of an espresso machine blended with the faint clinking of cups. The scent of roasted beans and fresh pastries filled the air, and sunlight filtered through the windows onto polished wooden tables.
Near the back, partly separated by a tall indoor plant and a shelf of books, a woman raised her hand when she spotted them.
"Sirius-kun, over here."
Akira looked toward the voice.
There she was.
Short dark Blue hair, composed smile, relaxed posture, exactly as he remembered.
"…She really does look just like her anime counterpart."