Page 225

Thinking this, Alice slowly sat down next to Kaguya.

"Why are you so close to me...!"

"Does Kaguya dislike it?"

"You really have no sense of distance, so that's why—haha… never mind, whatever."

Then, for no apparent reason, the two fell into a long silence.

It's a rare opportunity to meet, this won't do! Just as Alice was racking her brains for a topic to start a conversation—

"Kaguya—" "You want—"

"Kaguya, why don't you speak first?"

"...Are you going?"

"Eh?"

"You don't have anything important to do today, right?"

"That's right. Kaguya, is there anything else?"

"No. So... if the rain stops, would you like to come somewhere with me afterwards?"

"It's already quite late, isn't it?"

"Are you the kind of good kid who can't go out after dark? No way."

"Ah, I have a feeling that this is a malicious way of putting it. It can't be, but I still want to ask, why this time? Is it some kind of exorcism request?"

"There's no need to ask you for that kind of thing... I saw that the Astronomical Observatory published information in the newspaper that there seems to be a meteor shower here tonight."

"A meteor shower? Oh, is Kaguya going to see it?"

"Hmm, I just heard about a nice place."

"But it's still pouring rain outside."

"That's why I said 'if' the rain could stop. Besides, the sky will be clearer after the rain, and we might see a more beautiful sight than we imagine."

"Oh my~ Kaguya-chan didn't choose to go alone, is it because you're feeling lonely?"

"..."

Kaguya's beautiful eyebrows twitched slightly.

"Where did you learn to talk like that?"

"Kurier".

"I think so too. Ghosts get goosebumps too, so please don't do that."

"Haha... I just suddenly wanted to tease Kaguya a little, but it turned out surprisingly well—I'm sorry!!... By the way, is Kaguya someone who's interested in things like shooting stars?"

"The topic shift was too abrupt."

"No, I just feel... well, it's a bit surprising that Kaguya would specifically invite me to watch the shooting stars with her. This seems to be the first time Kaguya has ever invited me out on her own initiative?"

"Isn't it because you've always been by my side..."

"All?"

Even with Alice's keen senses, she couldn't hear Kaguya's words clearly.

"...Let's not talk about that. Rather than whether I'm interested or not, I used to hate stars. I hated them so much that I wished I could go up and beat them up."

"Obviously resentful...! Kaguya, you need to be mindful of your image as a saintess of the Selene Church, okay??"

"Let them finish speaking... No matter what, that's their opinion from the past. Otherwise, why would I have to watch something I hate?"

"I see..."

"What's wrong? Why the sudden silence?"

"I just suddenly had this feeling that 'a lot of things are indeed changing.'"

"It's been so many years, it would be strange if it remained unchanged."

"That's true, but in most cases, everyone's personality is still the same as before."

"is it?"

"Yeah, it feels like the people I know haven't changed much, Kaguya, you too."

"Perhaps because we see each other so often, many changes happen gradually, which is why you haven't noticed them clearly."

"Oh, indeed. For example, Kaguya, who can say such things, has really matured a lot."

"What an impolite statement... Don't forget, if I were still alive, I would actually be older than you."

"Ah ha ha……"

"What? That subtle expression... Never mind, let's not change the subject. What's the answer?"

"Well, if it's alright, let me go with you? Actually, I haven't seen shooting stars that many times. Even though it's related to my ability name, it still feels a little strange."

"Hmph... then it's arranged. The observation point isn't too far from here, so there's no need to rush."

After a pause, Kaguya looked out the window where the rain had subsided slightly.

"It shouldn't be too long."

I've already written it all, now I'm slowly filling in the gaps.

Meteor Night (Part 2) - A Girl's Star Journey

"The view from here is amazing!!"

At the top of the clock tower, Alice leaned out to look at the view before her.

"Great location, right... Hey, I'm not responsible if you fall."

"No matter what, I'm not a child anymore, so I won't make that kind of mistake."

What if the wind picks up?

"Where did such a strong wind come from... And even if there really was, Kaguya would have pulled me back, right?"

"Absolutely not, where do you get that confidence from?"

"Let's leave it at that—but if Kaguya falls, I'll do everything in my power to catch you."

"I'm saying, have you forgotten who I am?"

"Even so, you'd still feel scared, right? It's quite high up here."

"Knowing it's so high, why would they still do something so dangerous..."

"Want to see it more clearly? Look, it's really beautiful."

From this vantage point, you can see the entire town, with a few lights scattered among the buildings of varying heights.

The dark clouds in the sky have dispersed, revealing a sky dotted with stars.

"Yes."

Kaguya, unusually frank, admitted it as she approached Alice and looked up at the sky as well.

"Is it not time yet?"

"It will be around midnight, so we'll have to wait a while longer."

"Huh, does that mean we can only stand here and wait?"

You can lie down if you want.

"Haha...you can't do it, can you?"

"If you don't care whether the ground is wet or not, it should be fine."

"Of course I care... Oh, right, although it's not a good time to bring this up..."

Alice's tone became more serious.

"Ok?"

"Kaguya just said she used to hate stars, right? So it's because of me after all? The Eye of the Star and all that..."

"Are you an idiot?"

"Eh?"

"When do you think I found out the name of your ability?"

"Hmm, it must have been when Rosamia first invited us to church, right?"

"That's how it is. As for dislikes, that's something from a long time ago."

"I see……"

Alice secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

That's because...

"because?"

"No, let's forget it."

"Leaving something unsaid makes people wonder more."

"But I'd better avoid things that might bring back bad memories for Kaguya."

"It's nothing serious, it happened so many years ago."

Kaguya's voice was quite calm.

“When I was alive, I always thought, why do the stars and the moon still shine when it is already night? At least let the night be dark so that I can't see or feel anything, so that I can pretend that none of this and I do exist.”

"While I was alive..."

"Actually, it's not just stars, but the sun, the moon, anything that emits light, anything that makes me feel myself—I hate them all the most. I even thought about making all these things disappear, plunging everything into darkness, making everyone unable to see, or even better, just destroying the whole world. Maybe that would make it less painful. Finding a reason to live is hard, but finding a reason to die is easy. That's what I thought back then."

"It must have been so painful for Kaguya back then..."