29 The Comet Falls (Tokyo)

"Hey, President, what on earth are you trying to do?" Masaki Kyosuke asked, raising his head from below. It wasn't just him and the core members of the Misfits who were curious; even the Tokyo Manji Gang members pinned beneath Kyosuke's backside wanted to know, though they lacked the face to ask.

With preparations complete, the sense of urgency inside Hojo Kyosuke vanished. He smiled happily and told Masaki Kyosuke, "We're watching the comet!"

"I never took our Second Generation President for an astronomy enthusiast."

Listening to Kyosuke's clear, refreshing voice and his pure, joyous smile, Masaki Kyosuke was momentarily speechless.

The embarrassment felt by the Tokyo Manji Gang members deepened even further. Their entire organization had been defeated by a single person, and now they were being used as a viewing platform with someone sitting on their backs.

"Not really. It's just that there seemed to be a voice inside my head constantly telling me I had to watch the comet. The voice sounded rather fierce, so I didn't dare not watch."

Kyosuke looked up at the sky, speaking in a dreamy tone.

"Still, a comet that appears once every 1,200 years... how lucky we are to see it in this lifetime. And the weather today is wonderful; we can even see stars. It's truly amazing." Masaki Kyosuke raised his head as well to look at the sky.

Indeed, the weather today was unexpectedly fine. Although there were many clouds in the sky, stars were actually visible, which was practically unimaginable in a bustling urban district like Shibuya.

After that, the group fell silent, quietly awaiting the arrival of the comet. Even among the human mountain beneath Kyosuke's feet, a few people quietly raised their heads to look at the sky.

"It's coming!" Onizuka Eikichi shouted happily.

"Hey, Ryuji, hurry up and make a wish to get a girlfriend next year!"

"Oh, right, right! I want two!"

"Damn it, you're too cunning. Then I want three: one high school girl, one young lady from a wealthy family, and one older woman."

"Hey, you two, keep it down."

Kyosuke shouted loudly. For some reason, the moment the comet appeared, his previously calm heart began to ripple again, as if something bad was about to happen.

Dressed in a black suit-style school uniform, Kyosuke stood up atop the tall mountain of people, hands tucked into his pants pockets, quietly watching the blue comet trail an aurora-like tail across the endless night sky.

That familiar yet unfamiliar voice echoed in his mind once more:

"Hey, what is your name?"

Me? I am Hojo Kyosuke. And who are you?

Unfortunately, no one answered him, and he had no idea where the lingering sense of loss in his heart came from.

Forget it, I won't think about it anymore.

First, the inexplicable desire to watch the comet, and then the words spoken by someone unknown—Kyosuke could only attribute it to being too tired today.

"Let's go home."

Kyosuke slid down from the human mountain and said to Masaki Kyosuke and the others.

"President, I've simply cleaned your bokken for you."

Tetta Kisaki hurriedly stepped forward. This time, he didn't mention anything about wanting to subjugate the Tokyo Manji Gang.

"Thanks, Kisaki."

Kyosuke casually took the wooden sword without putting it into its scabbard. His motorcycle was specially equipped with clips that allowed him to secure the bokken to it.

"Um." Seeing Kyosuke turn to leave, Tetta Kisaki clenched his teeth, hardened his resolve, and spoke up:

"President, let's go get some late-night snacks together! My treat!"

"That's right, President. Earlier you told Kisaki you had things to do. Now that you're done, let's all grab a midnight snack and go for a joyride. I found a new road that's perfect for cruising."

Hearing this, Masaki Kyosuke and the others also extended an invitation.

"Hahaha, thank you for your kindness, but I'll pass this time. I have things to do at home. See you tomorrow, everyone." Kyosuke refused with a smile, then waved and walked alone toward the outside of the park.

The inexplicable feeling in his heart made him unwilling to do anything else; he just wanted to go home.

"Goodbye, President!" The members of the Misfits bowed in unison to bid farewell.

Riding his Rocket III all the way back home, the refreshing night breeze on the road slightly abated the restlessness in his chest, yet the magnificent comet still hanging in the night sky made him feel quite uneasy.

Pouring a large glass of ice water and gulping it down, Kyosuke sat on the sofa and turned on the television.

The news was just broadcasting on TV, and the anchor was speaking:

"Everyone, please look. The comet has split into two, producing countless shooting stars..."

Without listening to the rest, Kyosuke set down his water glass and rushed onto the balcony.

Sure enough, a smaller, fiery-red comet had split off from beneath the blue comet.

The blue comet continued along its original trajectory, while the red comet began to fall downward.

At that moment, the sound of the television drifted through the open glass door, featuring some amateur pundit spouting analysis:

"From a statistical standpoint, the probability of it landing in a densely populated human area is extremely low..."

Although he knew those television stations often invited "experts" who hadn't even graduated from high school to make authoritative statements, at that moment, Kyosuke was more than willing to believe that was an accurate prediction made by truly reliable experts.

Because the moment he saw the fiery-red comet, the ominous premonition he had felt at Todoroki Park flared up again.

Could this comet crash into someone? Kyosuke wondered to himself, too preoccupied to admire the increasingly dazzling comet as he ran back to the living room to grab his phone.

The moment he unlocked his phone, a flurry of notifications popped up.

"Kyosuke, Kyosuke, look at the comet! It's so beautiful!" — Yamauchi Sakura

"Kyosuke, Kyosuke, have you missed me? Let's go shopping in Ikebukuro this weekend."

"Kyosuke, Kyosuke, there's a super beautiful upperclassman at school, blond twin-tails! I'll introduce her to you next time." — Yamauchi Sakura

...

In short, Yamauchi Sakura treated Kyosuke's email inbox like a diary, sending photos of even a chubby cat she spotted at school.

The comet wouldn't land in Tokyo proper, and Sakura's Shirayuri Academy wasn't very far from him, so she would be fine.

Replying to the messages casually and accepting Sakura's weekend shopping invitation, Kyosuke looked at the next message.

"Kyosuke-kun, my classmates haven't noticed my hearing impairment at all. I'm so happy." — Nishimiya Shoko

Shoko had only sent a single message, yet Kyosuke could practically picture her happy, carefully restrained smile. This child was still a bit too introverted; he hoped she could make a few more friends.

"My breasts grew a whole cup size, but Shoko's grew two! How annoying! (Photo)" — Ueno Naho

Kyosuke tapped on the photo. In the image, Ueno Naho was hugging Nishimiya Shoko and laughing brightly, while Shoko shyly flashed a peace sign at the camera. Judging by the background, they were in their classroom. Both girls were wearing blue pleated skirts, black calf socks, and dazzling absolute territory, though their upper bodies differed.

Ueno wore a suit-style blue jacket, while Shoko wore only a white button-down shirt.

Just as Naho had said, it was indeed an impressive cup size. Looking at the prominent bulge beneath Shoko's shirt, Kyosuke sighed inwardly in admiration.

He shook his head. The Ochanomizu University Senior High School where these two girls studied wasn't far from him either; a shooting star wouldn't fall on their heads.