30 The Comet Falls (Itomori)

Moving down the list, Hojo Kyosuke thought of the people he truly worried about—his parents, currently far away in Hokkaido.

Before he even had a chance to open his messages, Hojo Mikiko’s call came through.

"Kyosuke! Is that comet going to fall on your side? Mama saw that split comet right over Tokyo!"

Well, that ruled out any chance of the celestial body crashing into his adorable mother.

"Relax, relax, don't worry, Mom. From where I am, the comet is still very far away. If anything, I'm more worried about it landing in Hokkaido."

"Phew, you scared me to death! Why didn't you call earlier to let me know you were safe?" Mikiko complained.

"Yes, yes, my mistake. I was just about to use the beef you sent to make a midnight snack."

"Oh, why are you eating so late, you child? That's bad for your health."

"It's not dinner, it's a midnight snack. I used up quite a bit of physical energy today."

"Honestly, you need to take better care of yourself, Kyosuke! Mama worries so much! And another thing, what's this about you becoming the boss of a delinquent gang?" Mikiko seized the opportunity to ask about the matter that had been gnawing at her curiosity for days.

Kyosuke knew his mother constantly worried whether he could live well on his own, which was why he had brought it up in the first place.

"The other day, I went to the kendo club..."

Kyosuke recounted the sequence of events with a certain degree of artistic embellishment. Mikiko listened with rapt attention, letting out occasional gasps of astonishment.

"That sounds so thrilling! Bosozoku, huh? Back when your old mom was young, she also dreamed of tearing through the streets on a motorcycle," Mikiko said with envy.

Faintly, Kyosuke heard muffled laughter from the other end of the line, followed by an indignant outburst from his mother.

"Ha? What are you laughing at? Is it my fault I don't know how to ride a bicycle? Who made the rule that you can't learn to ride a motorcycle just because you can't ride a bike?"

Then came the sound of his father, Hojo Ichiro, pleading for mercy.

After a short while, someone else took the phone.

"Hello, Kyosuke."

"Yeah, Dad." When speaking with his father, Kyosuke always used a slightly more serious tone—not out of estrangement, but as a sign of respect.

"Delinquents are nothing to be afraid of. Youth is the most precious time in a person's life; if there's something you want to do, do it boldly. You're a man of the Hojo family, after all—even if you're going to be a delinquent, you have to be the number one delinquent in all of Japan! But you must always pay close attention to your safety, and if anything happens, call home."

Ichiro’s deep, resonant voice came through the receiver, and Kyosuke could vividly picture him.

Standing at a towering one hundred and eighty centimeters—a rare height in Japan—he habitually wore a dark blue yukata, just as he had when he came to Tokyo to pick up Mikiko previously.

Kyosuke’s striking facial features and strong jawline were inherited from him, while his eyes resembled his mother’s, appearing as gentle as spring water at a glance. Only when anger flared would the corners of his eyes and brows tilt upward, turning fierce.

"Got it, Dad. I'll remember that."

"Take care of your health. Your mother misses you terribly."

"You too. Hurry up and give me a younger brother or sister with Mom."

Feeling that the conversation with his father was growing far too solemn, Kyosuke threw in a joke.

"Ahem, I do have that intention..."

Ichiro gave a couple of coughs before laughing, and then the phone was snatched back by Mikiko.

"Honestly, what kind of nonsense are you filling my precious son's head with all day long? Kyosuke."

"Yeah?"

"You better keep a close eye on Mama's precious prospective daughters-in-law, you hear? Don't let anyone else steal them away."

During the remaining months of elementary school, Nishimiya Shoko and Ueno Naoka, who frequently visited the house, had grown quite close to Mikiko and had been duly placed on her shortlist of daughter-in-law candidates.

"Got it, got it. Bye-bye, Mom."

"Honestly, you don't love Mama anymore..."

Kyosuke abruptly hung up the phone. If he hadn't, Mikiko could easily have kept talking until dawn.

Phew, it seemed all the important people were safe.

Huh? What's this?

After hanging up, the phone automatically returned to the call log interface, and Kyosuke noticed a missed call from Hida City.

He raised his head to look up at the sky. That direction... was that Hida?

***

Hida City, Itomori Town, Miyamizu Shrine.

Miyamizu Mitsuha had put on a blue kimono patterned with clover leaves.

"How pretty! Will I look as pretty as big sis when I grow up?"

Her younger sister, Miyamizu Yotsuha, tucked the final hair ornament into Mitsuha’s hair, looking admiringly at her breathtakingly lovely elder sister in the mirror.

"You will. You two are sisters after all," their grandmother, Miyamizu Hitoha, said with a smile as she adjusted Mitsuha’s kimono.

She was just as beautiful as Futaba had been at that age, Hitoha thought, recalling the night she had dressed her own daughter in much the same way years ago. So much time had flown by, and Mitsuha had already grown up so much.

I wish Kyosuke could see what I look like right now, Mitsuha thought silently as she gazed at her reflection.

Ever since she returned to Itomori from Tokyo, the phone calls that had previously gone through suddenly failed to connect again.

"Yotsuha, take a picture of me." Mitsuha picked up her phone from the desk and handed it to her sister.

"Say cheese."

Hearing her sister's voice, Mitsuha sat straight in her chair, her lips pressed into a gentle line. Her eyebrows were curved like distant misty mountains, her skin flushed like peach blossoms in a smile, her hair floating like clouds, and her eyes shining like stars. It was a beauty of profound dignity and poise.

Taking back the phone, Mitsuha opened her contacts and stared at the unconnectable record within. Sighing inwardly, she went ahead and sent the newly taken photo anyway.

An orange exclamation mark appeared; the photo failed to go through once more.

Kyosuke, why is this happening?

Mitsuha turned her head to look out the window. Surrounded by mountains, Itomori was remote and dull, yet the stars in its night sky were the most magnificent of all.

Mitsuha had considered making another trip to Tokyo to find Hojo Kyosuke. Though a single visit had cost her an entire year's allowance, she didn't regret it at all. However, with the entire town of Itomori busy preparing for the festival these past few days, there was simply no way she, as the shrine maiden, could leave on her own right now.

"I'll go to Tokyo this weekend," Mitsuha resolved, before stepping out to meet up with her friends.

The comet appeared, a brilliant blue celestial body dragging an aurora-like tail as it traveled among the constellations.

Mitsuha ran toward the mountaintop. The nocturnal mountain wind swept past, causing the grass to ripple and lightly stirring the sleeves of her robe.

"What is this?"

Itomori seemed uniquely favored by the comet; even if one did not stop to gaze, it left a lasting mark upon the sky.

The comet split apart.

Mitsuha witnessed the most breathtaking yet cruel sight of her lifetime—meteorites from beyond the heavens rained endlessly down among the mountains, descending right before her eyes.