Chapter 130: The Night the Comet Split
The third day of the Hokkaido trip.
A soft breeze stirred the sands of a quiet beach where four figures gathered beneath the shade of a rented parasol. The afternoon sun painted golden halos on the sea's surface, and above the distant horizon, the sky bore a faint but unusual glow.
"You can see the shape now, right?" Kasumigaoka Utaha murmured, squinting at the sky, her long coat fluttering slightly in the wind, revealing glimpses of her dark swimwear.
Yukima Azuma followed her gaze. Amidst the soft blue, a subtle brilliance—icy and foreign—streaked across the sky. A luminous body, separate from the azure above, drifted slowly into view.
Charlotte.
The legendary comet that only appeared once every 1,200 years.
Tonight, it would be at its closest to Earth, and here in Hokkaido, the observation conditions were said to be perfect. The rarest celestial event of the century was about to grace the skies—and their lives.
"Shaved ice, anyone?" Eriri called out brightly, appearing with an armful of frosty, colorful desserts, her own swimsuit still covered by a light jacket.
"You bought all those without asking?" Azuma gave her a dry smile as he reached for the green apple-flavored bowl.
"How could you not have shaved ice at the beach?" Eriri retorted. She spun around playfully with her lemon-flavored treat—only to stop short and clutch her forehead in pain. "Ack, brain freeze!"
Yukima Azuma laughed and gently rubbed her forehead. "You never learn."