Tokyo — rain pours down on the stages of dreams. The sound of raindrops creates a delicate symphony amidst the bustling city that never sleeps, harmonizing with its pulsating heartbeat.
One of the largest billboards in Shibuya still displays the face of Aqua Hoshino. Her smile is captured in neon light, yet for Ruby Hoshino, it is merely a hollow reflection. Around her, people bustle by, their faces shrouded in desire and longing, seemingly trapped in memories they cannot forget. She stands in front of the B-Komachi building, dressed in a black hoodie, gazing at the image of her sister, now a legend.
“I still can’t… smile without you,” she whispers softly, her voice nearly drowned out by the city's clamor.
From a distance, a man with silver hair and snake-like red eyes, draped in a long cloak, stood in the shadows. He had just “fallen” from the sky of this world — not with a crash, nor with a jolt, but simply... appeared, like a thought forgotten by time. The damp scent of earth and the cold sting of the Tokyo wind enveloped him, creating an atmosphere that was both grim and tranquil.
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Fitran Fate observed this world. There was no magic. No glyphs. No desire to break reality. Yet... there was so much sorrow. So many emotions. And he could sense the lingering aroma of unfulfilled desires. In every fleeting gaze, there were untold stories — dim hopes and neglected dreams.
"Something feels wrong," he murmured, feeling alienated in a crowd that was both bustling and silent.
At that moment, a voice broke through the stillness.
“You’re not from here, are you?”
A girl stood behind the studio wall. Short hair framed a cold face, yet her eyes were sharp and penetrating. Akane Kurokawa. Her presence pierced through the darkness, momentarily illuminating it, as if she were adding meaning to the emptiness that surrounded them.
“I don’t know you… but your expression, it’s the expression of someone who has lost everything.” Her voice was clear, able to seep into the very core of his soul, imparting a profound understanding.
Fitran responded slowly, “Maybe, but I’m still alive.” His heart waged a battle between hope and the bitter reality that always haunted him.
“Then,” Akane said as she stepped closer, “you can help me make this world smile again.” Beneath her words lay a hidden hope, as if she, too, was trying to ignite a light in the darkness.
And with that, a new stage began. In the stillness, hope began to blossom — like peony flowers rising after the rain, ready to bloom even as the chill still enveloped them.
