A/N:
This chapter is worth two chapters with 3.8k words.
---
When Minoru arrived at the city hall, there was some indifferent treatment even though he had saved Itomori from a wild drone.
He understood how politicians work as they should. However, it's not that he'll play around with them. Actually, he never considered this an insult. He doesn't need gratitude from a mere small-town mayor from an unknown place like Itomori. But Minoru needed to come here to end the festival and evacuate the people.
In a little while, he expected that Rachel would give him the result so he could convince them to accept his request, allowing him to bring his family home.
"I didn't expect to see you again in the Itomori mayor's office, Professor Moriarty."
"This is a small place, Colonel Canopus. You'll undoubtedly see me around here."
When he entered Toshiki's office, it was not Toshiki who greeted him first but Colonel Benjamin Canopus, whom he had met when he went to Okinawa.
Seeing Minoru, Benjamin approached him with delight and respect, as he knew from Lina's information that Minoru was someone his country needed at this 'cold time.'
Different from Benjamin, Toshiki was bewildered by the sudden change in Benjamin's attitude as if he had encountered his superior.
"Ahahaha! You must be Yanagi-sensei. I'm sorry for this lack of reception for Itomori's hero. My name is Miyamizu Toshiki. It's an honor to meet you, sensei."
"Yanagi Minoru."
Minoru took his hand, and they shook hands for formality. After that, they sat on the sofa for a more serious talk.
"Sensei, firstly, I hope you don't take this to heart since we don't have anything besides words of gratitude to offer you," Toshiki said with a smile. Minoru just nodded with his usual stoic face.
"I don't care. Miyamizu-san, let's skip the pleasantries…"
Suddenly, Toshiki's face stiffened as his smile wavered.
Toshiki looked at Minoru, seeing that he was undoubtedly a successful young man. He had heard from his secretary that his mother-in-law accepted this man and the people he brought as guests. The idea that came across was that they must have a connection with his daughter Mitsuha. If he was here with this strong attitude, then he wasn't his daughter's boyfriend.
Who did he think he was? Even though he had saved Itomori from the drone before it crashed, this had nothing to do with him. Judging from it, Minoru must have some business with the Americans. So, Toshiki thought that he should be the one receiving apologies.
"What did you want to say, Sensei?" Toshiki said seriously.
"I want you to disband the festival and evacuate the people."
Benjamin and Toshiki widened their eyes.
"I beg your pardon, sensei? Do you think this request sounds simple to you?"
"Yes," Minoru replied shortly. "It's simple because I believe people are in great danger."
"By great danger, what are you talking about, Professor?" Benjamin was intrigued by this talk.
"You both must know that a comet will soon be passing our planet, and I happened to conduct some research. My research is not completed but I could tell you that there's a possibility the comet will crack and fall to Earth as meteors."
"Meteors?" Benjamin narrowed his eyes. "Professor, I'm not doubting you, but can you be more specific?"
Toshiki then said, "Sensei, could you explain more?"
Minoru explained what he found in the cave, the painting he saw, and how it coincidentally matched this village's history, including the reason the festival is held on this day every year. He didn't tell them everything since he couldn't trust them completely.
When they heard it, it was unbelievable, especially for Toshiki, who had abandoned his faith in the Miyamizu Shrine.
"I'm sorry, sensei…" Toshiki said with a sigh. "I can't fulfill your request to disband the festival with this reasoning."
"Well, you don't have to believe me. I might not be involved with Colonel Canopus's work, but the drone, in my eyes, malfunctioned when it flew in this area. Don't you think that's just a coincidence?"
Benjamin thought for a moment.
"As you stated, Professor, we lost contact with it when we flew it here. We don't know the reason why, as this malfunction is something we haven't encountered before. It's abnormal. Also, I've received information that it's not just us; some airlines have confirmed that they suddenly had errors with their systems in this area."
Seeing this, Toshiki didn't like it at all. He could tell that Benjamin was taking Minoru's side, even though Itomori was his jurisdiction. He didn't like this insult and felt a burning sensation inside him, believing that Minoru was using temple doctrine to validate his claim. He hated that temple.
"Whatever the reason, as long as I'm the mayor of Itomori, I decide what is best for Itomori. Furthermore, there's no proof that the comet will fall. The festival is the best chance for people to improve their economic situation, and it's their right to enjoy themselves. I'm afraid only someone in a higher position than me could cancel the festival and evacuate the people."
Minoru and Benjamin understood what he was saying. However, Minoru was the only one who truly understood that all of this would happen. How could he ignore it after everything he had known and seen?
An anomaly called Gate on Mars.
Body switches.
The ghost in bookshelves.
The ghost who told him about this place.
The drone anomaly.
His instinct was telling him that something was clearly wrong.
At that moment, his phone vibrated. When he opened it, Rachel had sent him what she found, and it confirmed his suspicions.
'Estimated, the largest fragment is a 50-meter diameter piece that will crack and fall. We're not even talking about the smaller fragments that will follow. This is crazy. I never expected it to be true.'
His feeling was right.
"If you understand—"
"You said that" Minoru cut Toshiki off, "...you'll follow someone higher than you, was that correct?"
Toshiki frowned. What was this delusional young man saying?
"I'm afraid I have to end this conv—"
Bang!
"Sir! I'm very sorry, but you have to see this!"
Suddenly, Toshiki's secretary burst in and turned on the TV. All of them, even Minoru, couldn't hide their surprise. The woman on the screen was undoubtedly Eileen de Luxemburg.
[...our scientists have detected a disaster that will happen within one hour. We've identified that a 50-meter fragment from the Tiamata Comet will separate, and its path will lead to Earth, specifically to Itomori, Japan. We hope Japan will act quickly to safeguard its citizens before the impact—]
Toshiki and Benjamin looked at Minoru, shocked by this sudden news. More importantly, they felt a chill running down their spines as Queen Eileen coincidentally supported Minoru's claim.
"H-How..."
Toshiki was speechless, sweating bullets.
"Sir!" Another person came in. "You have an urgent call from the Prime Minister."
Toshiki screamed, "S-Sound the early warning alarm and evacuate the people! Hurry!"
With his stoic face intact. Minoru didn't know what was going on.
He wanted to solve this silently so he hadn't communicated with Eileen since his confrontation with Twilight. It must have been Eileen's initiative. Had she heard it from Rachel and used it to her advantage?
However, his objective was done here.
---
At the same time, others were walking through the festival. Bubble lights lit up along the road, and small stalls had been set up. She could see happy people celebrating the festival, smell the aroma from the takoyaki stall, and admire the cool goldfish stall.
Even though she had visited all of them, it felt empty.
"Mama, why is it so difficult to save people without having to sacrifice ourselves?" Ruby asked, widening Ai's eyes.
"What's wrong, Ruby?"
Ruby didn't look happy.
"Dad's working on his own again to save people while we're enjoying the festival. Why does it have to be so difficult?"
Ruby looked down as she kicked some rocks. Aqua just stared at the small building light far at the end of the lake, the city hall where Minoru was currently. Meanwhile, Alisa just observed what they were talking about.
"Ruby, you should understand that what Dad is doing is not an easy task. You know, when we're all here after what happened, it must be a burden to him if something bad happens. Does Ruby want to just go home?"
Ruby shook her head, and Ai smiled at her.
"That's my daughter. I'm certain he wouldn't want to make Ruby feel bad if something happened. But you must know that he can't save everyone." Ai squatted down as Ruby looked at her. "Right now, he must want to spend his time with us. But sometimes, things don't go according to our will. So, Ruby should understand this, okay?"
Ruby nodded slowly.
"This shouldn't be his responsibility, right?" someone asked with a straightforward yet somehow cold tone.
"Alisa—"
"Ai-san, I think we all know that it isn't his duty to save these people. I don't understand why he bothers himself and sacrifices his precious time."
When Ai was about to say something, she stopped, unable to answer.
"Oi! Why are you asking that question?"
Aqua grabbed Alisa's shoulder as she casually looked at him, unbothered.
"Isn't that the most important question here?"
"You! Do you think people's lives are that simple?— ack! That's hurt! Hurt! Stop!" Aqua exclaimed as Ai pinched his cheek.
"Alright, you both. Stop fighting. We're here to enjoy the festival before we evacuate. If we keep talking about this, what's the point of it, huh?"
Aqua looked at Ai as her mouth twitched. More importantly, that "Asian mom" mode was back. He could feel that if he kept arguing with Alisa, that slipper would come to him.
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Mama, I'm sorry for being sad," Ruby said.
Ai patted Ruby's head. "That's alright~" Then she looked at Alisa and patted her too. "Alisa, don't say that again, alright~?"
Alisa just tilted her head, thinking, Did I say something wrong?
"Oi! We're back."
All of them glanced up as they found Ichigo and Miyako approaching.
"Here it is, three takoyaki and one yakisoba."
"Yay! More takoyaki!" Ruby took it with delight.
"Thank you, Miyako-san," Aqua said with a red cheek, then took the yakisoba.
"Ah... sorry to bother you," Alisa said politely as she took her takoyaki.
The kids started to form a small group and eat. Miyako handed the last takoyaki to Ai with a smile.
"Thank you, Miyako-san! Hehe~ You seem to be enjoying the festival," Ai grinned at her.
"N-No, I'm not a kid," Miyako blushed.
"Ha!" Ichigo interjected, looking at her. "This woman kept failing to catch that golden fish. Even though I said that's enough and to stop wasting money, she kept doing it."
"H-Hey!" Miyako stuttered and began to lightly smack Ichigo, making Ai giggle but also feel a bit lonely.
"Is the boss not done yet?" Ichigo asked. Ai just shook her head slowly.
Before Minoru went to see Mitsuha's father, she had a quick date with him, catching golden fish at Mr. Takashi's stall. When Mr. Takashi saw Minoru, he was delighted and gave him a free ticket, appreciating how much Minoru had helped the villagers.
More importantly, she wished she could help him, but she couldn't.
"Mama! Mama! Look! That's the comet!"
Ruby looked up in awe. Even though she knew what was going on, she was innocently amazed by the view.
The sky was clear, and Ai and the others could see the stars that were impossible to see in Tokyo. The comet made the night even more beautiful, yet this beauty was terrifying at the same time.
"That thing will drop here?" Ichigo said, his mouth agape.
Ai and Miyako didn't say anything, frozen in place.
Then somehow, their phones began to come alive. As they looked at them, they received an early warning message that typically indicated an earthquake or tsunami. However, this time it specifically warned them of a meteor falling.
Shortly after, the same early warning sounded loudly from speakers spread throughout Itomori, causing people to stop in their tracks.
[Directly from Itomori mayor's office. A few moments ago, an early warning message from the central government about the danger of falling meteors from the fragments of a passing comet. All residents... are expected to immediately evacuate to Itomori High School. We repeat, all residents are expected to evacuate to Itomori High Scho—]
"Damn… he's done it, as I expected from my boss. To think he could even move the central government."
Ichigo couldn't hide his astonishment at Minoru's influence. Hearing this, both Ai and Miyako gulped nervously.
"Alright everyone, let's go," Ai said decisively.
They all decided to evacuate.
---
As they walked to Itomori High School, they were not alone; the road was full of people.
"I think this isn't him," Aqua said, looking at the news on Ai's phone. "Look." He handed it to Ichigo.
"So, it's that Queen's doing, huh? That makes sense. Well, I'm not doubting my boss, but I think he couldn't possibly move a country from his phone, right?"
"Ichigo, why are you asking that to Aqua?" Miyako looked at him as if he were crazy.
Hearing this, Ai asked Aqua, "Aqua, what are you talking about?"
"This is..." Aqua just gave her phone back.
"...Eileen?" Ai said, remembering her kids talking about her.
Aqua started to recall when he accidentally overheard Minoru talking to someone on his phone, and Aqua heard that the person was Rachel. He could tell they were discussing the current situation. More importantly, Aqua began thinking this might be his grandmother, Rachel's, doing. Aqua also thought that Minoru might know or have strong ties with this powerful person named Eileen.
But then, who was his father's identity?
When he tried to find information on the internet, his father never seemed to be involved in politics, and his name was barely mentioned in the news. So, Aqua begins to doubt this idea.
"H-Hold on..."
Ai looked around nervously as they arrived at Itomori High School's yard.
"Where's Alisa?"
While Ai was holding Ruby's hand, she was sure Alisa had been beside Aqua before. Since she thought Alisa was mature like Aqua and even two years older than him, she believed Alisa knew this situation was not a joke. Everyone looked at each other and began to search around.
"Maybe she got lost in the crowd?" Miyako suggested, which made sense given how packed the place was.
"Alright then. We should find her," Ichigo said. "Ai, you stay here with the kids. Miyako and I will look for her. And don't move. We'll come back here later."
"A-Alright."
Ai couldn't think straight. Why? Why was she such an idiot? While Minoru was working hard, she couldn't even do her job properly and keep an eye on the children.
"Mama?" Ruby's small voice interrupted Ai's thoughts. Holding both her kids' shoulders, Ruby could feel her mother's hands trembling. She thought her mom felt guilty.
Ai tried to bring herself up again as she thought, "Ah...?"
---
Minoru was done helping the mayor and was on his way out of the city hall to find his family.
He never anticipated that Eileen would broadcast the warning herself. He hadn't asked her to, but he realized that Eileen wanted to demonstrate what they were capable of. If the meteor fell, the company's stock would skyrocket tomorrow as they save these people. On the other hand, it showed that she truly trusted what Minoru had said.
"Professor… I've already ordered my squad to help with the evacuation. More importantly, I'll prepare an Osprey for you to leave this place," Benjamin said firmly.
He thought to himself, 'So this is Professor Moriarty that everyone has been talking about.' His respect for Minoru was rising even more. Right now, his objective was to ensure this man's safety and understand why his country wanted him so badly.
Minoru responded firmly, "No, thank you. Please focus on evacuating the people first and work together with Mayor Miyamizu."
Benjamin could never tell Minoru's actual emotions since he was always stoic. But to think he cared about others first. "As you wish, sir."
Minoru was probably thinking, Don't worry, I'm going home with my heli.
That's right. According to Rachel's information, the impact would happen at the south of the lake, precisely at the shrine where Mitsuha worked as shrine maiden. It was a shame that she had to move to another place when her grandmother's house was there.
With this crucial information from Rachel, he had told the foolish father and mayor to evacuate the people to Itomori High School since it was the farthest place from the impact. He was still worried but had already told his family that when they were told to evacuate, they should follow the instructions.
Minoru had already separated from Colonel Canopus and was walking alone to the meeting place. When he arrived, he saw Ichigo, Miyako, Aqua, and Mitsuha talking with worry, but Ai was nowhere to be found.
"Dad!"
Ruby ran to him with tears streaming down her face, and the others realized Minoru had just arrived.
"Mama! She went to find Alisa and hasn't come back yet! Hiek!" she cried.
Minoru's eyes widened as he looked at Ruby, then glanced at the others for an explanation.
"Y-Yanagi-san. When I arrived, she told me to stay and look after Ruby and Aqua-kun. Then she left, saying she was going to look for Alisa. When I looked in her direction, Ai was... heading back," Mitsuha explained.
"Boss, I was—" Ichigo began to explain but was cut off by someone.
"Look! The comet! The comet split!"
This was what Minoru had feared. He looked at Ruby and said, "Stay with your brother." Then, without waiting for a response, he ran off.
With teary eyes, Ruby watched her father run. At that moment, she realized the gravity of the situation. The comet's fragments were turning from ice-blue to red and seemed to be heading here.
"Dad!!" she screamed.
The others felt the same terror as they froze in horror, watching the comet split.
Minoru quickly realized it was impossible to get there on foot. The road was completely blocked by people, all frozen in place and staring at the sky with their phones.
"Colonel!" he called out.
Benjamin, who was with his assistant, was also staring at the comet and the meteor with fear. Hearing Minoru's shout, he turned around just in time to see Minoru running towards him.
"Professor?!"
Goosebumps rose on Benjamin's skin as he watched Minoru jump onto a jetski and start the engine.
"I'm gonna have to borrow this! Thank you," Minoru sped off on the jetski, water splashing wildly around him.
Benjamin was taken aback. "That direction, is he crazy?" he muttered aloud.
Minoru pulled the throttle to the limit, the wind whipping through his hair.
"Shit!" he cursed, driving the jetski through the lake. Alone, he could see the meteor turning an even more ominous shade of red.
---
At the same time, on a grassland devoid of trees near the Miyamizu temple, a six-year-old girl wearing a white yukata with bluish hair fluttering in the wind bent down to pick up a red scarf lying on the grass. With a flat expression, she tried to clean the dirt off it with her hands but was clearly disappointed.
"I didn't know the wind would blow it here. Hm… I should pin it down when I wash it next time."
Alisa nodded to herself and wrapped the scarf around her neck. She felt its warmth and remembered that he wouldn't ask for it back, meaning it was hers now, right?
"It's strange…" Alisa blushed under the scarf. "I never knew I'd get attached to something like this. How annoying."
The wind grew stronger as she looked up at the sky with her usual flat expression.
"In the first place, I knew humans are weak. They overreact to things like this. Well, I knew that too since I learned common sense. But…"
Alisa's gaze fixed on the largest meteor, still far away but coming towards her.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
She ignored the smaller meteors hitting the ground. Even as she felt the earth tremble, she wasn't scared at all. Her face seemed to say, "Oh, it's just rocks falling from the sky."
"…Really, it's hard to forget my past since it's impossible for me to be afraid of something trivial like this. Well, it'll drain mine to zero. Sigh… even though I have been collecting this for six years. Whatever…"
Alisa's blue eyes began to glow as she looked at the meteor. However, she stopped as she felt someone approaching her.
"Alisaaaa!"
She turned and saw a woman with silver hair, panting as she ran towards her.
"Ai-san?"
Without wasting time, Ai grabbed Alisa and hugged her, then started running away from the area.
Alisa looks at her, "What are you doing here? This place is dangerous for you."
"Are you mad?! Why did you even come here then?!" Ai said furiously.
Alisa looked down at her scarf. "I forgot this scarf. So, I came back."
As Ai kept running, clearly exhausted, she said, "What?" She couldn't hide her surprise.
"Yes. This is… um… precious to me."
Wait, this is not the time to say that.
"Don't say something that makes your life seem less precious. Alisa! Your life is precious to me!" Ai shouted, loud and clear.
Alisa, who understood common sense yet remained herself, didn't know how to react. Why had Ai come to pick her up even though she was weak and could die at any moment?
However, it wasn't the time to think about it.
Alisa's eyes widened as she detected a small meteor heading their way. Ai could somehow see her shadow growing more defined, illuminated by the light from behind. She didn't know what to do. She just kept running, maintaining her pace while carrying the stubborn Alisa.
It was then that Ai saw someone running towards her. The brightness allowed her to see his face clearly.
Minoru grabbed Ai tightly and threw his body to the side.
"Kyaa!" Ai screamed as Minoru turned his body, his back touching the grass as they slid down the hill.
Boom! A small meteor hit the ground. Despite its size, the impact caused the ground to crack and shatter as if it were a blast from a landmine.
Minoru started to get up and gather himself, but he felt his back getting hotter, or rather, the air itself seemed to heat up. The surroundings grew brighter and brighter.
"Minoru-kun! I-I'm—" Ai suddenly froze.
Minoru turned around, his eyes wide, his stoic demeanor crumbling as he saw the sky falling and crumbling right in front of his eyes. The 50-meter comet fragment was burning and flying towards them.
Ai held Alisa tightly. Initially, she looked at Minoru, but the scene unfolding before them made it impossible for her to even blink. The blinding light grew bigger and bigger as it came down towards them. Ai watched as Minoru's back shielded her from it.
(Image)
---
Let the sky fall
When it crumbles
We will stand tall
Face it all together
-Adele