Walking down the shore, Sakura floats through fields of higanbana, her hands drifting through their petals. On the other side is a large river, mist concealing its appearance. Beside her are her husband, Satoru, and her two children, Hinata and Ryu.
Just then, a voice calls out to her.
"Hey, hey sis! Come to the other side, c'mon! Let's play together, like the old days..." Feeling increasingly tempted by the proposal, she approached the river, attempting to cross it.
Just as she had managed to put in a leg, a warm, mechanical hand grabbed her. With the sudden pull, she is dragged back to the shore. Flailing, she cries for help, trying to return to her sister.
"No, it's still not time. The boy still needs you..."
Hearing the warm, comforting voice, she let go of everything, letting her be dragged through the sky. Before she faints, she sees an arm made of eyes, an arm made of claw, and an arm as information incarnate, dragging the rest of her family along with her.
Ah, sister, it looks like I'm still needed...
Gasping for air, Sakura wakes up on her couch. Turning her head faster than a helicopter, she searches for her family.
Sitting on the table were her children, each with hot chocolate on their hands, shivering. Hearing the flush from the bathroom downstairs, she understood that Satoru was in there. Sighing with relief, she felt a warm cup in her cheeks.
Turning around, she saw an unfamiliar nan handing her a cup of hot herbal tea. Clutching the blanket draped on her, she scooted further along the sofa. Witnessing this, Albert merely chuckled, shaking his head.
"Lass, if I wanted to, I could have easily done it long ago. Drink it, it'll help you feel better." Gingerly grabbing the mug, she slowly sipped the tea. Feeling reinvigorated, she greedily slurped it. Just as she was on the last dregs, she heard a jumble of steps coming from upstairs.
Subaru, upon hearing that Sakura had woken up, dashed downstairs. Upon seeing her drinking the tea, all his worries flew away. Going up to her, he hugged her with all his might, afraid that she'd slip away again.
"Auntie, I'm so glad that you're okay..."
Sobbing, he choked as he hugged her tighter, afraid that she'd fade away, like a dream. Seeing her nephew cry, she could not help but pat his back, comforting him.
Witnessing this, the Ida siblings and husband both walked up to them, hugging them all together in a group. Just then, Ryu realized something. "Hang on, how did we get rescued?"
All turned towards Subaru. Rubbing his head sheepishly, he confessed. "Well, it went something like this..."
As he began his tale of danger and deceit, no one noticed that an old man and his car had gone missing.
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Walking down the street, an old man and his cat bask in the dying sun.
Feeling the cold wind upon their faces, they bask in joy. The cat, hesitation on its face, finally broke the silence.
"So...you're not gonna tell them? I mean, we both know who did it, but aren't you gonna tell the kid?"
Hearing Katz, Albert stopped. Contemplating for a brief moment, he chuckled, answering "Well, where's the fun in that? Besides the kid needs it, as a lesson of sorts anyway. Once he began this journey, he had no choice but to keep moving forward. This is the least of the dangers..."
With these words weighing heavily in the air, the duo continued their journey, back to the quaint shop they call home...