Thursday sunlight filtered softly into the Cosmic S.T.A.R. Club room, warm and welcoming, spreading a golden glow across the wooden tables. Outside, spring wind brushed through the Sakura trees, carrying petals that drifted gently against the windows. It was supposed to be a slow and peaceful day — just the club meeting where everyone brought something personal to share, a tiny tradition they'd started to deepen their bond after the festival.
Luna Ayame arrived a little later than usual, holding something carefully wrapped in pale lavender cloth. She walked with her usual graceful composure, but today, there was a softer glow in her eyes — almost nostalgic. Beru noticed it instantly.
"Luna, you look… different today," Beru said gently, setting down the astronomy chart she had been organizing.
Luna smiled faintly. "I brought something… something precious. I thought it might be meaningful to share it with all of you."
Souta, who had been balancing a broom on his palm while Tadao tried not to laugh, turned toward her with his signature grin. "Oho? Did Luna-senpai bring a magical artifact from some hidden temple?" he teased.
"Idiot," Haruto muttered, flicking Souta's forehead.
Souta yelped dramatically, rubbing the spot. "I was just speculating! She looks like she's holding something holy!"
Luna rolled her eyes softly, but the fondness in her smile didn't fade. She approached the main table and carefully unwrapped the lavender cloth. The club members leaned closer.
Inside lay an antique hand mirror — silver with faint gold lining, its surface smooth and aged but polished beautifully. Delicate floral carvings framed the edges, and the handle curved elegantly like a blooming vine. Even untouched, it radiated history… and love.
"It's beautiful," Beru breathed.
Ren Ito leaned closer. "It looks expensive."
Aira Mizunashi, the newest member, nodded. "It's so elegant… very Luna-senpai."
Luna touched the mirror lightly, her expression softening in a way the others rarely saw. "My father gave this to me on my seventh birthday. He said it was a family heirloom. He told me to keep it as a reminder that no matter how far I go, I'll always reflect the light of the people who raised me."
Her voice had a quiet tremble — not sadness, but fond memory. Everyone listened silently.
Souta, who had been leaning against a chair, straightened up. "Your dad has good taste," he said, trying to sound casual but genuinely impressed. "It looks like something a princess would use."
Luna blinked. "My father… actually said the same thing."
"Araaa, Luna-chan is blushing," Beru giggled.
Luna immediately cleared her throat, regaining her composure. "I am not."
The room filled with light laughter. Everything felt warm, peaceful, and beautifully calm.
But peace never lasted long around Souta.
"Let me see it up close!" Souta declared proudly, puffing up like a curious puppy. "I promise I won't break it—"
"Don't say that," Haruto muttered instantly. "Saying that makes it ten times more likely."
Souta ignored him and took a playful leap toward the table to peek over Luna's shoulder.
And that was when his foot slipped.
The broom he'd been playing with earlier lay on the floor behind him, forgotten, traitorous.
"Souta—!" Tadao shouted.
Luna turned right as Souta crashed directly into her.
Her heartbeat jumped. The mirror slipped from her hand.
Time slowed.
Everyone watched in horror as the antique mirror spun once… twice… slipping through the air like a silver falling star.
Then—
CRACK.
The sound sliced through the room like a blade.
The mirror shattered against the wooden floor, fragments scattering like pieces of a broken past. Luna froze, staring at the broken glass as if her breath had been torn from her chest.
Souta was still on the floor, stunned, hands trembling. "I—I didn't… I'm so sorry, Luna, I didn't mean to—"
But Luna didn't hear him.
Her eyes were fixed on the shattered mirror. Her lips parted wordlessly, trembling.
Haruto stepped forward. "Luna…?"
She knelt slowly, picking up a piece of the broken frame in her delicate hand. Her reflection fractured across the shards like a distorted memory. Her father's voice echoed in her mind — soft, loving, reassuring.
"No matter how far you go, you'll always reflect the light of the people who raised you."
Her chest tightened painfully.
Souta crawled forward, panicked. "L-Luna, I'm sorry! I was just trying to— I didn't know the broom was— I swear I didn't—"
"Enough," Luna whispered.
The room fell silent.
She stood, her expression tight — not angry in the way one explodes, but hurt in the way someone breaks quietly. Tears didn't fall, but they glimmered faintly.
"Souta," she said, voice trembling, "you never take anything seriously. Not even for a moment."
Souta froze.
"You always play around… you always act without thinking… and today…" She looked down at the shards again. "This was irreplaceable. My father gave it to me. And you—"
Her voice cracked, just one syllable — enough to cut deeper than any shouting.
Souta's throat tightened painfully. "Luna, I didn't want to— I never meant to hurt—"
"You always say that," she whispered. "Every time."
He flinched.
Luna swallowed, forcing down the trembling in her breath. "Please… just leave me alone."
Then she walked out of the club room without looking back.
"Souta…" Beru murmured, her heart aching for both of them.
Haruto placed a hand on Souta's shoulder. Souta didn't react — he just stared at the shards as if they were pieces of his own chest.
"I… I broke it," he whispered, voice shaking. "It was something precious… and I broke it…"
Tadao crouched down and gently gathered the fragments, wrapping them carefully in the cloth. "Let's clean this first."
Souta didn't move. His eyes remained fixed on the door Luna had walked through.
The Next Day
Luna did not come to school.
Souta waited at the school gate for over an hour, anxiously shifting from foot to foot, practicing apology lines under his breath, but she never appeared.
"Maybe her father kept her home?" Beru whispered to Haruto as they walked inside.
"Or maybe she's avoiding him," Haruto replied quietly.
Inside the classroom, Souta's usual brightness dimmed. He couldn't focus. He kept glancing at Luna's empty seat.
After school, he rushed to the club room, hoping she'd be there.
She was.
Luna stood by the window, her expression unreadable, sunlight framing her silhouette like fragile glass.
Souta burst in. "Luna! Please—I'm sorry. I'll fix it. I'll find a way. I didn't know the broom was behind me, and I—"
"Souta," she said calmly without turning around.
He froze instantly.
"Please stop."
He swallowed hard. "Luna… I really—"
"I said stop." Her voice was polite, soft, but distant. "I don't want to talk to you right now."
Souta felt his chest sink. "Not even for one minute…? Just one? I really… I'm really sorry."
Luna closed her eyes. "…I know. But I can't talk to you now. Not yet."
He took one step toward her.
She took one step away.
That single movement broke him more than her words.
"…Okay," he whispered, backing away slowly. "I'll wait."
When he left the club room, the others exchanged worried looks. Tadao sighed quietly. Beru bit her lip. Ren glanced at the floor. Aira hugged her notebook nervously.
Haruto watched Souta's trembling back as he walked down the hallway.
The Day After
Luna came to school again — but she didn't speak to Souta.
In class, she watched the board while he kept stealing glances at her, eyes filled with guilt.
During lunch, when he approached her gently, she stood up and walked away.
In the club room, she talked to everyone except him — politely, kindly, but never meeting his eyes.
Every avoidance was a quiet dagger.
Souta tried again that afternoon, voice soft, eyes pleading. "Luna, please… even if you hate me… just yell at me. Don't ignore me."
Luna paused, her expression pained — because she didn't hate him. Her heart just hurt too much to speak.
"…I'll talk when I can," she whispered. "But not now."
Then she walked away.
Souta stood alone in the corridor, fists clenched, jaw trembling, trying not to cry.
Tadao approached him quietly. "Give her time," he said.
Souta nodded weakly, but his voice cracked. "What if she never forgives me…?"
Haruto placed a hand on his shoulder, firm but reassuring. "She will. But you have to let her heal first."
Beru gave him a gentle smile. "Luna cares about you, Souta. That's why she's hurting. But this won't last forever."
Souta bit his lip, looking down.
"I just want to see her smile again… even if it's not at me."
That night
Souta lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. His room was dark, quiet, suffocating. Memories of Luna's hurt eyes replayed over and over.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"
He whispered it into the darkness, knowing she couldn't hear it — but saying it anyway.
Outside his window, the Sakura trees rustled softly, the petals falling like fragments of something delicate and broken.
The same way their bond now felt.
And Souta would soon learn…
What breaks can also be mended.
What's shattered can still shine.
And what's lost can still be found — if you never stop searching.
---
To be continued...