Finding her way back to the festival main ground, Astonishing is still confused how did that person knows her secret.
'How did she knows...'
Every word the mysterious oracle had spoken echoed loudly in her head. Two souls. Black and white. The closed loop of divine punishment, and the terrifying reality of her own fragile existence. It was a secret she hadn't even fully processed herself.
She couldn't be some sort of extraterrestrial being, right?
Lost deep in her thoughts, her ears failed to register the heavy footsteps approaching around the corner.
Bump!
Astonishing stumbled back half a step. That amount of force couldn't possibly knock her down but since she's not focused, it's enough to stumble her a little.
"Sorry, are you okay?" she began, smoothing her sleeve as she looked up.
It was Takeda. He was wearing a simple, stripped navy yukata, holding a modest, small plastic bowl of matcha shaved ice in his left hand, and spooning a small bite into his mouth.
"Trainer?"
On the other side, Takeda also turned his head to the side and found a somewhat... familiar girl standing next to him.
"Ah, sorry about that," Takeda said politely, taking a slight step back with an apologetic smile. "Didn't mean to bump into you. The festival is pretty packed down here, isn't it?"
"What are you talking about? It's me!" Astonishing raised both hands, gathering her long hair and lifting it back into the shape of her usual ponytail.
Only then he realized.
Takeda's jaw practically hit the stone pavement. "A-Aston?!"
"Honestly, Trainer!" Astonishing let go of her hair. "Do you fail to recognize your own trainee simply because her hair isn't tied?!"
"In my defense!" Takeda held up a defensive hand, "You've literally had your hair in a tight ponytail every single second since I met you!"
Astonishing lets out a heavy sigh. "I can't argue with that. Well, since it's your first time, what do you think? Do I look better with my hair tied or down?"
Takeda was caught off guard by the question.
'Oh no... not this question'
He pondered.
'No matter what my answer is, it will always be wrong'
It was a trap question!
Cold sweat subtly prickled at the back of his neck.
No training manual in existence had prepared him for the treacherous minefield that was a teenage girl asking for a style preference.
'If I say "tied", she'll think I see her as someone with zero feminine charm. If I say "down", she'll think I'm calling her usual look boring! Think, Takeda, think! Survival depends on this answer!'
Astonishing tilted her head slightly, curious what takes him so long to answer. "Hmm... or do you prefer short hair?"
'Short hair?! Where did SHORT HAIR even come from?! Is this a multi-layered trap?!'
"Trainer?" She called.
"I think you look beautiful no matter the style!" The words slipped out of his mouth before his brain could even construct a filter.
Silence...
In front of him, Astonishing went completely motionless. A flush erupted across her face, cascading all the way down to her neck as her ears slowly flattened against her head.
'Did I... did I actually just say that out loud?!'
"W-what are you talking about? Trainer, you idiot."
Takeda stared at her, his mind screaming in absolute panic.
"I-I mean!" Takeda stammered, waving his plastic spoon around like a makeshift shield. "What I meant to say was..."
CRACK BOOM
Before he could finish his sentence, a sudden explosion interrupted. They both looked up, it was a small firework setting off a blue flower in the night sky.
"Fireworks..." Astonishing murmured, She looked up at the night sky, using the distraction as an excuse to avoid meeting his eyes. "They're starting. Ah right, we should probably go to the hilltop"
"Really? Well, I guess you should go, I'll stay here"
"What?" Astonishing snapped her head back toward him. "Stay here?"
"Well, yeah. I mean, surely there are friends waiting. You girls are hanging out together, and I don't want to crash your night. Plus, I was kind of enjoying this peaceful little corner"
"Absolutely not," Astonishing interrupted. "There's no way I'm leaving you here."
"...Besides," she added, "it would be a waste for you to watch the main fireworks display from down here behind the trees. The view from the summit is far superior. You're coming with me."
Takeda looked at her. It was clear she wasn't taking 'no' for an answer
"Alright, alright," Takeda held up his hands in defeat, "I know when I'm being outmaneuvered. I'll come along."
They fell into step side by side, making their way up the countless stairs towards the top.
"Hoo... okay," Takeda panted, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead with the back of his sleeve. "I take it back. There's no way I can make it to the top, just how many stairs there is?"
Ahead of him, Astonishing stopped and turned around. Not a single sweat on her face. "Are you okay? For a trainer, you don't really have good stamina do you?"
"Sorry, you should just go ahead. I'll be right behind you"
Astonishing stared at him for a moment before a sigh escaped her mouth. Standing one step above him, Astonishing extended her hand down toward him, palm open.
"Here," she commanded softly. "Take my hand."
Takeda blinked, caught off guard by the gesture. "I... I don't think I can accept that, it would be inappropriate."
"I'm not going to carry you so this is the best I can do, I'm not leaving you here"
"And besides," she added. "Nobody is watching"
Takeda looked around. Sure enough, it's just the two of them.
Having no more way to refuse, he sighed in defeat and accepted the offer. He reached out with trembling hands, and momenterally stopped mid way, but Astonishing quickly grab his hand, wrapping her hand on his.
It was the same feeling like back on the beach. Warm and smooth. Her hand was smaller than his, yet her grip was firm.
"R-Right. Thanks," He managed to squeeze out, trying his absolute best to ignore how remarkably fast his heart was suddenly pounding against his ribs.
Astonishing turned back around, and began pulling him up step by step, and Takeda followed her guide.
He couldn't take his eyes off her back. Being guided by the one he should've guide, it felt like an irony. But feeling the warmth in his hand, he swept all those thoughts away. Perhaps unconsciously, he gripped her hand a little tighter.
Astonishing noticed this, but she only thought maybe he's slipping away, so she too tightening her grip on his hand.
Takeda stared down at their intertwined hands. For a moment, he wished they can stay like this longer.
Before his spiraling thoughts could take over, the stairs ended, revealing the open, stone-paved plaza at the hilltop.
"We... made it..." Takeda panted lightly.
"See? It's not that hard" she said.
Neither of them let go right away. For a second, her fingers lingeringly tightened around his before she slowly released her grip.
Takeda felt a brief pang of longing as the lingering warmth of her fingers faded, but quickly regained his composure.
"Well... it looks like everyone else had the exact same idea," Takeda said. "It's pretty packed up here. Do you see your friends?"
Astonishing stood beside him, her sharp eyes scanned the crowd, but there was no sign of the others.
"No, either they are still at the bottom or way behind this crowd" she replied.
"Ah, figures," Takeda smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. "In any case, we made it to the top right on time."
She scanned the place once more before pointing toward a small gap along the wooden overlook railing where the crowd thinned out slightly. "There's an open spot. Let's go there"
Takeda nodded and followed her lead, weaving through the cheerful festival-goers until they reached the spot. From this vantage point, they could see down toward the valley below, the festival grounds resembled a winding river of golden, glowing paper lanterns.
Beside him, Astonishing rested both hands lightly on the railing. Her dark hair fluttered freely in the wind.
"It really is a great view from up here," Takeda admitted, leaning his elbows onto the wooden barrier next to her. The cool night air hit his flushed face, "I'm glad you dragged me along after all."
"Told you" she simply said. "Look they are launching more fireworks"
Her gaze shifter towards the the light making its way up the sky.
CRACK BOOM!
A massive shell detonated in the night sky directly above them, shattering the darkness into a dazzling chrysanthemum of shimmering emerald and gold.
Thunderous booms echoed across the mountain valley, followed in rapid succession by bursts of sapphire, crimson, and glittering silver that painted the night in vibrant, fiery hues.
'I want to enjoy this scenary while it last. It's not a big thing to ask, right?' she thought.
The crowd around them erupted into a collective roar of gasps and cheers, but Takeda's eyes drifted away from the sky, landing quietly on the girl standing beside him.
The bursts of light reflected clearly in Astonishing's face, highlighting the white spider lily patterns across her yukata. With her dark hair loose and fluttering softly over her shoulders in the summer breeze, she looked strikingly different from the person he knew, yet she was still entirely, unmistakably her.
'She does... look beautiful with her hair down.'
As if sensing his gaze, she turned her head away from the dazzling sky to look at him. "Is there something on my face?"
"What? Oh... uhh, no, nothing at all" he tried to dodge. "Just... thinking"
BOOM CRACKLE!
The grand finale commenced, painting the entire night sky in a blinding, gorgeous display of glittering gold. The thunderous booms echoed across the mountain valley, drowning out the world around them.
Neither of them spoke another word. They just stood side by side in the cool summer night, watching the brilliant light shower over the summit.
.
.
.
"That was quite remarkable," Astonishing murmured.
"Yeah," Takeda agreed, rubbing the back of his neck. "It really was. Definitely worth every single step of those stairs."
Astonishing turned to face him. "Now then, should we head down first? Honestly I don't want to get trapped in the descending crowd"
"Then let's go before the rush gets any worse," he said, turning back toward the stairs.
As they began their descent, the path was far less crowded than it would be in ten minutes. Takeda took a careful step down, his knees silently protesting after the grueling climb up.
Astonishing glanced back over her shoulder, her eyes catching his hesitant movement. Without saying a word, she slowed her pace, matching his step for step.
"You don't have to walk so slow for me, you know," Takeda said with a dry, self-deprecating chuckle. "I'm not going to tumble down the mountain."
"Who knows" she simply said. "You did practically collapse halfway up the mountain."
"Let's not talk about that again..."
They reached the base of the staircase just as the main swell of the crowd began to pour down behind them. The atmosphere at the festival grounds had shifted into a gentler, wind-down mood. The food vendors were also starting to pack away their remaining stock.
"Aston-chan!"
Dora came striding through the dwindling crowd, holding a clear plastic bag with a single orange goldfish swimming merrily inside. Flanking her were Top Road, Rice Shower, and a visibly exhausted Haru Urara, who was dragging an oversized stuffed plushie nearly her size.
"Where did you vanish to? We were waiting on hilltop but you weren't there" she said.
"I was there, but it was so packed I can't see you all" Astonishin explained.
A mischievous smirk instantly spread across her lips. "Oh, so you used the chance to sneak off and went off to enjoy a private viewing~?"
Astonishing face's darken and her eyes begin to glow. "Do you want your goldfish to learn how to fly?"
"Whoa, whoa! Okay, okay! Message received, no violence on a festival night!" she yelped, darting two steps backward.
"In any case, we just happened to bump into each other near the stairs." Takeda said.
He looked over at the group of girls, then glanced at his watch. "Well, this is where I leave you all."
"Aww, leaving already, Trainer-san?" Dora teased lightheartedly. "Thanks for taking care of our Aston-chan!"
"She's the one who pulled me up the stairs, actually," Takeda admitted with a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his neck. He turned fully toward Astonishing, "Get some good rest tonight. Training resumes bright and early"
She nodded.
"Alright, good night everyone"
"Goodnight, Trainer/Trainer-san!" Astonishing, Top Road and Rice Shower called out in unison as Urara offered a lazy, half-asleep wave.
As soon as he was out of sight, Dora slung an arm around Astonishing's shoulder, leaning in with an infuriatingly smug grin.
"So..." Dora purred, her eyes dancing with mischief. "Nothing happened, right?~"
Astonishing didn't even turn her head. Without skipping a beat, she raised her elbow, catching Dora square in the ribs.
"Guh-!" Dora wheezed, instantly doubling over and clutching her stomach.
"I warned you," Astonishing said calmly.
Top Road chuckled at the sight. She carefully shifts the sleeping weight of Haru Urara, who was now snoring softly against her side, still clutching her giant plushie like a lifeline. "We should get back to the dorms"
As the five of them fell into step along the quiet, lantern-lit path leading back toward the dorms, Astonishing's mind drifted back to that tent.
If what she said is true, then Astonishing had to face that dark version of herself. Most likely it's going to be a fight.
But how is she supposed to defeat it? That blackspace is practically its territory, she's powerless in that realm. Don't need to remind her when that thing beats the hell out of her last time.
Returning to that dark space without a plan felt less like a confrontation and more like walking straight into an execution.
'There must be a key I am missing', Astonishing thought
Suddenly, in the corner of her eyes, she saw a black haired figure approaching from the opposite direction. When the figure finally closes in, she grapped Astonishing's arm.
"Can we talk for a bit?"
Astonishing stared at her yellow eyes, somehow she feels it's important.