Shirohana High — Cultural Festival, Day 2Crowd Estimate: 400 students + 3 unknown operativesMission Objective: survive without exploding anything.
The courtyard bursts with color and noise —paper lanterns swinging in rhythm with laughter, music, and the sizzle of food stalls.Ren adjusts his borrowed yukata; I adjust my paranoia.
REN: "Relax. It's just a festival."KANA: "So was the Trojan Horse."
He laughs.I scan for threats disguised as caramel apples.
Internal Channel — Festival Mode
TACTICAL ANGEL: "Maintain crowd mapping. Establish exit routes."CRIMSON DOLL: "Maintain charm. Establish eye contact."HEARTBREAKER: "Maintain cute poses. Establish selfies."SHADOW GHOST: "Maintain silence. Establish chaos."DOLLMAKER: "Maintain composure. Hold hands."SCARLET SAINT: "Maintain faith. Smite on sight."KANA: "We're here to blend in."ALL FIVE: "You started it."
Scene — The Mask Booth
Ren stops at a stall filled with fox masks — white, red, gold-lined.He buys two and hands one to me.
REN: "If you wear this, maybe you can just be a normal girl."KANA: "Statistically impossible."REN: "Then humor me."
I put it on. It feels strange — like hiding when you're already a secret.
CRIMSON DOLL: "Adorable. Ten out of ten."TACTICAL ANGEL: "Visibility reduced thirty-seven percent. Acceptable cover."HEARTBREAKER: "Now pose."KANA (aloud): "No."REN: "Who are you arguing with again?"KANA: "Philosophy."
He laughs. It sounds better than any song playing from the festival speakers.
Scene — Target Detected
Near the shooting-gallery stall, a man drops a badge —Purity Division Seal.
The air goes cold.
TACTICAL ANGEL: "Confirmed agent. Two more behind him."SHADOW GHOST: "Permission to erase."KANA: "Denied. Too many civilians."HEARTBREAKER: "Then make it look like entertainment."
The plan (?):Turn the fight into a carnival show.
Ren distracts the crowd by volunteering for the Target Challenge.I take the second rifle, load rubber bullets, and aim for the badge.
REN: "Winner gets a prize!"KANA: "I already have mine."
Three shots.Ping. Ping. Crack.The badge shatters, the comm device fizzles into harmless sparks.
To the audience, it's choreography.To me, it's survival.
The crowd cheers.Ren bows dramatically.And I almost — almost — smile.
Internal Banter — Post-Skirmish
CRIMSON DOLL: "Flawless. Stylish. We should join the circus."ANGEL: "Debatable."GHOST: "Bodies secured for cleanup."DOLLMAKER: "No bodies. Only memories."SAINT: "Miracle achieved."HEARTBREAKER: "Now go win him a stuffed animal."KANA: "Mission drift."REN: "Did you just mutter 'mission drift' while holding a rifle?"KANA: "Yes. Romantic gesture."
He stares at me like he's still trying to figure out if I'm joking.I'm still trying to figure out if I am.
Scene — Lantern Release
Night settles.Hundreds of paper lanterns lift into the sky like glowing confessions.The river reflects them all — stars learning to float.
We stand by the bank, the noise of the crowd softening into wind.
REN: "Make a wish."KANA: "Wishing is inefficient."REN: "Humor me again."KANA: "…Fine."
I whisper mine into the flame:Let him wake up every day and still know my name.
The lantern drifts upward, brushing his shoulder.He looks at me through the flickering light.For a moment, his smile isn't human — it's divine in its simplicity.
In the reflection of the water, I see six faint colors shimmer behind us —Six souls, six voices, watching the same sky.
Diary Fragment
[Fragment Log #18 — The Festival of Masks]Objective: Remain undetected.Outcome: Public applause. Three agents neutralized. One stuffed cat won.
Handwritten note:The world didn't end today. It smelled like takoyaki and freedom.He smiled through the smoke.I think I'm learning how to breathe without orders.
Mindspace Epilogue
The six sit under imaginary lanterns inside her mind —light floating through the mental cathedral like drifting fireflies.
HEARTBREAKER: "We're getting good at this 'alive' thing."ANGEL: "Statistical improvement noted."DOLLMAKER: "He looked happy."SAINT: "Then so did we."GHOST: "…Next time, less noise."CRIMSON DOLL: "Next time, more kissing."KANA: "Next time, less talking."ALL SIX (laughing): "Impossible."
Their laughter ripples across both worlds —bright, impossible, and weightless.
For once, no one dies under the light.
End of Diary #18 — "The Festival of Masks."