The Heart of a Lantern
Ai once told Souta, "The heart is fragile, like a paper lantern. Bright only when the fire inside isn't too wild."
He never forgot those words.
Now, standing in the rooftop greenhouse, arms crossed, he watches the student council lay out plans for the Autumn School Festival. The air smells of damp earth and fresh leaves, the late afternoon sun casting golden streaks through the glass panels.
"We'll split it by class themes," the president announces. "Haunted houses, maid cafés, even a small rooftop stage for solo acts."
Reina raises her hand.
"I'd like to lead Class B's performance team. With Hoshino Souta."
The room stills.
Souta hesitates. "I'm not good with leading—"
"You can master anything," Reina says, her voice calm, unwavering. "That's what they all say."
She smiles, but her eyes… for just a second, they glow faintly.
Aqua and Ruby exchange glances.
Ruby leans in, whispering, "We need to keep an eye on her."
Three Days Later
Festival preparations are in full swing. The triplets' class has chosen a theme: Memories in Motion—a blend of acting, dance, and projection art.
Reina is flawless. She organizes timetables, helps with costumes, even brings her own equipment for light shows. The class admires her efficiency, her quiet grace.
Everyone except Happy.
The bear watches her with narrowed eyes, his stitched mouth set in a firm line. Every time she enters a room, his fur bristles.
One night, while painting paper lanterns for the entrance gate, Reina sits beside Souta under the soft hum of classroom lamps.
"You were crying in your sleep yesterday," she says casually.
Souta freezes, brush in hand.
"You were muttering something about… your last life. About dying alone."
His grip tightens.
"You saw that?"
"I see everything," she says gently. "Because you were like me once. Until you started this fantasy life."
Souta drops the brush.
"It's not a fantasy. It's real now."
Reina leans forward, voice barely a whisper.
"So what happens when they grow old and die… and you don't?"
Silence.
She stands, leaving without another word.
The lantern Souta had painted—one with Happy's face—flickers, though there is no wind.
Flashback — Souta's Previous Life
He was fourteen when his parents stopped noticing him.
Not because they died. But because they forgot to love.
He lived in a world that praised usefulness and punished softness.
When he first discovered his power—to control reality—he made a perfect copy of his mother.
She hugged him once. Then melted into nothing.
He stopped trying after that.
Until he saw Ai Hoshino in a short idol clip.
Bright. Lying. Laughing.
But something in her smile said, Please believe in me anyway.
He wished, then and there, with all his power, for a second chance.
To be born as her child. To belong.
Back to Present — The Rooftop Talk
The night before the festival, the triplets and Ai gather on the rooftop with snacks. The city hums below, neon lights flickering in the distance.
Souta is unusually quiet.
Aqua offers him his drink can.
"You okay?"
"No."
He looks at them—the three people he loves most.
"I remember dying. I remember dying slowly. Being forgotten. And now, I feel like I'm faking being human again."
Ruby's voice is soft.
"You're not faking. You're fighting. Every day."
Ai pulls him into a hug.
"You're real to me. Even if you're a god or a ghost or a miracle."
Happy crosses his arms.
"You stink at pretending anyway."
Laughter.
Even Souta.
He wipes his eyes.
"Then I'll keep fighting."
Festival Day — Part 1: The Show Begins
Crowds pack the school grounds.
The class performance is breathtaking. It's a memory show—reenacting moments of childhood, love, and farewells—with lights dancing across the background like a dream.
Reina plays the girl who forgets everything. Souta plays the boy who remembers too much.
Their final line hits home:
"If you leave, I'll remember you. If you stay, I'll build a new world for us."
The curtain falls. Applause. Standing ovation.
But as the lights dim, and the final lanterns are lit…
One bursts into shadow instead of flame.
Everyone thinks it's part of the act.
Only Souta and Reina notice.
Her lips curl into a smile.
"It's started."