Chapter Seventeen: Midnight Blue:

She was really young then. Just a faint whisp. That was all it took. Now, he can’t stop thinking about her.

Before, he had been asleep. Unaware of the world around him. He was buried deep into the darkness.

But now there is light.

He has no body. He has no face. He can still smell and hear. His sight is still blurry. Only the light and shapes. He should not be awake.

But here he is.

He’s on the festival grounds. She’s here too. Her scent called him. It’s still calling him. But there are many lights around.

Too many lights.

He keeps getting distracted. He needed to find her scent. He closed his eyes.

Focus. Where is it? Find her scent. Her scent. Focus. Focus.

Gah! Too many lights. Focus. Focus. Her scent. Find her scent. Her scent. Her scent.

He opened his eyes.

There!

He hurried to trail her scent again.

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Kirika-chan turned her head when she thought she heard something or someone whisper.

“Is something wrong?” Akira asked. The girl turned to him with a smile on her face.

“No,” Kirika-chan said. “What should we do next?”