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The view from the window was so ordinary and boring.
Neoki Toroko wondered if the whole world would flip upside down in the next moment.
Spending the day with Bukkira and swinging around Rock, her daily life had been going on at a leisurely pace lately.
Previously, something like this would happen about once a week, so she braced herself for a major incident, but it seemed that wasn't the case.
The days seemed to pass more slowly. She had more opportunities to discover shops and places she had never paid attention to before.
Conversations with people had become more relaxed. Instead of excitement, she was promised peaceful days. While that was certainly comfortable, a little spice was still necessary.
A voice came from the TV, which had been left on.
"Apparently, there will be a meteor shower tonight."
Toroko stared at the TV and slowly repeated the words she had heard earlier. She was sure there was a hill around here. Toroko's mood lifted.
"Bukkira, did you hear that? I've never seen a meteor shower before. Want to go and watch it with me on the hill tonight? It looks like it's going to be a beautiful night."
Bukkira nodded and got into Toroko's arms, but soon jumped out again. He seemed restless, moving around the room.
Toroko's voice, telling him not to break anything in the room, was filled with warmth.
-
As night fell, Toroko and Bukkira walked up the hill, heading for the summit. There was no sign of anyone. Perhaps many people just weren't interested.
Perhaps it was simply a hassle to travel.
If that's the case, Toroko felt fortunate to have made the journey.
One day, she was captivated by the mystery and beauty of the universe while visiting a planetarium. That was the trigger that made her start looking at the stars, even if for no particular reason.
When they reached the top, Bukkira, who was sitting next to her, pointed straight up. She was drawn in, and looked up at the sky.
"..."
Perhaps this is what they mean when they say they're speechless.
Amidst a cluster of tens of thousands of shining stars, a comet occasionally casts a faint light. It disappears in an instant, yet is fleetingly beautiful.
It was such a mystical sight that words like "beautiful" are indescribable.
She couldn't help but sigh, and then she sensed someone standing next to her. When she turned her gaze in that direction, she saw Rock staring at Toroko with a surprised expression on his face.
"You make that kind of expression, don't you think?"
"What's it, Rock? Did you come to see the meteor shower too?"
"I only just found out. I saw you guys on my way back from an interview, and I thought it was unusual to see you all climbing a hill, so I came along."
"I was right to come along, wasn't I? I got to see such a beautiful view."
"Yeah. I got to see a whole bunch of frolicking monsters and a woman mesmerized by the scenery. You don't usually get to see that."
"Hey, just look at the scenery, the scenery."
Toroko said, watching the bluff bounce with each passing meteor.
"Looking at it," Rock muttered, and lay down.
It was nostalgic to look up at the sky like this.
It had been a while since he'd gazed at the stars with such a calm, unconcerned mind.
I only knew money as a way to get by in this world, and dismissed love as trivial. No matter what others said, he was destined to be a corrupt, third-rate reporter for the rest of his life.
However, by some twist of fate, he met Toroko and Bukkira like a shooting star.
The whole thing might have been caused by him dangling Toroko in an attempt to get a hold of the producer's weaknesses.
Because of this, being manipulated by Bukkira and Toroko had become a daily occurrence.
Because he had put off his work as a reporter for too long, a huge amount of work had piled up. He still had to revise his manuscripts after this.
Rock thought to himself that these guys had really changed his life.
Strangely, however, he didn't feel anger; all that remained in his heart was warmth. Maybe he'd begun to feel affection for them, Rock muttered to himself. The meteor shower seemed dazzling.
A night like this was nice once in a while. He got to see Bukkira and Toroko smiling innocently.
Rock blinked involuntarily at the reason that suddenly came to him. Any affection he had felt for them had long since passed.
It was precisely because of this emotion that he instinctively followed Toroko and Bukkira when he saw them.
Suddenly, Rock felt as if he was beginning to understand what love was.