Chapter 39: — “Sandstorm!” — [Feat. BABYMETAL]

The laughter from earlier, Mika’s fake crying over letting go of “Cookies”, was gone in an instant. A heavy, unnatural silence smothered the beach as the once-bright sky darkened into a strange gray haze. The sound of waves rolling against the shore warped into something faint and distorted, like muffled static.

Mika, Miyuki, and Sakura huddled together, trembling, eyes darting wildly as the first shadowy figure crawled its way out of the water. Its form was twisted, almost human, but with elongated arms that dragged through the sand as if it were wading through mud. More followed, slithering out from both sea and sand, their hollow eyes glowing faintly white.

Riku stepped forward instinctively, arms raised in defense. “Damn it… can’t even get a single day of peace.” His tone was venomous, more frustrated than afraid. He spun his head to the side. “Akari, now! Cast something... ANYTHING!”

Akari stiffened, frozen mid-step. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, her face redder than a ripe tomato. “Y-You mean right now? In front of everyone? I-I’m in a bikini, Riku! This is humiliating!”

Riku whipped his head toward her, his voice booming with the kind of panic-laced authority that made Mika flinch. “Who cares about the bikini?! Do you wanna argue about fashion, or do you wanna live?!”

Akari’s entire body jolted, her cheeks puffing out in indignation. “Ughhh! I can’t believe this!” she shouted, stomping a foot into the sand before raising her arms, magic circles glowing into existence around her wrists. “Don’t you dare look at me while I’m doing this!”

“Akari, no one’s thinking about your damn swimsuit!” Riku barked.

“That’s a lie, you definitely are!” she shot back, blushing so hard it looked painful.

“Not the time!!”

Before another word could fly, a sharp gust of wind erupted from her palms. The air howled like a mini-hurricane, slamming into the shadows. Some evaporated instantly, their wispy forms shredded apart into black smoke, while others were sent tumbling across the sand like discarded rags before reforming shakily.

Miyuki gasped, clutching Sakura’s arm. “You just… blasted them away?!”

“Of course she did, she’s a witch,” Mika muttered, though her wide eyes were still watery.

Akari, panting slightly from the exertion, crossed her arms stubbornly, still pink-faced. “S-see? I can handle it! Even in this stupid outfit…”

Riku rolled his eyes, ignoring her embarrassment. “Good. Keep doing that. We’ll figure out the rest—”

But before he could finish, Kenji’s head jerked to the side. A shadow had slithered silently behind them, lunging straight for him with its claws outstretched.

“Kenji, behind you!” Riku shouted.

Kenji spun, arms rising too slow, he knew it. The shadow was already mid-air, leaping down at him like a beast.

“NOOO!” Mika screamed, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of her chest. Her hands moved before her brain could think, she grabbed a handful of sand, flung it wildly at the creature, tears brimming in her eyes.

The sand hit dead-on, showering the shadow’s chest and face.

And then—

The shadow let out an unholy screech, its form twisting violently. Black smoke hissed and bubbled where the grains touched it, and in seconds, its entire body began to collapse, shriveling like paper in flames. It slammed into the sand, convulsed once, and then… disappeared into nothingness.

The entire group froze.

“…What,” Riku muttered flatly, blinking in disbelief.

Akari’s arms dropped to her sides. “D-did Mika just… kill it?”

Miyuki gasped, staring at Mika like she’d just unlocked a forbidden secret technique. “She threw sand at it…”

Sakura’s jaw dropped. “Wait, wait, wait... are you telling me Mika just defeated a monster… with sand?”

Mika’s hands shook, still clutching a little pile of sand she hadn’t dropped yet. Her eyes darted between everyone, panicked and overwhelmed. “I-I didn’t mean to! I just... just panicked, and... and, Kenji was about to die and—!”

Riku stepped forward, his eyes narrowing, putting the pieces together. He knelt, scooping a small handful of sand and letting it slip through his fingers. His mind raced.

“They’ve been floating this whole time,” he muttered under his breath. “Never once touched the sand. Always above it.”

Kenji’s breathing was heavy, sweat rolling down his temple from how close he’d been to being ripped apart. He glanced at Riku, wide-eyed. “You think…”

Riku nodded grimly. “It’s not an accident. The sand hurts them. Burns them. That’s why they won’t touch it.”

The girls all gasped. Mika’s hands shot to her mouth, her eyes sparkling like she’d just realized she was holding a legendary weapon. “W-wait… does that mean… sand is like their kryptonite?! Sand is their weakness?!”

Akari groaned, facepalming so hard it echoed. “Unbelievable. We’re supposed to be fighting demons and shadows, and our secret weapon is beach sand?”

Riku ignored her sarcasm, his gaze sharpening on the army of shadows slowly closing in around them, their hollow eyes locked on the group.

“Looks like the game just changed,” he said, standing tall, his fists tightening. “Everyone... get ready. This fight’s gonna be different.”

The shadows let out a collective hiss, closing the circle tighter, crawling closer and closer through the gray haze.

Miyuki whimpered, hugging her knees. “I-I don’t wanna die!”

Mika, though trembling like a leaf, clenched her fists around her sand, determination flickering in her teary eyes. “We… we can fight back. We have to.”

Riku smirked faintly, glancing over his shoulder at them. “Yeah. And now we know exactly how.”

The shadows screeched again, their monstrous forms leaping forward—

The air grew thicker, the shadows closing in again like a tide of shadowy darkness. Every hiss and screech left the shadows mouth against, but this time, the girls weren’t frozen with fear. Mika still had sand clutched in her fists, her chest rising and falling quickly, and she glanced back at Riku with wide eyes.

Riku’s mind worked fast. “Alright, listen up! Mika, Sakura, Miyuki, you three grab your beach stuff. Buckets, shovels, whatever you’ve got. Keep them beside you and fill them with sand. Throw handfuls whenever the shadows get close!”

The trio looked at each other, stunned for a second, then fumbled through their bags and towels. Soon enough, each of them held something different, Mika with her bright pink bucket and tiny matching shovel, Sakura with a cheap plastic scoop shaped like a star, and Miyuki with a plain blue bucket, practical and sturdy.

Akari’s voice shook as she steadied her stance. “And me?”

“You keep casting spells,” Riku barked, not looking away from the shadows. “You’re our main offense. Knock back as many as you can. The rest of us will keep them away with sand.”

Akari bit her lip, her cheeks still burning red from fighting in nothing but a bikini. But she nodded firmly. “Got it.”

Then came the moment no one expected.

Mika looked to Sakura, then to Miyuki, her hands trembling on the bucket’s handle. For a heartbeat, they were three terrified girls standing on a gray, cursed beach. But then Sakura smirked, determination shining through her nervous tears. Miyuki, though shaking, gave a shaky grin too.

The three leaned in toward each other, pressing their foreheads together. “Nakayoshi Trio!” Mika shouted, her voice breaking with adrenaline.

“GOOOO!” all three screamed in unison, the cry echoing across the haunted beach like a battle call.

The shadows hissed in reply, but the girls didn’t flinch. Instead, they charged forward, if charging forward with tiny buckets and star-shaped scoops could even be called that. Mika flung sand with both hands, Sakura scooped with wild, ungraceful movements, and Miyuki crouched low, tossing careful handfuls.

Each shadow they hit screeched, writhing as their bodies slowly turned to smoke by sand. It was terrifying… but it was also thrilling.

“Heck yeah!” Mika laughed breathlessly, tears of fear mixing with her grin. “It works every time!”

Sakura’s laughter rang out too, sharp and almost manic. “This is insane! We’re... hahaha... we’re fighting monsters with beach toys!”

Miyuki gasped as she nailed another shadow in the face with a perfectly aimed handful. The creature melted into smoke. Her lips parted in awe. “…I actually got one…” Then she burst into laughter, covering her mouth. “I actually got one!”

Riku, fighting nearby, shook his head with a smirk tugging at his lips. “Unbelievable… they’re actually enjoying this.”

Kenji gritted his teeth, his bucket half-empty. “Good. Let ’em have their fun, because over here, it’s not so fun!”

Another shadow lunged straight for him, claws wide. With no time to scoop sand, Kenji met it with raw strength, slamming his fist into its chest. The impact staggered it, but not enough, until the shadow’s back hit the sand.

The moment its body touched the ground, smoke hissed and ate through it like fire through cloth. The shadow shrieked, writhed helplessly, and disintegrated.

Kenji stood frozen for a moment, his chest heaving. “…I-I knocked it down. And the sand finished it off.”

“That’s what I’m talkin’ about!” Riku yelled, hurling another handful of sand at a shadow creeping too close. It screeched, smoke billowing, and collapsed.

Meanwhile, Akari stood at the center of the chaos, her bikini-clad body glowing faintly as she chanted spell after spell. A surge of wind knocked half a dozen shadows back into the surf. A fireball seared two more into nothing. Frost spread across the sand, trapping three shadows in place before Mika and Sakura buried them under sand like kids covering their dad at the beach.

The girls screamed and laughed at the same time, trembling but thrilling. Every handful of sand felt like survival, every shriek of a shadow fading into smoke felt like victory.

Even Riku, while tense, caught himself chuckling under his breath. “Never thought I’d see the day we’d fight demons with sand castles and buckets…”

Minutes blurred into a frenzy of scooping, throwing, casting, and shouting. The shadows came in waves, but one by one, they fell. Smoke covered the beach, rising like mist, until finally, there were no more.

Silence fell, broken only by their ragged breathing. The group stood surrounded by overturned buckets, scattered shovels, and piles of sand like failed sandcastles.

Mika dropped to her knees, clutching her bucket and grinning ear to ear. “We did it! We actually did it!”

Sakura flopped onto the ground, her arms spread wide. “I feel like I’m in some insane anime…”

Miyuki hugged her bucket to her chest, laughing breathlessly. “That was so scary… but so fun…!”

Riku, still tense, scanned the sky. It was still gray, the unnatural hue swirling above them. He didn’t relax. “…Don’t celebrate yet. The sky hasn’t cleared. This isn’t over.”

Akari wiped sweat from her brow, her body trembling. “He’s right. That… that was just the opening act.”

The tension returned instantly. They were alive, but not safe. The shadows could return any second.

And that’s when Kenji froze mid-step, his eyes widening. He slapped his forehead. “Wait.”

Everyone turned toward him, confused.

“…I just remembered,” Kenji said slowly, reaching into his bag, “I… actually brought my boom box.”

The silence was heavy, broken only by the faint hum of the gray sky.

Riku blinked. “…You what?”

Kenji pulled out a bulky black boom box, holding it up for all to see. His lips curved into a small grin. “Yeah. Thought it’d be fun for the beach.”

The group just stared at him, dumbfounded, the weight of the moment hanging thick.

Before Riku could retort, Mika practically jumped in place. Her eyes sparkled as she pointed at the device. “Ooooh! Play Gimme Chocolate by BABYMETAL!”

Both Riku and Kenji turned to her at once, their expressions flat.

“…What?” Riku asked, deadpan.
Kenji raised a brow. “That sounds like the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Chocolate? Really?”

Miyuki giggled behind her hand, shaking her head. “I know it sounds silly, but it’s actually really good. It’s heavy metal mixed with cute vocals.”

Sakura nodded eagerly. “Yeah, it sounds weird at first, but trust us... it works. It’s fun, it’s energetic… and it might be exactly what we need right now.”

Kenji glanced between them, uncertain. “…Rock, huh?”

Riku sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “This is insane. Fighting monsters with sand and now… music requests.” But he didn’t stop him.

With a deep breath, Kenji gave in. “Alright, fine. If this ends up being embarrassing, it’s on you three.” He hit play.

The boom box connected to Kenji's phone, and the chaotic, high-energy riff of Gimme Chocolate blasted into the gray air.

For a moment, everyone stood frozen, almost comically out of place, half in swimsuits, half covered in sand, boom box blaring metal mixed with sugar-sweet vocals.

Then, from the water and dunes, shadows began to slither out again, more than before. Their hissing grew louder, their shapes stretching tall and hungry, all eyes locked directly on Riku.

His fists tightened. “Perfect timing…”

The song surged louder, guitars screaming with chaotic joy.

ROUND 1: SAND THROWERS!
The shadows rushed in from all directions. Riku didn’t even hesitate, he grabbed a fistful of sand, launched it forward, and watched a shadow hiss and melt away. Beside him, Kenji swung an arm hard, knocking one to the ground, then stomped sand over its smoky body until it disintegrated.

Akari, still in her bikini and still as red as a tomato, planted her feet and raised her hand. “I-I’ll cover the flank!” she shouted, blasting a concentrated fireball into a group, scattering them like ash in the wind. The bass drop of the song almost made it feel like the fire exploded with the beat.

The Nakayoshi Trio became a whirlwind of chaos. Mika wielded her tiny beach shovel like it was Excalibur, scooping sand with all her strength and flinging it at a charging shadow. “Take THIS, Cookie’s army!” she screamed, face lit up with manic glee.

Sakura had her beach bucket, scooping full loads of sand and dumping them over shadows’ heads like some bizarre punishment game. Miyuki, though shivering at first, crouched low, scooped with both hands, and flung sand wide, shrieking every time one evaporated.

Riku blinked, chest heaving, but… he couldn’t deny it. The madness fit. Somehow, impossibly, they were in sync with the music, every crash of guitars landing with a shadow’s death, every squeal of vocals matched by Mika’s frantic yelling.

Mid-swing, he called out to Mika, voice rough but sincere: “Hey! …You got good music taste!”

Mika froze for just a second, her shovel still raised. Her cheeks went pinker than Akari’s fireball. “R-really?!” she shouted, stumbling over her words. “Th-thank you, Riku!”

Then she spun back around, hurling another wave of sand.

The montage only got wilder. Kenji headbutted a shadow, laughing like a lunatic when it fell into the sand and fizzled away. Akari kept alternating wind blasts and frost, knocking them in place so Riku could finish them off with a wave of sand.

Even Sakura and Miyuki, though terrified, were laughing, terrified laughter, but laughter nonetheless, every time their sand actually hit and worked.

The beach was warzone-meets-playground, the ground trembling with footsteps, the air alive with music, magic, and screams. Sand flew everywhere, onto shadows, into the air, even sticking to their sweaty skin, but it didn’t matter. For the first time, everyone was fighting together.

And somehow… it was fun.

The montage burned on as the song did, each blast of sound pushing them further, faster, harder. Shadows melted one after another until the gray horizon was littered with smoke trails fading into nothing.

For a moment, they all stood, chests heaving, hands raw with sand, eyes wide. The music still blared, but the shadows were gone.

…For now.

ROUND 2: NAKAYOSHI TRIO, BACK AT IT AGAIN!

The sandstorm of their strange, frantic battle had barely settled when the ground trembled again. The gray sky seemed to pulse, like the world itself was breathing with menace.

From the water and dunes alike, new shadows began crawling forth, taller, faster, sharper-looking than before. Their growls blended with the echo of the boom box, making the air feel like a concert from hell.

Riku’s eyes narrowed. “Damn it… here comes round two.”

Kenji cracked his knuckles, grinning despite the sweat dripping from his brow. “Fine by me. I was just getting warmed up!”

“Y-you’re insane,” Sakura muttered, clutching her half-empty bucket.

Mika, on the other hand, was already scooping furiously. “Don’t lose momentum. Round 2... Nakayoshi Trio... GOOO!” she cried, hurling a wave of sand right into the face of a lunging shadow. It screeched and collapsed, melting into the dunes.

The girls’ battle cry sparked something in Riku. “Akari! Keep blasting, don’t hold back!”

“I-I’m trying!” Akari stammered, cheeks still red, but she thrust her arms out. A cyclone of wind surged forward, scattering three shadows like dry leaves before Sakura dumped her bucketful of sand over their smoking remains.

Kenji fought recklessly up front, swinging fists, kicking legs, throwing sand like a madman. “Riku!” he barked, slamming one into the ground. “Cover the flank!”

Riku darted forward, scooping quick handfuls and pelting them with deadly precision. It wasn’t elegant, it was survival. And yet, paired with Akari’s freezing spells, it was effective. Shadows stumbled, froze, and Mika or Miyuki finished them off with sand.

“Yessss! Combo attack!” Mika cheered, practically bouncing on her toes before chucking another load at an incoming shadow.

Sakura wheezed, arms shaking, but she still managed a grin. “W-we’re… we’re like a squad…”

“More like a circus,” Riku muttered, though there was a grin tugging at his lips too.

The fight grew more desperate as the shadows came faster, circling them. The music still pounded, the second chorus of Gimme Chocolate turning the chaos into something surreal, almost cinematic. Each beat matched a strike, each scream of vocals matched Kenji's punches.

Akari, her hair wild and sand sticking to her skin, shot out another fireball that exploded right as Kenji tackled two shadows into the sand. They vanished in a puff of smoke.

But for every one they took down, more appeared. Their circle was tightening.

Riku wiped sweat from his forehead, panting hard. “We can’t let them surround us... keep the middle clear!”

“On it!” Akari cried, unleashing a wide blast of wind that pushed half the swarm back. Shadows clawed desperately against it, their shapes flickering, unstable.

“NOW!” Riku barked.

The Nakayoshi Trio didn’t hesitate. All three scooped double handfuls of sand and hurled them forward, laughing through their tears and fear. The shadows hissed and smoked away into nothing.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the wave thinned. The last of round two collapsed into smoke and ash at their feet.

For a few precious seconds, the beach was still again, aside from the music, still blasting from Kenji’s boom box, and the ragged breathing of seven exhausted teenagers.

Riku dropped to one knee, chest heaving. “They’re… they’re getting stronger…”

Kenji sat cross-legged in the sand, grinning through bloody knuckles. “Good. I was worried it’d get boring.”

“BORING?!” Miyuki squeaked, voice cracking in terror.

“Don’t… encourage him,” Riku groaned, shaking his head.

Akari, sweat dripping down her temple, muttered, “I don’t know how much more magic I can cast…”

Before Riku could reply, Mika dropped down beside her sister, plopping the tiny beach shovel into the sand. She gave Akari a shaky grin. “Don’t worry… Nakayoshi Trio’s got your back sis.”

Sakura and Miyuki both nodded, exhausted but smiling faintly.

Kenji leaned back, pointing at the sky. “You better rest fast. Round three’s coming.”

They all looked up. The gray heavens pulsed darker, almost black now, and the sand beneath them quivered.

Riku clenched his fists. “This… is the final round... I hope.”

ROUND 3: KICKED SOME HARD SHADOW BUTT!

The boom box crackled with the final verse of Gimme Chocolate, its frantic rhythm drowned out by the sound of the ocean thrashing unnaturally. The gray sky boiled darker, and then, like an open wound, it split.

Dozens... no... hundreds, of shadows spilled out from the rift, crawling, slithering, floating across the sand and surf. They were larger, more desperate, with limbs that bent wrong, eyes glowing white in the gloom. The sheer number of them made Mika choke back a scream.

“This… this is impossible!” Sakura cried, clutching her tiny beach bucket like a shield.

Riku stood tall in the center of the group, fists clenched so tight his knuckles bled. “No. Not impossible. Just insane.” He glanced at the others, his voice sharp. “We end it here. Everyone... throw everything you’ve got!”

The shadows surged.

Akari screamed, thrusting her palms forward. A storm of fireballs rained down, exploding across the beach and vaporizing half a dozen shadows at once. The smoke blinded others, giving Kenji an opening. He charged through, bare fists swinging, sand clutched in his free hand. Every punch was answered by a hiss and a burst of black smoke as the shadows collapsed against the cursed sand.

“Kenji, you’re gonna get yourself killed!” Riku shouted, sprinting in to cover him. He scooped two handfuls and flung them like blades. Shadows screeched, stumbling back long enough for Riku to shove Kenji aside.

“I’m fine!” Kenji barked, blood streaming down his forearm. “Besides... this is the most alive I’ve felt in years!”

Miyuki and Sakura huddled together, scooping sand into buckets and throwing in wild arcs. Mika, however, was on fire, screaming battle cries, sprinting barefoot across the sand, slamming her shovel down onto any shadow foolish enough to crawl close.

“COOKIES STRIKE!” she yelled, for some reason naming her shovel after the jellyfish.

“You’re insane!” Miyuki wailed, but she was laughing, too, tears streaming down her face as she hurled bucket after bucket.

The Nakayoshi Trio pressed forward, side by side, their laughter echoing even as shadows shrieked.

Akari’s voice cracked as she casted another fireball, blasting twenty shadows into the dunes. Sweat dripped into her eyes. She gasped, chest heaving, but still pushed herself further. “I-I can’t… stop now…”

“You don’t have to!” Riku called, sliding past her, his arms full of sand. He hurled it straight into a group of lunging shadows, his body shielding Akari’s. They disappeared on impact, black smoke rising. “I’ve got your back!”

Akari froze for a moment, her face scarlet even in the dark light. But then her lips curled into the smallest smile, and she raised her hands again.

Kenji’s boom box blared louder, as if feeding the madness. The guitars screamed as Riku grabbed another handful of sand, Mika scooped with her shovel, Miyuki and Sakura launched entire buckets, Akari cast spell after spell, and Kenji hurled himself into the thickest part of the swarm.

The beach was a warzone of smoke, fire, laughter, and shrieks. And yet, through the chaos, they weren’t just surviving. They were winning.

The swarm thinned again, leaving only silence and the thud of exhausted hearts. Everyone stood in the sand, trembling, clothes soaked in sweat and saltwater.

Mika dropped to her knees, clutching her shovel like a knight’s sword. “D-do you guys… think… we’re superheroes now?”

Sakura laughed weakly, wiping tears. “You’re ridiculous…”

Then the sand beneath them shook violently.

Riku’s smile vanished. “…It’s not over.”

The sky pulsed black, the rift splitting wider. The ground opened like a portal, vomiting out the largest shadows yet. Even taller than the shadows they just fought.

Everyone froze.

Then Riku gritted his teeth. “…Everyone. Together. No holding back.”

The final battle cry rose from all seven voices, screaming, laughing, crying as they threw themselves into the fight.

Akari’s spells exploded across the beach like fireworks. Kenji roared as he grappled with one of the towering beasts, forcing its head into the sand until it dissolved. Riku threw sand with pinpoint precision, striking eyes, mouths, weak points, anything that made the shadows weak and suffering.

The Nakayoshi Trio, unstoppable in their terror and joy, darted everywhere at once, buckets swinging, shovels stabbing, handfuls of sand soaring through the air.

The shadows screeched louder, and one by one began to collapse into smoke. The music surged into its final chorus, a wall of chaotic energy driving them forward.

Finally, the last beast crumbled, its scream echoing across the empty shoreline. The rift above pulsed… then closed.

The gray sky faded. The world stilled. The beach was just a beach again.

Silence, save for the last distorted notes of Gimme Chocolate.

They stood there, bruised, bloody, covered in sand and sweat, and slowly, Riku let out a long, shuddering breath.

“…We won.”

Kenji dropped onto his back, staring at the clear sky. “Hell of a beach day…”

Mika sat cross-legged in the sand, shovel still clutched in her hands. She turned to Miyuki and Sakura, her face still flushed from battle but lit up with a wide grin. “Guys… that was actually kinda fun!” she chirped. “Like... really fun! We totally kicked butt out there!”

Miyuki and Sakura exchanged a look, then burst into tired laughter, both of them too drained to even argue. Sakura nudged her with her elbow. “Yeah… I guess we did. Who knew we could beat monsters with sand of all things?”

Riku, standing nearby, scanned the group. His shoulders were tense, but his voice softened.
“Everyone okay?”

A chorus of tired but genuine “Yeahs” and “Mhm!”s answered him.

He exhaled, relief flickering across his face. “Good. That’s all that matters.”

They changed back into their normal clothes, packing up what was left of their sandy gear. The boom box clicked off with a final static crackle. Nobody even mentioned the bus; walking home felt right.

At the crossroads, Sakura and Miyuki waved, heading off together. “See you tomorrow!” they called in unison, giggling as they stumbled along.

Kenji adjusted his backpack and shot the group a thumbs-up. “Hell of a beach day. Fighting shadows was brutal, but hey, kinda fun kicking some shadow ass, right?” 

Riku gave him a tired but genuine smile, raising a hand in farewell. “Yeah… it was. See ya, Kenji.”

Kenji smirked, gave a casual salute, and disappeared down his street.

That left Riku, Akari, and Mika walking the final stretch. The quiet between them wasn’t heavy, just peaceful, almost surreal after everything. Mika broke it with her bubbly voice.

“You know… it was weirdly disturbing, but also kinda fun kicking shadow butt.”

Riku glanced at her and couldn’t help a small smile. He remembered her sobbing when the shadows first targeted him, her tiny frame shaking in fear. Now she was grinning, talking about “butt-kicking.” That change made something in his chest feel lighter.

Then Mika swiveled on her heel, smirking at Akari. “Oh, and by the way…” Her sing-song voice rose. “You looked soooo embarrassed fighting in your bikini earlier. Casting spells like that... pffft!”

Akari’s face flared crimson instantly. “S-shut up! Don’t bring that up again!” She turned away, crossing her arms with a huff.

Mika giggled, bouncing a little as she walked. Riku just shook his head, still smiling, his hands shoved into his pockets.

Together, the three of them walked down the street toward home, the last rays of the sunset painting the sky orange. For now, at least, the world was quiet again.