Table Seat

Chitose was shocked.

Someone was standing on the other side, drinking a cup of tea.

“Miss. Morizuki?”

It was Nao.

She smiled and welcomed her.

“Welcome to Ouroboros, Chi-onee-chan.”

Chitose blinked.

“Nao?”

Nao stood up.

“You made it.”

Before Chitose could say anything—

“Tada!”

Miyo walked into the room.

“We're here!”

Chitose looked at her.

“You are already here.”

Miyo froze.

“Ah.”

She laughed.

“That's true.”

Nao smiled.

“Welcome to Ouroboros.”

Chitose looked around the room.

It was much larger than she expected; a long dining table stood in the middle, and several chairs surrounded it, some empty.

Chitose looked at the people sitting around the table.

A boy with red hair and ruby eyes leaned against his chair.
A girl with long pink pigtails was playing with something on the table.
A blonde man wearing an aloha shirt was eating something.
Another man sat quietly with his arms crossed.

Chitose looked at Miyo.

“Are these your friends?”

Miyo smiled.

“Yep, yep, yep.”

Chitose took a small step forward.

“Everyone?”

“Almost, don't worry, everyone in this mansion is a good person.”

Miyo looked toward the empty chair at the far end of the table.

“But— Shiizaa isn't here.”

“Why?”

“He has a meeting.”

“A meeting?”

Nao nodded.

“He's the owner of a company.”

Chitose stared.

“Why is the head of a secret organization running a company?”

Umi raised his hand.

“Because someone has to pay the bills.”

Chitose stared at him.

“That makes sense.”

Miyo laughed.

“Not just the bills, but for our needs and wants”

Suddenly—

The Grimoire inside Chitose's bag began to shake.

“Huh?”

The bag started glowing.

Miyo's smile disappeared, and she became confused

“Ehh!!?”

The Grimoire flew out of the bag.

It opened by itself.

The pages began flipping rapidly.

FLIP.

FLIP.

FLIP.

Light flashed between the pages.

Again and again.

Chitose reached toward it.

“What is happening?”

Nao stood up.

“I don't know.”

The Grimoire stopped.

A bright light filled the room.

Then a little girl appeared sitting on the table.

She had white hair, Lime-green eyes, and Round glasses resting on her nose, wearing a white off-the-shoulder dress with long sleeves and a black coat draped over her shoulders.

She looked around the room.

"Okay, everyone wasn't here, I hope they are sleeping deeply"

Then she clapped her hands and smiled.

“You made it!”

Chitose froze.

The little girl looked directly at her.

“You met my friends!”

Chitose's eyes widened.

“Ka-kaguya?”

The girl smiled.

“Hi, Harbinger, I don't know your name yet, but you made it!”

Miyo stared at her.

“Kaguya...”

Reona stopped playing.

Her hands slowly fell onto the table as her eyes widened.

“Kaguya…”

The Kaguya turned toward her, but she didn't react.

She couldn't hear her.
She couldn't see her.

Reona stood up.

“Kaguya-one-chan!"

Reona walked around the table.

“Kaguya!”

She reached toward her.

Her hand passed through Kaguya's body.

Reona froze, and her smile disappeared from her face.

“Kaguya…”

Chitose looked at her.

“What's happening?”

Reona stared at Kaguya. She looked like she had seen a ghost, but this wasn't a ghost.

It was a memory, it's a recording.

Something the Grimoire had preserved.

Kaguya continued speaking.

“I knew you would eventually come here.”

She looked around the room.

“Everyone is here.”

Her eyes stopped at the empty chair.

“Probably, I wish everyone were here.”

She smiled.

“Shiizaa is probably busy again.”

Umi sighed.

“That's definitely him.”

Kaguya laughed.

Then she jumped down from the table and walked.

Chitose noticed something strange.

Kaguya's feet never touched the floor.

Kaguya stopped at the head of the table.

“This is where we used to sit; they may have moved the meeting room somewhere, just maybe.”

She pointed toward the chairs.

“At the end of the table…”

She pointed toward the empty chair.

“Shiizaa.”

She smiled.

“He was always the one sitting there.”

Then she pointed to the first chair on the right.

“There was Miyo.”

Miyo waved.

“Hi.”

Kaguya smiled.

“Miyo was always the cheerful one. I wish she were here when you go here; she might be busy with school again.”

Miyo's smile became smaller.

“She could make everyone laugh.”

Kaguya pointed to the next chair.

“Nao.”

Nao smiled softly.

“She looks mysterious…”

Kaguya tilted her head.

“But trust me, she was an open book; she was easy to read and also very elegant.”

Nao looked away.

“That's embarrassing.”

Kaguya continued.

“Next is Juriasu.”

Juriasu raised his hand.

“Hi.”

Kaguya smiled.

“He was unexpected.”

Juriasu blinked.

“Unexpected?”

“He looks intimidating sometimes.”

Juriasu frowned.

“I don't.”

Miyo laughed.

Kaguya continued.

“But he was very soft-hearted.”

She looked at him warmly.

“He cared about everyone because for him, time was moving so fast, everything felt like yesterday, doesn't it?"

Kaguya steps on the table and crouches down, touching her nose with her finger.

"Don't be sad for me, Juri."

Juriasu became quiet as Kaguya stood up on the table again.

"And he feels nostalgia always, like your grandpa. ”

"Hey!"

Everyone laughed as Kaguya moved to the other side.

“On this side…”

She pointed to the first chair.

“Reona.”

Reona didn't move.

Kaguya smiled.

“She always acted like a spoiled little girl.”

Reona's eyes began to tremble.

“But…”

Kaguya's expression softened.

“Once you played with her even once…”

She paused.

“She would become your friend.”

Reona looked down.

“She was kind.”

Kaguya smiled.

“So kind that she would probably die to save you.”

Reona covered her mouth.

A tear rolled down her cheek.

“Kaguya…”

"Don't cry, Reona. I know you will when you see this recording, so be strong. Because on every Reona in the universe, there is Kaguya, and they met to play chess together."

"And thank you so much for teaching me how to cook. I write it down so I won't forget the taste of home."

Reona cries as she listens to Kaguya's voice.

"Don't cry because I know you will, you look ugly when you cry."

Reona laughed as she wiped her tears.

Kaguya moved to the next chair.

“Jei.”

Jei looked at her quietly.

Kaguya smiled.

“He was someone you could talk to.”

She looked at him.

“You could tell him your problems.”

She laughed softly.

“He always listened.”

Jei lowered his eyes.

"Always..."

Then Kaguya pointed to the last chair.

“Umi.”

Umi smiled.

“That's me.”

Kaguya laughed.

“He was witty…”

Umi nodded proudly.

“And foolish.”

Umi's smile disappeared.

“Hey.”

Everyone laughed.

Even Reona smiled through her tears.

“But…”

Kaguya's expression became gentle.

“He always knew when someone needed help.”

She looked at Umi.

“Even when they didn't ask.”

"A selfless person, he even bankrupted himself just to save kids, you know."

"A foolish yet clever person."

Umi became quiet.

"I paid his debt just to make sure he was safe."

"Don't do that again."

Umi laughs awkwardly

Finally, Kaguya moved toward the empty chair at the far end near the entrance.

“This was supposed to be my seat.”

She smiled.

“But now…”

Her eyes moved toward Chitose.

“It's yours.”

Chitose froze.

“My seat?”

Kaguya nodded.

“It's yours now.”

Chitose looked at the chair.

Then back at Kaguya.

“Why?”

Kaguya smiled.

“You're our Harbinger.”

Chitose didn't know what to say.

Kaguya looked around the room one last time.

“Everyone here is important.”

Her voice became softer.

“You and Shiizaa were the head.”

“He was always busy.”

“But he worked hard because he wanted everyone to have what they needed and wanted.”

Kaguya smiled.

“He was our leader.”

Then she looked at the others.

“And sometimes…”

She paused.

“He felt more like our father.”

---

Nobody spoke.

"But while he's away, you are the leader."

"Equilibrium was a part of ouroboros similar to—"

Kaguya clapped her hands, and a projection of the Libra constellation appeared.

"Libra was a part of the Azure dragon"

"Shiizaa was the Horn, Miyo is Heart, Reona is Neck, Nao is Winnowing Basket, Jei is Room, Juriasu is Tail, and Umi was the Root"

"If you do your assignment, you'll notice on the hall of fame you are the fourth star of Ma'at, my stardress name was Zubenelhakrabi, Amy was Zubenelgenubi, and Rima was Zubeneschamali."

"Based on the missing bright star in Libra, your Stardress might be named Brachium, the missing weighing pan, the heaviest star than Zubenelhakrabi."

Kaguya groan.

"Ugh, Light-Bringer, huh?"

"Just take care, I don't want what's happening to happen in the future. No matter what the future holds, you have our friends to guide you on the road ahead."

Kaguya raises her arms and stretches.

"Ummm, there's more, so much more to discuss."

---

Kaguya looked back at Reona.

Her smile slowly disappeared.

“Reona…”

Reona looked up.

Kaguya couldn't see her.

But somehow—

It felt like she was looking directly at her.

“I know you don't like being alone.”

"And in my journey ahead, I don't want to feel lonely too, but that's what a Harbinger is meant to be."

Reona's tears began falling.

Kaguya continued.

“So…”

The Grimoire began glowing brighter.

“I have one last request.”

Everyone looked at her.

Kaguya smiled.

“Can you guys take care of Reona for me?”

Reona covered her mouth; her shoulders trembled.

Kaguya's voice became quieter.

“I don't want her to feel lonely.”

The room became silent.

Reona whispered.

“Kaguya…”

Kaguya smiled.

“Thank you.”

The recording began to flicker.

Her body became transparent.

The Grimoire's pages began turning again.

FLIP.

FLIP.

FLIP.

Kaguya's final expression was a gentle smile.

Then—

The light disappeared.

She was gone.

Reona remained sitting.

She stared at the space where Kaguya had been.

Nobody spoke.

Miyo slowly walked toward her.

Reona wiped her eyes.

“She's gone again…”

Miyo stopped beside her.

Then gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

Reona looked at her.

Miyo smiled.

“You're not alone.”

Reona stared at her.

Then looked around the room.

Nao, Juriasu, Jei, Umi, Chitose, and Kazuha.

Everyone was there.

Reona slowly smiled.

“Yeah, thank you for coming, Harbinger.”

The Grimoire floated in front of Chitose.

A soft light spread across the room.

Chitose is forgetful and personally stuck again.

“This is the second time Kaguya appears, but she's a small child now? But I'm confused? So she drinks the potion of immortality, then old to young, then the child in the library? Ohhh Okay!”

The light became brighter.

The nighttime mansion began fading, turning it into noon time again.

Chitose looked at everyone.

Then at Reona, then at the Grimoire.

She didn't understand what she had just witnessed.

But one thing was clear.

These people had known each other for a very long time.

And Kaguya expected Chitose to meet them.