Chapter 128: Meteors Falling from the Sky (Long Chapter)
The blue trail of a comet lingered in the sky, while the lights of houses flickered to life on the ground below. There were couples pointing toward the heavens to offer prayers and wishes, and children pointing at the sky while laughing with pure joy.
The excitement of a festival adorned the world, with the stars scattered across the entire sky serving as a backdrop. All of Japan was waiting for this moment, a rare spectacle that only occurred once in a thousand years.
They did not know that a disaster was about to strike.
Akishin stood holding a bamboo sword in the shadows of the District Autonomous Office, silently observing the prosperity below. Shizuka and the others had been asked to head toward the back of Itomori High School earlier.
As time passed, the comet overhead became increasingly clear, its blue tail spreading like a wave across the sky.
Rumble!
The sound of a violent, continuous explosion rang out. Judging by the noise, it was the kind of blast caused by plastic explosives. Akishin looked toward a distant mountain peak, where fire erupted against the dark slopes.
"...Are kids these days really this impressive?"
Akishin let out a low, quiet laugh. He had seen the complete map of Itomori Town and remembered correctly that the location was the Itomori substation—the power plant. If that place exploded...
This sort of thing wasn't even something adults would do, let alone high school students... No, perhaps it was precisely because they were high school students, their sharp edges not yet smoothed down by society, that they were capable of casting aside doubt. Without thinking of the consequences, and solely for the sake of a friend's words and a grand goal, they believed unconditionally and took such bold action.
A rational adult, or someone burdened with too many doubts, would never do something like this in a situation where the truth hadn't been tangibly confirmed.
However, more often than not, there simply isn't time to confirm the truth.
Akishin didn't know Mitsuha's (Tachibana Taki's) plan. They had parted ways in a hurry back then, not even having the chance to exchange contact information. It was likely the other party felt anxious about this too, but there was no other way.
But for Akishin, he only needed to do his own job. No matter how much of a commotion they made, he just had to keep Miyamizu Toshiki under control here.
Still, where on earth did they get those bombs?
Akishin continued to observe. Starting from the direction of the explosion, the lights across all of Itomori Town went out one by one in a very short span of time. Since the power supply was cut, electrical equipment ceased to operate.
Viewed from the sky, many lights gathered to decorate the dark earth, but the section belonging to the Itomori Town area had gone dark.
A few seconds later, a deafening siren wailed, and the voice of a girl—which, if one listened closely, carried the hint of suppressed sobs—echoed out:
"The following is an emergency broadcast from the Itomori Town Hall. An explosion accident has just occurred at the Itomori substation. Subsequent explosions may follow, and there is a possibility of triggering a forest fire. Residents in the following areas, please evacuate immediately to Itomori High School: Kadoiri Area, Sakaue Area, Miyamori Area, Aozawa Area..."
Hearing the voice, residents in the named areas began walking in an orderly fashion toward Itomori High School. Japan sat at the meeting point of tectonic plates, making earthquakes one of the most common natural disasters. When it came to evacuation, even elementary school students were experts.
Akishin stepped out of the shadows and walked toward the small building of the District Autonomous Office.
Miyamizu Toshiki walked angrily with his arms crossed among a group of staff members. The red glare from the emergency lights reflected off the people in the room, making the atmosphere feel somewhat hazy.
"It wasn't broadcast from here? Then who exactly is making that broadcast..."
The subordinates around him were terrified, unable to give a definitive answer. The investigation would still take time.
At that moment, a voice that sounded distinctly different cut through the tension.
"Miyamizu-san, I have urgent business with you. Can we talk?"
"Chishima-sensei!"
Akishin appeared at the door, gazing at the surprised Miyamizu Toshiki with a smiling expression.
"Why have you come here?"
"I have urgent business looking for you, very urgent business..."
Akishin repeated his words.
Miyamizu Toshiki glanced at his surrounding subordinates, then nodded and said: "Come to my office!"
...
"What business brings Chishima-sensei to see me at a time like this? We are currently investigating who is behind the broadcast; it is extremely urgent..."
"There is no need to investigate further." Akishin cut off Toshiki's words. "This was done by your daughter and her companions. The accident at the substation is their doing, and no forest fire has actually occurred."
"Mitsuha..."
Toshiki was stunned for a moment, completely blindsided by the fact that it was his own daughter. No, she had already come to cause a scene this morning!
He then looked at Akishin seriously and asked: "Then, for what purpose did Chishima-sensei come here at a time like this?"
As he spoke, he reached for the phone to instruct the people below to begin organizing.
Thwack!
Akishin raised his bamboo sword to pin the phone down on the desk. He didn't answer Miyamizu Toshiki's question directly, but instead pointed toward the sky outside the window and asked in return: "Miyamizu-san, this comet that only appears once every 1,300 years—what do you think of it?"
"..."
Toshiki didn't answer; he only stared at Akishin. The Akishin today was different from the one during the previous visit; he kept smiling, yet he radiated an inexplicable sense of danger.
This feeling continuously pressed against one's nerves and thoughts.
Akishin didn't expect an answer from him. After pausing for two seconds, he spoke again: "The formation of Itomori Town originated from a meteorite that fell due to a fragment of Comet Tiamat 1,300 years ago. And today, 1,300 years later, this meteorite is returning. Your daughter said that the comet will come again, and that many people will die..."
Toshiki stood up and said in a loud voice: "Chishima-sensei, do you believe those words too? How could such a thing happen? I won't allow it; she is just making things up..."
"I believe her!"
Akishin placed his bamboo sword on Toshiki's shoulder with an incredibly serious expression, then said: "I can see that your daughter is not lying. People who lie do not have eyes like that. Even if I'm not certain the meteorite will fall, we cannot gamble with the lives of thousands! I will not bet, and you—you cannot afford the risk of that wager!"
"I..."
Toshiki still wanted to say something, but Akishin cut him off again: "I will take full responsibility for the consequences of this event. If this turns out to be nothing more than a joke, I will step forward to provide an explanation, apologize, and offer compensation. I guarantee this with my reputation, Chishima Akishin. Therefore, Mayor Miyamizu, call the fire department now. Assist in this evacuation immediately. Human lives are at stake..."
...
Click! Click!
The sound of a lighter flickered in the shadows. A flame appeared, then died out, leaving behind a single red dot.
Akishin took the cigarette from his mouth, exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, and looked up at the comet that was becoming increasingly vivid in the sky.
Miyamizu Toshiki had gone to organize the fire units to evacuate the masses and prepare for the disaster.
Meanwhile, Akishin remained here—partly because this spot was not at the meteorite's point of impact, and partly to see if he could wait for someone.
There was an eighty percent chance that the person would come.
He had swiped the cigarette from Miyamizu Toshiki's desk.
And at that moment, Akishin saw the comet begin to break apart. From that large point of light, several smaller dots fell away.
They were so striking, carrying a faint red glow, still burning. Under the gaze of much of the world, those points veered out of their original orbit and plunged toward the earth. The entire sky was tinted with fluorescent colors...
If one ignored the consequences they brought...
The sight was like colors from a dream; it felt purely, undeniably beautiful!
"It really... fell..."
Akishin stared, transfixed. Knowing was one thing, but actually seeing it was another—it was beyond words.
The more terrifying part was that the object would fall in this very place, not far from here.
Miyamizu Toshiki was at the front lines, guiding and calming the masses. When he saw the comet break in the sky, he froze in shock. His eyes were wide, his mouth agape, and he completely lost the stern composure he usually maintained.
Once he snapped out of it, he became even more urgent in organizing the people's evacuation.
Many media outlets, news stations, and scientists also watched this scene with a sense of wonder. In far-off Tokyo, a young man named Taki Tachibana stepped out of his house, wearing a three-colored braided cord on his wrist, staring at the comet breaking apart in the sky...
On the roadside behind Itomori High School, Shizuka and the others also stared at the sky in shock.
Kaiko muttered in disbelief: "It really... fell. What Mitsuha said... was true..."
It took Shizuka quite a while to come to her senses, then she immediately pulled out her phone, intending to call Akishin to ask where he was and why he hadn't returned yet...
But in her haste, the phone she had just pulled out slipped from her grip, tumbled down the embankment, and shattered into pieces.
...
Taking the cigarette from his mouth, he felt a bit of hesitation. He exhaled the smoke slowly, yet felt afraid of disturbing something. He smiled while shaking his head; it turned out he too could experience a chaotic mind.
As expected, the impact was too great—just knowing that those beautiful fragments were about to fall in this place.
Tap, tap, tap...
The sound of footsteps echoed—the distinct sound of small leather shoes. The pace changed from hurried to slow, then became intermittent...
Mitsuha appeared in Akishin's view in a disheveled state. There was dirt on her face and clothes, and her skin was injured and bleeding in several places.
It seemed she had fallen on her way here.
Akishin stepped out of the shadows and said: "Mitsuha-san, your father has already gone to organize the rescue. You don't need to worry."
"Was... was this your doing?"
Miyamizu Mitsuha looked at Akishin, who was holding the bamboo sword, with hesitation. She stared at the person she had only met once before, someone who seemed to be called a teacher or something similar.
The reason she had stopped her steps was that she had seen the pitch-black District Autonomous Office and the single red dot glowing in the darkness.
Akishin shifted his gaze from the sky, looking seriously at Miyamizu Mitsuha, who wore a stubborn expression. He hesitated for a single second, then nodded and said: "This is what we agreed upon this afternoon. You left in such a hurry then and hadn't explained the rest clearly."
"Is that so... this afternoon... that, I'm sorry... how specifically should I address you..."
Miyamizu Mitsuha was highly emotional, tears streaming down her face. The thing she had worried about most had been resolved. She felt a sense of relief, her body going weak as she nearly collapsed. Her heart seemed to have many things it wanted to say, but she couldn't get the words out, only able to ask questions in fragments.
The light from the comet, breaking and falling, continued to spread across the sky.
Akishin kept his eyes on Mitsuha, making her feel very flustered, though she didn't sense any ill intent in his gaze.
"Um, is there something on me..."
"My name is Chishima Akishin. I am the teacher of Kondo and the others. You can call me Chishima-sensei."
A flash of understanding crossed her eyes. Akishin nodded as he said this, then looked back at the sky with an incredibly heavy and serious expression.
The comet was falling—falling right around the Miyamizu Shrine!
Miyamizu Mitsuha was just about to say something when a violent explosion roared. The previous substation explosion was like a small firecracker on a holiday compared to this.
The earth was torn apart like tofu, heaving and rolling. Countless trees were buried within it. Human structures crumbled as if made of paper; houses, roads, and bridges were powerless...
Flames soared high into the sky!
Lake Itomori erupted with massive waves.
Half of Itomori Town was swallowed by fire and thick smoke. People were terrified, stunned, and in disbelief!
Fortunately, the timing was perfect. Everyone in the affected areas had been evacuated to safety.
"Ah!!!"
Miyamizu Mitsuha screamed, crouching down while clutching her head. After all, she was still just a high school girl, even if she had experienced strange things that changed everything.
Tossing the cigarette in his hand to the ground, Akishin ran to Miyamizu Mitsuha's side. He grabbed her arm with one hand while holding his sword with the other, then sprinted toward a building.
The two of them ducked behind the structure.
Before Miyamizu Mitsuha could even realize what was happening, the shockwave from the meteorite's impact spread here, accompanied by the sound of countless windows shattering. She instinctively covered her ears.
The trees in the area all bent low.
A large Torii gate came crashing down from above. Akishin held his bamboo sword, dropping into an Iai stance. His eyes narrowed slightly as a faint red hue gathered within them, and he struck the gate with his blade.
'Iai, Tsubame Geki!'
A literal flash of silver light seemed to flicker by. The falling wooden gate was suddenly split into three pieces, the cuts so smooth and clean they looked as though they had been sliced by a razor-sharp sword.
He then used the bamboo sword to deliver two consecutive thrusts. Though they looked light and agile, the heavy wooden gate was knocked several meters away, crashing down around them.
The explanation felt long, but it had all happened in a mere instant. Mitsuha was still covering her ears in fear. After a moment, when the shockwave had passed, she slowly lifted her head.
...
After the great disaster had passed, hundreds of people wore complex expressions, caught between joy and sorrow. They were happy because they had survived thanks to the sudden evacuation—if they had still been in those places earlier, there likely would have been nothing left of them.
They were sad because their homes were gone, along with the belongings inside. But they were still lucky; generally, family savings were kept in banks. As long as the people were alive, that money could be recovered.
Among these people, the one with the most complex feelings was likely Miyamizu Toshiki. His "Itomori Town Tourism Plan" was undoubtedly a total failure, with zero chance of recovery; yet so many people had survived because of his swift organization.
Once he regained his composure, he immediately ordered a casualty count, then searched his surroundings. At the edge of the crowd, he saw his youngest daughter and his mother-in-law, but his eldest daughter was nowhere to be seen.
Thinking back to when his daughter had brought this up and he had completely rejected her—if not for Chishima-sensei... Toshiki wanted to slap himself several times. He then immediately tried to call his daughter...
In the news reports following the disaster that destroyed a large part of the town, it was written that not a single person had died; everyone had miraculously survived without injury.
The only injury sustained was someone falling into a ditch due to the shock when the meteorite fell.
Because on that day, the small town happened to be holding an evacuation drill for the entire population. Under the active efforts of the Mayor, the entire populace managed to escape outside the disaster zone.
Because this was truly too coincidental and lucky, various rumors began to spread. Some said Mayor Miyamizu was possessed by a god so he could predict the disaster, while others brought up the events of 1,300 years ago and claimed that the deity of Miyamizu Shrine had intervened...
"The Mystery of the Forced Evacuation Instruction Issued by Mayor Miyamizu"
Additionally, another figure appeared in the newspapers: the popular Kendo champion from Chiba, Chishima-sensei.
It was said that he was also involved, but the man himself firmly denied it, stating that he had only gone there to visit students while traveling and had not expected such a thing to happen.
The event held too many mysteries, especially since there were no casualties, so in the end, because it couldn't be investigated further, the case was simply dropped.
It left behind only awe at the luck and misfortune of Itomori Town.
The reality was that for the people involved who knew the truth, aside from Akishin, their memories became blurred and faded away. Miyamizu Mitsuha, her two companions, Shizuka, and the others... even the residents who had been persuaded by Mitsuha that afternoon to evacuate immediately also forgot about being persuaded...
'Has the world's corrective force intervened?'
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