A/N: I always try not to read chapter 11 to chapter 18. They're so bad I cringe every time, but I can't make major changes to them or the story will change. Uhhh yeah I'll go hide in shame, and if you manage to read all of that without cringing, kudos to you.

Chapter 10

Wish

"I guess we'll keep fighting until we defeat all eight that are left. But, what are we gonna do after that?" Yukari kept talking about Tartarus and mysterious stuff they didn't know. "I've been thinking about this for a while. I wonder if Mitsuru-senpai is hiding something from us…"

The girls were up to something. One night, Yukari and Fuuka weren't in the lounge. They're annoying anyway.

"What's up with Yuka-tan?" Junpei shook his head. "She has daggers in her eyes whenever she looks at Mitsuru-senpai. I wonder what happened… Maybe Senpai ate Yuka-tan's last bon bon. And Fuuka-tan acts like she had stolen from a cookie jar."

Minato practiced sword with Akihiko and Junpei on the rooftop sometimes. When Junpei was tired, he invited Minato to a study session in Junpei's room. It always turned into playing card games. They both hated random encounter but they kept playing.

Minato talked with Tanaka at the mall one day. Something about cucumber. This guy was a bit annoying but he made a point. How human decide things by appearance. It seemed cruel but was reality.

"Hi." Pharos appeared next to his bed. He had that wide grin. "Can you guess what I'm going to tell you?"

"I think so." Minato was sitting on the bed waiting for him.

"You're used to it by now, huh?" Pharos chuckled. "The next full moon will be in one week. Be prepared and be careful, okay?"

Minato nodded. Pharos's the best reminder and the best calendar. He acted like his mother sometimes. Not that Minato minded.

"I'll come again." Pharos disappeared with a smile.

Minato returned with a smile of his own. He knew, he's not fighting for them. He fought so that Pharos could be happy.

Minato made some plans for the operation, the field leader's job. He had a bad feeling about this. His calendar was filled with his handwriting. He had to do this but guess what? Planning wasn't his thing. Mitsuru or Yukari would be more fitting for the job.

"Mitsuru-senpai only tells us things we absolutely need to know," Yukari said. "I think she should include us in more. It's hard to know what's going on when she makes all the decisions. And that kind of behavior can lead to misunderstandings…"

Shirakawa Boulevard… Shirakawa Boulevard… Go make love with your boyfriend, I don't care. Gossips made Minato uncomfortable. He blamed himself for listening.

Junpei's a bit worried.

"Even though we've been getting stronger, the Shadows have been getting stronger too," Junpei said. "How long can we keep this up? What happens if we reach our limit and then totally get our asses kicked? Man… That would suck."

Akihiko wasn't.

"Reaching your limit means you can't get any stronger… and that only applies to someone who's a master," Akihiko said. "Most people use it as an excuse. They say they've reached their limit, but in reality, they've just given up. You can start by forgetting about reaching your limit. That's the first step to getting stronger."

Well said.

Tanabata was the first word that came into his mind this morning. He ignored the aroma of food and the noisy chitchat downstairs.

The boy could remember writing his wish on a piece of paper and hanging it on a doorknob because there's no bamboo in that country. He never hung it on bamboo since he left Japan. Now he's finally back in his hometown, but he couldn't celebrate Tanabata because of the operation. Maybe tomorrow morning he could do it somehow. In the evening he had to be at the dorm…

Yep. The dorm.

Minato opened the door and dashed along the hallway. He rushed down the stairs to see SEES eating breakfast.

"Mitsuru!"

He stopped and panted for a while. Running the minute you wake up wasn't wise. As he looked up he saw everyone staring at him with wide eyes. He shouting was unusual.

"Tomorrow…" He said between gasps. "… is Tanabata…"

"We know that," Yukari said.

Mitsuru looked up from her book. "What is it, Arisato?"

"Can we do that here?" Minato asked.

"You mean, in the dorm?" Fuuka asked. "It would be nice."

"Tomorrow is full moon, but I think we can celebrate it after school," Akihiko said. "We only have to prepare first and come back here immediately after school."

Yukari had made a feast for everyone in the morning, following the field leader's command.

"Heh, you should cook like this more often, Yukari. It's awesome!" Akihiko said as he poured protein powder on his plate filled with mountains of meat. Mitsuru shook her head.

"And you've just ruined it, Akihiko…" The redhead chuckled.

Eating together was a good thing. SEES could be a lot better with proper meals. Someone in the back alley had told him.

"It's now afternoon. The operation is tonight at midnight." Junpei shouted. "But who cares? We are celebrating Tanabata!"

"If Ikutsuki is right, that is," Minato said, looking at the tall bamboo.

Junpei blinked. "But what is Tanabata?"

"Stupei…" Yukari facepalmed. "Are you Japanese? Do you live here? Where have you been?"

"I… never have the chance," Junpei frowned. "I mean, I know. I've seen it. But... I never do it with my family before, and never do it alone... I stay in my room, like I usually do."

Yukari looked down. "... Sorry, Junpei."

"Tanabata, meaning 'Evening of the seventh,' also known as the Star Festival, is a Japanese festival originating from the Chinese Qixi Festival," Akihiko said. "It celebrates the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi, represented by the stars Vega and Altair respectively."

"Wow… Senpai, you know a lot!" Fuuka said.

He smiled. "It's my favorite day. Also... saw it in a book for kids."

The redhead closed her novel she was reading. "Although apart, they're allowed to meet once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month."

"Nice date. Easy to remember for sure." Junpei rubbed his chin. "What should I wish for? Hm..."

"Don't wish something you can easily accomplish by yourselves or something you will regret wishing," Minato said. "Each year matters. Don't waste it."

SEES wrote their wishes on colorful paper and hung them onto the bamboo tree. Mitsuru brought it yesterday from who knows where.

They say that the wishes will reach Vega and Altair, the stars that represent the star-crossed lovers. Minato didn't believe that, yet he did it every year. At least, it was something he had done as a child.

"What have you all written?" Yukari asked.

"Uhh… to be a better person!" Junpei said. "Hehe… What about you, Yuka-tan?"

"To reach the truth and hold onto it," she said.

He blinked. "What's that mean?"

"I dunno…"

Mitsuru and Akihiko kept quiet.

"Um… I wished a lot of things…" Fuuka decided not to tell. "What about you, Minato-kun?"

The blue haired boy was looking at his own paper hanging on a bamboo.

"You don't have to tell if you don't want to!" Fuuka said.

"It's more like a resolution than a wish," Minato said. "I'm… going to search for that something, I guess."