"Kumiko?"
Turning around to see what caused the sudden noise she heard, Reina couldn't believe her eyes. Lying down on the floor was Kumiko Oumae, the girl Reina loved above everything else. Shocked beyond all words, Reina didn't know how or why Kumiko had made her way here, but one thing was for certain: Kumiko needed help right now.
Running over to Kumiko's side, Reina turned her over so she would be on her back. Noticing Kumiko felt much colder than usual, Reina quickly checked her pulse, and discovered to her horror that it was almost nonexistent, the 'ba-thumps' repeating at an ominously slow pace. The rise and fall of Kumiko's diaphragm was nearly unnoticeable, and she didn't seem to be breathing at times.
"What's the matter?" Running over to see what happened, the Gym Leader then saw the distraught expression on Reina's face before putting the pieces together. Knowing that Reina was in no condition to handle this situation by herself, the Gym Leader swiftly decided on a course of action. "Junna, call an ambulance! Masako, call Tsubame and tell her to get here ASAP! We've got an emergency on our hands!"
"On it!" Immediately realizing the situation in front of them, the two girls set out to deal with their respective tasks. Of everything they expected to happen which could mess up the date, this was the worst possible outcome. With Kumiko unexpectedly showing up before relapsing back into a coma with more severe symptoms, events had completely spiralled out of Junna and Masako's control.
Shortly after Masako finished making her call, Tsubame appeared, her eyes wide open in alarm as she clutched her borrowed Natu. Scampering over to where Kumiko was, Tsubame was floored by how things turned out. Wasn't Suzume supposed to prevent Kumiko from leaving their home? Whipping out her phone, Tsubame punched in her sister's number and waited for it to connect.
"Big sis! It's an emergency!" Suzume's voice loudly blaring from her phone's speakers, Tsubame ripped it away from her ear at a frightening speed. Once her eardrums stopped ringing, Tsubame gingerly put it back closer again. Already knowing what Suzume would say next, Tsubame's prediction soon came true. "I have no idea how, but Kumiko's disappeared!"
"Yeah, I know… Somehow, she made her way to the Gym and relapsed back into a coma. I think it's much worse this time around." Sighing, Tsubame relayed the news to her younger sister. Silence on the other end confirmed Suzume heard it loud and clear. Tsubame's attention drifting back to what was happening in front of her, she heard the siren of an ambulance get louder and louder. "I've got to go now. Bye."
Hanging up, Tsubame saw the front entrance burst open as two paramedics wheeling a stretcher rushed in. Loading Kumiko on as the Gym Leader explained the situation to them, the paramedics soon departed, but not before Reina accompanied them out of the Gym. She most definitely didn't want to leave her girlfriend's side again, especially at this critical juncture.
Right after the doors closed, they were flung open a second time, revealing Suzume standing there. Oddly, besides despair being evident in her eyes, Tsubame could also see a glint of hope in them. Going over to where her older sister was, Suzume clasped her hands over Tsubame's own. Wondering what all this fuss was about, Tsubame did a double take when Suzume spoke.
"Big sis! Remember the legends we've heard about Crescent Moon Lake? I think there's a way we can save Ms. Kumiko!"
Sitting in the back of the ambulance as it raced towards the local hospital, Reina didn't know how to feel right now.
Against all odds, she and Kumiko had been reunited with each other, but that encounter had come at a terribly steep price. With Kumiko now back in a coma, it felt like nothing had changed since yesterday. Despite everything she did to repair the strain she caused between herself and Kumiko, Reina's best efforts were completely wiped out in the span of a few short minutes.
Looking over at Kumiko's unconscious face, its lack of vitality deeply disturbed Reina, being the only thing missing from her otherwise flawless visage. In contrast to the times Reina caught glimpses of Kumiko being asleep, there wasn't any beauty to be found, which was instead replaced by the natural fragility of a young girl. Kumiko couldn't be any more vulnerable.
As the ambulance came to a screeching stop, the doors swung open again as the paramedics rushed in and took Kumiko's stretcher away. Not wanting to have Kumiko taken away from her again, Reina leapt up and began to follow her. Weaving her way across the crowded hospital hallways, Reina's eyes never strayed from the stretcher or Kumiko herself. That was the only thing preventing her from getting lost.
Eventually reaching an emergency care unit, Reina realized she couldn't go any further as the doors in front of her slammed shut, with a light above them glowing red. Now that Kumiko was undergoing treatment, all Reina could do was hope for the best, though she knew deep down that certainly wasn't going to happen. With Kumiko slipping into a coma for the second time in two days, this was clearly the worst-case scenario.
"Ms. Kousaka, do you need anything right now?" Looking to see who had called her, Reina saw Junna and Masako coming over, both of them slightly out of breath. Shaking her head in response, Reina then cradled it in her arms as Junna and Masako watched on. Getting her message, the two girls waited for a brief moment before they continued speaking. "How's Kumiko?"
Another shake of Reina's head. With the situation becoming more dire the more they learned, Junna and Masako hoped whatever Tsubame and her younger sister were planning was worth the wait. A look of anguish painfully obvious on Reina's face, Masako decided to spill the Poké Beans. She couldn't bear to see that expression any longer. "Our friend Tsubame knows someone who could help. They're going to be here shortly."
"Who…?" Left hanging by Masako's words, Reina couldn't help but cling on to that faint glimmer of hope. After everything she had been through, even that vague offer was still enough to lift up Reina's spirits. Despite how much she had been broken over the past few days, Reina refused to yield to her despair here. If there was any way she could help Kumiko out of this situation, Reina would take it no matter the cost.
"Remember how we previously mentioned Tsubame's younger sister works at the Crescent Moon Lake shrine? One of her friends happens to be the daughter of the priests there." Junna answered. "We don't know much about the details, but according to Tsubame, there are legends about the Pokémon residing at Crescent Moon Lake using its powers to wake people from comas, no matter how severe they are."
"I see…" That reply wasn't something Reina expected to hear. Though there certainly were Pokémon moves and items which would have an awakening effect, Reina couldn't really believe they would work in Kumiko's case. Not even a Worry Seed, one of the best guarantees against falling Asleep, could save her from falling into a coma yet again. Just what had Kumiko been hit by that day?
"Well, all we can do now is wait. It shouldn't be much longer until they arrive." Taking seats adjacent to Reina's, Junna and Masako decided to give her some distance. With how Reina could act when she was really upset, Junna and Masako didn't want to push her any further. There was no knowing what she would do in her anguish.
A few empty minutes later, Junna and Masako heard several pairs of footsteps echo from across the hallway. Looking up, they saw that Tsubame and Suzume had arrived, followed by a black-haired girl they didn't recognize. Dressed in a shrine maiden's outfit, that combined with the girl's bright green eyes and long silky hair gave her an ethereal presence. To the casual observer, she even looked a bit like Reina.
After Tsubame and Suzume introduced themselves to Reina, the shrine maiden girl was next. "Pleased to meet you, Ms. Kousaka. I'm Sari Yoshii, the daughter of the priests at Crescent Moon Shrine. I understand you need to learn more about the Pokémon that resides at Crescent Moon Lake, is that correct?"
"Yes… My girlfriend's fallen into a coma for the second time in two days after being hit by a sleep-inducing Pokémon move, even though a Worry Seed helped her recover the first time." Summarizing everything that had transpired for Sari's convenience, Reina wondered just how helpful she could be. If conventional medicinal knowledge wasn't working, then what could?
"Hmm, your girlfriend's case sounds a lot like the legend of the Dark One, nemesis of the Winged One." Sari mused. "Sorry, I got a bit ahead of myself there. According to the legends, the Winged One is the Pokémon which resides at Crescent Moon Lake, and it has the power to heal those afflicted by any slumber, even when it is unleashed by the Dark One. Though the legends don't really say what the Dark One is…"
"Has anyone seen the Winged One before and confirmed what Pokémon it is?" Reina asked. Unless she had conclusive proof about the factuality of this legend, Reina was hesitant to believe in it, even if it was the key to saving Kumiko. She didn't want to be led astray by false hope yet again.
"Though it shows itself only when certain conditions are met, there are images and videos of the Winged One appearing at Crescent Moon Lake. I can show them to you if you like." Pulling a tablet from underneath her robes, Sari swiped and tapped it a few times before handing it to Reina. Pressing play on the first video she saw, Reina was surprised to see the Pokémon being depicted.
"This is…"
"I'm sorry, but I can't have a patient removed from treatment without the approval of other medical personnel."
Standing off in the middle of the hallway, Reina was backed up by the girls from the Gym, Suzume, and Sari as she spoke to the doctor who was in charge of Kumiko's treatment. Though she understood the doctor's well-founded concern, Reina was getting more desperate as more time passed. With what she learned about the Winged One, Reina felt like it was the only option left now.
"But nothing else worked! She was given a Worry Seed yesterday, and look how that turned out!" Getting frustrated at the lack of progress, Reina could feel tears of worry well up in her eyes. After she was finally presented with a viable solution to Kumiko's current condition, being stonewalled here made the situation even more dire. Was there no end to this struggle?
"What's going on here?" Hearing another voice enter the fray, Reina was surprised when she saw the Gym Leader approaching them, flanked by the other two girls Reina saw by his side yesterday. Stopping to glance around for a second, the Gym Leader seemed to understand what was going on a few moments later. About to interject, it was Sari of all people who stepped in to stop him.
"Um, Mr. Gym Leader. A word please, if you will." As Sari pulled him aside, all Reina could hear in the exchanges between them were hushed whispers before the Gym Leader nodded. Now having an idea of the current circumstances and what Sari proposed, the Gym Leader decided to hang back for a moment and observe, but then he hit on an idea.
"Wait. Tsubame, didn't you mention that the nurse who discharged Ms. Oumae yesterday was a member of the Elite Four?" the Gym Leader piped up. "If I remember correctly, then she's most definitely Nakaseko. Hang on a moment while I give her a call. Maybe there's a way out of this."
Quickly punching a number into his phone, the Gym Leader waited a moment before he began speaking again. "Hello, is this Nakaseko of the Elite Four… Yes, I'm Tanabe from the Subton City Gym… I've heard you discharged a patient from the Dacap Town hospital yesterday by the name of Oumae… She fell into a coma again today… Look, I've got a solution that could help her… I'll hand it off to someone else now…"
Handing his phone to Sari, the Gym Leader waited as she introduced herself and briefly explained the details of her plan. Outside of a few gasps on the other end, no one had any clue how Nakaseko was reacting to this. Once she finished speaking and nodded a few times, Sari then handed the phone over to the doctor.
After several long moments of anxious waiting as the doctor conversed with Nakaseko on the other end, everyone only tensed up even more as they heard the sound of a hung-up call coming from the phone. With no one certain about Kumiko's fate anymore, the small crowd waited with bated breath as the doctor spoke. "Well, seeing as you managed to get a nurse on your side, I can't say no now. However, the patient must be returned here at the same time tomorrow."
"Th… thank you!" Reina let out all her emotions in a burst of gratitude and relief. Finally, a light at the end of the tunnel had presented itself.
"Kaho, Yayoi, will you please get yourselves down here? We've got some visitors, so please take care of them."
Arriving at the Crescent Moon Shrine with Sari and the Trainers from the Gym, the first thing Reina noticed was that it sat at the base of a moderately tall hill, with a trail of stairs stretching up from behind it. Going slightly forward by herself, Sari knocked on the door as she waited for someone to answer. A few seconds later, the door swung open to reveal two girls, both of them dressed as shrine maidens like Sari.
One of the girls had dark brown hair in a bowl cut, though her narrow eyes obscured their colour. The other girl had persimmon eyes, with her long sandy-brown hair bunched up into a messy bun and a red bandanna circling her head. While it was obvious they worked at the shrine and seemed close with Sari, Reina wondered whether or not the two girls were all that important in the grand scheme of things.
"Hi, it's nice to meet you all! My name's Kaho Hariya, and I'm Sari's friend!" Bowl Cut introduced herself first. With a pleasant smile on her face, it was almost impossible not to like her immediately. If it wasn't for the dire situation she found herself in, even Reina would have found it hard to resist Kaho's natural Cute Charms. She radiated an unnatural level of innocence and carefreeness.
"Pleased to meetcha, I'm Yayoi Kamiishi! What Kaho just said." Bandanna went next. Though her tone of voice was brash, it was quickly obvious that how she spoke didn't reflect her actual personality. From Reina's perspective, it seemed more like Yayoi was just being overly energetic and friendly. Once the greetings were out of the way, Suzume dragged Sari over to where the other two girls were waiting as everyone else followed them inside.
"Alright, with that settled, let's get down to business. So here's the gist…" Sari stated. As she began recounting the circumstances behind Kumiko's situation, Reina couldn't help but look over at her beloved, who was currently unconscious and resting on a stretcher. After Kumiko was released from the hospital, Junna and Masako volunteered to carry her all the way to the shrine.
Nodding as they listened to Sari's words, Kaho and Yayoi looked over in Reina and Kumiko's direction, connecting the facts with the people. Finishing her last sentences, Sari then stood up before addressing everyone else. "Now that everyone's on the same page, let me get some texts out about the Winged One from the shrine's archives. Learning more about what we're facing is always helpful."
Retreating into a hallway, Sari's departure wasn't quickly noticeable, but it soon left an obvious absence in the room's atmosphere. Without her presence, an uncertain aura began to fill the void as the mood became uncomfortable again. Since Kumiko's fate was still hanging in a precarious balance, no one felt like making casual conversation. Even Kaho and Yayoi didn't seem open to that.
"Ah, here it is. Let me just find…" Holding a dusty old tome in her hands, Sari returned to find everyone with a dour look on their faces. Knowing how dire their situation was, Sari didn't need to wonder why things were like this. Leafing through the book, she then began to read aloud from it once she stopped, gaining everyone's attention. With this now being her only hope for saving Kumiko, Reina listened intently.
"For unwakeable slumbers which the Dark One brings, summoning the Winged One requires a shrill ring. At the lake whereupon this deity resides, only then can its feathers be bestowed as battle's prize." Sari recited. "So according to this text, you need to go to the lake with Ms. Oumae, then play a certain tune on an instrument. After that, you need to battle the Winged One before it agrees to help you."
"I see." Reina then remembered something Kaori said yesterday about a potent cure for being Asleep involving a certain Pokémon's feather. Recalling that she also said it was too challenging to obtain normally, Reina wondered if that was somehow related. Though knowing Kaori's status as an Elite Four member, this was most likely not simply a mere coincidence.
"However, there's one other caveat." Sari added. "It's not directly related to the legend of the Winged One, but it's a tradition at our shrine. Despite Crescent Moon Lake being commonly known as a romantic getaway, we only allow two people up there at a time, so you will need to go there alone with Ms. Oumae."
"Can't you make an exception for us this time? Kumiko's life is in the balance here." Reina argued. Forget tradition, she needed all the help she could get. If she couldn't get Kumiko up to the lake in time, then there was no telling when she would ever wake again.
"Well, I think you should be strong enough to carry Ms. Oumae on your back by yourself, seeing as she's got a similar build to you." Sari suggested. "You need to climb 488 steps up the stairs behind here before you reach the top of the hill, but it's a direct path to the lake after that. There should be no problem once you get there. Besides, you can rest anytime you want."
"Alright…" Deciding to believe Sari and let it be, Reina was still pensive about what lay in front of her. What Sari just elaborated on only covered getting to the lake, and nothing about the ensuing encounter with the Winged One. Knowing that it was almost certainly a Legendary Pokémon, Reina doubted she was capable of winning against the Winged One in battle and getting what she needed to save Kumiko.
"Personally, I'm not so sure about how strong the Winged One is, but I'm confident you should be able to defeat it in battle, seeing as you got your seventh Badge at the Gym here." Sari continued. "There have been a few ambitious Trainers who challenged it and won in the past, and they seemed to be as strong as you are."
"That sounds reassuring." Knowing that battling prowess wasn't something that could be measured easily, Sari's comment only made Reina feel even more uncertain. However, she still had to try regardless. With Kumiko's life now resting solely in her hands, Reina had no other options left. Even if it took her several days to finish the fight, it would definitely be worth it in the end.
"Oh, and one last thing. About the tune you need to summon the Winged One. Do you know how to play an instrument and read sheet music?" Sari asked. "If not, I can teach you the basics of music theory and how to play the clarinet, recorder or one of the more traditional instruments we have lying around the shrine."
"Yes, I can play the trumpet and can read musical notation." Reina replied, bringing her Pokédex out before turning into its trumpet mode. "Out of everything you've told me so far, that's the one thing I have complete confidence in doing. Speaking of which, what's the tune I need to play? I want to practice it a few times before actually using it to summon the Winged One."
"Here it is." Taking a piece of paper out of the tome she held, Sari handed it to Reina, whose eyes widened in disbelief as she realized the tune's significance, both to her and this situation. Recalling the first time she heard it being played, Reina couldn't help but think about it at this critical juncture.
Many years ago…
"What's the piece you're playing? I want to know!"
As she approached her father, a young Reina Kousaka was enraptured by the tune effortlessly flowing out of his trumpet. Though he was still co-Champion of the region, Reina's father always found some time out of his busy day to practice on the instrument he loved, keeping his skill as polished as it always had been. Even at such a young age, Reina deeply respected his level of dedication and discipline.
Continuing to listen from the sidelines, Reina quickly understood playing this piece was no small feat. From the frequent high notes to the long phrases, everything about the tune screamed challenging, yet Reina's father played through it with ease. His fingers gliding across his trumpet's pistons as his breath transformed into a sonorous melody, Reina thought that her father's performance was simply majestic.
However, what amazed Reina the most was the sheer emotional nuance her father had put into such a short tune. Every note rang out with boundless passion, and their effect was amplified when put together into a phrase. Never before had Reina heard such a beautiful melody. Once she learned how to play the trumpet, then perhaps her father would someday teach it to her.
"Ah, yes. This is a trumpet solo from a concert band piece, though the melody's actually from a much older folk tune." Putting down his trumpet, Reina's father began explaining to his daughter as she listened on intently. "Long ago, this tune was played to thank the crescent moon goddess for her assistance against the god of darkness. Of course, that's just a legend, so don't take it seriously."
"Then what's its name?" Reina asked in curiosity, to which her father smiled.
"It's Crescent Moon Dance, or in the traditional language, Mikazuki no Mai."
"Ms. Kousaka, are you alright? You've been staring at the sheet music for quite some while now."
Prying her eyes away from the sheet of paper, Reina looked up to see Sari staring at her, slightly concerned about her current condition. Realizing that she had been idly reminiscing about the past without being aware of it, Reina felt slightly embarrassed as everyone else looked at her in confusion. Her grip on the paper feeling more loose by the second, Reina quickly addressed Sari.
"I'm alright. I was just surprised to know this tune was one that I've played before. In fact, it's one of my favourite pieces to play on the trumpet." Reina replied. "Of all the places I think I'd see this piece again, here at the shrine wasn't one of them. Excuse me while I go practice it for a bit. I don't want the Winged One to think I'm someone who does things so casually."
Standing up and stepping out of the shrine, Reina felt a light afternoon wind hit her as the fading sun shone down. Remembering she was still holding the piece of sheet music Sari gave her, Reina neatly tucked it into her bag. She didn't need to rely on anything save her own memory to play the solo of Crescent Moon Dance.
Putting her trumpet to her lips, Reina breezed through a quick set of warm-ups before taking a deep breath. Letting cool air flow into her body through her trumpet, Reina then released some of it as she played the solo's first note. Precisely hitting its high pitch without stumbling, Reina let the rest of the solo move through her, the serene sound illuminating the surrounding landscape.
Somewhere up on the hill, a presence stirred, before fading away again.
"Good luck, Ms. Kousaka! We're all rooting for you!"
As Sari waved at her from down at the shrine, Reina took one last look at everyone assembled down there before setting her eyes forward on her goal. Though she had only met them for a day at most, Reina was still grateful for all the assistance the Gym's Trainers and the shrine's maidens gave her at this critical time. Without them, she would still be wallowing in her own despair.
"Thank you. I won't let you down." With Kumiko strapped to her back using a harness she borrowed from the Gym, Reina could feel her beloved weighing her down both figuratively and literally. However, Reina wouldn't let Kumiko's burden prevent her from reaching her goal. If anything, it only served as a reminder of what she was fighting for in the first place.
Tightening the harness' straps once more, Reina braced herself before taking the first step up the stairs. As Kumiko's body rocked in the opposite direction from the impact, Reina nearly toppled over, her beloved's weight acting against her. About to feel the sensation of falling backwards, Reina barely regained her balance in time by slamming her foot forwards, though this resulted in her head colliding with Kumiko's.
Yelling out loud from the pain, Reina couldn't believe even the first step could hurt her so much. Her teeth angrily gnashing together, Reina stormed up the next few steps, ignoring the warning signals flashing and ringing in her mind. At this point, nothing could stop Reina from going forward, not when the alternative was one of the bleakest outcomes she could imagine. At least, that was what she initially thought.
After blitzing forward for more than a few adrenaline-filled seconds, Reina soon felt the rest of her body finally catch up to her. Panting and gasping as her footsteps slowed down, Reina's knees folded as her muscles clenched up, echoes of the pain she endured yesterday rippling through them. Stopping on the spot, Reina almost thought she could rest easy until Kumiko's weight nearly dragged her backwards again.
Forcing herself to bend forwards and accommodate Kumiko, it took every fiber of Reina's being not to give up from the effort. If she failed or turned back right here and now, then it meant she had no ability or will to save Kumiko, and that was the last thing she wanted. Losing her beloved once had already cost Reina dearly. She did not want to pay that price and more another time.
Recovering enough strength in her legs to keep moving forwards, Reina chose to instead rethink her approach to conquering the obstacles in front of her. Blindly rushing forwards at full steam had only resulted in more pain than she could currently bear, which would only compound over time later on. Stuck in an indecisive limbo, it was during this moment that Reina came to a revelation.
All this time, she had only cared about her own progress, and not about the consequences her actions would wreak on Kumiko and herself. By moving ahead without hesitation, Reina had made significant gains, but that had required the sacrifice of both her and Kumiko's well-being. If she continued on this naturally destructive path, then nothing good would come out of it for the two of them.
Rather than wholeheartedly pursue her desires with everything she had, Reina now needed to account for Kumiko as well, or else they would fail together. Though she could reach any goal by setting her mind to it and pushing forwards, achieving anything would be meaningless unless Kumiko was by her side. What good would success be if there was nobody else to cherish it with?
Reina used to think being at the top was supposed to be a solitary affair, but journeying with Kumiko for so long had taught her otherwise. No matter what challenge she had to overcome, Kumiko was always with her, reassuring and guiding her towards the end. Despite her beloved not being as skilled as she was, Kumiko always managed to pull through. That was something Reina always found impressive about her.
Now, she needed to repay the favour and save Kumiko from this nightmare, once and for all. With Kumiko's fate now resting on her shoulders, Reina needed to do everything in her power to make sure her beloved would wake again. Her previous strategy for conquering these stairs had nearly worn her out completely, but Reina was now certain of how her plan for getting to the top needed to change.
As she climbed up the step in front of her, Reina didn't immediately move on to the next step, instead waiting until she got her bearings before continuing. That way, the recoil from Kumiko's weight wouldn't drag her backwards, gradually exhausting her. Compared to her previous method of advancing without hesitation, this slow but steady ascent wouldn't tire her out that easily.
One step at a time. This was Reina's new approach, and she stuck to it, both for Kumiko's sake and her own. Though she still carried the weight of both her and Kumiko's decisions on her back, that didn't mean she needed to needlessly suffer because of them. Little by little, she could work her way out. Even without Kumiko's help, Reina was perfectly capable of that.
Only focusing on what was in front of her, Reina nevertheless didn't lose sight of her ultimate goal, knowing it was the culmination of each and every small thing it did. As each step was conquered one after the other, Reina could see the hilltop in front of her get ever closer. Relentlessly continuing her slow but steady journey, the end was in sight for Reina.
Eventually, when she was about to climb the next stair, Reina couldn't feel the familiar sensation of a raised step, and stumbled forward due to her excess force. Quickly regaining her balance, Reina looked down and discovered to her relief that she had now reached the hill's top. With only a straight path towards the lake left for her to walk, Reina decided to take a break before finishing.
Carefully setting down Kumiko's limp body on the floor, Reina sat down on the staircase's top step as she gazed down at the view below. Directly at the staircase's base was the shrine, from which the rest of the town fanned out in front of her. Wondering why some of the buildings were illuminated, Reina tilted her head up to see that it was already evening. After all that happened, she couldn't believe time had flown that quickly.
Even with the sky painted various hues of purple, red, orange, and yellow, this picturesque backdrop meant absolutely nothing to Reina, her mind dead-set on saving Kumiko above all else. As her eyes scanned the landscape, Reina noticed the crescent moon beginning to poke out from the horizon, its glow casting a soft light on everything it touched. Remembering Masako's words, Reina knew it was time.
Strapping Kumiko on her back once more, Reina set out on the path towards Crescent Moon Lake, where the Winged One awaited her.
A/N: First off, apologies for the EXTREMELY late upload. I had some personal business to deal with first. But with that out of the way, welcome back! How was the last chapter? I hope I answered some of your questions this time around.
As of this chapter, ALL named characters from Kitauji across all three of Kumiko's years in high school (except for a certain outlier) have made their appearance in this fic, with Sari Yoshii, Kaho Hariya, and Yayoi Kamiishi (new characters from the third-year novels) being the last. However, unless there are drastic changes in my plans, this is the only chapter they will appear in, outside of a few cameos near the end of the fic.
Unfortunately, the biweekly schedule is still on until further notice, so the next chapter of To Be A Solister will be on February 17th. Stay tuned for Reina's toughest challenge yet!
For a bonus challenge, try guessing the identity of the Winged One! I hope I've provided enough hints about its identity throughout the story...
