Takao always likened her battles—and indeed, her life—to paths she must walk. There was path after path, all fraught with peril, and few dared to tread.

Smoke, fog, fire, storms, and tides—she strode through them all upright and with head held high, cutting down worthy and worthless opponents alike. She never allowed herself to wobble and sway, let alone be led astray by thoughts of victory or defeat.

Then nothing would be left in the end but to walk another path. Which one she'll take is always a matter of destiny.

But then destiny had led her before this one path. Unlike the others, she could not foresee its end, nor what dangers awaited her or if there would be any, to begin with—or even the fact she was wearing an elegant dress instead of a uniform.

All she could see was that person, hand reaching out to her amid the falling flowers, and she let slip a smile over the feeling of stark familiarity. Their paths and destinies had converged many times before, as often as they diverged.

Remembering the dress she was wearing, she realized this time they would walk together once more, only through this mysterious path they had never taken. Their destinies had once again converged. But this time, thinking about parting ways didn't sit well with her. Knowing it was inevitable filled her with melancholy she never had before. But she had never turned herself away from fate. Wherever this path may take them, she knew she would no longer fight for herself, by herself.

With that knowledge, she took the hand and began walking the way she always did and only knew how. But soon, her steps began to falter, as the strange warm feeling within her chest started to swell, and everything became dreamlike. Then her steps were no longer steady and decisive but swaying and wobbling, to the point she had to reach for support before she completely lost her balance.

But as she found herself leaning on that person, she realized why she allowed herself to momentarily lose her bearing. It was over a certain emotion she often heard but knew little about.

She was sure it was joy.