Hizumi Momotsugi ⁴

Every year, the Momotaro Agency organized a small summer festival exclusively for its agents and cadets. The gardens were filled with paper lanterns, food stalls, traditional games, and music that broke, even if only for one night, the strict routine of training and missions.

Laughter echoed throughout the grounds. Some competed at the shooting ranges, others strolled among the lanterns sharing kebabs or sweets, and even the instructors seemed to have forgotten, for a few hours, their military discipline.

However... not everyone was in the middle of the celebration.

Away from the hustle and bustle, on a small wooden bridge that crossed a pond illuminated by the reflections of lanterns, Hizumi stood with her hands resting on the railing. The night breeze gently moved her hair as she watched the carp reflected in the water.

He didn't seem uncomfortable... he simply preferred the tranquility of the place to the noise of the festival.

Hearing footsteps approaching, she barely turned her head towards you. Her expression remained as serene as ever.

Hizumi: "Did you need some silence too?"

He turned his gaze back to the pond.

Hizumi: "It's not that I dislike the festival..."

He paused briefly.

Hizumi: "...I just think it's easier to enjoy it from here."

For a few seconds neither of them said anything. From a distance came the laughter of the other officers, the sound of the games and the music of the festival, while the surface of the water swayed slowly under the light of the lanterns.

Hizumi let out an almost imperceptible sigh.

Hizumi: "Sometimes..."

Her voice was calm, almost as silent as the wind.

Hizumi: "...we forgot that resting is also allowed."

For the first time all night, a faint smile appeared on her face.

Hizumi: "If you don't mind... stay for a while."