🌸 CHAPTER 1 — The Day a Strange Girl Fell From the Sky
Momohama Town was famous for exactly three things:
cherry blossoms blooming all year,
sea winds that always smelled like powdered sugar, and
rumors that “something weird falls from the sky whenever the sun turns pink.”
That morning, the sun turned pink.
And I—Haru Minase—was just trying not to be late for school.
I sprinted down the hill toward the harbor, backpack slapping my side as I muttered:
“Late, late, late—why am I always—”
WHUMPH.
Something—or someone—landed right in front of me.
I nearly tripped over my own feet.
There, lying face-down on a patch of soft grass, was a girl in a sky-blue dress, hair white as fresh snow and long enough to brush the ground. A round fan with a bunny painted on it lay beside her. And on top of her head—
Were those… cat ears?
Tiny, fluffy, twitching cat ears.
I blinked.
“…What?”
The girl suddenly sprang up, spun around like a malfunctioning windmill, then pointed straight at me.
“You! The first human I’ve encountered! Tell me—IS THIS EARTH?!”
I blinked again. Harder.
“Uh… yeah? This is Momohama, Japan.”
She nodded seriously, pulled a tiny booklet from her sleeve, and flipped it open.
The cover read: The Official Field Guide for Skyfall Trainees.
She read aloud:
“If you land safely and encounter a peaceful local being:
• Step 1: Smile warmly.
• Step 2: Introduce yourself.
• Step 3: Do not intimidate.
• Step 4: Absolutely DO NOT threaten combat.”
She closed the book, puffed out her chest, and declared:
“My name is Yuki! Level-2 Trainee of the Skyfall Academy! Please take care of me!!”
She clasped both hands together, eyes sparkling like she’d practiced that pose in the mirror a hundred times.
Somehow… it was cute.
“I’m Haru,” I said. “And… did you really fall from the sky?”
Yuki nodded with absolute confidence.
“Yes! I was taking my practical exam—BUT THEN the wind changed direction and—”
She spun her arms in a dramatic spiral motion.
“—I accidentally crash-landed on you!”
“I mean… I was already standing here…”
“Then it’s YOUR unlucky fortune,” she replied without a hint of guilt.
I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or feel offended.
Before I could decide, her stomach growled.
Loudly.
Like a whale calling its family across the ocean.
Yuki froze, cheeks turning pink.
“…Do humans have food? Emergency trainee rations burned up in atmospheric descent.”
I stared at her.
She stared back with starry, tragic eyes.
And somehow I already knew:
My morning was not going to be normal.
Not even close.
