[MashUp] Ch 39: The Starlight Crown

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"Mafuyu, let's go out and have some fun."

"Fun?"

Mafuyu repeated the word blankly.

In her world, there was only study, evaluation, and the duties of being a teacher.

"Fun" was a word she had long since cut out of her life, something almost sinful — just like how she believed her students should devote themselves entirely to honing their talents.

She had tied her own life to the tracks of responsibility and value, believing that any kind of frivolous indulgence was disgraceful.

Takuma didn't explain. He just stood, turned, and headed toward the restaurant doors.

Mafuyu's steps hesitated, but she still followed him.

They passed through the lobby and stepped outside, where the salty night breeze immediately washed over them, carrying the scent of the sea.

An empty beach stretched before them, moonlight spilling over everything, dyeing the sand and the sparkling waves in the distance a dreamlike silver.

Mafuyu's designer heels sank into the soft ground with every step, leaving her looking almost clumsy.

These shoes were made for red carpets, not sand.

Takuma glanced back at her, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

He slipped off his jacket, spread it across a clean patch of sand, and said one word: "Sit."

Her heart skipped a beat.

After a moment of hesitation, she obeyed.

The expensive fabric cushioned her hips, his body heat still clinging to it, seeping up through the fabric until it flushed her cheeks.

Then Takuma crouched down in front of her.

His long, slender fingers gently held her ankle.

The sudden intimacy made her whole body tense — she almost pulled back.

"Don't move."

Carefully, he slipped off her high heels.

Her dainty feet, wrapped in sheer stockings, curled shyly the moment they were freed.

When her soles brushed against the cool, fine sand, it sent a strange current rushing from her feet all the way through her body.

"Mafuyu."

Her face burned as she turned her head away, not daring to meet his eyes.

"What do you think?" he asked quietly, staring out at the horizon. "Is this ocean alive… or dead?"

"Dead," she answered without hesitation.

"Just sodium chloride, water, and trace minerals following the laws of nature and the tide."

It was the standard answer she had been taught all her life.

"Really?"

Takuma's smile turned mysterious.

He didn't argue. Instead, he reached into his pocket and took out a small box — the one he had "squeezed" out of Tohru.

Under her puzzled gaze, he gently opened it.

The next moment—

Vmmm—

A flood of starlight spilled from the box, lighting up her wide, astonished eyes.

And then—

The ocean responded.

Where the starlight touched the waves, countless blue-green motes of light floated up from the water. In an instant, the whole coastline lit up like a flowing river of stars.

And then—

One by one, dozens, hundreds, thousands of moonlit jellyfish rose from the surf, their glowing tendrils trailing behind them as they drifted gracefully into the air.

The world had transformed into a dreamscape — a private light show created just for her.

"Am… am I dreaming?"

Mafuyu's voice came out in a whisper, as if she were afraid that speaking too loudly would shatter the scene.

She rose to her feet without thinking.

Her stockinged feet sank softly into the sand as she stumbled toward the glowing ocean.

She reached out with trembling fingers to touch one of the drifting jellyfish, but her fingertips passed through it, sending gentle ripples through the illusion.

For a moment, it felt like her guarded, anxious heart — the one that feared exposure and rejection — was being washed clean in this gentle, impossible sea of light.

Behind her, Takuma picked up a necklace: the Starlight Crown.

Without a word, he stepped up behind her, brushing aside the soft pink curtain of her hair.

Click.

The clasp snapped shut, the jewel resting perfectly against her collarbone.

Warmth spread from the pendant, seeping into her skin.

Mafuyu jolted back to her senses, her body trembling. "This… this is way too expensive!"

Every bit of her instinct — and her common sense — screamed that this necklace could probably buy half of Yokohama.

Her hands shook as she reached back, ready to unfasten the clasp and return it.

But before her fingers even touched it—

Strong arms wrapped around her from behind.

She melted into his arms, held tight against his chest.

His voice murmured against her ear: "Don't take it off."

With that, he gently turned her soft body toward him—

And kissed her.

Mafuyu's hands weakly pushed against him, but soon her arms wrapped around his neck, shyly returning the kiss.

Time blurred.

By the time she leaned against his chest again, Mafuyu's legs were weak, her breathing quick and shallow as if she was trying to drink in every bit of air.

Her icy-blue eyes were misty and unfocused, shining faintly in the moonlight.

Then, barely louder than the waves, she whispered a few shaky syllables. "...Ok. I won't take it off."

They stayed like that for a long time, just quietly holding each other, listening to the ocean lap softly at the shore.

Eventually, Takuma leaned close, his breath brushing her ear. "Mafuyu... do you like it? My little surprise."

Her body trembled again.

She wanted to say thank you.

She wanted to say the gift was far too expensive.

She wanted to cling to the last shreds of her dignity as a teacher.

But in the end, what came out was a faint, muffled sound against his chest:

"...Mm."

"...I love it."

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Meanwhile, in Shinjuku City—

A modern, cozy bedroom was covered with band posters, a lone electric guitar propped in the corner.

On the soft bed, a pink-haired girl hugged her phone and rolled back and forth, squealing into her pillow, unable to contain her excitement.

Chihaya Anon.

She felt like the luckiest girl on Earth!

On her phone screen, the golden lottery result page had been screenshotted and saved more than a dozen times.

{Congratulations, Lucky Dreamchaser!}

{You have successfully won an invitation to the Dreamland First Preview Event!}

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