The war at the Tokyo Anime Fair had been won.
With limited-edition figurines, posters, keychains, and even a signed art book, Akira, still in his dog form, Erika, and Iori were heading home.
"I still can't believe that actually worked," Erika said with a sigh. She never expected Akira to use that kind of trick, and yet, it actually worked. They always got special treatment, no matter where they went.
"A great man once said, 'If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.' I know my enemies like cute things, and I also know I am the cutest thing there is, so victory is inevitable," Akira said, looking into the sky with a melancholic expression, as if he were a military commander who had fought hundreds of battles.
"So, tell me, oh great commander, since the battle is already over, why are you still in dog form?" Erika asked, rolling her eyes.
"I am a dire wolf pup, not a dog. Sigh. Mother told me to maintain the transformation magic until I reach home to see how long I can hold it," Akira said, sighing.
"Yeah, transformation magic takes a lot of mana to maintain, especially for humans who have no connection with whatever they transform into. How much mana do you have left?" Iori asked with a thoughtful expression.
"More than half. I could go on for a lot longer if I wanted to," Akira said, checking his reserves.
"That's amazing, Akira-kun! You really are a magic genius, and your mana reserves are huge, too. I heard from your parents that you learn every single magic taught to you just by seeing it once. Sigh, I wonder how strong you'll grow to be," Iori said with a sigh. Akira's talents were terrifying, after all.
"Don't say it. Now I'm already depressed. Yesterday, my mother taught me a new technique, but I couldn't use it no matter how long I tried," Akira said with an irritated expression.
"Huh?! You failed to learn a magic? That's impossible! You basically learn everything just like that!" Erika said in astonishment. She knew how powerful Akira was, she was there when he learned Rasengan and Kamehameha like it was nothing, so she was shocked he couldn't learn a magic.
"It's not magic, it's my family's secret technique called Stellar Radiance. I can't use it no matter how much I try," Akira said with a sigh.
"Oh, that one. Yeah, that uses powerful and impactful memories as a catalyst. I guess you didn't think about an important memory," Iori said thoughtfully.
"I basically thought of every single memory I can think of as important, but nothing works," Akira said, still confused. He thought of everything that could be important to him, but it didn't work.
"Hmm, maybe it's because you're still young. I don't know much about how that works. It's a powerful technique, but it was used to deal with creatures of darkness, and I am a creature of darkness, at least part of me is," Iori said with a shrug.
Akira also realized that talking about that in front of two dhampirs was a bit insensitive, so he thought about changing the topic. He looked around to find something to talk about, but soon realized they were in a familiar place, a park.
"Hey, this park… isn't it that park? Why is it always empty? Do people just not like parks anymore?" Akira muttered aloud, staring at the familiar sight before him.
It was the same park where he'd met countless girls before. Akira called this place, Park of Encounters. For some reason, anime characters always seemed to appear here. He decided it was only natural. After all, an empty park was practically a requirement for flashbacks in anime: a boy and girl meeting as children, then reuniting years later. The trope was too strong to ignore.
Erika and Iori also recognized the place. Both of them couldn't help but wonder why it was always deserted around this time, right after school hours.
"I hope there's no crying little girl here today, too, hahaha," Iori said with a laugh, but as he did, they heard something. It was the sound of a girl crying. Hearing that sound, all of them were shocked.
"Yeah, I hear a crying girl. Seems like another important event is happening right now. Come on, everyone! We have to witness this event!" Akira said as he walked towards the park. He seemed determined to witness this moment. In his puppy form, he was faster than both of his friends, so they could only watch as he ran toward the park.
"Should we stop him?" Erika asked her brother with an irritated expression.
"There is no stopping Akira-kun after he decides on something. Let's just follow him, we might see something interesting," Iori said with a grin as they followed Akira into the park.
"I just hope there isn't another crying little girl here today, hahaha," Iori said with a carefree laugh. But as he did, they heard something. It was the sound of a girl crying. Hearing that sound, all of them were shocked.
"Yep, that's definitely a crying girl. Looks like another event flag just went up!" Akira declared, his tone brimming with excitement. "Come on, everyone! We can't miss this one!"
Before either Erika or Iori could react, Akira bolted forward in his puppy form, bounding toward the park with reckless determination. He was much faster like this, leaving the other two behind.
"Should we stop him?" Erika asked her brother with an irritated expression.
"There's no stopping Akira-kun once he decides something," Iori replied with a smirk. "Might as well follow. Who knows? We might see something interesting."
With that, the two chased after him, bracing themselves for whatever bizarre encounter awaited inside the so-called Park of Encounters.