1. The Picnic Was Supposed to Be Normal
It was Lilith's idea.
"Let's do something normal," she said.
"Like humans. A peaceful picnic. No explosions."
Somewhere in the background, Chainsaw-chan revved threateningly. Sayuri threw a dagger at a watermelon. Ayaka summoned a mini sun just to toast the sandwiches. Arisu stared into a pocket watch like she was expecting the timeline to betray her again.
So, naturally, I said:
"What could go wrong?"
Which is the exact sentence that should be banned from every fictional universe with magic, girls who can crush buildings with emotions, and demon portals disguised as public restrooms.
2. Roll Call: The Chaos Crew Arrives
We went to Starfall Hill, the most Instagrammable picnic spot in all of Neo-Tokyo. Bright green grass. Cherry blossoms. Floating koi fish. Only mildly haunted.
Ayaka arrived in a sundress with a blade hidden in her sandal.
Mirelle wore a sunhat that created passive snow around her (the sandwiches froze).
