[Aozora Town – Community Park]
Spring – Age 4
The sakura petals fluttered through the breeze like a gentle memory trying to resurface. The air held the warmth of early spring, with families dotting the wide public park in Aozora—laughing, walking, playing.
Among the many children filling the area, one particular boy stood out—not for any special feature, not for divine aura or overwhelming charisma—but for something profoundly human.
A kindness in his gaze.
A cheerful curiosity.
A voice filled with warmth.
Riku Asakura, age 4, had wandered off from his mother's bench in innocent pursuit of adventure. With a light jacket and tiny sneakers, he navigated the vast sandbox like an explorer of forgotten ruins.
And that's when fate stirred.
---
[First Meeting – A Chance Encounter]
On the opposite end of the sandbox, a quiet girl was crouched with a plastic shovel in hand. Her soft black hair framed her small face, and her wide lavender eyes fixated on the sand castle she was building.
Chihiro Tachibana was often alone. Not out of shyness—but because she liked to watch, to observe. Her world was quiet. Predictable.
Until today.
A ball bounced nearby and rolled into her legs, gently knocking over her half-made castle.
> "Oh…!"
She looked up, startled—but before she could react, a voice called out.
> "Ah! Sorry! Did that hit you?"
Riku came jogging over, breathing fast but smiling brightly. He wasn't panicked or flustered. Just… worried.
> "Are you hurt?" he asked, crouching down to check her knee. "The ball came from the big kids' side. I can tell them to be more careful!"
Chihiro blinked, unsure how to respond.
> "No. I'm… I'm okay. It's just a castle."
She wasn't used to someone being so forward yet gentle. The boy in front of her smiled like spring itself.
> "Still… sorry about your castle." He grinned and offered his hand. "Want help building it again?"
She stared for a moment, then… nodded.
> "Okay."
---
[Second Meeting – Collision Course]
Just as the two began patting down a new base for the castle, an indignant voice rang out across the park.
> "Move!"
A young girl, bold and sharp, darted forward with fierce speed. She was chasing a stray kite string that had wrapped around a low bush.
She didn't slow down fast enough—
And collided straight into Riku.
> "Wah—!"
Both tumbled back into the sand.
> "Ow…"
> "What the heck?! Why were you sitting there!?"
Hinako Aoyama sat up first, brushing sand off her hoodie. Her indigo eyes narrowed—but as she saw the boy groaning and holding his elbow, her irritation melted into guilt.
> "Tch… whatever." She huffed. "You okay?"
Riku sat up, dusting off his knees.
> "Yeah. I think so. But you took quite a fall too. Are you hurt?"
That question—so casually said, so naturally sincere—startled her.
> "I'm the one who crashed into you."
> "Still, you might've bruised your knee. Let me check."
Before she could react, he gently took her hand and examined her scraped knee with an expression that was all concern, no judgment.
> "You should clean this or it'll sting later," he said calmly.
For a moment, Hinako forgot to be annoyed.
He smiled, then looked over at the still-watching Chihiro.
> "Let's build a castle together!"
Hinako blinked. "Huh?"
> "It'll be faster with three! And you look like someone good at building forts."
Chihiro giggled softly at the accidental compliment. Hinako looked away, hiding her faint blush.
> "Tch. Fine. I'm not doing it for fun. Just so it doesn't look lame."
---
[An Unexpected Bond Begins]
The three worked together in the sandbox—Riku leading with excitement, Hinako packing sand with precision, and Chihiro quietly smoothing edges and strategizing the shape.
They were different—so very different.
But for some strange reason, something about this moment clicked.
And although none of them knew it…
Their destinies, once divine and cosmic, had just quietly begun again in a sandbox with shared laughter and sunlit promises.
---
[Later That Day]
As the sun dipped low, the mothers called their children home.
> "Riku~! Time to go!"
"Hinako, come here, sweetie!"
"Chihiro, your juice is ready!"
The three kids looked at one another—now strangers no more.
> "Same time tomorrow?" Riku asked brightly.
Chihiro nodded immediately. "Yes…"
Hinako gave a soft "hmph" before glancing away. "…Maybe."
But Riku's smile made both of them feel oddly… warm.
As they walked back to their respective homes—neighbors on the same street, unaware of how fate had woven their stories together once more—one thought lingered in each girl's mind.
> "He's… different."
Not divine.
Not powerful.
Just different.
And even at the age of four, they didn't know what to call this feeling.
But they wanted more of it.