Fenris_Nightband

After losing his mother as a child, Hoshino Aki clings to the legend she once told him—every 400 years, a falling star brings a celestial girl who grants a wish to someone in true need.

Now, 20 years later, Aki is a high school student who has long dismissed the tale as a fantasy. But when news of a rare celestial event shakes his world, forgotten memories resurface. Could the legend be real? And if so, will he finally receive the wish he once longed for?

As the fated night approaches, Aki is about to discover a truth far beyond his imagination.

Falling Star in My Garden

The air was thick with silence after the gods stepped back.

Aki stood in the garden where it had all begun, the sky above him littered with stars—watching, waiting. He could feel them now, not just as distant lights, but as something alive. Their quiet hum echoed in his bones.

Hoshikiri remained beside him, her expression unreadable. "They've retreated… for now."

Aki let out a slow breath. "Why do I feel like it's not over?"

"It isn't." Her gaze lifted toward the heavens, where faint ripples of divine energy still shimmered. "They're not finished watching. But they are uncertain."

Aki clenched his fists. "Why? What did I do?"

"You didn't do anything," Hoshikiri answered softly. "You are something."

Her words hung between them like a blade poised to fall.

Suddenly, the breeze shifted. The world seemed to tilt, and the stars above flickered—not as if they were dimming, but as if something passed in front of them.

A voice, faint but clear, echoed in Aki's mind.

He froze. That voice—it was familiar.

His heart pounded as he turned toward the sound, but no one was there. Then again.

He staggered a step back, his breath quickening. "Did you hear that?" he asked, his voice sharp.

Hoshikiri shook her head. "Hear what?"

"I heard… her." His throat tightened. "My mother."

Before Hoshikiri could answer, the world around them shifted. The garden blurred. The sky darkened. And suddenly, Aki was standing in another place.

It was a field of silver grass under an endless twilight sky. Stars hung low, close enough to touch.

And in the center of it stood a woman.

Her long hair swayed like silk, and her eyes were kind—soft and warm. She smiled at him.

"Aki," she said, her voice like the wind in spring, "you are more than you know."

He couldn't move. His feet were rooted to the ground, but his heart raced.

She stepped forward, placing a hand over his chest, right where his heart beat wildly. "You carry something ancient," she whispered. "The stars do not choose lightly."

Tears welled in his eyes. "What am I supposed to do?"

Her expression softened with sadness and pride. "Be who you are. And when the time comes… you'll understand."

The world around him began to fade. "Wait!" he called out. "Don't go!"

But she only smiled again. "I've always been with you."

Aki's eyes snapped open as he gasped for air. He was back. Hoshikiri stood before him, her hand gently pressed to his shoulder.

He nodded slowly, his chest tight but steady. "I did."

She helped him to his feet. "Then you're ready."

Her luminous gaze met his. "To stand where no human has stood before."

The stars above seemed to pulse in agreement.

And somewhere, far above them, Tsukihikari-no-Kami watched in silence, his golden eyes troubled.

The Whisper Between Worlds