Part 2
That same night, Shizuki walked toward the central plaza—a habit of hers whenever she sought a quiet moment.
In one hand, a small bag with a slice of cake. In the other, a warm coffee. A peaceful night. The perfect time to read in silence.
The rustling of leaves, the stillness of the air… everything felt in harmony.
Until it didn't.
A chill ran down her spine—the kind of alarm that didn't come from the outside, but from deep instinct.
She stopped. And then she saw it.
A being emerging from a spatial rift, as if reality had been torn from the inside. Its form was humanoid, but its body distorted the light with a violet energy.
A Nulvoid soldier—an enemy she knew all too well.
"Tch… just when the night was getting good," she muttered, letting her coffee drop.
"Golden Time."
The world froze in golden light.
Leaves suspended in midair.
Streetlamps frozen like oil paintings.
The Nulvoid halted mid-leap.
Shizuki summoned her Lancaster Volt pistol, aimed calmly— and fired.
A streak of electricity cut through the still air, striking the Nulvoid squarely and reducing it to a cloud of cosmic dust.
Time resumed.
But something was wrong… A buzzing in her head. A strange tightness in her chest.
She could no longer remember what she had been doing before the attack.
"Where… am I? What was I doing?" she said, staring at the pistol in her hand.
Another memory—gone.
Shizuki clenched her teeth.
Every use of her power came with a price… And she never knew when that price would be collected.
"I forgot to reload the second cartridge again…" she muttered, opening the chamber to check her weapon.
And then… The air rippled again.
"Shizuki, watch out!" shouted a familiar voice.
A second Nulvoid appeared behind her—faster, more aggressive.
Shizuki reached for her wristwatch.
"Gol—"
But she didn't finish.
The Nulvoid struck her arm hard, sending the watch flying.
"Grandpa!" she screamed, helplessly watching the device sail through the air.
Touma sprinted forward and leapt desperately, catching the watch midair and tumbling to the ground.
Without hesitation, he sprang back to his feet and tossed it toward her.
She caught it mid-flight, a confident smile blooming across her face.
"Golden Time!"
In a flash, her sword materialized in her hand. With one elegant thrust, the second Nulvoid vanished into the air… as if it had never existed.
This time, Shizuki seemed to stagger.
Touma rushed to her side, catching her in his arms.
"Hey, Shizuki! Wake up!" he called out urgently—but she didn't answer.
Everything turned gray.
And then—Shizuki returned. To a memory.
The image played in her mind like a worn-out film reel, slipping through the fingers of time.
She was barely five years old, dressed in a beautiful white dress.
It was spring.
She walked beside a lake where ducks swam peacefully and pigeons wandered among passersby.
Beside her, an older man smiled.
"Grandpa, Grandpa! Look at the duckies! They look so cute in the water!" she said, her smile radiant.
"Ho ho… you're right, little one. You really take after your mother…"
"Because I'm like a ducky?" she asked, confused.
"You're adorable. No, my dear granddaughter… your mother used to love ducks."
"Really? Mommy hardly ever smiles anymore…"
"That's because she's had some hard times, that's all. She's not strict with you for no reason."
"I wish I could be like the duckies and just swim peacefully in this park forever…" she said, tossing bread crumbs into the water.
"Dear Shizuki… time never stops. But we can make every second count."
"You already told me that… though time does seem to stop during music class. But when I'm with you… time flies."
Her grandfather laughed gently and lifted her up onto his shoulders.
"That's because when you're having fun, time goes by fast. That's why we have to treasure every moment."
"And never lose your smile. Don't be like your mother… I don't want you to become a serious, cold adult, Shizuki."
"Okay, Grandpa! I promise I'll be a really good girl—and when I grow up, I'll flood the world with my smile!"
"Ho ho… what a funny little girl. How about we head to the fair and get some cotton candy?"
"Yay! Cotton candy!!"
"But don't tell your mother, alright?"
"It's a promise, Grandpa!"
And so the two walked off toward the fair, radiant like the sun.
The memory slowly faded. Shizuki opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw was Touma Kisaragi's worried face, very close to hers.
"Hey, Shizuki! Are you okay?"
She stared at him intently, as if trying to solve some ancient mystery.
Throughout all her years using Golden Time, it had always taken memories from her—recent, cherished, random...
But this time… It had given one back.
A memory she thought was lost forever.
Tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn't tell if they were from sorrow or nostalgia.
But the memory of her grandfather overflowed from her heart like a river bursting its banks.
"Kisaragi Touma…" she whispered, as tears streamed down her face. "Who are you, really?"
Touma froze.
He was still holding her, but hadn't heard what she whispered.
"S-sorry for grabbing you… You were about to fall and I didn't know what else to do," he stammered nervously, worried she might take it the wrong way.
Shizuki didn't look away.
For the first time since obtaining her powers, she had regained something she thought was gone forever.
A precious memory. One that shouldn't have returned.
And more mysteriously still… She'd recovered it with him.
"Touma Kisaragi…" she whispered again, this time with no tears—only a faint, trembling smile. "Why you?"
Touma swallowed hard. He didn't know what to say. But he couldn't move either. The way she looked at him… it was different. Still. Calm. Deep.
And then, without thinking, Shizuki leaned in. Just a little.
Their faces were close. Too close.
Touma's heart pounded as if it were trying to escape his chest.
"…Shizuki…" he murmured, barely audible.
Her eyes sparkled with a mix of sorrow and tenderness. As if she wanted to say something more… but decided to express it another way.
Only inches separated them.
But then—
"WHAT the hell is going on here?!"
A familiar voice crashed through the moment like an explosion.
"Hina!?"
Running toward them with her hair a complete mess and her pendant faintly glowing, she stopped in front of them with the fury of a thousand telenovelas.
"I take my eyes off you for five minutes and you're already with the home-wrecking cat, Touma?!"
"I-it's not what it looks like!" he shouted, instantly panicking like he'd just been caught in the final scene of some forbidden midnight drama.
"Then why are you hugging her like you're the leads in a late-night soap?! And she's crying!! What did you do, you emotional criminal?!"
Shizuki, still dazed from the interruption, simply blinked.
She looked at Hina…
Then at Touma…
And finally, she smiled.
A real smile. One she hadn't used in years.
"Thank you, Kisaragi Touma," she said at last, rising to her feet with the grace of a winter-blooming lady. "Today… you saved more than just my life."
Touma scratched the back of his neck, red as a traffic light.
"Ehh… you're welcome… I guess."
Hinata scowled, still on high alert.
"This isn't over, you hear me? We had a date. A date with no cats involved!"
"What do you mean 'isn't over'?! I didn't even do anything!"
As they argued like grade schoolers during recess, Shizuki turned away, lifting her eyes to the starlit sky.
Another day had passed… And yet, for the first time in a long time, she felt like her time had started moving again. Her long-dormant smile had awakened.
She finally understood.
Touma had broken down that wall of ice that had protected her for so long… Even if she wasn't ready to admit it just yet.
She quietly watched as Hinata chased Touma around like an angry wife after the cheating lead in a cheap drama.
The scene was absurd. Comical.
Shizuki let out a soft, almost inaudible laugh. Then looked back up at the stars.
"Grandpa…" she whispered, her lips barely moving. "I think… I fell in love. And for the first time… I feel happy again."
But only the stars—And maybe her grandfather, from some hidden corner of time—Were witness to that beautiful smile, finally thawed after so many frozen years.