~~ • ~~
Misaki froze.
She went completely still.
Rooted to the spot.
Her smile vanished.
Her eyes darted left and right, searching for the little figures that had just been right next to us.
But they weren't there.
Not a single one of them.
My heart began to pound.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
It beat so hard the sound filled my ears.
And because of that, my mind flooded with possibilities.
Too many possibilities.
And all of them bad.
Without saying a word—
I broke into a run.
"Eh— Itsuki!"
Misaki's voice called out from behind.
But I was already moving.
This festival was built around a four-way intersection.
The main stage was right in the middle.
One road was blocked off for staff and event operations.
That meant there were only three main paths crowded with visitors, games, and rows of stalls.
Three possibilities.
Three directions.
And three missing little girls.
Should I check the outer edges first?
Or the inner section near the stage?
