Story Reader / Event Story / Summer Anecdotes / Story
Moonlight shimmers on the ocean, sending ripples of silver dancing across the waves.
Though summer has long since slipped beneath the sea, the seventeen-year cicadas keep chanting through the night, determined to leave a trace of their existence in every echo.
By the window, a young girl turns the pages of her book under the soft glow of the moon.
At this moment, she senses something.
Wearing a slightly dazed expression, the white-haired girl tilts her head and looks outside the window.
A soft whisper forms on her lips, emerging between the moonlight and the sea before it disappears again.
Why...
...am I here?
A few days ago
She opens her eyes and finds herself in this unfamiliar room.
Her mind feels jumbled—everything's blank. There's something she can't quite remember.
There are faint traces of someone living here, though not many. It looks like they only stayed for a short time—maybe just a day?
A few books sit on the table, and they look oddly familiar:
"Fundamentals of Civil Engineering", "Start from Zero: Build Your Own Home!", "Yes, You Can Have a Garden", and "From Beginner to Master: A Newcomer's Guide to Gardening".
They seem old, not from heavy use, but as though they've been dug up after being buried for years.
She picks up the book called "Beginner to Master: A Newcomer's Guide to Gardening" and gives it a quick once-over.
On the first few dozen pages, she sees a bunch of notes—some points are underlined, and there are small comments scribbled in the margins.
The handwriting isn't fancy, but it's neat and organized, showing how seriously the writer took these notes.
As she flips further through the pages, a slip of paper drops out.
She stoops down and picks up the note. It seems to be... a poem, or maybe lyrics?
When she reads it closely, flashes of images flicker in her mind.
There's a sense of familiarity she can't pin down, but... she knows it's something important.
It's like trying to see flowers through a thick fog, with only a vague melody drifting through her thoughts.
She thinks to herself that she better sort out all the facts she has right now.
Her memory is hazy, but she is sure these books are hers—and that note might be the key to regaining what she has lost.
She glances out the window. The moon hangs there, lonely in the night sky, and she can see a beach and the ocean not too far away.
Something inside her insists she stays put. She is waiting for someone who truly matters.
Has she known all along that this would happen? If so, can the one she has been waiting for help her get her memories back?
You look at the message on the terminal and fall silent.
The message only shows a set of coordinates, and the sender's name appears as random gibberish.
However, the terminal does come with a basic reverse-decryption tracking feature.
Still, if anyone manages to bypass the reinforced safeguards Lee designed, it's almost certain that this tracking program won't be of much help.
Something about this way of communicating reminds you of someone you know...
You open the reverse-decryption tracking program and lock onto the sender as the target. After a brief pause, the progress bar stalls at 30%.
Then the program lags and crashes; it seems like there's no way to continue the trace.
Since you can't do a reverse trace right now, you decide to check these coordinates instead.
You enter the coordinates into the terminal, and the cursor hovers over a building by the sea.
You only heard rumors about this ancient castle not long ago...
It's a vampire.
No, a human-faced bat sounds more likely.
Could it be a siren after all?
You stop in your tracks at those bizarre words, and your sudden motion makes those mechanoids notice you.
Hello, [player name].
It's that seaside castle. Lately, every night, an eerie singing echoes from inside, and we're wondering if there's a monster hiding in there.
[player name], you should stay away from that place for the time being. It might be dangerous.
Beneath the thick canopy of leaves, the distant castle remains clearly visible.
You ultimately choose to come here in person to investigate.
Your terminal is set to transmit your coordinates in two hours, and you have your weapon at the ready.
Those ghostly rumors aren't exactly reliable. Since the message includes coordinates, perhaps you can see it as an invitation? And... the way it's sent reminds you of someone in particular.
...Could it be you?
A while has passed since the incident in the conservation area, and there's still no word from her. Meanwhile, the orchid in the lounge continues to thrive.
Consciousness crossing time and space seemed like pure fantasy under any circumstances—especially when it involved running into Luna from the future.
Maybe it was an unspoken feeling that stirred within you. Instead of reporting it, you decided to stash that experience away like a personal secret.
Following the narrow trail by the oak, you reach a three-way fork: left to the shore, right into deeper darkness.
Under the full moon's glow, the way forward poses no real barrier. You stay on the middle path, and before long, you're standing right outside the castle.
According to the mechanoids in the city, this castle has been here for decades since it was built.
Abandoned for years, it shows no trace of modern technology.
Quiet, ancient, and mysterious.
That's the first impression the castle gives.
Unlike the massive medieval fortresses built for war, the castle in front of you seems more like a wizard's lair straight out of a fantasy novel.
You stand at the gates of this old stronghold, ready to push them open, when you notice a strange inscription on the ground.
Leaning in, you can just make out the faint letters scratched into the surface.
Fated one, awaken the moon.
It's almost as if a drama-loving god orchestrated that haunting legend's melody to echo at exactly the right moment.
...cry... before my grave...
The tune rides the night breeze from afar, allowing only brief snatches of it to be heard.
You focus on each lyric and note, feeling a surge of familiarity rise within you.
The orchid from memories gently unfurls, as if awakening once more.
You push the grand doors wide and stride into the castle.
You follow the faint, broken melody through the castle's winding corridors, each step sharpening its tune and revealing its words.
The breeze... I shall... become...
This voice—it's Luna, without a doubt.
And those lyrics prove it: this is indeed that song.
You stand at the bottom of the stairs. Just above you is the small room on the top floor.
The person inside seems to notice your footsteps, and the singing suddenly stops.
As you make your way up the spiral staircase, you spot an open door coming into view.
With each step, the door grows larger in your vision, until you can finally see what lies inside.
That figure appears before your eyes, as expected.
She sits by the window, casting her gaze upon you.
Why... am I here?
The girl looks out the window.
The moon is almost full.
She has been here for days, but that person still doesn't arrive.
I should leave tomorrow.
She feels weary of waiting.
She looks down at the note in her hand and sings along to the familiar tune she remembers.
Over the past few days, she keeps repeating this seemingly futile attempt again and again.
Maybe it isn't completely pointless—after these attempts, she does recall a few things, but they only leave her more confused.
Her recovered fragments span a vast timeline, sometimes clashing. One moment, she's torn from her sister in childhood; the next, they're shopping together as adults.
All these random memories jumble together in her mind, but she still can't recall her own name.
Hmm?
She senses footsteps downstairs and quietly waits for whoever is coming.
The footsteps grow steadily closer.
Luna.
The young girl looks at the human standing before her. With just one glance, the flutter in her heart tells her this is the person she has been waiting for.
Hi.
Luna doesn't reply; she just tilts her head, gazing at you in silence.
After what feels like ages, she finally comes back to the moment.
Sorry, my mind drifts off for a second.
I believe I'm not quite the person you mentioned.
In short, my memory isn't right.
No, I'm just stating a fact.
You just called me Luna. Is that my name?
Everything feels so bizarre right now. You can't believe you've fallen into a run-of-the-mill amnesia storyline, like a scene straight out of a prime-time soap.
Hmm... an ally.
A friend, huh...
Hmm?
You spot a few books on the table out of the corner of your eye.
I guess so, but the subject matter feels strange. I'm not sure why I used to read something like this.
You move closer and check the titles. Now, you think you know why Luna picks up books like these.
Is this your childhood home?
Yes. My sister and I rebuilt it brick by brick.
We studied a lot about architecture. We learned as we went about building it.
Yes.
According to Luna, following the melody helps to recall fragments of her past.
Yes, I figure once I learn how to sing the whole song, I can remember everything.
But if I rely only on my memory, it's tough to learn all by myself...
This song was taught to you by the Luna you met when your consciousness traveled to the "future." The one sending the message is likely the Luna before she lost her memory. So, does it mean you need to teach this song to the Luna who doesn't remember anything?
It seems this song really is the key to bringing her memories back.
But Luna doesn't seem to care much about it.
Well, if I can't pick it up, then that's all right.
Based on my experiences these past few days, my memories are gradually falling into place anyway.
In three to five years, I should be able to remember everything.
