Spiritrun Arena

Tokyo's plum rain season had just passed, leaving the sky a clear, transparent blue. Grandma Chizuru stood in the courtyard, gazing up at the old cherry tree—where Yuekui had placed the first star lamp in her palm on the summer solstice three hundred years ago. Now twelve paper lanterns hung from the branches, each painted with a different star map: an armored general (Yuekui), a double-bunned girl (Chizuru), an aproned woman (young Su Qinghuan)... The last lantern's surface was blank, save for half a star, its edge traced in gold powder with the characters Shared Light.

"This summer festival, we must leave a lamp for Yuekui." She turned with a smile, holding a wicker basket. "Yuekui said in a dream we'd 'hang stars' together today."

Inside the basket lay twelve star lamps, each more delicate than last year—pale purple from Asagao's crow feathers, indigo from the glow of Lin Ye's Reverse Scale Core, light yellow from threads of Little Peach's knitting... Ripples of light spread across the central lamp's surface as Grandma Chizuru moved, revealing a scene from three hundred years ago: on a summer night at Locking Dragon Abyss, Yuekui wore a plain white kimono, a cherry-blossom hairpin in her hair, crouching by the stream with Chizuru—one weaving a bamboo frame, the other adding fireflies to the lamp; young Su Qinghuan ran over with sweet wine rice balls, her cherry-blossom hairpin shining; sixteen-year-old Lin Ye carried injured Yuekui through rain, murmuring "Little Peach, don't be afraid"...

"Our summers have long been strung through time." Asagao smiled, holding a teacup. Her spirit pattern core resonated with the star lamps, light patterns weaving tiny starlight on the cup's edge. "Like the fireflies in these lamps—each holds past winds, yet all glow together into this present summer."

Little Peach was tying a star lamp garland around Coalball's neck, her crows helping from her shoulders. Suddenly, the flower-winged crow flew up, fetching a special star lamp—its body made of translucent glass, enclosing a star that glowed softly as Grandma Chizuru moved.

"It's Yuekui!" Sakura pointed at the screen. In the spatial spirit pattern projection, Yuekui emerged from the cherry tree. She wore a crimson kimono, a cherry-blossom hairpin in her hair, armor replaced by sheer gauze, her stardust meteorite bracelet glowing warm gold. Most delightfully, a double-pigtailed girl shadowed her—Little Peach.

"Yuekui!" Little Peach shrieked, dashing forward, but Sakura held her back.

"Wait." Grandma Chizuru took out a sugar painting. "Yuekui said you must 'see' for yourself."

Yuekui's figure sharpened. She knelt by the wooden frame, fingertips brushing Little Peach's hair: "Three hundred years ago, I always said 'when the war ends', but in the summer after, I couldn't even see a whole star lamp. Until you came, I realized—reunion isn't 'waited' for; it's held in the present."

Lin Ye's Reverse Scale Core burned suddenly. He took out the stardust fragment (Grandma Chizuru had slipped it to him that morning), which resonated with Yuekui's bracelet to form a complete star map in mid-air. Each star matched a "Reunion Knot": Su Qinghuan's rice balls, Asagao's scarves, Jiu's crows, Grandma Chizuru's sugar paintings... At the center, Lin Ye and Little Peach stood hand-in-hand.

"I've been part of your 'now' all along." Yuekui smiled at Little Peach. "Your firefly lanterns, your sweet soup, Coalball's collar... Each mends the 'reunion' I couldn't finish three hundred years ago."

Little Peach's tears splashed on the star lamp. She recalled Yuekui's dream words: "The brightest star belongs to the most precious 'now'." Now she understood—Yuekui had never left; she'd become every warmth, every heartbeat, every "now" wrapped in love.

At dusk, they sat under the Spirit Pattern Tree, watching the star lamps. Yuekui's figure faded, but before vanishing, she tossed the twelve star lamps into the air. Stars within them fell, merging into everyone's cores—this time, Lin Ye's core held Little Peach's laughter, Su Qinghuan's echoed Coalball's purrs, Asagao's felt the clumsiness of knitting, Grandma Chizuru's sparkled with sugar painting gold dust...

"This is..." Su Li touched her burning spirit pattern core. "Our 'Reunion Knots', stored in eternity by General Yuekui."

Late at night, Lin Ye sat alone on Tokyo Tower's observation deck. His Reverse Scale Core hovered on his lap, starlight flowing with the day's scenes: the Spirit Pattern Tree dancing with star lamps and fireflies, Yuekui's smiling phantom, Little Peach holding a star lamp and shouting "Sister Yuekui".

"Captain." Little Peach's voice came from the stairs. Wrapped in his new scarf, holding Coalball, star dust in her hair from their earlier play, she said, "Grandma Chizuru says Yuekui's star lamps are especially bright this year."

Lin Ye looked at her face, lit by starlight, and suddenly remembered that summer night three hundred years ago—when he'd carried the injured Yuekui, murmuring "Little Peach, don't be afraid". Now he held Little Peach, standing in the summer wind, thinking, Yuekui, look—we're all doing well.

Wind swept the tower, carrying a wisp of stardust that drifted far away, landing on a healed soul's shoulder—it was Yuekui, and every "Reunion Knot" ever wrapped in love.

In a warmer corner, Coalball pawed at Grandma Chizuru's newly baked star lamp-shaped cakes, Sakura and Jiu organized the day's spirit pattern core memories, Su Qinghuan cooked a second pot of sweet wine rice balls in the kitchen, and Asagao knitted new scarves for the crows...

Summer continued, but it already carried the warmth of eternity.