Beep beep beep!

  My HoloNode chimes and lights up with a message from Tama.

  —Heya, Bunny-chan! Meet me near the shopping center on campus!

  —Oh—and come wearing your MM augments!

  ?

  “Brrrr~”

  My body shivers in the cold morning wind. With only my school uniform on and Mirai Medical augments that simulate the chill way too realistically, I’m absolutely freezing.

  I walk through the campus’s narrow streets until they open up into a wide plaza. Across the field stands a large building with arching glass doors, flanked by two golden Idol statues posed in cute outfits. As I draw closer, I spot Tama leaning against one of them, still in her uniform with nothing but a simple pair of shoes.

  She notices me and immediately starts waving, her voice carrying across the plaza. “Bunny-chan~!”

  “Morning, Tama,” I say as I finally catch up to her.

  Before I can say anything else, she slips her hand around mine. Warmth spreads through my fingers from her synthetic skin as she tugs me forward.

  “Come on, let’s go!”

  She walks backward toward the shopping center, nearly dragging me along. I stumble before catching my footing.

  “Whoa—what’s the rush?” I ask. “Did you just want to go shopping?”

  Tama stops and snorts. “Did you forget what today is?”

  My cheeks heat up. I didn’t even check my calendar. The first thing I saw when I woke up was Tama’s message, and I was so excited she asked me out that I rushed over without thinking.

  “I… don’t know what today is. I’m sorry,” I admit, lowering my gaze.

  She chuckles, the sound quickly turning into laughter.

  “You don’t have to be sorry,” she giggles. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

  We step inside the shopping center, and the space opens into a sprawling bazaar of shops. Girls fill the walkways, chatting and browsing, but what really catches my attention are the drones.

  There are so many of them.

  They zip through the air in a frenzy, screen-faces flickering with hurried expressions. Some swap out bright wall panels for darker tones, while others install special lights along the railings and pillars.

  Despite the bustle, the shops themselves feel calm—lights dimmed, displays filled with cute luminescent outfits glowing softly.

  That’s when it finally hits me—

  “Today’s the Heartbeat Festival!”

  “Hehe, there you go!” Tama teases. “I invited you out so we could celebrate together!”

  I pause. “You want to… celebrate… with me?”

  “Of course,” Tama laughs. “Now let’s go shopping~!”

  She squeezes my hand and starts pulling me toward the shops—but I freeze, stopping her short.

  Tama stumbles and turns back, blinking before her expression softens into a curious smile. “You alright, Bunny-chan?”

  My cheeks burn hot.

  The Heartbeat Festival is meant to be a super intimate celebration. You choose one person to spend the entire day with—matching steps, sharing food, never straying too far apart. An attempt to sync with someone else’s heartbeat.

  I’ve only ever celebrated it with my brother. Back then it was easy. Casual.

  But doing it with Tama feels… different.

  I shake my head. “I—I’m fine! I-it’s just—”

  “Hehehehehe~” Tama giggles. “It’s okay to be nervous. It’s my first time celebrating without my family too, so I thought you and I could pair up this year!”

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  Her words catch me off guard. Of course she reads me that easily.

  I always get flustered when I’m thrown into something unfamiliar—but Tama always knows how to steady me. She’s always smiling, always laughing. It’s that unwavering confidence that keeps pulling me toward her.

  I smile back, my cheeks still warm. “Yeah… you and me.”

  Tama’s smile widens. Her grip tightens just a little as she turns and leads me toward the shops.

  ?

  We walk into a store lined with mannequins, each dressed in unique outfits trimmed with special fabrics that glow faintly beneath the store’s dim lighting.

  Almost immediately, a clerk drone glides toward us—a feminine figure with a flared, skirt-like base and a floating head.

  “Welcome to OffSet!” It says in a cheery synthetic voice. “Thank you for stopping by. This week’s collection features clothing with LuminWeave fabrics curated for the Heartbeat Festival season.”

  I glance at the displays again. Wearing light-up clothing during the festival is tradition, but LuminWeave is something else entirely—a material designed to glow and change color in sync with your heart rate.

  “Please feel free to take your time.” The drone adds, bowing politely.

  “Thank you,” Tama says softly, bowing in return.

  I blink, then hurriedly follow her lead.

  “Oh—right. Thank you!”

  The drone and I exchange bows before it drifts aside. I let out a quiet sigh. Sometimes I forget there are people piloting these things. The operators sound so polished it almost feels robotic, especially through the voice filter.

  The clerk turns back to Tama and extends its hand, a chip reader nestled into its palm. “If you’d like, I can register your preferred payment method or student ID. That way, once you’re satisfied with your selection, charges will process automatically as you exit the store.”

  “Sounds good!” Tama lifts her wrist, presenting the bracelet with her HoloNode embedded along the rim.

  Her HoloNode chimes against the reader, and the drone’s screen flashes a bright smiling face. I raise my own wrist—but Tama gently stops me.

  “Do you think you could charge me for her clothes too?” she asks casually.

  “W-wait, huh?!” I stammer, waving my hands. “You don’t have to do that!”

  Tama looks at me and grins. “Why not? I want to treat you.”

  I shrink a little, my face burning as I look down. “Well… it’s just that…”

  She steps closer and pokes my cheek. I instinctively cup my face and look up at her, caught off guard by how close she is.

  “You don’t need to worry,” she laughs. “It’s not like you’ll owe me. I just want to get you something nice for the holiday.”

  I hesitate, then nod. “O-okay, fine. B-but at least let me buy something for you too.”

  “You bet!” Tama chuckles. “Now come on—let’s go find something cute!”

  She grabs my hand and yanks me through the store, dragging me down aisle after aisle. By the time she finally lets go, she’s already rummaging through racks, pulling out anything that catches her eye.

  I can’t help but laugh.

  It’s only then that I realize my hand is empty. I pause, fingers curling slightly before I let them fall back to my side.

  My hand feels colder without hers in it.

  I shake my head and start browsing the nearby aisles, moving at an easier pace as I drift off on my own. I’m not looking for anything in particular—just wandering—until I turn a corner and something makes me freeze in place.

  One of the mannequins is posed midair, like an Idol frozen in flight, a prop sync rifle raised as if caught in the middle of battle. Its legs are dressed in dark navy thigh-high stockings, thin circuit patterns running down from the hem, woven in LuminWeave. A matching jacket is fitted over its torso, circuitry tracing clean lines along the sleeves.

  My heart skips.

  I recognize the pattern immediately.

  It’s the same lighting design Reina uses when she enters overdrive. The jacket even has a LuminWeave decal on the back, shaped just like her angel-wing jetpack.

  The pose. The weapon. There’s no mistaking it.

  This has to be a tribute to her.

  I’m in love!

  I rush to the shelves and grab the set off the rack. Without thinking, I slip my arms into the jacket and zip it up.

  It fits perfectly!

  I hurry over to a nearby mirror and stare at my reflection.

  “Eeeeee~” The sound slips out before I can stop it. I bounce lightly on my heels, giddy—until something flutters down from the hem of the jacket.

  A tag.

  My smile falters. I pick it up, lifting it closer to read—

  “Ah…?!”

  I take off the jacket and fold it neatly before placing it back on the shelf with the stockings. Then I sigh.

  There’s no way I’m letting Tama buy something that expensive for me.

  I mutter under my breath, “Maybe I’ll find something sim—”

  “Bunny-chan?”

  “Eeep!”

  I jump and spin around to find Tama standing there with a huge bundle of clothes piled in her arms.

  “Whatcha lookin’ at?” she asks.

  “Aaaah—nothing!” I blurt out.

  If she sees what I was just looking at, she’s going to insist on buying it. I can’t let her.

  She tries to peek past me, so I lean over to block her view. She shifts the other way—and I follow—until she suddenly tilts her head upward, eyes landing on the mannequin posed above the shelves.

  “Ooooh~” she hums. “A Reina-themed outfit.”

  “N-no!” I blurt out, crossing my arms. “That’s not what I was gonna get!”

  Tama only smirks. “Come on~ I know how much you love Reina. I’ll just buy it for you. It’s no big deal.”

  “B-but you didn’t even see the price,” I protest. “How do you know you can even afford it?”

  She laughs and carefully sets her bundle of clothes down.

  “I mean, it’s not like I have to,” she says lightly as she walks back toward the shelf. “I may not have Koleida money—but remember, we’re Idols.”

  She picks up the folded jacket and stockings, then turns toward me.

  “That means we can afford whatever we want.” She pauses, then gently places the outfit into my arms. “And I… can buy you whatever you want.”

  She gives me a quick wink.

  My heart flutters, and I instinctively look away—but my gaze drops to what I’m holding. The jacket is warm against my chest, soft beneath my fingers. I hug it a little closer without thinking.

  I really want it, but—

  I look back up.

  Tama’s smile has softened, no teasing this time—just waiting. Letting me decide.

  She really wants to do this for me.

  I take a breath. “O-okay—fine!” I blurt out. “I’ll… I’ll get the jacket.”

  Her face lights up instantly. “Yay!”

  She scoops up her bundle of clothes and turns back to me, her smile as bright as ever.

  “Hey, Bunny-chan,” she says gently. “Let’s not worry about how much things cost. Let’s just focus on having fun.”

  My breath catches.

  Even though the festival hasn’t started yet, she already looks like she’s having the best time ever—just hanging out with me.

  My cheeks warm again.

  “Yeah…” I say quietly. “I promise.”