On a quiet Sunday morning, the stillness of the air was shattered by the sudden ring of a clock alarm. Hikari crawls to the other side of the bed and reaches to turn off the alarm. She slowly opens her eyes to adjust to the sunlight shining through the blinds. She clings onto the bed for a moment longer, trying to savor the last drop of comfort of laying in bed. She scrambles out of bed and heads to the bathroom for a shower. After the warm bath, Hikari gets dressed for her flight back to Japan. Before she heads out of the door, she replaces her 2035 calendar with a new calendar.

  The taxi arrives at the airport and Hikari steps out of the car. The driver moves her luggage out of the car trunk and wishes her a good flight. Hikari makes her way through the security line and finds a seat in the waiting area. The airport is busy during the holiday season as usual, and the seating area is filled to the brim. She puts on her headphones to drown out the loud background noise and focus on her studies. A couple of children run past her to chase after their paper airplane; the paper takes many unnatural sharp turns in the air. Hikari takes a closer look and realizes that it is controlled by telekinesis. In fact, there are many people who are using Esper powers around her. It was around 2020 that the government manufactured the first E-formula to be used on humans. Ever since then, the restrictions on Espers were lifted and the Esper population increased drastically. Around 40% of the world population are considered Espers. Despite the changes to restrictions, Hikari chooses not to use her power in public since she is a natural Esper unlike most of the population.

  Meanwhile, the boarding gateway opens, and a couple of flight attendants begin to announce the boarding order. Hikari will be boarding the plane alongside most people who are in economy class; she has money to live comfortably but not enough to live a luxurious life. The jet bridge opens momentarily, and the first-class passengers board the plane. There are only a handful of people who are riding in first-class, amongst them a young couple in their early twenties that catches Hikari's eye. She is self-conscious about the fact that she is still single at the age of twenty-two, and about the success of people who are younger than her. The young couple carries barely any luggage despite the long trip; they hold each other's hands and head into the plane.

  By the time Hikari makes her way to the passenger cabin, most of the seats have been filled. She finds her number and sits down on the seat. Economy class has very limited space and is often crowded with people. A middle-aged woman in business attire sits next to Hikari and introduces herself as Charlotte. Hikari smiles and nods before going back to her sheet music. The airplane prepares for takeoff and the flight attendant informs everyone to fasten their seat belts. Hikari feels a slight vibration as the plane takes off into the sky. As the plane enters cruising mode, the vibration dissipates, and the cabin turns quiet.

  The middle-aged woman glances over at Hikari's sheet music and recognizes the piece.

  "That is a very difficult piece," Charlotte leans closer to Hikari, trying to get her attention.

  "I wanted to test out my skills and see if I can make it happen," Hikari takes off her headphones. "Every accomplished pianist must suffer through the Transcendental Etude at some point."

  "I used to practice a lot when I was younger, but life happened," Charlotte explained, "and now I'm stuck in a corporate job for God knows how much longer."

  "I'm guessing this is a business trip for you then?" Hikari asked curiously.

  "Yeah, the company wanted me to talk to our Tokyo branch about next year's plans," Charlotte replied, "but I do get to have some time away from the cubicles. What about you?"

  "I'm heading home to see my family. It's almost Christmas, and I promised to celebrate it with them this year," Hikari responds.

  The conversation between the two was cut short with a sudden turbulence within the cabin. The oxygen masks drop from above Hikari, and the flight attendant instructs everyone to put them on. An impact hits the side of the plane and sends a shockwave throughout the cabin. A loud gush of wind breaks into the plane that drowns out the passengers' cries for help. Hikari looks in horror as Charlotte, who didn't have her seat belt on, screams as she gets sucked out of the plane. There is a huge gap on the other side of the plane where the impact most likely took place. She quickly takes her phone out of her pocket and looks for her parents' contact information. Hikari prepares to send a message to her mother to inform her about the situation and that she most likely won't survive. She hesitates for a moment as the chaos continues unraveling around her. The airplane is now losing altitude, and the air pressure of the cabin continues to drop. There are still a multitude of things that Hikari has yet to do; she looks down at her phone and begins to send parting messages to both of her parents.

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  Before she can complete the message, her part of the cabin is hit and broken off from the plane. Hikari's seat belt breaks and she is immediately sent flying out of the cabin. Hikari cries out in terror as she begins to fall through the atmosphere. A wave of memories flows through her head as she realizes that her life is coming to an end. Tears fly from her face, and she closes her eyes as she prepares for her untimely death. Hikari's descent pauses abruptly and she feels someone grab onto her; she opens her eyes slowly and sees a young woman.

  "Who do we have here?" the young woman inquired.

  "Wh-who are you?" Hikari stuttered. "Am I still alive? What happened to the plane?"

  "Don't worry dear, you are definitely still alive, and my name is Alasia," the young woman introduces herself. "The plane was most likely attacked, but the situation should be stabilized by now."

  "What about everyone else that was onboard?" Hikari asked.

  "I think I got everyone, and the plane should be landing safely now," Alasia replied. She carries Hikari through the air towards a nearby airport. The two of them enter the terminal and Alasia helps Hikari with finding her lost luggage.

  "Why was the plane attacked? And how are all the luggage still in place?" Hikari asked.

  "Pretty sure my dear husband put the plane back together, but I'm not sure if it's functional though," Alasia explained. "And I am not exactly sure why the plane was attacked."

  "Your husband can put a whole plane together?! He has to be a very powerful Esper, right?" Hikari is stunned by the explanation.

  "Something like that." Alasia winked. "Oh yeah, I also found this while in the air." She hands Hikari her cell phone. "I'm assuming that you are heading to Japan to see your family?"

  "That's right, but unfortunately I might have to delay that until next year," Hikari looks down at the ground with disappointment. "What about you guys?"

  "Well, my husband said he didn't want to go on a plane, but I convinced him with first-class tickets," Alasia said. "But it looks like his suspicions were correct this time. Other than that, we were planning for a vacation in Japan."

  "Oh wait, you guys were the rich young couple that boarded the plane with the other first-class passengers. How long have you been married?" Hikari follows Alasia to the luggage pickup.

  "We have been married for twenty years now," Alasia answered with a smile.

  "WHAT?! How is that possible? Mrs. Alasia, you look like you are in your early twenties," Hikari exclaimed.

  "Thank you for the compliment, but we have been married for twenty years," Alasia clarified. "Oh look, my husband is there too." Alasia paces towards one of the aisles where a young man in a suit jacket stands. "Hey darling, I'm back, and this is Hikari. She is the last one that fell out of the plane."

  The young man turns around and reveals his handsome features. There is a sense of a mysterious and yet powerful aura from his presence. "Nice to meet you, Hikari. It looks like the plane needed to be refurbished, so it's unfortunate that you might need to cancel your plans."

  "Oh, I see, but at least everyone is safe, and I thank you for that," Hikari said sincerely.

  "Hey darling, you should maybe introduce yourself first. This poor girl doesn't even know your name," Alasia pinches him on the arm.

  "I apologize for my brashness. My name is Ricardo, and I am Alasia's boyfriend," Ricardo introduces himself.

  "Boyfriend? I thought Mrs. Alasia said you guys were married," Hikari said with confusion.

  "We aren't married yet. Don't take Alasia seriously; she likes to joke around," Ricardo clarified and turned to glare at Alasia.

  "Darling, it was just a joke, plus we have been together long enough where it's like we are married, right?" Alasia tries to de-escalate the situation. "Also, Hikari, if you don't mind sharing a ride with us, we can still get you to Japan."

  "Really? But I don't want to be a bother for you guys," Hikari hesitated.

  "No, it would be totally fine, right darling?" Alasia looks back at Ricardo with a cute smile, knowing he won't be able to reject her request.

  "Fine, I do have a way or two for us to still go to Japan," Ricardo gives in to the pressure.