Dialogue with the Spirits of the Skin
A Mystical Beauty Saga

Season 1 – When the Moon Descends: The Tale of the Loquat Spirit

Episode 3: Promise of the Full Moon

—Fufufu. I could grant you that power… but only on one condition.

The sweet voice filled the space softly.
Kodama Takano stilled his breath, listening intently.

At that instant—

From the basket, a single loquat lifted gently into the air.
Its glossy skin shimmered, light unraveling into filaments.
Like a soft flame, the glow spread,
taking on a distinct form.

Large, round eyes.
Hair-like waves of shimmering light.
Human, yet not human.
And yet—undeniably, someone was there.

—Ah… finally, I have a form. I can see now. Oh my, you’re quite the handsome one.

The spirit floated in the air, laughing softly.
Mystical, and with a trace of playful provocation.

“…You said there was a condition?”

Takano’s low voice questioned.
The spirit twirled midair before replying:

—Find me in Okinawa. And harvest beneath the full moon—without fail.

“…Why must it be the full moon?”

—Fufufu… you already know why.

Her voice brushed his skin,
as if whispered directly to his body.
And in the next moment,
her figure dissolved—vanishing into the air.

Takano narrowed his eyes, silent for several beats.
Then he exhaled shortly.

“…Fine. Okinawa it is.”

Silence returned to the treatment room.
Only a faint sweetness remained—
the fragrance of loquat blossoms blooming out of season,
filling memory from deep within.

“Misaki-san. I believe I can solve this trouble.”

At his words, Misaki’s eyes widened.
Surprise and relief mixed upon her face, striking deep in her chest.

“But it will take time. About three months.
Until then—please use this.”

Takano unfastened the small vial at his chest.
Shisui—the responsive liquid possessed only by Kewaishi.

He selected a vial of treatment serum from the shelf,
and opened it quietly.

Without a shake, without a sound,
he let fall a single drop of Shisui.

The instant the clear droplet touched the surface—

The air shifted.

From the pale liquid rose the faint scent of sandalwood.
The heaviness that had lingered in the room dissolved.
In its place came clarity, as though the space itself breathed anew.

Like dawn sweeping away the stale night air,
replacing it with morning freshness.

Takano returned the vial to the shelf,
rising smoothly—
each movement aligned with his breath,
careful not to disturb the essence of Shisui.

Soon, the entire room answered.
Visibly unchanged, yet the very contours of the space felt ordered again.

Misaki gasped softly.
She could not name what filled the bottle,
but she understood—instinctively—its extraordinariness.

“This should hold the troubles back for now.”

Takano’s calm voice reassured her.
Misaki nodded silently.
A soft smile rose—like one delivered from burden.

“…Thank you.”

He gave a fleeting smile in return.
As he turned to leave,
Misaki gently caught his hand.

For a brief moment, skin touched skin.

—At that instant.

A faint anomaly echoed inside him.

(Hm?)

(…Distant…)

His heartbeat felt far away,
as though reaching from behind a veil of mist.
Takano frowned, pulling back his hand.
The sensation vanished immediately.
The air returned, unchanged.

“…Just my imagination.”

He released her hand, smiling lightly.

Misaki said nothing, only seeing him off.

When he stepped from the salon entrance,
the air of the street seemed quietly calmed.

Lingering within the air was still that fragrance—
the blossoms of loquat, blooming out of season.

Takano lifted his gaze skyward.

—Ten days until the full moon.

He walked on in silence.
Toward Okinawa, toward what awaited beneath the moon—
guided now by the whisper of the spirit.