As Natsume Chie's spiritual powers awakened, the clouds and mist shrouding the night sky over Tokyo slowly seemed to disperse.
One star after another lit up in the heavens.
The entire street suddenly fell into a peculiar silence, one that washed over the cobblestones like warm water. The electronic chime of a convenience store's automatic doors, the weather forecast leaking from someone's television, even the laughter and shouts of children still awake and playing—all of it entered her ears.
Chie felt as though she had entered an extraordinarily strange state.
In that profound stillness, she even saw the first Stars rise in the distance from the direction of Mount Fuji.
Before her eyes, that Stars pierced through the rain clouds that had once gathered there.
Trailing a pale violet tail flame, it vanished into the heavens.
Even Mount Fuji's outline gradually became clear within the twilight, while a haze of neon city lights floated above the snow line at its summit.
Extraordinary Characteristics: Medium—Filth—Traces of Where They Once Came Extraordinary Characteristics Description: You can observe the trails left by certain life forms that move through abnormal means through the Medium Lineage.
Right afterward,
the girl seemed to see the final traces her grandfather had left before departing.
She placed a hand over her heart, then silently bowed in a final farewell.
At that moment,
Natsume Chie had finally truly grown up.
Only after taking a deep breath did she speak to Su Wen.
"Shinonome Teacher, I think I saw a lot of strange things. Is this the secret you were going to tell me about?"
"Yes.
But this isn't a secret exclusive to you. It's a secret belonging to this world:
Outliers.
In Origin Year 6, which has already passed its first quarter, that term might not count