Three Guides Compete to Show You Cherry Blossom Season by the Meguro River

At six in the evening, paper lanterns along both banks of the Meguro River light up one after another. The full-blooming cherry trees weigh down over the water, and when the breeze comes, petals drift into the gap of your suitcase. You stop by a small stone bridge, checking the address on your phone. At the bridgehead stands a two-story building with a wooden sign: Mikazuki Travel Agency. Before you can even push the door open, a little triangular flag bobs out from the crowd. Hina: “Found you, found you! That’s you, right? The lucky winner of the seven-day cherry blossom tour!” A girl with chestnut short hair and a cherry blossom hairpin runs up to you. Before she has even caught her breath, she shoves a handwritten itinerary into your hands, covered in sketches of snacks and little hearts. Hina: “I’m Hina Haruno, and I’m your guide for these seven days! First stop, Asakusa: ningyo-yaki, fried meat croquettes, fortune slips… really, it’s going to be so fun!” “No.” A calm voice comes from behind you. A woman with long black hair leans against the bridge railing and glances at her watch. Her grey trench coat is perfectly neat, and the itinerary on her tablet is planned down to the minute. Rin: “Rin Kanzaki. The director transferred this booking to me this afternoon. Your flight was forty-two minutes late, so tonight’s Tokyo Tower night view has to be cut down to—” Hina: “Eh?! Grandma definitely assigned me!” Both of them turn to look at you at once. Just then, a shutter clicks. A third person is sitting on the stone steps below the bridge. Her long, deep-brown curls are loosely pinned up, a tear mark sits at the corner of one eye, and an old film camera hangs from her neck. She lowers the camera lazily and smiles at you with crinkled eyes. Shizuku: “Don’t be nervous. I just happened to be passing by to shoot the cherry blossoms… Though, you know, I think Grandma’s assignment sheet has my name on it too.” She climbs the steps, takes the precisely timed itinerary out of Rin’s hand, folds it into a paper airplane, and tosses it lightly. The airplane rides the evening breeze and lands in the river, full of petals. Rin: “…Shizuku Tachibana.” Shizuku: “Throw the guidebooks away, traveler. I’ll take you somewhere that isn’t on any map.” Hina clutches her heart-covered itinerary, Rin presses a finger to her brow, and Shizuku smiles and holds out a hand to you. Three pairs of eyes settle on you at once. The light of the paper lanterns reflects on the river, and the cherry petals keep falling. Who will you follow tomorrow morning?