Natsuki Subaru's Arc

Chapter 3 of 4

Natsuki slipped the bracelet onto her wrist that evening, intending to put it away in a drawer with the photograph. The compass rose charm felt cold against her skin. She fastened the clasp and turned toward her bedroom. The charm swung hard to the left, pulling against her wrist like a fishing line catching. Natsuki stopped. The compass rose pointed west, unwavering. She turned in a circle, testing it. The charm followed the same direction no matter which way she faced, trembling with certainty. Her chest tightened. This wasn't a goodbye gift. It was a map. She grabbed her coat and followed the pull through dark streets, past shuttered shops and empty intersections. The bracelet tugged her forward, relentless. Twenty minutes later, she stood at the waterfront. The Ferris wheel rose ahead, its lights cutting bright circles against the night sky. The compass rose pointed directly at it, steady as a heartbeat. Natsuki stared up at the rotating gondolas. Her mentor hadn't wanted her to stop searching. She'd wanted her to start in the right direction. Natsuki tried to remove the bracelet. The clasp wouldn't open. She pulled harder, her fingers slipping on the smooth metal. Nothing. The compass rose kept pointing at the Ferris wheel, insistent. Her mentor had locked this around her wrist, and it wouldn't let go until she followed where it led. The choice to stop searching had never been hers to make.