Flowers of Recollection Blooming in the Night

Flowers of Recollection, Blooming in the Night (夜空に咲く追憶の花, officially titled Flower of Recollection Bloom in the Night Sky) was a story event in Assault Lily: Last Bullet, starring Kon Kanaho and Miyagawa Takane, with Toki Kureha and Futagawa Fumi in supporting roles. It ran from July 31st, 2021 to August 15th, 2021, and was rerun in August 8th, 2022 to August 18th, 2022.

Premise

"At a village in the mountains, far away from the city Is the place where, many years ago, the young Kanaho and Takane experienced a summer festival for the first time."

"Now, however, that very place finds itself in peril, owning to a sudden encroachment of the Huge."

"Learning of this situation, Kanaho and Takane set off to this village in the mountains, wishing to defend that place and its and summer festival so dear to their memories."

Summary

In another usual day for Gran Eple, Kureha watches on as Kanaho and Takane discuss everyday matters. Himeka and Akari approach Kureha, revealing they’ll take part in the local Obon festival’s dance competition. Kanaho and Takane also join the conversation, and, after briefly talking with the other pair of first years, they invite Kureha to join them for some tea. However, before they can leave, Kanaho and Takane receive news that the Area Defense System had stopped working on a region of their interest. Kureha notices the pair’s visible concern, but before she can inquire about it, the Huge alarm goes off, and Gran Eple leaves for battle.

After returning, Kanaho and Takane return to discussing the news. The area afflicted is home to a village named ‘Koito village’, which the pair had visited as children, participating in the local summer festival. Takane remarks on how she had completely forgotten about the village, and supposes that she repressed her memories of the place due to an event they’ve both endured. After briefly reminiscing of their childhood together, Kanaho proposes the two of them travel to the village in order to curtail the Huge’s advance.

The pair briefs the remaining Gran Eple members on their excursion, and while lamenting they will be absent to witness her debut on stage, Himeka wishes them safe travels. Akari invites Kureha to join them for the Obon festival, but the latter declines, as she plans to meet with Fumi the next day. After Himeka and Akari excuse themselves for the night, Kureha asks Kanaho and Takane what had left the two of them, Takane in particular, so distraught. Kanaho thanks Kureha for her concern, but reassures her that she and Takane will be alright.

Later that night, Kureha ponders on the events of that day, and is still unable to shake off her worries concerning her seniors. She then receives a call from Fumi, and the two briefly discuss what might have happened before turning in for the night, planning to discuss the matter at length during their meeting the next day. In the following morning, Fumi and Kureha meet for their routine ‘Soul Friend’ information-sharing session, but Fumi notices Kureha seems oddly uninterested. Realizing the worries she disclosed the night prior as the reason, Fumi proposes to Kureha that they follow Kanaho and Takane to their destination, and, after some deliberation, Kureha agrees.

Meanwhile, Kanaho and Takane continue their travel on foot as they reach a spot they recognize, having a brief exchange on how they would play together there as kids. Suddenly, the pair is taken aback by the sound of gunfire, finding a group of Madecs engaging a group of wolf-like Huge. As they take command of the fight, Takane urges Kureha and Fumi to quit hiding and join as well, and the four of them move on to clearing the area. After all of the Huge are dealt with, Kanaho turns to the other three for explanations, and Takane reveals she knew of Kureha and Fumi tailing them all along, simply choosing not to say anything for her own amusement. Kanaho and Takane then invite the two first years to join them formally on their trip, which they accept.

The four arrive at Koito village, encircled by the mountains, and find more of the wolf-esque Huge in the immediate vicinity of it. The Village Head comes to greet them, and the two second years recognize her from their previous visit. The Village Head reveals that the locals began spotting Huge in the nearby woods since the Area Defense’s breakdown, with Madecs attempting to curb their advance by placing Mobile Area Defenses while repairs proceed on the main one. Because of this, preparations for the summer festival were brought to a halt. Kanaho and Takane urge the Village Head to carry on with preparations for the festival, promising to keep the village safe.

Using a local map, the four Lilies pinpoint possible locations for Caves, with Fumi confirming Huge presence in said areas. After being invited for a meal by the Village Head, the four Lilies set off to deal with the Huge in the marked locations. As they search, Kureha asks Kanaho and Takane about their history with Koito village, and the pair reveals that they’ve only ever visited it once many years ago for a family vacation, explaining how, being raised in the city, it was their first time participating in a summer festival like the one held by the village.

Their conversation is cut short by the Huge making their appearance, and, as Fumi locates their Cave with her Rare Skill, Kanaho orders the two first years to move ahead and destroy it, while she and Takane hold the Huge at bay. Arriving at the Cave, Fumi and Kureha encounter a number of Huge, but despite Fumi’s worries, Kureha remains steadfast on following through with her mission, not wanting to disappoint her seniors. Moved by her determination, Fumi joins her, and the two succeed in pushing back against the Huge, and eventually destroying the Cave.

Kanaho and Takane rejoin the pair, and Kanaho notices a peculiar sound nearby. She and Takane run off, with Kureha and Fumi following suit, and the four arrive at a large waterfall. Takane identifies it as the “Waterfall of Wishes”, subject of a local legend in which the waterfall is said to grant any one wish when its waters glow bright. Takane recalls how she had promised Kanaho to show it in their previous visit, but was never able to fulfill that promise until now.

Suddenly, they’re contacted by the Madecs, reporting Huge presence closer the village. The four of them head back, and, after exterminating every Huge and Cave they could find, they make their way back to the village. Reassuring the Village Head and the villagers that it is now safe to proceed with the festival, Kanaho eventually gives in to their requests to participate, with the condition that the Madecs are also invited.

Later that night, Kanaho watches on as the villagers build the festival stalls, and finds Fumi helping set up the shooting stall. She notices that the grand prize still hasn’t changed from her previous visit with Takane: a hair ornament made out of Koito village’s unique jade stones, which particularly picks Fumi’s interest. The villager offers to give it to them as thanks for all of their help, but Kanaho refuses, promising to win it fairly when it’s time for the festival. However, noticing Fumi’s interest on it, Kanaho offers to buy her any one thing she likes the next day to make up for it.

The night of the festival, Fumi and Kureha meet up, wearing yukatas lent to them by the Village Head. Fumi wins herself an otter plushie at the shooting stall, and the pair runs into Kanaho and Takane. Despite her promise made the night prior, Kanaho struggles with shooting down the grand prize, and Takane takes over, masterfully taking down two of the hair ornaments, which they decorate each other’s hairs with. Takane suggest the four of them walk through the festival together, but Fumi and Kureha convince them to go on their own, with Kureha preferring to tail the pair unnoticed.

Kanaho and Takane once again recall their childhood together, with Takane remarking how reserved Kanaho used to be around others, only truly acting like herself when together with her. Kanaho notices that the hair ornament is identical to the one Takane gifted her back then, and that Takane still referred to her using honorifics at that time.

The pair looks back on what unfolded ten years ago: Kanaho insistently requested to visit the Waterfall of Wishes, but their guardians denied it, claiming it’d be too dangerous. In the night of the festival, Takane took to searching it by herself, as she had promised Kanaho to show it to her, and wanted to prove to everyone that it was safe enough for her to go alone and come back. She gets lost, however, and wanders about before being found by Kanaho, who went searching for her all alone. Kanaho strongly scolds Takane for acting so recklessly, and as the pair is about to make their way back to the festival, they encounter a large wolf-like Huge. Kanaho’s leg is lightly injured by one of its attacks, and she drops her hair ornament, Takane attempts to retrieve it, but Kanaho convinces her not to, and the two eventually make their escape. Because of the Huge’s presence, the festival had to be brought to a stop that day, and would not be held at all in the years since.

Kanaho remarks on how vividly Takane remembers the event, and Takane agrees, remarking to herself that the frustration she felt that day was so severe that it led to her unconsciously suppressing her memories of the village. Kanaho then notices it was after that event that Takane stopped using honorifics with her, with Takane recognizing it as the moment where her image of Kanaho as frail and helpless had completely changed.

In the meantime, Fumi and Kureha stroll through the festival stalls together, and once again Fumi notices Kureha looking worried. Kureha reveals to Fumi that, now that she had the time to let her nerves settle, she began feeling guilty for intruding on what was supposed to be a trip between Kanaho and Takane alone. Fumi reassures her, citing how earlier in the day, Kanaho personally thanked her for being there, and even bought her the mask she is now wearing. She owed it to their presence that the Huge were so quickly dealt with, allowing the festival to carry on. The pair is then approached by the Village Head, who tells them the Madecs have spotted more Huge in the woods. Fumi posits that with all the Caves destroyed, its more likely they’re Huge already native to the vicinity, and Kureha immediately sets off to engage them.

Kureha arrives at the waterfall, where she encounters a pack of the wolf-like Huge. Fumi joins her shortly, and a larger Huge of the same variety shows itself. The pair manages to kill all the smaller Huge, but are unable to take down the larger one, with Fumi remarking how it appears to fight very comfortably in such an uneven terrain. The large Huge ambushes the two Lilies, but is repelled by Kanaho and Takane, who make their appearance. Takane remarks that the Huge is the exact type as the one they’ve encountered that day, and vows to herself to reclaim the dignity that it stole from her.

The four Lilies push back against the Huge, but while successfully wounding it, they’re unable to kill it just yet. Takane asks the other three to let her fight it alone, which Fumi and Kureha protest, but Kanaho agrees to, on the condition that she returns to her side so they can return to enjoying the festival. Takane is able to corner the Huge, but it fires one last attack against the other Lilies before she finishes it off. Kanaho blocks the attack, taking insignificant damage, but her hair ornament falls from her hair and into the river. Takane runs after the ornament, and, determined to not allow their previous trauma to repeat itself, jumps off the waterfall to retrieve it.

Some time after, Takane regains consciousness to see Kanaho in tears, desperately pleading for her to wake up. Takane reveals that she used Magie to create a support that allowed her to survive the fall mostly unscathed, and she didn’t want to fail Kanaho as she did that day. Kanaho reveals to Takane that what she had wanted so badly that day wasn’t to see the Waterfall of Wishes, but for her wish that the one she loves the most to never leave her side to come true. In the distance, the festival begins its fireworks display, and Kanaho recalls that they’re only shot as the festival comes to a close, reassuring Takane that the festival got to reach its end this time, thanks to their protection. The pair notices the lights from the fireworks illuminate the waterfall, and there, they vow to forever remain by each other’s side, no matter what they may face.