Capital time, July 1st, 5 AM.
Yamamoto Ikki was busy adjusting his equipment, and despite the crowd and the salty humidity he'd experienced all night, he didn't feel cold at all.
The efficiency of the local police was astonishing; helicopters had passed overhead three times in the last several hours, and patrols were constantly informing tourists of newly added portable toilet and free mineral water pickup locations—extremely considerate indeed.
Celosia Tamafu, who had been noisily fussing earlier in the wee hours, had somehow crawled into his tent to sleep, leaving Yamamoto alone, patiently waiting and adjusting his camera.
As he was bent over tuning the tracking software, he suddenly heard a chorus of shouts from the crowd.
Looking up, he saw the assembly building housing the rocket opening up, with the tall white body of the rocket especially conspicuous against the brightening sky.