Last night's events were still lingering in her head. The way Dan Hen's back looked when she said "I see" and left. Something hidden in her profile. Kuraf tried to shake it off the moment she woke up——but it didn't work. (It doesn't matter. Last night is last night.) Telling herself that, Kuraf fastened her jacket and left the room. Fourth day of the voyage. Just over a day left until Belidot Star. Today she'd check the trajectory properly in the helm, and everything would be fine. That's all. Except. Walking down the corridor to Car 1, the Parnasse shuddered. "——" She grabbed the handrail. The shaking didn't stop. The corridor lights flickered slightly. Vibrations traveled up through her feet from the floor. A low, groaning sound echoed through the entire train. (The trajectory's destabilizing!) Kuraf let go of the handrail and ran. ―――――― She burst into the helm. The star chart hologram was distorted. The pale blue trajectory lines wavered, and error displays blinked red across the control panels. They were approaching the edge of the void zone——"Void Rift"——just before exiting the Yaruro space sector. The most turbulent section of the route to Belidot Star, where interstellar trajectories became unstable. Kuraf sat in the control seat and activated manual mode. Her right hand reduced thruster output. Her left adjusted trajectory-following parameters. But errors kept multiplying on the screen. The auxiliary axis was off. The thrust angle was drifting over ±5 degrees. Two hands weren't enough. "[serious]Auxiliary axis, ten degrees right" She'd meant it as a muttered thought. Click. Someone sat in the adjacent control seat. She didn't need to look to know. Silver hair reaching to the waist entered her peripheral vision. It was Dan Hen. She'd run here——her breathing was slightly ragged——but her face was calm as always. She reached for the auxiliary axis panel and operated it exactly as instructed. Kuraf glanced over for just a moment. Dan Hen glanced back for just a moment. Their eyes met. Both immediately returned to their screens. "[serious]Thrust angle, applying correction" "[serious]Understood" The words were minimal. That was enough. Dan Hen's hands were already moving before Kuraf read out the numbers. Errors Kuraf noticed, Dan Hen had already fixed. In turn, Dan Hen covered the left panel Kuraf couldn't keep up with. (…………It's matching. The movements are matching.) She noticed something strange. Dan Hen moved before Kuraf thought. Kuraf's hands reached before Dan Hen moved. It was like they'd been steering together all along. The train's shaking weakened slightly. Then. A rolling sound——something tumbling across the floor. Both turned at once. A sphere rolled in from the corridor, spun once in the center of the helm——and stopped. The jewel. Harmony of the Sphere. It should have been in the impact-resistant case in the cargo car, but it had rolled out again. The tremors must have carried it here. The star chart patterns on its surface began to glow. Brighter than usual. Maybe the brightest it had ever been. The helm's lights flickered all at once. Then——they all went out. Complete darkness. "[serious]Emergency power——" The voice cut off. The lights were completely gone. The star chart hologram was down. Only the faint blue-white light from the void domain through the window filled the room. Kuraf's hands stopped at the console. Dark. So dark. Something caught in her mind. ——Space. Dark space. Can't see anything. Voice doesn't reach. Don't know where I am. That night, the asteroid probe accident——the night her family disappeared, alone inside the spacesuit. No matter which way she turned, complete darkness, and even when she called out, no one heard, and she thought she'd drift forever like this—— Kuraf's hands trembled. "[whispers]……Alone again" It became a voice. Quiet, but clear in the silent darkness. Kuraf hadn't meant to say it. But it came out. Her hands stopped operating. Her body froze in front of the console. Then. Without realizing it, Kuraf's hands moved. She grabbed Dan Hen's arm. Both hands, firmly. (Ah——) By the time she realized, it was too late. Dan Hen didn't pull away. She said nothing. Didn't say "Are you okay" or "What are you doing." Just quietly——she placed her own hand over Kuraf's. Their fingers intertwined. "[whispers]I'm here" That was all. The jewel's light faded gradually. Click, click——the emergency power engaged. The helm's lights came back on, one by one. The star chart hologram rebooted, spreading pale blue trajectory lines across the room. The orbital shaking was settling. The moment light returned——both released their hands simultaneously. "[serious]Trajectory stable, confirming" "[serious]Thrust output returning to normal values" Both voices came out at almost the same time. Kuraf was looking at the console. Dan Hen was also looking at the console. Neither looked at the other. After a while, Kuraf spoke. "[serious]……It was just a little shaking anyway" A pause. "[serious]My hands just slipped. That's all" "My hands just slipped too" "There's no other meaning to it" "That's not it! Yes it is!" Both went completely silent. Outside the window, white light from the interstellar trajectory flowed slowly. Silence fell over the helm. They couldn't even look at each other properly. Both stared at their respective screens with unnecessarily serious expressions. ―――――― The dining car at noon was livelier than usual. Though that was one person's doing. Bronya burst in with a large old tome cradled in both arms. Short purple hair with black mesh caught the eye. Golden eyes sparkled. Even in male form, this person's energy hadn't changed one bit. "[excited]Hey hey, I found something amazing——!!" She set her tray aside and spread the tome across the table with a thud. Her page-turning was fast. Kuraf and Dan Hen had been avoiding each other's eyes since earlier. Bronya didn't care at all, pointing to a page in the tome. "[excited]Look at this! The surface patterns of Harmony of the Sphere——those star chart-like markings on the jewel, right——they almost perfectly match the patterns on an amulet fragment discovered in Belidot Star's underground structure, the Cradle!" Kuraf leaned in to look at the tome. Sure enough, two patterns were drawn side by side. The right figure was the jewel's pattern, the left was the pattern from the fragment excavated from Belidot's ruins. Comparing them——they were almost identical. Even the fine lines matched. "[surprised]These really are the same" "[serious]Cradle——the prehistoric civilization ruins spanning 50 meters underground on Belidot Star. The first layer requires exploration permits" "[excited]Exactly! If we go there, we might find clues about the jewel's origins and how to restore things! Plus the text says there are energy-reactive patterns on the Cradle's walls, and the jewel might resonate with them——" Kuraf's chest lifted slightly. (There's a lead. There really is.) Not just the Vesterl Grand Library in Rilkenote, but the underground ruins too. She could return. She might be able to return. Dan Hen set down her coffee cup and spoke quietly. "[serious]However——there's the responsibility of the finder" The air in the dining car shifted slightly. Kuraf understood. She understood, but hearing it stated again made it heavy. The custom regarding amulets——whoever finds the jewel has the obligation to manage it until the effect is lifted. If she abandoned it or broke it, the effect would become permanent. In other words, if Kuraf separated from the jewel, this state would continue forever. "[serious]I know. I won't let go" She answered immediately. Bronya looked up from the tome. "[serious]But if we're going into the ruins, we'll need to bring the jewel. The entrance fee is 30 Lukes, and for the exploration permit——" Midway through the explanation, Bronya's hand reached toward the jewel on the table. Probably to compare it with the documents, she casually tried to pick it up—— "[angry]Wait! Don't touch it!" Kuraf immediately reached out and took the jewel. She knocked Bronya's hand away with force. Holding the jewel firmly in both hands, she glared at Bronya. "[sarcastic]……You were literally just trying to compare it with the documents" "[serious]Either way, no. I'm keeping this. I have the finder's responsibility" "[sarcastic]Alright, alright. I won't take it" Bronya raised both hands. Kuraf put the jewel in her jacket pocket. Dan Hen watched silently. (This is my problem. I'll handle it.) The jewel changed everyone's appearance. Finding a way to restore things was Kuraf's job. She couldn't let go. She wouldn't let go. She felt the jewel's shape through the pocket, then ate the last bite of her bread. ―――――― When night fell, the Parnasse became quiet. Only the low vibration from the engine room traveled through the floor. Entering the observation lounge in Car 10, stars spread across the void through the ceiling glass. As Belidot Star drew closer, the star configurations seemed to shift gradually. More stars with a faint greenish tint appeared among the white light. The color characteristic of star systems rich in water resources, she'd read somewhere. Kuraf sat on the sofa at the far end and looked up through the glass ceiling. The jewel in her pocket wasn't glowing now. It was quiet. She remembered what happened in the dining car during the day. The lead Bronya found. The Cradle's patterns. Tomorrow they'd arrive at Belidot Star. And——she also remembered what happened this morning, in the darkness. "[whispers]……I'm here" that voice. The feeling of fingers intertwining. (It's nothing. My hands just slipped.) She was making the same excuse for the nth time when the lounge door opened. It was Dan Hen. Kuraf thought "she came" and then thought "how did I know she'd come" and decided to forget both. Dan Hen walked in with a natural expression and sat on the adjacent sofa——deliberately choosing the seat next to her again. Both sat in silence for a while, watching the stars. Outside the window, the trajectory light continued white and thin. The trajectory after exiting the Void Rift's edge was more stable than this morning. Quiet. Dan Hen opened her mouth. "[serious]When we arrive at Belidot Star——I'm going with you to investigate the Cradle" Kuraf paused for a beat. "[serious]……I didn't ask you to" Her voice was quieter than usual. Her face was reflected in the glass window. That face was——red. Why was it red? Kuraf returned her gaze to the stars. Dan Hen waited a moment before speaking. "[cold]I wasn't asked. I want to do it" That said, she stood up. She placed her hand on the sofa's armrest and looked at Kuraf once. Then she left the lounge. Her footsteps faded away. Kuraf was alone, looking at her reflection in the glass window. Black hair. Round brown eyes. And——completely unhidden, red cheeks. "[whispers]……Why am I blushing" She muttered softly to the empty room. The jewel in her pocket seemed to glow faintly. Kuraf pressed it from outside the pocket. The light went out immediately. ——At that moment. A figure moved in the shadow of the door separating the dining car and lounge. It was Bronya. Her golden eyes narrowed with a grin. She'd watched the entire exchange from start to finish. Arms crossed, mouth curved up——she whispered softly to herself. "[whispers]Ah. I'm gonna have to make a move here" Laughing happily, Bronya headed back toward the dining car. The observation lounge was left with only Kuraf. Beyond the glass ceiling, Belidot Star's greenish tint drew slowly closer.