Outside the observation lounge window, a greenish star was growing larger. Last night, Dan Hen had left the lounge after saying, "I just wanted to." Those words still caught in the corner of Kuraf's mind. She pressed gently against her jacket pocket. The smooth, round sensation of the gem transmitted through her palm. (Today, we arrive at Lilkenote. We'll find a way to reverse this. That's all I need to think about.) Telling herself this, Kuraf headed toward the dining car. The moment she opened the door, an oddly high-energy voice flew at her. "[excited]Yo, Kuraf! Perfect timing!" A boy with short purple hair and black mesh streaks was grinning from a window seat, his golden eyes sparkling. Bronya. Even with genders reversed, that energy hadn't changed one bit. If anything, every time he looked in a mirror, he'd apparently mutter "Actually, this looks pretty cool?" and smile at his own reflection—the only person aboard the Parnasse who was genuinely enjoying the whole situation. Kuraf grabbed a tray and stood before the auto-cooker. "[serious]What is?" "[excited]Beridot Star's already in orbit! Check the window, that green star! Lilkenote's right there!" Just as Kuraf took her soup and was about to sit diagonally across from Bronya, he suddenly shifted to the seat beside her. "[gentle]Hey, can I ask you something?" His tone softened a notch. Kuraf picked up her spoon while remaining seated. "[serious]What." "[gentle]……I've been kind of interested in you for a while now." The spoon slipped. It clattered across the tray. From the seat across from them came a small *clink*—Dan Hen setting down his spoon. Kuraf wasn't looking that way, but somehow she knew. Silence. "[laughing]You two are way too stiff!" Bronya burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. "[laughing]Sorry, sorry. Did I scare you? But I mean it. As travel companions, though." "[angry]……You should've said that from the start!!" Her face was hot. Definitely hot. Kuraf picked up her spoon and stirred her soup vigorously. Bronya's eyes flicked between the two of them, and he narrowed his gaze slightly. "[sarcastic]Ah……wait, are you two maybe——" "[angry]No, no, absolutely not!!" She cut him off at full speed. Dan Hen remained silent, facing the window. Bronya just said "Huh~" and didn't press further. But something like certainty flickered at the edge of his smile. Kuraf drained her soup and stood up hastily. Bronya's voice reached her back. "[whispers]You two get along pretty well." She pretended not to hear and left the dining car. --- They descended to Lilkenote before noon. The air of Beridot Star was soft and warm. Beyond the stone-paved road extending from the starship port, the entrance to Kalat Street came into view. True to its reputation as an academic city, most of the people walking the street were researchers carrying documents and texts. The scent of old paper drifted from somewhere. Vestel Grand Archive—Lilkenote's largest research institution—stood at the end of the street. A heavy stone building with the Academic Council's emblem carved into its entrance. The three of them passed through the doors and were immediately stopped by the receptionist. "[serious]Do you have an appointment?" "[serious]We don't. We wanted to speak directly with Director Tobias Kern about——" "[cold]You can't enter." "[serious]We just want to research ancient artifacts——" Footsteps echoed from the corridor. Slow, heavy footsteps. A white-haired elderly man appeared. Tall, stern-faced, he stopped and gave them a single glance. Director Tobias Kern, 68 years old. Rumor had it his manner was poor but his knowledge was first-rate. "[cold]Outsiders. If you're carrying an amulet, stop right here." The three froze. Kern's eyes narrowed. "[cold]Several months ago, an amulet runaway accident occurred in this city. A section of Lilkenote was devastated. The Academic Council has now completely banned unauthorized amulet imports. Violators are subject to detention." "[serious]But we just want to research how to reverse——" "[cold]I have no obligation to listen to outsiders without evidence or permits. Leave." *Slam.* The door closed. The three were left on the front steps. "[sarcastic]……We got thrown out." "[angry]I can see that!" Dan Hen crossed his arms. "[serious]We find another route. Hide the gem in Bronya's coat. Don't expose it." Kuraf pulled the gem from her pocket and shoved it into Bronya's inner coat pocket. Bronya accepted it and turned away. "[serious]Rumena, you handed it over?" "[serious]I just gave it to him." "[serious]Right." That was all. Just that one confirmation, yet somehow Kuraf's chest wouldn't settle. (It's nothing. Definitely nothing.) The three headed toward Kalat Street. --- The antiquarian bookshop "Pageant" was tucked slightly off the main street. Pushing open the door released a mingled scent of old books, dust, and faint incense. Shelves stretched to the ceiling, packed tightly with books of mismatched spine colors. The shop owner, Liene—a woman in her thirties who dealt in rare texts on artifacts—looked up from the counter. When Bronya mentioned they were searching for literature on amulets bearing patterns similar to "Harmony of the Spheres," Liene considered for a moment, then disappeared into the back of the shelves. When she returned, she carried three thin pamphlets. "[serious]These are survey reports on Cradle. The underground structure Cradle—a prehistoric civilization's ruins spanning 50 meters beneath Lilkenote—has similar patterns carved into the walls of its first layer, according to these." Bronya flipped through the pamphlets. "[excited]This is it! Look, it's almost identical!" Kuraf leaned in. Indeed, the patterns matched the structure on the gem's surface. "[serious]Exploration permits for the first layer cost 30 Lukes per person. However, the second layer and beyond are designated danger zones—entry is prohibited." Kuraf pulled out her wallet and began calculating. Three people, 90 Lukes total. She checked her remaining funds. "[serious]Let's rest first. We need a strategy meeting." Bronya pulled the three of them into the adjacent café, "Amber Drop." Beridot fruit juice was apparently the specialty; the glasses on the table gleamed in a beautiful amber color. Dan Hen read the menu once and made his selection quietly. Beside him, Bronya sat down and immediately pulled the gem from his coat's inner pocket. "[excited]This pattern's interesting, right? Comparing it to the book's illustration——" "[angry]Don't touch it!!" Kuraf reflexively reached out. Too late. Bronya's finger touched the gem. ——It glowed. A white light incomparable to anything before. A brilliance that made the café's lighting fade in an instant, spilling from the table, passing through the window glass, bathing all of Kalat Street in white. Customers in the shop screamed. Chairs toppled. Glasses shattered. "[laughing]Sorry, sorry——but this means I really do care about you, right Kuraf? Based on the gem's properties." Bronya laughed while saying it. Only this person could laugh in a situation like this. "[angry]Forget that, we need to run!!" Voices echoed from the street. "Unauthorized amulet import! Confirm the light source!" The Academic Council's patrol officers. The three kicked back their chairs and stood. --- Lilkenote's alleys were a maze. Stone-paved narrow paths wound between buildings. Dan Hen ran ahead without looking back. "[serious]Next corner, left. Don't step on the stone gaps." Kuraf and Bronya followed. Footsteps chased from behind. Two officers, three—their numbers were growing. Bronya suddenly said "Wait a second" and changed direction. He darted in front of the pursuing officers. "[excited]It went this way! I definitely saw it earlier!" He shouted loudly and pointed down the opposite alley. Half the officers headed that direction. Kuraf's eyes met Dan Hen's. They ran. Two corners, three corners—at the third corner, Kuraf's body collided with something. *Thud.* Impact. Her arm was grabbed. "Secured! This is the one!" One of the officers had been hiding in the alley's shadow. He gripped both her arms and wouldn't let go. "[angry]Let me go! I just picked up the amulet——" "[cold]Shut up. Empty your pockets." She wasn't carrying Bronya's coat. Her jacket pockets held nothing. But the gem—the officer's eyes fixed on the bulge in the coat. Another officer swiftly snatched the gem from Bronya's hand. "This group's connected to the amulet runaway incident. Call for backup." "[angry]No! That's wrong! I wasn't even here months ago——" Dan Hen emerged from deeper in the alley and reached toward Kuraf. But three, four more officers arrived. "[cold]Any further resistance and all of you will be detained." Dan Hen's feet stopped. Their eyes met. A brief silence. "[whispers]……Go. Research the gem's information first." Dan Hen's eyes narrowed for just a moment. He started to say something—then didn't. Bronya's hand pulled at Dan Hen's arm. Dan Hen disappeared into the alley's depths. As his back turned the corner, he looked back once. That was all. Kuraf was taken alone by the officers to Lilkenote's detention facility. The gem was declared separately stored. --- The detention cell was dimly lit. Stone walls. A small window. Only the floor to sit on. Kuraf pressed her back against the wall and hugged her knees. The gem was gone. The custom of amulets—finder's responsibility. Once you release the gem, the effect becomes permanent. (I might never change back.) For the first time, it hit her as reality. She'd said "I won't let go" with her words, but she'd never imagined releasing it like this. Dark. Quiet. Dark, quiet places were difficult. They always had been. Especially since that night. The small asteroid exploration ship accident. The night her family vanished. Drifting alone inside a spacesuit, no matter which way she turned, only the pitch-black vacuum of space. Her voice wouldn't reach anyone. She heard no one else's voice. She didn't even know where she was, and she thought she'd drift forever like this—— Kuraf buried her face in her knees. (I'm alone again.) She'd pushed away Dan Hen's hand and chosen to carry it alone. Just like then. She couldn't ask for help. She hadn't asked for help. The gem's condition echoed in her mind. If she was honest with her feelings, she could change back. That was the cruelest question Kuraf could face right now. ——How could someone who feared honesty most of all ever be honest? She wanted to cry. She didn't want to cry. But she cried silently, her high girl's voice absorbed into the cold stone walls. She didn't know how long she stayed like that. Then she noticed. A faint light was seeping through the wall. The gem. The gem that should have been stored in another room—it was beginning to glow faintly, directed toward Kuraf. The light wavered. As if it were responding to something deep within Kuraf's chest. Kuraf stared at that light through tear-blurred eyes. (……Maybe I actually——) Her mouth began to move. Footsteps sounded outside the door. The interrogator's. "The gem will be disposed of as hazardous material tomorrow." The flat voice reached her through the door. Disposal. If that happened, all of them would be permanently unable to change back. The light beyond the wall still wavered.