"According to the report, you deliberately made the amulet glow in a crowded area." Morning light filtered thinly through the small window of the detention facility. Kuraf Rumena sat on a stone chair, looking at the interrogator across from her. A man in his forties wearing an Academic Council uniform. A thick stack of documents on the desk. His expression had been decided from the start. "That's not true. It was an accident—" "An accident, you say. So it glowed by accident right in front of the patrol officer." "My companion touched it and it lit up. I tried to stop it—" "It's documented in the report." The man flipped through the papers. Before Kuraf could say "my companion touched it," his finger was already pressing down on the page. "'When the accompanying person made contact with the jewel, no attempt by the outsider owner to stop it was observed.' End of statement." "That's—!" "Next page, please." Another page turned. "'The glow persisted for over thirty seconds, witnessed by residents throughout Karat Street.' Unauthorized possession of an amulet, and intentional use is determined." Kuraf's excuses were crushed one after another on the desk. Pages turned before she could speak. Counterarguments came after "it's documented in the report." It was like there was a script. "But I only came here a few months ago—" "That's also here." He flipped. "That concludes the interrogation. The confiscated amulet will be classified as a hazardous material per Academic Council regulations, and disposal will be executed tomorrow morning." Disposal. Only that word remained in Kuraf's mind. "Wait—disposal means you're going to break it?" "We follow the hazardous material disposal regulations." "No. Anything but that. If you destroy it—" The amulet's custom echoed in her head. If abandoned or destroyed, the effect becomes permanent. Everyone on the Parnesse would never return to their original forms. Kuraf started to stand, but a patrol officer pressed her shoulder down. "Outsiders waving amulets around is why these accidents happen." The words came out like a spit. Kuraf looked down. She clenched her teeth. She tried to argue. But the voice that came out was—high. Not her usual voice. A girl's voice, weakly absorbed into the stone walls. No words came. "Today's interrogation is concluded." --- The hallway of Vestel Grand Academy was quiet. Only Dan Hen's footsteps echoed on the stone floor. Silver hair reaching to her waist swayed at her back. Reddish-purple eyes stared straight at the director's office door. She pushed it open without knocking. "Kuraf Rumena is innocent." Director Tobias Kern looked up from his writing, hand stopping. White hair, stern face. Not a single eyebrow moved. "...An appointment?" "No. But listen. That amulet was something Kuraf found recently. It's unrelated to the runaway accident from months ago. She was simply managing it according to the custom of finder's responsibility—" "The Academic Council's decision cannot be overturned." "If I bring evidence—" "Bring evidence. That's all." Kern stood and headed for the door. Dan Hen placed her hand on it. It didn't close. Silence fell between them. Kern turned slowly. "Do you also wish to be detained as an outsider?" A quiet word. Not a shout. All the heavier for it. Dan Hen's hand left the door. Slam. The sound lingered in the hallway. Dan Hen stood alone in the corridor. She didn't move for a while. She started walking. When she reached the stairs, her foot caught on a step. She stumbled, and her shoulder hit the wall. A click of her tongue escaped. Rare. She thought so herself. She wasn't the type to click her tongue over something like that. Her fist pressed against the wall. —Kuraf's voice when she said "go" echoed in her head. A high voice, but straight and true. (That one always tries to carry everything alone.) Dan Hen pulled her fist away and started walking again. --- Karat Street had the same cobblestones as yesterday, the same smell of old books. Bronya Sernov opened the door to "Pageant." The shop owner Liene, who had talked to him yesterday, looked up at the counter—just for a moment. Her eyes immediately looked away. "Ah... thanks for telling me all that stuff yesterday. I wanted to ask a bit more—" "...Today is a bit busy." She disappeared into the back of the shelves. Bronya muttered "I see" and closed the door. Outside, people walking the street glanced at him, then looked away. Not just one. Several. It had been happening since earlier. He headed to the inn "Traveler's Knot." A clean inn at 15 Luke per night—he'd had no problem staying yesterday. "I'd like the same room as yesterday—" "...I'm sorry, but we're fully booked today." "Fully booked? There were that many room keys lined up yesterday?" "We cannot be involved with you people." Clear words. Bronya left. It wasn't winter, but the air on the street was cold. Standing on the cobblestones, he surveyed Karat Street. People were walking. But no one looked at him. Or rather, they were looking while pretending not to. He'd felt the rumors about the amulet criminal since yesterday. But today the speed was different. The patrol officers must have actively spread it, Bronya figured. "...This is bad." A smile wouldn't come. It had been a long time since Bronya made a face without smiling. He should have been able to find humor in any happening. But now—Kuraf alone in the detention room wasn't something he could laugh at. "Hey mister, what're you doing?" A voice came. Looking, a child about ten years old stood at the entrance to an alley. Round eyes, unafraid. "...Hmm, information gathering." "Information? About what?" "About the day the amulet went haywire a few months ago. You know anything about it?" The child thought. Then said, "I know." "That day, someone was going in and out of the Academy's basement. Not someone from outside—someone who lives here. My mom said 'they're going to the basement again.' That person always goes at night." Bronya's golden eyes narrowed. The underground ruins Cradle—the prehistoric civilization structures spreading 50 meters below Rilkenote—had a local person going in and out that day. Not an outsider. "You know where that person is now?" "I don't know. But they live in the house at the corner of Karat Street." A thin thread. A thread that might break. But—the thread was there. Bronya's mouth lifted slightly at the corner. --- Night came. The detention room was dark. Stars were visible outside the window, but the glass was dirty and blurred. Kuraf sat with her back against the wall, hugging her knees. The amulet was in another room. Disposal in the morning. The stone's coldness transmitted from her back. In the dark room, Kuraf kept thinking about something—or rather, something kept floating up unbidden. Before boarding the Parnesse. There was a senior crew member. Someone who cared about her. She tried to tell them how she felt—but couldn't. There were many chances, and she canceled them many times. The other person transferred to another star. She didn't even know where they were now. Further back. An accident on an asteroid exploration ship. The night her family disappeared. Alone inside a spacesuit, drifting through dark space. Her voice didn't reach anyone. No one's voice came back. She thought she'd drift like that forever. Even then, she couldn't be honest—or rather, there was no one left to be honest with. The amulet's condition that "if you're honest with your feelings, you'll return to normal" kept echoing in her head. (How can I be honest with my feelings when honesty itself is what I fear most?) She remembered grabbing Dan Hen's arm. In the darkness, she realized she was gripping with both hands. Dan Hen didn't shake her off. She said "I'm here" and placed her hand over Kuraf's. The moment the lights came back, they let go, and both made excuses at the same time. She thought she could laugh about it. But not now. She buried her face in her knees. A sound came out. She knew it was the sound of crying. She tried to stop it, but couldn't. The high voice absorbed into the stone walls—part of her still couldn't believe it was her own. But it definitely was. Then. The wall glowed faintly. Kuraf looked up. From beyond the wall, a white light seeped through. The amulet. The amulet that should have been stored in another room was glowing toward her—beyond the wall. It wavered. The light swayed slowly, matching Kuraf's feelings. Tears still in her eyes, she stared at that light. (What I really...) Her mouth started to move. Words were forming. Footsteps came from the hallway. Not one set. Two. The footsteps were fast. Running. Both running at once, and then— Clang! A dull sound. Two groans came out, almost simultaneously. "..." The hallway ceiling was apparently low enough that both of them hit it at full speed. Outside the door, two presences were quietly writhing. After a moment, Bronya's voice came. "...No, can't laugh, can't laugh. It hurts." "...Complain to whoever designed this." "This ceiling's too low!!" "Your voice is loud." Kuraf pushed off the wall and stood up. Her tears hadn't dried. But the corner of her mouth moved. The door opened. Silver hair appeared in the dark hallway beyond. Reddish-purple eyes looked straight at her. Beside it stood a purple-haired boy holding his forehead. Golden eyes narrowed in a grin. "Found a witness." Bronya's eyes were shining. Certainty dwelt in those golden eyes. Dan Hen said nothing. She looked at Kuraf, paused for a beat, then— "...Were you crying?" "I wasn't crying!!" Definitely too fast. Definitely too fast. Her face was probably red too. But that wasn't the priority now. The amulet's disposal was tomorrow morning. Kuraf wiped her eyes with her sleeve and looked at both of them. "...Tell me everything." In the distance down the hallway, from the wall of the room where the amulet was stored, a faint light still leaked through.