Chapter 288 ·Turning point (51)

Turning 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󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄂point (51)

I leaned my back against the head of the bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling. That was all I could do. Feeling the weight on my arm, I glanced over.

Licorice was hugging my arm. With both of hers, as if to keep me from escaping at all. My left arm was sealed within Licorice's embrace.

'... How did it end up like this?'

There was no need to wonder. I had been awkwardly comforting the suddenly sobbing Licorice, and at some point, this had just happened.

Was this what they meant by being caught off guard? I'd only put my hand on her shoulder and, suddenly, the distance between us had vanished and I had to give up even the already cramped corner of the bed.

The Beta Series had kindly helped to make room. For the record, I planned to dial down their excessive helpfulness later.

'... I'm thirsty.'

As my body began to recover, perhaps because I was burning more calories, I felt constant hunger and thirst. What's more, Licorice, whose body had been cold, was now so warm she was radiating heat onto me.

At first, that warmth was nice, but as it continued, it was becoming downright hot. It only made my thirst worse. Without that distance, my throat burned even more.

And Licorice seemed determined never to let go of my arm, as if it now belonged to her. With her face buried in my arm, she sniffled occasionally.

Judging by how things weren't getting any wetter, it seemed the tears had stopped. Still, I couldn't imagine this composition would change. If I tried to force my arm free, Licorice would probably only cling harder, and I didn't have the strength anyway.

'... Water...'

Tortured by thirst, I stared at Licorice's crown. I could just order the waiting Beta Series to bring me something, but... the problem was whether I dared break the mood right now.

I had feelings too. I'd never seen Licorice cry like that before, and it made me unexpectedly self-conscious.

'It's not like I don't understand why she cried.'

Even just seeing her body temperature return to normal gave me an idea. Licorice had been driven to the brink. And not by her own choice, but by a situation she'd been pushed into.

Reality had only technically presented Licorice with options, but to call them real choices would be generous.

The worst, or the worst. Either she fully transformed into Lobelia and destroyed us all with that jet-black strength, or, somehow helped us escape and remained alone on Titan. There were only those two, and she hadn't been asked to choose—she'd been forced.

'If I had pretended not to notice, Licorice would have chosen the latter.'

Even if Licorice tended to grumble and look on the dark side, she wasn't the type to choose the former. Her behavior was mostly a kind of defense mechanism. What she did on the surface and what she truly thought were nearly opposites.

At first, there had been times I felt hurt by her outward demeanor, but over time, I realized that wasn't truly how she was.

No one is without their story, they say. Still, I wondered why so many tragic figures ended up on Titan. As if it drew them in.

Sensing my gaze, Licorice shuddered. It seemed certain she'd calmed down somewhat. That passed quickly, though, as I watched Licorice rubbing her face against my arm and felt an odd sense of incongruity, making me furrow my brow.

"...?"

"Hic..."

Now that I noticed, her sniffles sounded oddly forced. There was residual trembling from crying, yes, but that was all. Her pronunciation was very clear compared to before, as if she was deliberately saying "hic."

Oddly, she seemed to be stealing glances at me, too.

'No way, did she miss her timing?'

Normally, emotions make people impulsive. Once those who've let their feelings take over calm down, it often gets really awkward. Impulse means acting suddenly, doing things you wouldn't normally do.

'... Did her body temperature go up because she's embarrassed about the situation?'

So was Licorice's blushing now also from embarrassment? I found myself intensely curious about her expression at this moment.

If I could still use telekinesis, I could have checked easily. But I could barely even move my hand now—so there was no hope of that. Instead I quietly spoke up.

"Licorice. I'm a little—no, very thirsty. Can I have some water?"

"... Wh-why are you asking me? Just get the Beta Series to do it."

"I can't drink water with one hand. Giving the order is one thing, but drinking is another. Just let go of my arm for now."

Licorice hesitated, clearly thinking about whether to free my arm, then quietly pulled out her conductor's baton and waved it around. Her face stayed buried against my arm.

Understanding the command, the Beta Series brought over the last remaining nutrition pack. Licorice still didn't lift her head.

The Beta Series once again showed excessive helpfulness and assisted me in drinking with one hand. It even wiped the water off my lips afterward.

Turned out this particular combat robot was one of the errand-specialized models Licorice kept around. As soon as I was better, I swore I'd lower this robot's helpfulness score.

Even after I'd emptied three nutrition packs and finally quenched my thirst, Licorice still stubbornly held her position. At this point, I was convinced: her stormy emotions had calmed, and now she'd reached that embarrassing point where she couldn't admit she was actually fine, making it even harder to break out of this situation.

Feeling much better now that I was no longer parched, I called out to Licorice with a lighter heart.

"Licorice, raise your head a bit. How long do you plan to stay like this?"

"... Am I not allowed to?"

"Pardon?"

"I mean... If it was Woof-woof instead of me, you'd just hug her and all. You'd even brush her tail, wouldn't you...!"

Licorice muttered, clearly aggrieved, and clutched my arm even more tightly.

"That's Nadia, not Woof-woof. And besides, you're the one hugging me now, Licorice."

"The tail!"

"You're not beastman.... Why are you asking for a tail when you don't have one? Stop deflecting and lift your head, please. We can't go on like this forever. Need more time?"

"... That's not it."

Licorice squirmed a bit, then finally lifted her head slightly. The first thing I noticed was my soiled hospital gown.

It had felt damp already, but it was far more soaked than I expected. I could only hope it had been wet by one kind of liquid.

Next caught my eye—her bright red, swollen eyes. She'd rubbed them so much they were thoroughly puffy. Red hair, red eyes, and now even redder eyelids. I couldn't help but chuckle. Licorice glared at me.

"... Why are you laughing?"

"You should probably wash your face."

"......"

Licorice silently signaled the Beta Series, ordering it to bring a wet towel. Pressing the cold towel to her eyelids, the swelling receded.

I almost joked, "Now you look human again," but stopped myself. Honestly, it felt awkward to use that phrase right now. Licorice probably wouldn't care, but I did. After all, she had been in tears.

"Licorice."

"What."

"I'm sorry."

"... Sorry for what."

Just... for everything. All sorts of things."

"... Hmph, you're not very thoughtful."

For a moment, Licorice's eyes welled with tears again, and she wiped them briskly. Worried I'd messed up again, I carefully watched her reaction.

"... It was my fault, so don't cry anymore."

"I'm NOT crying, okay?! I was just drying off with the towel! I'm fine now!"

Licorice shouted, offended at being called a crybaby. My ears almost hurt. Now thoroughly worked up again, she leaned even more into me, and my arm lost its freedom again.

"... At least until the others come, let me stay like this. I feel anxious."

"But you said you were fine."

"That's how I feel."

"So... your feelings have... changed?"

On my question, Licorice shot me a sharp look. It practically screamed, "Did you really have to ask that now?"

I didn't look away, and Licorice slowly averted her eyes.

"Honestly, you really don't notice anything. Didn't you promise to let me be the one to take down that monster Lobelia for you?"

"I did."

"I'm trusting you on that. I have some ideas about how we can get off Titan. But they're not the best yet. I need time to organize my thoughts. So for now, just be my totem."

She looked up at me while saying that. Seeing that spark returned to her crimson eyes, I felt relieved. I could tell she truly intended to try again.

Up until just a few moments ago, I'd planned to talk this out more seriously—but now, I realized I didn't have to. Her eyes alone gave me the answer. Just seeing those jewel-like eyes again was enough.

A little tension faded from my body as I relaxed and settled back. After a few peaceful breaths filled the room, Licorice tapped the back of my hand.

"Can I ask you something?"

"As long as it won't—no, I won't. I won't joke like that, so please don't bare your teeth."

I caught myself before making a clumsy joke, seeing the shift in Licorice's expression. I almost got bite marks on my wrist.

"What are you curious about?"

"Why do you want to go to Earth so badly? I get the general idea, but it feels like there's more to it. There are other planets, aren't there?"

The reason I wanted to go to Earth. That goal had always included discovering who I was—since my only remaining memory was some scene from Earth while not knowing who I was or what my past held.

But now, that had been resolved. Linking up with Celestia, I'd found my answer even before setting foot on Earth.

Still, I wanted to go to Earth. Even with the mystery of my past resolved, the curiosity I'd built up hadn't disappeared.

"At first, it was just a vague longing. As you know, Titan's weather is so unpredictable. Cold, blizzards, hail, and sometimes earthquakes whenever anything falls."

One day, searching for the place in my memories, I saw it. On the way home after a grueling day in sector D of the residential area, an old ad.

"Do you remember not long after you picked me up? I think the BALL's first prize back then was some kind of Earth travel package. I caught the ad in passing, and then I realized—the scene in my memory was Earth, and that unlike ice-covered Titan, Earth was beautiful. That kind of thing."

"......"

"The emotion I felt then is still hard to put into words. It was overwhelming. Ever since, I've longed for Earth, and that longing's continued to this very moment."

Earth, cradle of humankind, had survived the era of rapid technological change, and—after humanity spread across the stars—recovered its desolated nature thanks to terraforming technology.

The technology that once plagued Earth had now restored its lost splendor. With almost no pollution, Earth solidly re-established itself as humanity's cradle.

"The sky so high it feels infinite, white clouds drifting by, blinding sunlight, a gentle moon, emerald seas teeming with life, cool breezes, soft soil with sprouting sprouts, green hills and quiet lakes, birdsong in the forest, small animals climbing the trees... all those things make me long for Earth. None of it can be found on Titan."

Without my old virtual reality device that used to let me see Earth scenes while living in the residential area, those images remained pristine in my mind.

The more I talked, the more excited I got, spilling out everything I'd learned about Earth: the unique cultures that persisted under unification by the Earth government, the real food produced by actual nature, and so on. Licorice giggled, saying she'd never heard me so chatty.

"When I get to Earth, I'm going straight to a restaurant in the city. They use real meat there—not cultured. I've read that no matter how good cultured meat is, it can't compare to the real thing. They say it smells richer, and while it might not be to my taste, I want to try it at least once. Licorice, have you ever tried it?"

"No. You know I got in the habit of just eating whatever was quick."

"Then come with me. Meat is graded by quality, apparently, and there are lots of restaurants, so we can try them all. You know those waiters from videos? Let's go somewhere fancy like that. High-end restaurant? Fine dining? Time—no, that's not it, there was some word with dining... Anyway, let's go, and if I mess up, you help me out."

"... Me? I've never been to a place like that, either."

"But you still know more than me! What if people at the restaurant call me a Titan bumpkin?"

I trembled at the thought of a situation that hadn't happened yet. I generally didn't put up with troublemakers—but only if I felt I could handle them. If I messed up with the wrong person, it'd be hard to clean up, and I'd end up in real trouble.

If Celestia came, nothing would happen, but she'd probably be too busy. Once on Earth, she'd still be the head of Myosotis, unlike me, Licorice, and Nadia, who would be jobless.

She'd probably be so swamped catching up that she'd rarely get to go out. I didn't want to exclude Celestia, but wasn't going to drag her along by force. Myosotis's success was tied to mine, after all.

'That's a weird way to put it.'

Correction. I wanted to enjoy myself before building a proper relationship with Myosotis.

'... That's still weird.'

In the end, it meant leaving a hard-working Celestia alone while I had fun. I corrected myself again. I'd just play it by ear.

"Credit payments probably cover service charges, so I don't think it'll be an issue..."

Licorice laughed, saying I was trembling too much. But then her expression darkened a little.

"But the Earth you've seen in the media and the real thing might be different. It's still where people live. Only the environment changes—it isn't so different from Titan."

"I know that. But even so, I want to go. Even now, after learning about my past."

"... Your past. I guess I never kept that promise, huh. I was supposed to help you find it properly in return for granting one wish."

Licorice's expression clouded further. I shrugged.

"Didn't you help me find it?"

"Did I? That monster Lobelia just told you."

"If it wasn't for you, I'd never have gotten to where it was. So, really, you did help."

"... Thanks, if that's how you see it."

Licorice murmured awkwardly, but her smile soon returned. That lasted only a moment—then she spotted the glowing blue bracelet on my wrist and, sulking, scratched at it with her finger.

"But, on Earth, will we really be able to work together?"

"Why wouldn't we?"

"You joined Myosotis. Celestia boosted your authority and gave you a Myosotis privilege bracelet."

"That's true... but we haven't discussed how things will work yet. On the surface I'll belong to Myosotis, but I plan to work independently for now."

Even though I said working with Licorice was always important to me, she still looked dissatisfied, poking her lips out.

"Joining a corporation..."

"C'mon, once I'm back I'll get my authority set for a red ranking. With permissions that high, there's nothing above me."

"Hmph, I can do that too. I could make yours white! It won't just use Titan database access anymore."

"White...?"

Did the bracelet even have that color? Suddenly, I jumped.

"White grade is for the very top people in the Earth government! I'll get arrested...!"

"Would you really let yourself get caught?"

"It'd be a huge headache, so don't do it. Even if you can."

"Tsk..."

Licorice grumbled and fidgeted with the bracelet. Despite having given it to me herself, she kept fiddling with it, unhappy, gradually slowing.

We kept talking about Earth, as if making up for all the times we couldn't before. With neither of us having solid data, the conversation swung wildly: arguing about what was possible, vowing to find out the truth together, and covering every topic.

Time passed that way until our words began to slow down.

"... Earth, huh... I guess it would be fun to go with you. I want to see Earth..."

With those words, Licorice's eyes drifted shut. Her head drooped; she had fallen asleep. She must have been very tired.

As Licorice softly dozed, I adjusted my posture to let her sleep as comfortably as possible. Watching her red hair spill down, I quietly murmured.

"I'll go. I'll make it happen. I'll abandon the ship, but never the captain."

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