Chapter 30: Beneath the Starry Sky

Do you know ants? They are busy from birth until death. To them, the society of ants demands that they dedicate themselves to serving the queen at every single moment.
How similar human beings are to them.

Episode 6: Traveler

Neatly arranged desks, uniformly set up workstations, and people with expressionless faces, their gazes glued to the computer screens before them, hands furiously operating the keyboards. The vast office was filled with the relentless sound of clacking keys.
People seemed like robots, executing the work at hand with rigid precision.

"Cough, cough..."
A young man couldn't help but loosen his tie; this atmosphere made him feel somewhat out of place.
Taking a heavy, ragged breath, he pushed himself away from the keyboard and mouse, leaning his head back against the chair.
This place was simply suffocating.

"Get out of the way..."
The person at the desk behind him rudely shoved him aside, then immediately plunged back into busy work.
"Sigh..." Letting out a helpless sigh, he suddenly heard a beep from the computer.
Reacting hurriedly, he looked up with a start, just in time to see a warning on the screen indicating that his work efficiency was too slow.
He slapped the monitor in frustration, but it was of no use. This would result in a pay cut. Moreover, if he fell behind on his daily quota, he would simply have to stay behind and make up for it after everyone else had left for the day.

When the hour hand pointed to five o'clock, a chime rang out from the loudspeakers.
Everyone simultaneously stopped the work at their hands, stood up, and picked up their briefcases to leave.
Along the way, there was not a single word of communication or conversation.
Like robots, they came for the sole purpose of work.
Naturally, this greatly increased work efficiency, but human interaction dwindled more and more. This was precisely what the government and corporations advocated: thoroughly weeding out anything that did not contribute to human productivity. Communication, entertainment... all of these were stripped away from people's lives.
It was sufficient for people to be like ants, working diligently day in and day out.

As the people emptied out, he still lay weakly across his desk, his hand unconsciously sketching something.
"Work capacity has decreased, dropping by 5.4 percent compared to last month. Your salary will be reduced accordingly."
The notification from the computer rang out without a trace of emotion. "Please pay special attention to your typing error rate and strive to reach a Grade B level."
He seemed not to hear it, simply continuing to silently outline the contours of a spaceship.

He loved the starry sky, yet he was trapped right here, working like an ant.
Packing up his belongings, he strode away, unwilling to stay another second; this place was suffocating.

His pace slowed to a halt outside a bar. After a moment of hesitation, he pushed the door open and entered.
He was a regular here. Ever since he had encountered that mysterious man in the bar last time, he would often visit, hoping against hope to catch another glimpse of him.
"Arisa... where do you think that red giant came from?"
Drawing his gaze away from the combat footage of Seven X playing on the screen, he couldn't help asking.
Arisa was a bartender at this establishment. A beautiful smile always graced her face, as if she never found life tedious. No matter whether the bar was crowded or deserted, she would stand quietly behind the counter, waiting with serene anticipation.
"Perhaps... the universe?"
Hearing this, a smile bloomed on his face, his eyes filled with yearning. "The universe..."
Resting his head against the counter, he watched the azure liquid being slowly poured into a tall wine glass, murmuring like someone in a dream: "How wonderful... never having to go to work at a company again..."

Arisa picked up a lemon and a fairy fruit skewered together with a cocktail pick, and carefully placed it on the rim of the glass, amused as she spoke: "Here it goes again... Takao-san's delusions..."
Takao took the tall glass, though he didn't drink from it; instead, he held it before him, observing the blue liquid closely, as beautiful as the starry sky.
"If only I could fly to the edge of the universe..."
"Then there wouldn't be any need to worry about salary deductions due to mistakes!"
Arisa looked with quiet amusement at the man before her. He was a regular here, possessing a mature exterior yet retaining the heart of a child.
"I, for one, think that simply being able to chat with customers here in the bar is happiness enough..."
"But why do fewer and fewer people come... It seems the business of all leisure places is doing poorly..."
After offering a minor complaint and pausing, she steered the conversation back.
"In some corner of this vast universe, there also..."
A slight blush crept across her cheeks, but she smiled nonetheless, gathering her courage to say:
"Right here at this bar counter, we met by chance. Don't you think that is a miracle?"
With that, she looked at Takao with expectant eyes.

However, the latter completely failed to grasp the meaning behind her words. Instead, he straightened up somewhat indignantly and retorted, "No... a man's dream should be on a much grander scale than that!"
"Women will never understand..."

Arisa was taken aback for a moment. Seeing his earnest and defensive demeanor, she smiled helplessly and shook her head.

At home, all kinds of aerospace models were displayed, along with E.T. figures—all symbolizing this man's passions and aspirations.

The night had grown deep. Takao sat beside his astronomical telescope, quietly gazing up at the night sky.
Beneath that very same canopy of the heavens overhead, perhaps in the eyes of different people, the scenery looked entirely different.

S walked slowly over to Jin, asking with gentle concern, "Why the sorrowful expression?"
Jin smiled, looking at S, who always wore her hair in a neat ponytail, and on a whim asked, "Shall I tie your hair for you?"
"Ah... I..." S's face was filled with utter astonishment, which quickly flushed into a delicate pink before she softly replied. For reasons unknown, hearing Jin's words made her feel as though her heart had been steeped in honey, radiating sweetness from the inside out.

Jin stepped behind S, his fingers gliding through her smooth locks, gently pulling the hair tie down just a bit. Following that, two of his fingers threaded through the strands to pinch the ponytail, pulling it through the space he had created.
S leaned lightly against the railing, feeling Jin's movements. A smile naturally bloomed on her face, and she gazed somewhat blankly at the starry sky, lost in her own thoughts.

Finishing the final step, Jin let out a breath and said, "There, all done..."
Whenever he had spare time, Kyoka would strongly demand his help with styling her hair, so he had managed to pick up a few tricks.

Having S turn around, Jin stood before her and carefully combed down her bangs. The bangs were slightly too long and covered her eyes, so Jin used his pinky finger to sweep them to one side, finally tucking them behind her ear.
Stepping back slightly, Jin smiled. "It looks great."
With her hairstyle changed, S seemed like a completely different person. The usual fierce, martial heroism she carried was slightly diminished, replaced instead by the air of a graceful young lady of a noble household.
Only, paired with her black windbreaker, it certainly looked a bit mismatched.

S looked at Jin with a mix of nervous delight, her tone unconsciously taking on a slightly girlish air as she asked, "Is... is it really good?"
Jin smiled and nodded; he was very satisfied with the makeover he had given S.

The two leaned against the railing together, gazing at the starry sky. S's heart fluttered and soared, drifting inevitably toward Jin.
Her gaze, which had been fixed on the starry sky, somehow shifted entirely onto Jin.
She retrieved a small tin box and pulled out a piece of chocolate. Instead of eating it herself, she handed it to Jin.
"Have a taste, Anri chocolates from our family..."