Under a sky full of stars

the vacation finally began in earnest.

Just in front of the cottage lies a beach, where one can enjoy swimming in the lake instead of the sea.

The weather is excellent, with strong sunlight—perfect conditions for lake swimming.

The women, having carefully prepared their swimwear, cheer joyfully as they splash about in the water.

Incidentally, Andy is enjoying the lake swim right alongside them, looking very happy indeed.

Shinnosuke sits on a beach chair, watching the scene unfold.

His casual attire—a loose shirt and half pants—was purchased during a business meeting with Layar at the beach of the oceanic planet Tōmu, and had been stored away in Fubuki's room ever since.

Next to Shinnosuke, Marks is in swim trunks, rubbing some oily substance onto his body.

Shinnosuke glances sideways at Marks’s actions.

"Mark, what are you doing wearing just swim trunks?"

This isn't a nudist beach, so please be mindful of the setting. The substance on my body is wax for metal.

...I think I remember having this conversation before.

Yes, that's right.

"Markus, don't go into the lake—though it won't rust you like seawater, you'll sink."

Yes

Behind Shinosuke and the others, who were engaged in such conversation, stood Madelia.

Madelia was wearing a swimsuit instead of her usual apron dress, clearly choosing her attire appropriately for the occasion.

Sipping the ice-cold synthetic fruit tea Madelia had prepared, she watched Millena and the others playing by the water's edge, their glossy swimsuits glistening.

Bathed in bright sunlight, with a refreshing breeze from the waterside, time flowed slowly and peacefully, without a care in the world.

"Everyone looks so happy... It was really worth coming here..."

Before he even realized it, Shinosuke had fallen asleep.

Perhaps his daily fatigue had finally caught up with him, for Shinosuke slept soundly.

"...Hmm? Wait... what?"

How much time had passed? When Shinosuke finally awoke, the sun had already set, and night had fallen over the surroundings.

"Did you wake up? Shinosuke-san."

Lina was peering closely at his face.

Though she was just peering, her face was unusually close.

"Wait... Lina?...Where is everyone?"

"They've all returned to the cottage. You were sleeping so peacefully, I didn't want to wake you, so I stayed behind to keep an eye on you."

Lina gently teased Shinosuke, her voice filled with amusement.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that."

"No, just watching Shinosuke's sleeping face was already enjoyable. I pinched his nose, but he didn't wake up at all. He was clearly more relaxed than he ever is in his usual state."

"I'm ashamed."

Indeed, he was far more careless than usual.

"Anyway, Shinosuke, look—see over here."

"Huh?"

Lina pointed upward toward the sky.

Looking up, I saw a magnificent starry sky spread out above us.

"Amazing starry sky. The endless expanse of stars seen from colonies or spaceships is wonderful too, but gazing up at a sky full of stars from the ground is also romantic and beautiful."

As Lina said, there's something uniquely special about viewing the stars from the earth's surface.

Shinosuke stood up and looked up at the sky.

"Truly, this is a magnificent starry sky..."

Shinosuke was instantly captivated.

"Shinosuke, look, over here, over here!"

When he turned around at the call, he saw Reina sitting on the picnic blanket, pointing at her lap and inviting him with a smile.

It seemed she was asking for a lap pillow.

"No... that's a bit..."

Shinosuke hesitated, but Reina wasn't backing down.

"Come on, you'll get a stiff neck if you keep looking up like that."

Reina clearly wasn't giving up.

Reluctantly, Shinosuke decided to oblige her request.

"It's beautiful... Even though we're on the ground, looking up like this, it's as if we're being sucked into a world of stars, right in the middle of the universe. I might never have had such a wonderful experience in my life if you hadn't brought me here."

"Hey, you're exaggerating a bit. We do have opportunities to descend onto the planet Pelerene, where our colony resides, and the stars are visible from Pelerene too, aren't they?"

"Nah, the starry sky from Pelerene is nice too, but this one's in a league of its own."

"True, this place is remote, so urbanization hasn't really taken hold, and there's almost no environmental damage. The air's still as clear as it was when I was a kid."

"Have you grown up on this planet, Shinnosuke?"

"To be honest, I don't remember much since I was still very young. After my mother passed away, due to my father's work, we moved up to the colony and lived there. There was a cargo station for the Saikouji Company in the Tōchigi colony, so my father, who worked as a sailor, would go out from the station to work. After that, I only came down to the surface occasionally, and the last time I visited Tōchigi was over ten years ago."

Shin nosuke unconsciously sharing his life story, and Rina listening with a delighted expression.

"Your seafaring blood comes from your father, doesn't it?"

"Well, maybe. I used to love watching the cargo ship my father was captain of. I felt proud knowing my father was the one moving such a huge vessel. His ship was more than ten times the size of Fukubuki or Tsukikage."

Rina placed her hand on Shinosuke's forehead and looked up at the starry sky.

"Such a beautiful星空, this cosmos—but to sailors aboard ships, it's a world full of danger. There's absolutely no guarantee that a sailor who sets out into space will ever return. As a union employee, I've known countless sailors who never came back. Thinking about that, I sometimes feel anxious, wondering if Shinosuke might one day be among those who don't return. I even find myself resenting the cosmos that claims the lives of sailors....But that's exactly what makes Shinosuke and the others sailors. This is the world they work in—the very cosmos that both threatens and inspires them."

"In our line of work, life and death are just a hair's breadth apart. But we never give up on living, even in such a world, and we fight until the very end. A sailor's job isn't truly complete until they safely return to port."

"Then I'll be waiting for you, Shinosuke and the others, at the place you return to. I believe in every sailor who sets sail, and waiting for them is my duty."

"That sounds like it'll be a lifetime of hardship..."

No, I don't mind waiting that much.

So that's how it is...

...Kukuku

When Rin saw Shinosuke again, she suddenly burst into laughter.

Did I say something weird?

No, that's not it. I just got so happy.

You felt happy?

"Yeah, because Shinosuke-kun finally spoke to me without using polite language—just like Millina-san and Seira-chan. I felt like I’d finally caught up to the two of you."

By the time she realized it, Shinosuke had already been speaking to Rina in his natural tone.

"Oh, right, that’s true."

"That’s why I was so happy. Please let me hear Shinosuke-kun’s Tochigi dialect someday too."

"???"

When angry, Shinosuke unconsciously unleashes his Tochigi dialect, leaving Rina utterly confused by what he's saying.

Under the starry sky, Rina savored the happiness of having Shinosuke all to herself.