17. Thinking of You Beyond the Starry Sky

Shiro was scanning the interior of the hut.

"Shiro, the equipment in this cabin is powered by magic stones. So we’ll need a magic stone."

And Mitoka explained about the magical devices.

"Magic stones? Ah, alchemical gear. Can I use the ones taken from Horn Rabbit?"

Yes, I think it should work. There should be a box somewhere to place the mana crystal—go ahead and look for it.

Thinking it was like a battery chamber, Shiro searched the cabin and found a box on the wall beside the kitchen, designed to hold a gemstone. He placed the Horn Rabbit's gemstone inside.

"Exactly what kind of equipment counts as a magical device?"

"Light and magic stove, ventilation fan, water tap, refrigerator, and then the purification tank."

"Pretty nice setup here? This world was supposed to be medieval Europe-level, right?"

And Shiro, impressed.

"That's right. In this world, such equipment doesn't exist yet. These magical devices are more like prototypes. Looks like they've implemented Shiro's design for his magical gear."

"Truth is, this should still be in the conceptual phase—unfinished, even in my own design."

"Yes. It seems the incomplete section was finalized with detailed design in the divine realm, adjusted to fit this world."

"Hmm, that's good. I'll take a closer look later. So, bath and magical equipment too?"

"No, unfortunately, the mana from the gemstone isn't enough to generate bathwater. We'll need to acquire water separately."

Hmm, should I just fetch water from the river...? That’d be a hassle too.

And just as Shiro thought that, he suddenly realized,

"Maybe I could just generate water through my materialization? As long as it's just me using it, it's basically personal use, right?" I asked.

“…Yes, that’s correct. It’s possible.”

Mitoka answered with a complicated expression.

Good—bath time! Shiro mentally cheered, heading first to the room with the bed and checking the chest.

“Ah, there it is. Just as expected, goddess-sama.”

Shiro smiled.

A few sets of spare clothes were laid out, including something resembling pajamas, so Shiro grabbed those and headed toward the bathhouse. The changing area had towels too—everything seemed to be prepared.

Shiro decided to start by filling the tub with water.

“This amount of water… generating it all at once is going to be tough…”

He considered whether a water sphere about a meter in diameter would work (maybe?). He generated the water and poured it into the bath tub. One more would be needed.

After filling the tub, he’d need to heat the water… He regretted forgetting to heat it while generating it.

“Fire magic? No—since I want to raise the water’s temperature directly, I should use molecular motion control,” he thought.

“Shiro, molecular motion control requires willpower 140 and a phase transition into electromagnetic wave form. Alternatively, you could indirectly heat the water using fire magic based on hydrogen and oxygen.”

Mitoka explained.

“Ah, right—fire magic would be simpler, but I’ll try molecular motion control here as practice.”

Shiro decided. Then:

“Alright, first, use mana manipulation to select and enclose the entire body of water, and imagine increasing the temperature through molecular motion control… 【Heating】!”

——『【Heating】 Level 1 acquired』

Shiro maintained the spell for about five seconds, then stopped.

“Ah… I can’t even tell what temperature it is now,” he muttered, slightly baffled.

“Temperature’s readable through鉴定,” Mitoka said.

“Huh? Really? Okay, then—[鉴定]!”

Shiro cast the鉴定 on the bathwater, and sure enough, the temperature appeared. It read thirty degrees Celsius.

“Hmm, so with that magic power, heating this volume for five seconds raises it about ten degrees?”

He observed, then heated it again for about five seconds, dipping his hand in.

“Yeah, feels good,” Shiro thought, pleased.

As he soaked in the hot water, Shiro reflected on the day.

Mitoka floated in the bathwater ahead of him, wrapped entirely in a bath towel—quite the commitment. The way her body was rendered in the water was flawless. Shiro admired the detail, but still found himself staring, despite himself, at the sight of this petite beauty soaking in the tub.

“Shiro, what are you staring at?” Mitoka narrowed her eyes at him.

“Huh? Oh, uh, the rendering’s just… really impressive…”

Shiro stammered, blushing, trying to cover up. He cleared his throat.

“Mitoka, thanks for supporting me all day.”

“Shiro, no, it’s me who should thank you. We made it through—well, all kinds of stuff happened, but… we’re okay.”

Mitoka smiled, relaxed.

“Well, I died once, but I’m alive now. So, let’s count it as a win!”

Shiro shook off the past, resolved not to dwell on it, and turned his thoughts to what lay ahead.

“Still, tomorrow’s going to need more testing. I don’t even know what I can do or can’t do yet. Need to boost combat power too…”

He sighed. So much had happened in just one day. His mind was tired. He decided to call it a night and just sleep.

Shiro woke abruptly in the middle of the night, stepped outside without reason, and looked up at the sky.

“Oh… this is…”

He was transfixed by a river of stars so vast it overwhelmed him. Not just any starry sky—this wasn’t the Milky Way as seen from a dark spot on Earth. It was more like a river of stars, each one finely sharp and brilliantly glowing, scattered like sand across the heavens. Every direction he looked, the number of bright stars was overwhelming.

On Earth, how many first-magnitude stars were there? Maybe twenty? Here, hundreds seemed to be at that level. Was this star system closer to the galactic core? The glow in that direction was so intense it rivaled moonlight.

“This sky… it’s stunning,” Shiro said aloud.

Mitoka, perched on his shoulder, explained.

“Shiro, the Filidia system is located somewhat near the galactic center and nestled within one of the spiral arms. That’s why the sky is so brilliantly lit.”

Shiro suddenly thought of something and asked.

“Even this close, is cosmic radiation… okay?”

“Well… the mana layer at high altitudes seems to block harmful radiation like cosmic rays and UV rays,” Mitoka replied.

“Huh… weirdly detailed, almost sci-fi. Feels less like fantasy, though. Am I imagining things? Or is this just reality? But magic shouldn’t directly interfere with physics, right? No, wait—maybe that’s just how it’s designed…”

He muttered these thoughts under his breath, caught in a strange mental loop.

After a long silence, gazing at the night sky, Shiro suddenly smiled.

“Yeah… I want to show this to Kotone someday.”

Yeah, suddenly remembered Kotone. Kotone was the girl who lived next door, someone I’d looked after since childhood. Technically, we were childhood friends. We went to the same middle and high school—she was a junior in the astronomy club. I remember how easily we’d talk.

She loved staring at the Milky Way. I still remember her gentle smile—the faintly fleeting one she’d give when calling me “senpai.”

Her eyes, when she looked at me, always seemed caught between sorrow and joy—too intense to hold, too mesmerizing to look away from. I never told anyone, but every time I saw her, my heart would flutter, quietly.

It’s been a while since we last met… I wonder if she’s doing alright. Shiro briefly thought of Earth, lost in quiet sentiment.

Thank you for reading.

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