Story Reader / Main Story / 32 To the Galaxies / Story
32-1 A River of Blossoms
>The stars start to twinkle in the mysterious universe as if they were breathing.
...Phew.
The stardust-filled universe parts like a lifting curtain, revealing a gray-haired girl sitting in a corner of this small world.
She manipulates the virtual screen in her hands, her brows furrowed as she rapidly adjusts the complex coordinates displayed before her.
Hmm... That's not right...
These coordinates don't seem right... Gotta try a different set.
The scenery on the stellar shard fluctuates between ethereal and solid as it slowly morphs with each coordinate adjustment she makes.
No...
The gray-haired girl's voice shifts from hopeful to dejected as she stares in confusion at the space she has traversed countless times before.
The sparse starlight fails to fill the vast universe as she floats at its center and reaches out to touch the shattered vortexes before her.
The vortexes give off a dazzling radiance as space-time stretches and expands, with brilliant rivers of light streaming past her in a breathtaking display.
She sees the scenes from her past.
Aged light cascades upon her friend's shoulders.
She sees their first encounter in the desert.
She sees an unfamiliar darkness.
She also sees hope drifting through the endless cosmos.
And...
Nope... It's not here either.
She fiddles with the virtual screen, her head drooping in defeat.
How could this be, though... Is there a hiccup with the new frame's navigation system?
Why am I having trouble finding the coordinates that would take me back home... when the simulation process should be working just fine...
Once again, she finds herself lost in this vast universe.
Ahh...
Why is this happening... The anchor points should be fixed in place... but where are they now?
The sparse starlight fails to fill the vast universe as she stares into the boundless expansion of space in bewilderment.
Why can't Nanami find the path back...
She lets out a soft sigh, her thoughts tinged with sadness.
Stellar vortexes spin as time and space interweave into intricate, elusive patterns, flowing like rivers that stretch endlessly into the beyond.
The girl reaches out again, trying to fish out the right thread from the rivers.
She sees fragments of laughter.
The machine oil trickles down like tears of blood.
She sees the mournful cries of her comrades.
She sees a tide she has never experienced before.
She also sees...
The shining moon and the flames reflect each other's light under the night sky. Following this timeline, she now sees that certain human once again.
Ahem...
Simulation module entering cooldown—
The virtual screen dissipates into the universe, having exhausted itself. The girl, however, perks up with renewed vigor.
The brief simulation ends once more, but within her M.I.N.D., she can see the human commandant every bit as clearly as if they are right next to each other.
Well, still no luck with the coordinates, but I sure never saw that coming...
I wonder what Commandant is doing now...
Is the commandant going to come for me upon a cloud of stars like the people do in fairy tales?
...Actually, Commandant already has a bunch of things to deal with. Nanami should keep trying and figure out a way to get back to the commandant.
Don't worry, Commandant! Wait for Nanami! Nanami is coming!
Suddenly energized, the gray-haired girl clenches her fists and vanishes into the cosmos once more, brimming with determination.
—The stars start to twinkle in the mysterious universe as if they were breathing.
