Chapter 283: To: The Faint Star 『 Part One 』
「 Hearing from Herta that it would be some time before Ruan Mei arrived at the Space Station, and having nothing to do in the interim, Stelle wandered aimlessly through the station until she discovered a researcher neglecting his duties.
"Should I make it witty? Nah, maybe sentimental is better. Elegance? Well, I probably shouldn't use idioms in a poem." Rocky was meticulously deliberating over every word and phrase of his love poem. "Should I use 'dark silk' here or 'white gown'? Hss, it's hurting my brain …"
"What are you doing?" Stelle leaned in curiously.
"Huh? I'm writing a poem. Didn't you see? There are already several drafts on the table over there." Rocky's eyebrows drooped as he pointed dejectedly at the pile of manuscripts on the desk. "Sigh, your interruption actually reminded me—I've written so many drafts, so why hasn't Lesley written back to me yet?"
A sneer came from behind them. The old researcher Bernard took a slow sip of his coffee: "Oh, Lesley is a prominent researcher in the Department of Insight, the only scholar who has visited the Abundance segmentum this Amber Era. Do you really think she has time to pay attention to you?"
"Of course she has time for me!" Rocky's face instantly flushed crimson: "Ever since Lesley left, we've been in contact intermittently via the Cosmmic Airwave Repeater. Even separated by tens of thousands of light-years, she wouldn't just ignore me."
"She hasn't replied on time; it must just be a special circumstance this time!" Rocky lowered his head, his voice growing smaller and smaller, like a leaking balloon: "I... I confessed my love for her in my last letter. I usually just talk to her about the types of rock and mud we see in the Department of Cosmic Geography..."
"I really don't understand why, right after I confessed, Lesley stopped paying attention to me… We used to chat about a lot of things, from which of the 101 Aeon instruments in the Department of Insight require Gunn's beard, and about how to use Astro Rods to examine the quality of soil, thus determining the rise and fall of the inhabitants of the planet." 」
「 ..... 」
〜KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World〜
Seeing the touch of pure innocence on Researcher Rocky's face, Darkness couldn't help but be deeply affected, her face flushing with bashfulness.
"Eh? Love poems and such, they really are romantic."
Darkness shyly covered her slightly burning cheeks.
"But compared to language, I think personality and shared topics are more important. Working on research in the same place, their personalities shouldn't be too different, right?"
Kazuma looked at the pile of scattered poems on the table behind Rocky.
"Though it does surprise me. Is this medieval style of confession still popular among the researchers on the Herta Space Station?"
Kazuma spread his hands, putting on the airs of a seasoned veteran of romance.
"However, when chatting with a girl you like, how can you only talk about topics you're interested in? Of course, you have to cater to her preferences~"
"Heh…"
Aqua let out a disdainful snort.
"Does an otaku like you actually understand romance? I thought you were planning to spend your nights in the stables with—"
"Oi, oi! DON'T SAY THINGS LIKE THAT OUT LOUD!!"
Kazuma's old face turned red, and his voice involuntarily rose a few octaves:
"I'll have you know that before I reincarnated, I had the experience of playing 100 galgames! I have plenty of authority in this area, okay!?"
"Oh~ You're counting that kind of thing too?"
Seeing Kazuma's utterly mortified expression, Aqua finally couldn't hold back her laughter:
"You haven't even touched a girl's hand, yet you dare to teach others about love? KUSHUSHUKUSHUSHU~"
"Why doesn't it count?"
Kazuma was so flustered he could barely speak properly:
"V-virtual experience is still experience!"
—
「 Rocky stated that in the communication before his confession, Lesley had described a magnificent starquake to him.
Facing the grand spectacle of a dying star, her tone had been very happy. In short, Rocky believed there were no omens indicating she would reject his confession. The fact that he hadn't received a message as scheduled must mean there was a problem with the Cosmmic Airwave Repeater.
But unfortunately, his mentor Bernard had no intention of letting him go, nor did he allow Stelle to help him.
"Your head is full of nothing but repeaters, repeaters. You haven't done any proper work in over ten days. Disappointing!" Seeing his disciple in such a state, Bernard was so angry that his mustache was nearly crooked.
"Old man, blocking the flow is worse than guiding it~" Stelle let out a 'Hehe' laugh; she was willing to play matchmaker for this beautiful cause.
Rocky indicated that the repeater was in a large abandoned Curio storage room. As long as Stelle could give him a hand, he would invite her to be a bridesmaid once the deed was done!
Stelle immediately headed to the location Rocky specified and successfully found and repaired the repeater. It contained some of his recent communication records with Lesley.
Although peeking at someone else's chat history isn't very nice, being unable to resist is also human nature. Stelle's finger slid gently across the screen, and countless dialogues flowed before her eyes like a galaxy. These words were like tender buds trembling on a branch in early spring, carrying the writer's softness and sincerity.
Signal Log: 2157 AE, Months 40-43
Source: Unknown light-years (exceeds detectable distance) Recipient: Herta Space Station, Rocky Martinez
Translated Text Below
Lesley Herta Space Station System Time 06:32:17
Hi Rocky!
Lesley Herta Space Station System Time 06:32:45
The Interastral Research Team has landed on a planet in the neighboring system to the Abundance galaxy. The air here is so refreshing!
Lesley Herta Space Station System Time 06:33:08
Even though this place isn't actual Aeons territory, it's already able to generate an extremely high degree of oxygen just by being close to the Aeons.
Lesley Herta Space Station System Time 06:33:29
This is my first time witnessing Theophany... I've always stayed inside the space station. Only reading about this is like living under a rock.
Lesley Herta Space Station System Time 06:33:39
Ah, the repeater signal is about to end... I feel like I said a lot of meaningless things. Sorry.
Lesley Herta Space Station System Time 06:34:48
Don't forget to keep up the good work at the space station. Try your best to come out to see the stars soon, just like that Hosea who you admire so much.
Destination: Unknown light-years (exceeds detectable distance) Sender: Herta Space Station, Rocky Martinez
Edits Below, Translation Sent
Rocky Herta Space Station System Time 08:14:18
Lesley, congratulations on your safe arrival!
Rocky Herta Space Station System Time 08:25:27
Don't worry, I scored Excellent in the previous evaluation, and I'll definitely do it again next time.
Rocky Herta Space Station System Time 08:41:43
Lesley, what you said was very interesting. It's definitely not a waste of time! Tell me about everything you see. I'll be waiting to hear from you!
—
Signal Log: 2157 AE, Months 44-47
Destination: Unknown light-years (exceeds detectable distance) Sender: Herta Space Station, Rocky Martinez
Edits Below, Translation Sent
Rocky Herta Space Station System Time 18:12:24
Lesley, do you still have the Astro Rod I gave you?
Rocky Herta Space Station System Time 19:33:56
You said that it was difficult to use before. I looked through some ancient text today and found a method for it. I've been eager to share it with you.
Rocky Herta Space Station System Time 18:12:24
"Place the rod in the soil, straight and direct. Straight as in not crooked, and straight as in not bent. Hold the rod with both hands, and pierce it straight into the dirt. Inspect the straightness, and use the mirror to focus the light. If the light reaches the bottom, then you're all set. If the light lands on the wall of the hole, then it is bent."
Rocky Herta Space Station System Time 19:40:11
Memorize it and tell me if it works.
Source: Unknown light-years (exceeds detectable distance) Recipient: Herta Space Station, Rocky Martinez
Translated Text Below
Lesley Herta Space Station System Time 02:55:08
Ahh, silly Rocky, Astro Rods are so outdated nowadays! Hasn't the one you guys have at your school also been sitting in the collections cabinet?
Lesley Herta Space Station System Time 02:56:43
All the tools the research team now uses to measure planetary soil are from the IPC.
Lesley Herta Space Station System Time 02:58:20
Well, seeing that it's the Astro Rod that you gave me, I suppose I'll try and figure out how it works. I believe that digging up some precious rare-earth elements with it shouldn't be a problem.
Lesley Herta Space Station System Time 03:02:34
Hey, aren't you always doing research with rocks? What's your favorite colored mineral? I'll try to look for it.
—
Signal Log: 2157 AE, Months 48-51
Source: Unknown light-years (exceeds detectable distance) Recipient: Herta Space Station, Rocky Martinez
Translated Text Below
Lesley Herta Space Station System Time 04:25:32
Rocky! Can you guess what I'm experiencing right now!?
Lesley Herta Space Station System Time 04:26:01
The main star of the Abundance segmentum experienced a gravitational collapse due to an unknown influence. Soon after, there was a starquake!
Lesley Herta Space Station System Time 04:26:22
Flashes in the universe and gamma afterglow fill everything in the visible range.
Lesley Herta Space Station System Time 04:26:58
This is such a rare sight. The team member who promised to come with me before got scared and ran away... sigh. It'd be so nice if you were here.
Lesley Herta Space Station System Time 04:27:39
So don't be mad, okay?
Destination: Unknown light-years (exceeds detectable distance) Sender: Herta Space Station, Rocky Martinez
Edits Below, Translation Sent
Rocky Herta Space Station System Time 08:30:13
Got scared and ran away? Good.
Rocky Herta Space Station System Time 08:30:13
From now on, don't accept any more gifts from that guy. It's obvious that he's unreliable.
Rocky Herta Space Station System Time 08:37:02
I'm not mad... I'm actually regretting our little argument. You scared me to death when you said starquake. I thought something bad happened to you...
Rocky Herta Space Station System Time 08:38:23
But now I know. The beauties of a starquake are a result of its dangers.
Rocky Herta Space Station System Time 08:45:16
Let's go and watch it together next time. I will be right next to you even if it's dangerous.
Rocky Herta Space Station System Time 08:56:05
What I mean is... If possible... From now on, I'd like to always stay by your side.
Rocky Herta Space Station System Time 08:56:15:
Do you understand what I'm trying to say?
—
But ever since Lesley described that starquake to Rocky, the frequency of her replies had become slower and slower. By the time Rocky confessed, their contact came to an abrupt halt, and there was no further exchange.
Stelle felt as though someone had tampered with the repeater, so she decided to check the monitoring room. A casual look turned into a major discovery; the one who had been tampering with the repeater all along to interfere with the two of them was actually Rocky's mentor, Bernard! 」
「 ..... 」
〜Monogatari World〜
Amidst the chirping of cicadas on a summer night, Araragi Koyomi sat on the balcony, looking up at the sky curtain suspended in the night. Watching the screen where Stelle confronted Bernard, yet the other party acted as if nothing had happened.
"That's too excessive…"
Koyomi frowned.
"Even if he opposes his apprentice dating, there's no need to go to such lengths, is there?"
Sitting on the railing, Oshino Shinobu gently swung her pale calves, her pupils reflecting a glimmer of moonlight.
"Thou art living too short a life to see through it~"
Oshino Shinobu tilted her head back slightly, the corner of her eye reflecting Koyomi's silhouette.
"This Bernard, his behavior is very incongruous."
"Incongruous?"
The vampire girl's lips curled into a smile that seemed to see through the ways of the world. She extended a slender finger and tapped the center of Koyomi's forehead:
"Humans are most interesting—in hundreds of years, I have seen too many people who say one thing but mean another. This Bernard fits the description well."
"His methods of obstructing these lovers are very stiff—previously, he mocked and ridiculed Rocky, clearly hoping to make Rocky understand: he is not worthy of the star researcher Lesley. But his brutal severing of their communication makes it seem as if he knows they have mutual affection, yet still insists on making trouble."
"If he wanted Rocky to give up and obediently withdraw from love, he only needed to continue his mockery and suppression. There was no need for such crude interference. Unless…"
"Unless what?"
Oshino Shinobu shook her head calmly:
"Unless he had already determined that the two of them couldn't be together from the very beginning."
—