『 [ A train? It couldn't be… ]
March 7th understood immediately upon hearing this.
[ It's the Astral Express. ]
[ I remember now. Mikhail's friends were a group of Nameless. ]
[ They came to our world to resolve the catastrophe triggered by a star. ]
[ And then, Mikhail gave me his pocket watch. ]
[ It was his treasure, appearing in every story of setting sail. ]
[ He said the days ahead would be difficult, but the watch's hands would point the way. ]
[ As long as I kept taking that step forward, I would surely arrive where I wanted to go. ]
[ And then, I think I heard it… ]
[ The whistle of the train, sounding from the other side of the room… ]
Misha muttered to himself, seemingly recalling everything.
[ Yes, Misha! ]
[ And then we followed the sound, right? ]
Clockie chimed in happily.
[ Right, I should still be able to find the way from back then. ]
After saying this, Misha led everyone to the puzzle in the room.
[ This is the Dream Jigsaw, right? So, we're supposed to find the exit? But where can we find the last piece...? ]
March 7th felt troubled looking at the missing piece.
[ Stelle, do you remember? ]
[ When you stumbled in here, you picked up a mysterious fragment. ]
Himeko pondered for a moment before reminding Stelle.
[ A fragment? ]
[ Let me check. ]
Stelle nodded and began searching. A moment later, she produced the fragment.
[ Whoa, the shape fits perfectly. So this piece was related to little Misha, too? ]
March 7th took a closer look and realized the fragment Stelle held was identical to the missing part of the puzzle.
[ It seems the truth is about to be revealed. ]
[ Let's head to the other side of the exit and see what's there. ]
Himeko said, and Stelle stepped forward to complete the puzzle.
A passageway materialized before them. 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
March 7th: "Is this the beginning of Mikhail's journey as a Nameless?"
March 7th: "Because his home world faced a Stellaron crisis, he met the former Express crew members who came to solve it."
March 7th: "And using that as a catalyst, he joined the Astral Express and became a Nameless…"
Himeko: "Sounds like the standard way our Astral Express recruits new members."
Stelle: "Tsk tsk, this is where the dream began!"
Stelle: "Since then, a young boy left home on a long journey. What could possibly be waiting for him?"
Qingque: "What could it be?"
Qingque: "Obviously, this mess of a Penacony."
Qingque: "I wonder, did Mikhail feel any regret for wasting the rest of his life in this place?"
Furina de Fontaine: "Certainly not."
Furina de Fontaine: "Because… he was a Nameless!"
....
『 They stepped into the new room without hesitation.
[ This is it. This... is my room of clocks. ]
[ While I spent my time waiting for Grandfather to return from his voyage, Walder gave me this workshop, and it became my "secret base"... ]
[ Here, I learned how to repair clockwork and gears out of my fondness for precision mechanics. In my dreams, I was the captain of the "Compass," embarking on adventures with my companions, Clockie and Miss Mirror, in search of the New World. ]
[ I… was born and raised here. ]
Misha gazed at the familiar room, his eyes filled with nostalgia.
[ So, this building in the Dreamscape bubble is your childhood home. ]
Himeko realized.
[ Yes, and no. ]
[ Perhaps it's better to put it this way… ]
[ This Dreamscape bubble is my home. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Navia Caspar: "The Dreamscape bubble is Misha's home?"
Navia Caspar: "What does that mean?"
Black Swan: "Heh, exactly as it sounds."
Black Swan: "This scene alone confirms that Misha himself was born from within the Dreamscape bubble."
Black Swan: "This is quite interesting."
Furina de Fontaine: "Born from a dream bubble?"
Furina de Fontaine: "Does that mean Misha isn't a real person right now?"
Gallagher: "The old man is already gone. It's impressive enough that something like this, barely qualifying as a soul, remains. What 'real person' could there be?"
Gallagher: "I just didn't expect that something I made up on the fly would actually turn out to be true."
Guinaifen: "Is Mr. Gallagher saying that the Mikhail he fabricated back then might have turned into a ghost, causing trouble?"
Stelle: "That's it."
Stelle: "Except, while he did become a 'ghost,' he wasn't causing any trouble."
Stelle: "He was even diligently working at the Family's hotel!"
Silver Wolf: "Ha, working for your arch-enemies. That's wild."
Robin: "No wonder I had no impression of this little Misha. So he… wasn't real at all…"
....
『 [ It seems you've remembered everything. ]
Himeko nodded, knowing the time for the full truth had arrived.
[ Wait, wait! Why does it feel like everyone else knows something I don't? ]
March 7th looked at the unspoken understanding among the group, still confused.
[ That's right, you're the only one left in the dark. ]
Stelle teased March 7th. 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "March, look at your clueless face."
Stelle: "It's practically spelled out for you, and you still haven't figured it out?"
March 7th: "Who… who hasn't figured it out!!"
March 7th: "I was just too close to the situation to see it clearly!"
March 7th: "Look at me now, I'm not confused at all!"
Paimon: "Hmm… I can understand how Miss March 7th feels."
Paimon: "If it were Paimon, I'd probably be just as dazed and confused, unable to grasp the situation."
Lumine: "Miss March 7th must have been shocked by this chain of revelations."
Lumine: "That's why she didn't react immediately."
Furina de Fontaine: "We're getting so much information from the video, and we can discuss it, which is why our analysis is more accurate."
Furina de Fontaine: "But if you have to search for the answers bit by bit like they are in the video, you'd definitely get dizzy and confused."
March 7th: "Exactly! You guys are the only ones who understand!"
....
『 [ Little March, do you remember when Stelle mentioned there was a Clockie that only she could see? ]
Himeko asked, seeing that March 7th still didn't understand.
[ I remember, isn't that him right there? ]
[ But in Dreamflux Reef, didn't we all see him? Even Uncle Yang greeted him. ]
March 7th looked at the grinning Clockie beside them.
[ It seems everyone on the Astral Express has a youthful heart! ]
Clockie said cheerfully.
[ The answer is the Astral Express. ]
[ Stelle's experience proves that, at the very least, Miss Hotaru and Miss Acheron could not see this Clockie. ]
[ And when we were in Dreamflux Reef, you may have noticed that for some reason, nobody outside of the Crew... had ever talked with Clockie. ]
Himeko pointed out a key discovery.
[ I noticed it too. ]
Stelle nodded, confirming she had caught that detail as well.
[ A memetic life that can only be seen by a select few... It's just like a hidden message... left by someone for the Nameless. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Hotaru: "Huh???"
Hotaru: "So the reason I couldn't see Clockie wasn't that I wasn't pure, straightforward, or youthful enough?"
Hotaru: "But because… only members of the Express crew can see him?"
Hotaru: "Well… then I'm relieved."
Stelle: "What kind of high-tech encrypted lifeform is this?"
Stelle: "Only specific people can see him?"
Stelle: "Old man Mikhail's methods are pretty outrageous, aren't they?"
March 7th: "So… this Clockie is actually the legacy Mikhail left for us?"
Himeko: "I think… It's only a part of it."
Welt Yang: "The capabilities of this Clockie are not simple. Stelle's Clockwork tricks have already proven that."
Welt Yang: "But what exactly is this ability?"
Welt Yang: "And why would Mikhail go through the trouble of creating a Clockie?"
Welt Yang: "Hopefully, we will get the answers to these mysteries next."
....
『 [ But in that case, couldn't little Misha see Clockie too? ]
[ They even grew up together as good friends, but Misha hasn't even embarked on the Path of Trailblaze yet… ]
March 7th, still hadn't put it together.
[ That is the key to the mystery, little March. ]
[ Now, try to recall again… ]
[ Just like with Clockie, have you seen anyone outside the Express crew interact with Misha? ]
Himeko prompted again.
[ … ]
[ No way… ]
March 7th, finally realized, gasping.
[ That is the answer, Miss March. ]
[ This Dreamscape bubble is the cradle where I was born. I… am a dweller of the dream, no different from a Memory Zone Meme. ]
[ I should have stayed in the Dreamscape bubble waiting for you all to visit, but reality and memory overlapped, causing me to subconsciously push open the door and leave this place with Clockie. ]
Misha explained.
[ So, it's not that the Watchmaker's dream bubble is empty, but rather... the stuff inside ran away? And the whistle you heard was the sound of the Express arriving at Penacony? ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Qingque: "So the stuff in the dream bubble grew legs and ran away…"
Qingque: "Heh, that's truly absurd!"
Stelle: "Then why can't those trashcan people run out of their dream bubbles?"
Stelle: "If they could run out too, wouldn't that be great!"
Hanabi: "Heh, little gray-hair, I can see you're still obsessing over that dream bubble of mine~."
Hanabi: "How about I customize a new trashcan dream bubble for you next time?"
Hanabi: "Guaranteed to be a thrill.~"
Stelle: "Director Hanabi, I have to say, you get me!"
Stelle: "I LOVE TRASHCANS THE MOST!!"
Stelle: "Of course, if there were more golden trash, that would be even better!"
Stelle: "But one thing, I don't want to see Sampo's disgusting, smug face ever again!"
Sampo Koski: "Oh, sister, saying that really breaks poor old Sampo's heart!"
Stelle: "Laughable, a Masked Fool like you can feel sadness?"
Stelle: "If you could actually feel sadness, even Aha would laugh out loud!"
Sampo Koski: "Ah, this…"
Hanabi: "Make a Masked Fool feel sadness?"
Hanabi: "Wonderful, that's a great idea."
Sampo Koski: "?"
Sampo Koski: "What are you trying to do?"
Sampo Koski: "Are you going to target your own people?"
Hanabi: "Oh my, we're looking for fun, does it matter who is 'our own'?"
Hanabi: "Why, don't you think this would be a lot of fun~."
Sampo Koski: "I only know that I, old Sampo, don't want to become this sad Masked Fool."
Hanabi: "Hehe, about that, you don't get to decide~."
Hanabi: "Only Hanabi-sama gets to decide.~"
....
『 [ That's one way to see it, but I believe there is a longer story behind all this. It's best for Misha himself to explain all the details... ]
[ How about we start with your name? ]
[ Now, what should we call you? Misha, or… ]
Himeko stopped, looking at Misha.
[ Thank you all for helping me retrieve this long journey. Allow me to reintroduce myself. ]
[ I was born on Lushaka in the Przesmir system, adopted by seafarers Mikhail and Char. They gave me a treasure, a name that carried their hopes— ]
[ Mikhail Char Legwork, or simply... Misha. ]
[ If you wish, it is also acceptable to call me by the name people know better—the Watchmaker. ]
After recalling all his memories, Misha possessed an air of composure and confidence. He reintroduced his identity to the Express crew.
[ So, you really are the Watchmaker himself?! ]
Although she had suspected it, hearing Misha say it himself still left March 7th feeling extremely shocked!
[ Unfortunately, that dream tycoon everyone admired is long gone. I am merely a shadow of his life. ]
[ And the child who has accompanied you all on this journey until now is the protagonist of his childhood dreams—a naive and ignorant boy, the good friend of Clockie, a young apprentice, a future train mechanic… ]
[ At the same time, he is the starting point of his lifelong Trailblaze. ]
[ At the end of his life's journey, I left this spark, which I consider precious, in the deepest part of the dream, hoping to pass it on to the Nameless of future generations. ]
[ But somehow, it ran out of the dream bubble on its own and forgot its mission entirely. ]
[ Apologies, I really let you all watch a joke. ] 』
『 ....』