"I’ll take care of her from now on."

Seventeen no longer lingered his gaze on Hannah, "I hope you do as you say."

Before nightfall, this year’s last starship to dock at Bury had arrived.

There were only two passengers boarding.

Hannah and Archer.

Hannah was still unconscious.

Archer asked Seventeen, "Aren’t you leaving with us?"

There were enough tickets, as Archer had obtained two more from the arena manager.

But Seventeen just shook his head, he raised his head to look at the desolate scenery of distant Bury, "I’m not leaving, this place suits me better."

He tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing a smile.

It was his first smile, although it looked somewhat awkward, it was sincere.

Only... Hannah didn’t see it.

That day, the starship left Bury, and within a few short minutes, it turned into a speck of light that vanished in the twilight sky. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Before, Seventeen’s desire to leave Bury was because of Hannah, but now... it seemed there was no need anymore.

In the twilight, light rain fell, and the silhouette of the boy receded into the distance.

On the starship.

Hannah never fully awoke, only calling out names in her half-asleep, half-awake state.

At first it was "Seventeen," but later it became "Archer."

Archer stayed by her side the whole time, he was saying "I’m sorry."

Over and over again.

But Hannah still didn’t wake up.

Until a loud boom exploded in her ears, Hannah opened her eyes, and in the blurry scene before her was fire, screams, and Archer’s embrace protecting her.

He said, "Close your eyes."

The starship was under attack, pursued by someone, not from Bury, but by people from the Nine Realms Kingdom.

They were after Archer.

When Hannah awoke again, she had forgotten many things.

She remembered everything about Bury, and vaguely remembered a boy named Seventeen, but she didn’t remember Archer.

She didn’t remember the two years they had depended on each other for survival, nor Archer’s smiling face as he fought to protect her, and likewise, she didn’t remember Archer’s promise.

He had said that no matter how much time passed, or how far apart they were, he would find her.

Those were the memories reawakened in the Realm of Loss, evoked by Saha.

*

When Hannah awoke again, she was still in the Realm of Loss, but now Arnold Simmons was by her side.

A little farther away lay an old, silver-white mecha.

It was Hannah’s Tree Star.

Arnold had already made a fire and was roasting meat.

Upon hearing Hannah stir, he immediately looked up, wanting to stand, wanting to speak, but in the end, he stopped himself.

That memory was theirs together.

At the moment of returning to the stars, he remembered it all.

He remembered everything that happened in Bury and remembered he once had a name called "Archer."

But Hannah didn’t remember.

So his hesitation to approach her was not just because of everything on Blue Star, but also because of Bury.

Once a dangerous and indifferent villain on Blue Star, even he became as flustered as a bashful teenager after falling in love.

Hannah noticed Arnold’s movements.

Suddenly remembering a piece of the past was not a pleasant experience, it felt as though one second she was the eight or nine-year-old girl in her memories, and the next she had grown into an adult capable of standing on her own.

Rather than being angry, it was more about shame.

Hannah absolutely did not want to admit that when she was little, she had such a perverted thought.

To hoard a boy—

Just because of a pair of beautiful eyes.