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"There is only one thing that can calm me down a little."

Kaguya didn't continue speaking, but simply hummed a melody softly.

Although she had never heard of it before, Alice felt a sense of familiarity, as if this body had heard of it long ago.

"When I want to disappear, I can't help but think of this, the voice I once heard in someone's arms."

"Could it be... someone?"

Kaguya nodded slightly, confirming Alice's guess.

"It's strange, isn't it? I don't even remember her name or her existence, yet I remember this before I even developed self-awareness... Later, I learned that the name of this melody is 'Blessing,' which she often hummed to me when I was a baby in our clan. ...Later, that person also accidentally told me the meaning of this melody—even if you can't laugh, even if you can't be loved, I still hope you live on, I wish you a happy birthday, I wish you a happy day every day, and I thank you for being born."

"Oh, is that Mr. Pavard? Have they made up?"

"No, he insisted on saying that."

"Ah ha ha……"

"In the end, despite his best efforts, he didn't live long."

"Sorry……"

"Why should you apologize? If anyone should apologize, it should be him. Besides, I haven't cared about you for a long time."

"Because, if it weren't for me—"

Snapped.

Before Alice could finish speaking, Kaguya came up to Alice and flicked her forehead, the sound louder than expected.

"it hurts!?"

“If I keep dwelling on this, it will only bother me more. And weren’t these things clarified years ago? What happened today?”

"Ugh... I've been acting alone for a long time before meeting Kaguya, which has made me a bit sentimental, I guess."

"Ha...Are you the kind of kid who gets lonely easily when you're alone?"

"Except for the part about the child which is not quite right, the rest... are probably not wrong."

"In the end, there are no 'what ifs'. Even if I had survived back then, I certainly wouldn't have known what happiness and joy were."

"Does Kaguya feel happy right now?"

"It's so annoying, why should I tell you this kind of thing?"

Kaguya turned around, her back to Alice.

"But for me, things can't be any worse now than they were back then."

"...Yes! That must be the best. By the way, Kaguya hasn't mentioned the reason for the change yet?"

"It's probably because after Rosamia pulled me out of that world, the first thing I saw was the starry sky-like scene in the Starfall Cave. It was something I used to hate the most, but back then I found it very, very dazzling. You only learn to cherish something after you've lost it."

"It's because of that place..."

Alice sighed softly.

It seems I have an unexpected connection with that place.

"As for the reason, it's not entirely because of that."

"Eh?"

"Hmm... Later we came across a star that was a little different."

Kaguya paused, seemingly organizing her thoughts.

"To be specific... that star is like the kind of talkative, meddlesome person who always feels something is wrong but insists on their own right opinion, and is good at using sweet talk to arouse other people's curiosity.

"Huh? Aren't there a lot of negative adjectives here?"

"It's all the truth."

"Hmm—anyway, someone who can make Kaguya change her mind must be a very special person."

"Perhaps. Always shining, and sometimes stubborn, forcefully using its own light to illuminate the path for others. Maybe it's because I've spent too much time with that kind of trouble that I've come to like this kind of thing."

Kaguya reached out towards the night sky, opened her hand, and closed it, as if trying to grasp something.

"I feel like we're missing one crucial adjective."

"Hey, there's more?"

"……slow."

Alice blinked, and in the moonlight, Kaguya's ears seemed to turn slightly red.

Even if you become a ghost, you'll still have these physiological behaviors...etc.

Slow to react... Hmm—? ...

My heart suddenly feels like it's beating a little fast.

"...Um—well, I'm not entirely sure, but I feel a little shy?"

"...Oh right, this is what I said to you back then, 'I want to witness how you live with my body.'"

"...Yes, I remember it very clearly. Did you find it? The answer."

"Found it—though I'd like to say it, it's still too difficult to fully understand what it means to be alive."

"Yes, after all, there's no definite answer."

"At first, I just wanted to see how you would interpret this word after all those long-winded explanations. But after being by your side for a while, I unconsciously started observing Rosamiya, Sylvia, and many other people. Some people live to pursue something, some just go with the flow, and some, like me back then, find living itself painful, yet they still persevere. If that's the case, then what is mine?"

"Although there are still many things I don't understand, just like Alice feels a little happiness when she helps others, being able to talk to the people I want to be with, seeing beautiful scenery, and helping the Selene Church help more people... these insignificant little things, when accumulated, are probably my happiness, and my own life."

“That’s wonderful, Kaguya.”

"What...suddenly?"

"This must be what you were trying to understand back then. You've found your own answer... That's really great."

"..."

A moment later, Kaguya turned her face away and coughed softly.

"...Some people say that if you make a wish upon a shooting star, your wish will come true."

"Even your attempt to change the subject felt very abrupt?"

"It's fine if you want to continue our previous topic, about that slow-moving star."

"Well, the topic of shooting stars is better, hmm! ... But, as for granting wishes, maybe that's possible now? After all, Mimir is right there in that starry sky."

"If that were to happen, the whole world would be in chaos. If everyone made a wish, those wishes would definitely clash."

"That's true, that person definitely won't interfere in human affairs anymore. But as long as the person making the wish believes in it, they'll probably feel more positive, right? How should I put it, it's like a kind of hope for a better future?"

"It sounds more like self-comfort."

"Even if it's just self-comfort, it's nice to think about it like this sometimes. Kaguya, is there anything you wish for?"

"No."

The answer was crisp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

"Huh—? Really? It's such a rare chance to see a shooting star!"

"Only a fool would place their hopes on something like this. It's only natural to get what you want by yourself."

"You're quite the action-taker, aren't you? Like that attack on the heavens—that being said, should I say I want to fit in with this atmosphere? Suddenly I feel like making a wish... Ah, I suddenly remembered when the Eye of Dawn was still around."

"Do you miss that ability?"

"Not really."

"If he were still alive, would he really make that wish?"

"I can probably guess what Kaguya is talking about, but I don't think so. As long as you believe in something, you can definitely do it, because it's something that's already been agreed upon, and you don't need any external help."

"That's so typical of you."

"Speaking of which, shooting stars aren't something you only see once every few hundred years. There are plenty of opportunities. Hmm~ At least for now, if I really wanted to make a wish to express my thoughts, I would hope that Kaguya could continue to be happy, or rather, that she could experience even more happiness."

"...Even if it's just a formality, don't you want to think about anything more important?"

"Kaguya is also very important."

"You, you! You always say things like that so casually, that's why... that's why!..."

"talent?"

"Fool."

"What's wrong—ah!"

Just then, a streak of silver light flashed across the night sky.

"A shooting star! It vanished, in an instant..."

"...It's fleeting."

"Yes, but it is indeed very beautiful."

Alice smiled contentedly.

“I said, Alice.”

"what happened?"

"I still have wishes. When I was alive, I heard that rumor, and I may have made a wish back then."

"Ah."

"My wish at the time was to make friends."

"Then it's achieved, isn't it? At least, well, I can consider myself Kaguya's friend for now, right?"

"Who knows?"

Kaguya, gazing up at the sky, smiled gently.

More specifically, it means "I hope to have friends who like me, and friends I can like."

"I really like Kaguya, you know?"