Stars were beings that burned themselves to ensure people wouldn't lose their way even in the darkest night.
That's why those who couldn't reach the sky walked confidently through the night, following the stars with faith that they were heading in the right direction.
Do stars shine for someone specific?
Even if they did choose someone, their light was never meant for just one person.
Everyone touched by that light could follow it and depend on it, so it couldn't belong to any single person.
Yet the stars still chose. For whom would they shine?
That will was transmitted to Yoon Ha-min, and now it was time for him to choose.
"Um, when will Kanna be coming out?"
Though he wanted to cause a commotion and bring Kanna back immediately, he knew that making trouble here would only create problems for both himself and Kanna, so all he could do was ask.
But he was met with silence.
And subtle glances.
"You should probably head back now."
He didn't like the way they were hinting. It irritated him that they wouldn't tell him about Kanna's condition and were just trying to send him away.
Why? Was there something they couldn't tell him? That couldn't be right.
Tell me. Right now, where Kanna is and what condition she's in.
"Honestly, we can't just let Kanna Aurora go right now. We have a lot to learn ourselves. To be frank, neither you nor I have ever seen a Mysterious Person or monster before, right?"
The man sitting across from Yoon Ha-min continued his explanation without getting up, seemingly annoyed by Ha-min's persistence.
He was clearly just giving a cursory explanation before sending him away.
Ha-min listened carefully now that the other party was finally speaking.
The employee fidgeted with his pen and tapped the file.
"So we don't know anything, that's what I'm saying. Even the higher-ups probably haven't experienced this firsthand, you know? That's why we're trying to get information from Kanna Aurora since we don't have any."
How much time had passed?
They couldn't prevent heroes from becoming complacent.
The essence of heroism had blurred, and despite the lack of sense of duty, more people began applying.
But there wasn't a problem. Why? Because monsters had stopped appearing.
People might have trembled when the Wall was first restored.
But as time passed and generations changed, people began wondering if the Mysterious Persons had gone extinct, questioning if unrefined mana outside the Wall was humanity's only remaining challenge.
This was the result.
Since they couldn't confirm what Mysterious Persons were like, humans had no choice but to remain passive if they didn't appear—a human weakness.
So the human side, or rather the Hero Association's position, was to extract necessary information from Kanna first.
"Then why did you cut off her limbs before? You even put her under surveillance—do you really think Kanna is humanity's enemy? She even risked her life fighting before!"
Yoon Ha-min slammed his hand on the desk and shouted.
The startled employee frowned.
"Take it easy. And you know very well that's not the issue here."
"What do you mean?"
"It's simple."
The employee thought Ha-min was trying to obscure the main point.
Talk of humanity's enemy no longer held any meaning.
The most important thing now was choice.
"For example, say there are hundreds of people who will die if hit by a train, but if you pull a lever to change the tracks, only one person will die. What would you do?"
Yoon Ha-min flinched.
"If you do nothing because you don't want to be a murderer, even with the lever right in front of you, those hundreds die. In the current situation, it would be thousands. The four invasions so far have already caused 6,000 casualties."
The employee continued regardless.
"With the lever within reach, what would you say to the hundreds or thousands of bereaved families if you didn't pull it? This is about humanity's survival. Even I would close my eyes and pull that lever."
"Making such a choice in the first place...!"
"That's the choice. The only difference is that one person is Kanna Aurora."
The employee found Ha-min annoying.
While it was an ethical dilemma worth pondering, no clear answer had been determined.
The problem facing humanity now was whether to let the situation continue, allowing the Wall to collapse and people to die, or to capture someone innocent to save hundreds or thousands.
And Ha-min couldn't understand the employee's perspective.
His frustration was building.
Leave Kanna behind and go?
Impossible. I, I can't go back alone.
The moment that thought crossed his mind, light began to emanate around Yoon Ha-min.
His fists clenched, and instantly the spacious room filled with light.
It was a release of power that surprised even Ha-min himself.
It should have been suppressed and difficult to manifest, so why? he wondered.
"W-what's happening!"
The employee jumped in alarm, and Ha-min, calming himself internally, coolly aimed the lights at the man's neck.
"I can't go back alone. Bring Kanna to me."
His desire not to lose Kanna had grown so large that it overshadowed any concern for humanity.
Taking someone's life hostage without consideration was certainly not something a hero would do.
Nevertheless, Ha-min had no regrets. He didn't plan to regret it in the future either.
If this could save Kanna, if he could get her out without incident, he thought that would be enough.
"...I'm not joking around."
Faced with Ha-min's golden eyes that genuinely threatened to kill, the employee could only swallow hard.
*
I'm scared, I hate this. I'm cold. Stop it.
My arms wouldn't move. My wrists were strapped to the chair's armrests with belts.
The belts were so tight they made my wrists throb, and with both arms restrained, escape was impossible.
My legs were in the same situation.
My ankles were tightly bound to the front legs of the chair.
My legs were inside the chair, with my feet sticking out.
Even if I moved violently, only the chair rattled; the belts wouldn't loosen at all.
This is hard. It's impossible to stay in this position for long.
It hurts, my tightly bound wrists and ankles hurt.
But more than that, I'm terrified of the strange machines surrounding me.
"P-please save me. I-I'll tell you everything I know... please..."
I was so scared that I desperately begged people who hadn't even said anything specific.
I didn't know much. No, now I knew a little.
I think I understood what they wanted.
But is this really my memory? That sense of disconnect hadn't disappeared.
Ugh, I swallowed the rising sob and coughed.
After coughing repeatedly until my throat hurt, I held back tears and raised my head.
I miss Ha-min. If it were Ha-min, I feel like he would rescue me spectacularly.
But even Ha-min couldn't freely navigate a place like this.
If he needed to be a hero on humanity's side, causing trouble here would certainly prevent that.
So even though I was trembling, I kept my mouth shut.
The only desperate plea I could think of was to ask for a painless death.
I miss Ha-min. I guess I'm weak, only able to depend on others.
I must be stupid. Even here, all I can do is beg.
Is that why I'm being punished?
If I had tried to handle everything myself from beginning to end, would this not have happened?
But I didn't know how, and that's why I ended up like this.
[Miss Kanna, if you tell us everything honestly, you can return unharmed.]
"Y-yes... I-I'll tell you everything..."
[Then first, how many times have you had contact with Mysterious Persons?]
I racked my brain at that question.
How many times? I need to remember, remember.
Please, come to mind.
I searched through memories that didn't feel like my own.
First when I spread the totem and revealed the weakness of the new monster, that's once.
Then, then... when they came to find me in a car, that's twice.
And... meeting at the Academy makes three?
Three times...!
No, that's not right. Ha-min said I was sick, and that was also because of a Mysterious Person, so four times.
"F-four times!"
I trembled.
Fear made it difficult to think clearly.
I want to see Ha-min. I want to ask him to show me the twinkling stars.
That might make me feel a little better.
[I see. Why did the Mysterious Person attempt to contact you, Miss Kanna?]
Eh.
W-what was it?
These don't seem like my memories, so I can't recall everything.
I only remember that these things happened, but the emotions from those times aren't there.
It's not me. No, it is me, but not the current me.
What should I say? What can I say to avoid more pain?
H-Ha-min would know. I wish Ha-min could tell me.
No, w-wait.
"Th-they came looking for me because they hated me for finding the totem..."
[And?]
"And... and also... Ah! Because I revealed the weakness of that strange-looking monster...!"
After I said that, no further instructions came.
Thankfully, it seemed I had passed the hurdle.
I just wish they would untie these restraints.
I'll tell them everything I know, just please don't make me scared anymore.
I want to run away. But escaping from this world surrounded by the Wall is impossible.
Someone, someone please hold my hand...
I'm scared. I feel like I'm going to cry.
[Then how did you know about that?]
At the voice demanding more answers, I blankly looked up.
With the cold voice coming through the speaker, my mind truly went blank this time.