The Token of Our Promise
"Haa... haa... Um, e-excuse me..."
The female owner approached Lea cautiously, panting for breath.
"Hmm? Human, what's wrong da?"
"C-could I... hold your hand just once...?"
She trembled all over as she begged to hold Lea's hand.
"Hmm, sure, that's fine da."
"Ahh...!"
The owner grasped Lea's hand as delicately as if it were the world's most precious treasure.
And Si-hyun's feelings as he watched—
'Yuri stuff is only something I've seen in novels... No clue how to deal with this.'
They were pretty damn complicated.
Judging by her face and expression alone, it felt like she might pounce on Lea any second, but her actions were endlessly cautious and earnest. She didn't seem like she'd ever cross the line, no matter what, so Si-hyun didn't stop her from getting close.
'Hmm, a yuri lolicon's basically a fellow lolicon comrade. I'll let it slide this once.'
Barging in between the two flirting girls might summon some "pure love knight" type out of nowhere, so Si-hyun decided to just stay put.
About five minutes passed like that.
The owner wiped away her slight tears, released Lea's hand, and stood up.
"I shouldn't interrupt your time any longer. If you need anything, just say the word. I'll get you whatever it is."
"Nah, you've already done so much... We're good."
"Hehe, I'm doing it because I want to, so don't worry about it. Well, I'll be off then."
She bowed once more in greeting and hurried away.
"Friendly human, bye-bye da~!"
"Lea, what the heck really happened back there?"
Si-hyun was dying to know what Lea had done to make the owner fall head over heels like that.
"Nothing much da. She looked like she hadn't slept, so I patted her head a few times da."
"Huh, that's it?"
"Hmm, that's it da!"
·····They say falling in love takes mere seconds.
And damn if it wasn't true.
Anyway.
Thanks to the yuri owner's generosity, Si-hyun and Lea got to kick off a super luxurious camping trip.
"Lucky day... or something like that, right?"
He was still a bit dazed, but he decided to just roll with the good vibes.
Over-the-top favors from beautiful girls weren't exactly new territory—he'd been through it before—so it didn't feel awkward anymore.
'That weirdo back when Luna and I went to Gangwon-do was wild too.'
Si-hyun wondered how that oddball was doing as he glanced at Lea playing inside the tent.
—Nom nom nom.
"Nom nom, Si-hyun! That glasses girl gave this body tons of gifts da! Eat together da!"
Lea was chowing down on snacks and pudding the owner had brought, holding one in each hand. Her cheeks puffed out like a hamster's, her face beaming with pure bliss.
Yeah, that innocent vibe was probably what hooked the owner.
"Haha, go ahead and dig in. I'll stack some firewood."
Seeing Lea like that made Si-hyun grin right back.
'Who cares what went down during the errand run? As long as Lea's happy, that's what matters.'
The whole point of this trip wasn't digging up Lea's memories or uncovering her hidden past.
It was just letting the girl in front of him run wild and have a blast.
That alone made the day worthwhile.
Before long, the sun had set, and the deep blue night sky blanketed the forest.
"Phew~ This body's stuffed da~"
*Poke.*
Lea patted her slightly bulging belly with a satisfied voice.
"Lea, did it taste good?"
"Hmm, Si-hyun's cooking is super tasty da!"
Si-hyun and Lea had cooked up some meat provided by the campsite and were now chilling by the campfire.
*Crackle—*
*Crackle—*
The flames devoured the logs, sharing their warmth.
Lea stared blankly at the fire and took a sip of cocoa.
*Gulp—*
"Hot...! Si-hyun, this is too hot da...!"
"Haha, Lea's got a cat tongue, huh? Gimme, I'll cool it down."
The quiet forest.
The crackling campfire.
The gradually darkening night sky.
And finally—
"Ehehe... Being with Si-hyun makes this body happy da."
A pretty girl smiling shyly, cheeks flushed red.
"I'm happy too, being with Lea."
He'd come to make her happy, but Si-hyun realized he was the one drowning in bliss now.
'Can't even imagine life without her anymore.'
Back when they first met, she was just a troublemaker who never listened.
Now, Lea had carved out a deep spot in his heart.
Like a certain silver-haired princess under the moonlight.
"Lea, belly full and sun down—wanna go stargazing?"
"Hmm, sounds good da! But can't we see 'em from here da?"
"Lights make it hard to see. Gotta head somewhere darker. I know a spot."
"Ooh! Si-hyun's always so prepared da!"
Lea jumped up and started packing snacks and pudding for stargazing.
"Lea never changes, huh."
Si-hyun grabbed a small flashlight, took her hand, and headed to the grassy hill beside the campsite.
[Milky Way Campsite Stargazing Spot]
The space was filled only with the soft rustle of wind through trees and the faint chirps of crickets.
It felt like the edge of the world, utterly serene.
Normally, it'd be swarming with people, but—
"Think of this spot as exclusively rented for today. Enjoy."
Thanks to the owner's kindness, the two could monopolize this prime stargazing haven.
"Wow... Si-hyun, this place is amazing da..."
"Right? That's why it's famous."
No artificial lights—just tranquil darkness and an endless cascade of stars stretching out.
A sight impossible in the city.
The river of Milky Way light, vivid stars in every color.
From tiny twinkles to blazing giants, all vying to outshine each other.
"Even prettier than in my dreams da..."
Lea murmured softly, lost in the sky.
—*Reach.*
Like in her dream, she stretched toward the stars.
As if she could grasp them with her fingertips.
But.
"Still can't reach 'em da..."
Her hand merely grasped at empty air, far from the night sky's stars.
They sparkled so close, yet were eons away.
'Like this... even after ages, this body can never become a knight who reaches the stars da...'
If she couldn't even in dreams, how in reality?
With her immense power and memories forgotten, how could she grow strong?
—「Grab me. I'll take you higher than the stars.」
Suddenly, the silver sword's words resurfaced.
The promise to carry her high if she just took hold.
But grabbing it felt like forsaking something.
She'd refused... yet now, that firm rejection from the dream crept back, shaking her heart.
'Does this body... have to be alone to never become a star da...?'
As powerless thoughts engulfed her and her purple eyes dimmed with sorrow—
"Lea."
—*Hug.*
As if sensing her unease, Si-hyun gently embraced her from behind.
"Si-hyun...?"
"Lea, bummed 'cause the stars are too far?"
"Hmm... Thought I could reach 'em today da... But they're too far da..."
Lea turned and stared at him, voicing the question buried in her heart.
"Si-hyun... Can you take this body to the stars da...?"
"Haha, not enough just watching from here?"
"Hmm... This body wants to see 'em closer da. But alone, can't reach the stars da..."
"Hmm, if you're asking if I can take you to the stars..."
Si-hyun gazed at her silently for a long moment.
Seriously, without looking away.
Just seeing him ponder earnestly comforted Lea, but it also worried her.
She knew her request was absurd.
Yet here she was, putting him in a tough spot with this foolish question.
'Si-hyun always tries so hard for this body... And here I am throwing a tantrum again da...'
—*Tremble.*
Lea hung her head, clenched her fists, and shook quietly.
Why even say she wanted to see the stars?
He'd scoured this place despite sleepless nights working— she couldn't even thank him, just make another unreasonable demand.
*Drip drip—*
"Hic... Sniff...! S-Si-hyun...! Pretend that question never happened... hic!"
Sudden guilt and regret made transparent tears spill.
As she desperately tried to hold back the outburst she hadn't expected—
"Lea, my answer to that question is—"
—*Click.*
"This."
Si-hyun whispered tenderly, slipping something onto her wrist.
A bracelet sparkling faintly under starlight, centered with a half-star gem.
"Hic... Sniff...! S-Si-hyun... What's this...?"
"A bracelet with a half-star charm. Saw you liked the stars, so I custom-ordered these a while back."
He smiled plainly and showed the identical one on his own wrist.
"Lea, I can't take you to the stars right now, but I promise I will someday. This bracelet's the proof of that promise."
"P-proof... of the promise...?"
Si-hyun chuckled lightly and held his bracelet against hers.
"Apart, they're halves, but together~~"
—*Click!*
"They make one shining star, right? I'll always be by your side like this bracelet. Until the day our knight becomes a star."
The bracelets formed a single star shape.
Lea felt it mirrored her and Si-hyun perfectly.
"Si-hyun... will always stay by this body da...?"
"Of course! Rain or snow! Without each other, we're just halves, right? Gotta stick together always. Haha!"
His promise to stay forever.
Unlike the silver sword's—"I'll make you soar."
Si-hyun's was—"We'll walk together."
Not flying solo to the heights, but hand-in-hand to become stars.
Even as shining stars in the sky, always together—Lea felt his warm heart.
"U... Hmm...!! It's a promise da...!"
"Yeah yeah~ Promise~! So no more tears."
"U... Uuung...!!"
Eyes sparkling like stars, Lea buried her face in Si-hyun's chest.
The stars that once seemed unreachable were now so close.
Just an arm's reach away, right before the girl's eyes.
While Si-hyun and Lea shared bracelets in blissful moments—
—*Tap tap tap.*
In the empty Dawn's Light isolation lab after hours, one male researcher typed away at his computer.
"Sigh... Why do they make me write this crap? So shady."
At the behest of "some higher-up," he reluctantly drafted disturbing documents.
The title of the file he was working on read:
Euthanasia Experiment Protocol