Triumphal Homecoming
She'd given up applying elsewhere and returned to the planet where she'd been born and raised. The moment Yuna arrived on Ratan Planet, she was met with an overwhelming welcome.
"Welcome back, Apostle Yuna!"
"Y-Yes... uh, what's all this?! Why go to such lengths...!"
Stepping off the space battleship and setting foot on Ratan Planet, she was greeted by a red carpet. Holograms floating in the air broadcast her reaction live in real time. Crowds surged from all directions, cheering and waving.
We warmly welcome the return of Apostle Yuna to her home planet.
Reporters floated micro-cameras in the air, covering the event. Security personnel were deployed, of course, to guard against terror threats or crowd surges.
"Sis!!! I was right there next to you when you made the apostle contract!"
"Welcome home! Yuna!!"
"That thing! Superpower. Ah! Show us your Cosmic Power just once!"
Constellation Whispering Star Cluster says the first apostle is truly very popular.
"E-Eh?!"
A commoner like Yuna had never dreamed of a scene like this; her brain froze. Even for a remote planet that had never produced a single apostle, this level of fanfare was excessive. So why had it turned out like this?
It was all thanks to Yuna's star power.
First off, the head of the planetary government—directly under the Super Galactic Empire Federation—the president, was elected by vote. Becoming president required the adoration and support of the planetary citizens. That's why they'd pegged Yuna as a partner to sustain their regime, riding the wave of her popularity. Leveraging a star's fame was the same in 21st-century Earth or this sci-fi world—and she even had a story.
1. An other-dimensional contractor emerging from a planet that had never produced an apostle. The very first one, no less.
2. Orphaned young, she grew up alone, was chosen by a constellation, and became an apostle—a classic success saga.
3. The uniqueness and rarity of Cosmic Power, the superpower granted by an other-dimensional constellation.
4. The 'heartwarming' tale of this apostle forgoing better treatment elsewhere to return to her home planet.
5. A beauty that shone even by space-age standards.
Apostle Yuna's star quality overflowed. The planetary government wanted to embrace and capitalize on her popularity rather than reject or suppress it. A politician who couldn't seize such a golden opportunity didn't deserve the title.
And so, this was the result.
"Woooaaah!!"
"Big sis! Use that superpower from the constellation just once!!!"
"Th-This...?!"
At a child's awkward request, she tentatively raised her hand. As gleaming white Cosmic Power shone forth, the cheers swelled even louder.
"Ah. Haha... hahaha..."
Constellation Whispering Star Cluster lets out a small sigh.
She seemed to be enjoying it, though, so it was fine.
Back on her home planet of Ratan, where she'd been born and raised, Yuna signed a temporary contract to stay on the planet for a few days of rest before starting her activities.
First, she met up with friends and caught up with acquaintances, sharing stories and laughter.
"Didn't the first one to get a job say she'd buy us a meal?"
"...When was that?"
She had quite a few close friends; the moment she reached out, they came running, and Yuna chatted animatedly with them.
"But... is the constellation still watching us now?"
"Uh... probably? Since I'm the first apostle."
"Gasp. So everything we're saying right now... he's seeing it all?"
Some clasped their hands in prayer. Others pondered seriously whether to start believing in a god. Well, ever since Yuna returned to her home planet, the number of people praying to me had spiked.
O Whispering Star Cluster, grant me a chance too. Please, I beg you.
Even though I was a constellation from another dimension, people offered sacrifices and begged me to notice them. According to the apostle contract law, set by a Galaxy Spirit, constellations were strictly forbidden from descending to the mortal realm with their full power. But since apostle contracts allowed indirect influence, they pleaded like that.
"Hey, Yuna, I heard a fan cafe popped up for you on our planet?"
"...?"
"For real. Seems like it started after you showed that sparkly light thing the kid mentioned?"
"Do that shiny thing one more time. How do you do it?"
Flash—
"O-Ohhh..."
"I... I wanna contract too..."
"So jealous of that superpower."
A world where apostles took on celebrities' roles, indeed. Yuna looked a bit flustered by her friends' awe but couldn't hide her subtly rising smile—a mix of joy at her fame and unease about whether this was okay.
After wrapping up with friends and handling miscellaneous errands, she headed to the columbarium.
In this world, the deceased were farewelled in various ways. Burying bodies in the ground was rare. Main methods included launching capsules into space, fully decomposing corpses, or scattering ashes at sea per ancient traditions. It varied slightly by planet and species—some aliens even sprinkled cremated remains into volcano craters.
On Ratan Planet, cremation and collecting the bone dust was standard.
"Mm. My parents passed when I was around 15. We went to the beach, but a massive monster crawled out of the sea..."
Constellation Whispering Star Cluster offers words of comfort.
"It's okay, though. I met you, my constellation, and became an apostle."
She found her parents' small box amid the densely packed shelves, closed her eyes, and prayed silently.
I'd assumed a scientifically advanced civilization treated lives as mere numbers, devaluing them. Was this the influence of constellations too? A parent's name in a numerical casualty list—and with transcendent beings watching from above. Even if the federation's capital planet couldn't see it, it made sense that those in power would tread carefully.
The reason monsters appeared remained unclear. Long ago, before the Super Galactic Empire Federation formed, monsters had always existed. Humanity's history was one of struggle against them. Each era had specialized organizations: knight orders, papal offices, administrative bureaus, hunter guilds, civilization purification departments, and more.
Aliens were no different. Every colonized planet yielded monsters, and extraterrestrials knew them well. They charged with incomprehensible instincts, as if harboring grudges against all life.
One thing was certain: they were humanity's unequivocal enemies. No space monster had ever been friendly to lifeforms.
"This way, Apostle. As requested, we've evacuated the civilians."
Subjugating monsters was a natural duty for an apostle contracted with the planetary government. Yuna's visit to this continent's beach was at their request. With endless monsters and criminals threatening security, she had to move her troublesome body and work.
Constellation Whispering Star Cluster questions the planetary government's complacency in not subjugating the monster itself.
"Probably budget issues? It hasn't caused much damage, and physical attacks don't work on spectral-type monsters anyway."
A spectral monster in the sea. No matter how I thought about it, it screamed vengeful water ghost.
Ignoring the soldier's curious gaze, Yuna walked expressionlessly into the sea.
Splash!
Without any gear, she dove straight in and descended rapidly. Water pressure squeezing her body? Oxygen tank? Underwater weapons? Anti-spectral gear? Recon or suppression? With an apostle here, what use were they?
Grumble...
As if she knew its location, Yuna plunged deep and seized the monster's neck. The grotesque, bloated thing shrieked, sending faint vibrations through the water.
Screeeeech—!!!
The horrific noise lasted only a moment before the monster vanished. The refreshed superhuman emerged from the depths.
"The spectral monster inside is dead. Check it out."
"Yes, sir! Reporting that now!"
Soaked, her body's curves accentuated, but unconcerned, she soared into the sky. Places needing an apostle's superhuman strength were still plentiful.
Constellation Whispering Star Cluster wonders about the origin of the monster just slain.
"Huh? Oh, it was like those water ghosts from media—sort of human-like. But not a real person's grudge turned monster, I bet?"
Channeling Cosmic Power to fly, Yuna chattered busily. She'd faced that type before; they all charged with grudge-like fury. Her animated chatter was quite charming—far from the cold, hostile expression she'd worn gripping the water ghost's neck moments ago. She looked refreshed now, enough to make me hope this routine continued.
Those space monsters, unlike normal creatures, seemed to wield special abilities in the superpower domain. Superpowers were the domain of divinities, after all. Ordinary lifeforms couldn't use them. Maybe those things evolved, grew stronger... or perhaps some rivaled the gods called constellations.