Chapter 56…
Encounter at the Science Museum
Sunday Morning
It had been about three hours since I parted ways with Yui and the others.
At last, my turn was over, and I left the science museum.
The rain had already stopped.
Alone, I carried my unused umbrella in hand and began walking toward the station.
After that—
During the questioning that lasted for several dozen minutes by the local police, Detective Maruoka arrived with several members from the Paranormal Incidents Investigation Unit as backup.
He explained my situation to the officers who had arrived earlier and were in charge of this area.
…So, the Association really does intend to dump everything related to the Fallen Stars onto me, huh.
Once my identity was confirmed, they shared some of their information with me.
One piece of that information was that “the man in black appeared blurry on the security cameras.”
Well, I had already expected as much, judging from Yui’s and Senior Mikagami’s reactions.
…Could that guy be using recognition-obscuring magic?
After the information exchange, we conducted a joint investigation to confirm whether anything had been stolen.
The conclusion: nothing had been taken.
However, that man said, “I’ve retrieved what I needed.”
And indeed, he had taken away two plates as proof.
So, the items that were actually stolen were those two plates that hadn’t been retrieved.
We couldn’t determine which constellations they represented, so all we could do was speculate.
Considering the ones we retrieved were all astronomy-related constellations, we concluded that one of the stolen ones was likely Reticulum (the Reticle).
The other, given that the man in black used it, was probably Corvus (the Crow).
Most likely, after Yui and I attacked him, the Corvus’s power was expelled from his body as a plate—just like with other Fallen Stars.
He must have picked it up immediately, reabsorbed it, and then escaped after turning into a Fallen Star again.
So in truth, the only plate truly stolen was Reticulum.
I don’t know what kind of power Reticulum holds.
But now that it’s fallen into their hands, it’s obvious it will be misused.
…Next time we meet, I’ll have to take it back.
Meanwhile, we were told to keep the three plates we recovered.
Leaving them in the museum would only risk them being targeted again, and they weren’t of much use there anyway.
In fact, no one at the museum had even been aware of their existence.
So, the conclusion was that it’d be safer for me to hold onto them.
I don’t know what abilities they have, but I was grateful nonetheless.
…Still, why were there four Star Relics related to constellations in the science museum in the first place?
And the curators all said, “We’ve never seen those plates before.”
Sure, the displays for Reticulum, Sextans, Octans, and the Telescope were all there.
But none of the items looked particularly ancient or significant.
…There’s still too much I don’t understand.
At that moment, the red light of a traffic signal caught my eye, and I stopped walking.
I hadn’t realized it while sorting through the day’s events in my head, but I had already made it back to the station area.
When the light turned green, I started walking again.
I wasn’t planning to make any stops, so I headed straight for the ticket gate.
As I reached it and reached into my pocket for my phone, a familiar voice called out from behind me:
“Ma-kun! Over here, over here!”
For a moment I thought I was imagining things—but no, it was unmistakably Yui’s voice.
Surprised and confused, I stopped and turned around.
Sure enough, there was Yui—together with Shirō and Hanayama.
…I told them they could go home first, though.
And when Senior Mikagami came to check in during the investigation, she’d said they’d already left.
I voiced my confusion directly: “Why are you here?”
“Hey, that’s kinda rude!”
“Yeah, we waited for you, you know.”
“But wasn’t his reaction exactly what I said it would be?”
At Yui’s comment, Shirō and Hanayama exchanged looks and nodded.
…What were they even talking about?
Also, that still didn’t answer my question.
So I asked again.
“Because we came together, so it’s fine if we go home together too, right?”
“…I told you it was fine to go ahead.”
“Come on, don’t be mad.
Yui was all fired up about bringing a treat for hardworking Masato.”
Saying that, Shirō handed me a plastic bag from a convenience store.
So they’d gone to kill time at a convenience store while I was working with the investigation team, huh?
“I’m not mad,” I replied as I took the bag and looked inside.
Inside were two desserts and a bottle of milk tea.
The extremely unbalanced contents made me mutter, “Why is everything in here sweet?”
“Because sweets are the best when you’re tired!”
…I’ve heard that one before.
At this rate, Yui’s going to turn me into someone with a serious sweet tooth.
Still, she went out of her way to buy it for me.
It would be rude to reject it, so I decided to accept it gratefully.
“Since it’s from you, I’ll take it,” I said, then started walking toward the ticket gate again.
I held my smartphone case over the reader and passed through.
As I came out on the other side, Hanayama caught up to me and matched my pace.
“Today was the first time I properly saw you transform and fight as Insei-kun, but wow, you really are like one of those Sunday-morning heroes.”
…She’s still saying that?
With an exasperated sigh, I replied, “I told you, it’s not like that. And it’s not even a transformation.”
“Maybe so, but still—it really looks like it.”
“Don’t know what to tell you. It’s been like that since the first time I generated the Star Armor.”
“Hmm,” Hanayama replied thoughtfully.
“Hey, does it make sounds or light up from your belt or something?”
“No. And it’s not a belt—it’s a gear.”
With that, I stepped onto the escalator to the platform.
Yui and Shirō, following behind, asked what we were talking about.
It was a bit of a pain to explain, but if I didn’t, they’d keep asking forever, so I reluctantly explained.
By the time I finished, we’d reached the platform and stepped off the escalator.
The first to speak was Shirō.
“Sunday-morning heroes, huh. I used to watch those. Do you still watch them, Chiharu?”
“What, is that a problem?”
“N-no! I was just asking! Don’t look at me like that…”
At his words, I glanced at Hanayama.
Sure enough, she was glaring daggers at him.
But after his quick apology, her expression softened again.
Then, after a short pause, she said:
“…Even now, they’re still fun to watch. You can appreciate the depth of the stories in ways you couldn’t as a kid.”
“I see…
By the way, Ma-kun, didn’t you used to watch them too?”
At Yui’s question, both Hanayama and Shirō turned to look at me.
Hanayama’s eyes even seemed to sparkle a little.
Thanks a lot, Yui, for saying unnecessary things…
Feeling awkward, I finally replied,
“That was a long time ago. I don’t watch them anymore.”
“Oh. They’re still pretty good, though…”
Hanayama looked away, clearly disappointed.
The truth is, I only watched them back in kindergarten or elementary school.
Now I don’t even have time for that.
Meanwhile, Shirō didn’t seem fazed by my answer and said,
“…Now you’ve got me curious. Maybe I’ll look them up,” pulling out his phone.
Yui followed suit with, “I’ll check too!”
Just then, the train arrived, and we all boarded.
It wasn’t rush hour yet,
so the car was fairly empty.
Yui and Shirō took seats and immediately resumed their earlier conversation while staring at their phones.
…Are they really looking it up, though?
The doors closed, and the train started moving.
I stood by the door, gazing absently through the glass at the scenery outside.
Then Hanayama spoke up again.
“What about finishing moves or power-up forms?”
…Persistent, isn’t she.
But she’s an ally, so I couldn’t just brush her off.
Suppressing a sigh, I replied, “I told you, there aren’t any.”
“Don’t make me repeat myself.
…Besides, I’m not some hero of justice or a noble person. I’m just… doing what I have to do.”
“…Not a hero of justice, huh…”
She murmured that and fell silent.
What was she trying to say?
I turned my gaze back to the rain-soaked city outside.
After all… I’m not someone fit to be called a hero of justice.
Calling me that would be an insult to the real heroes out there.
Because… I can’t save anyone.
And so, none of us spoke again until the train arrived at Seiun Station.
