You, Me, the Stars, and Equations
How is it, Captain? Do you see anything?
I can't see anything.
Really? That's a relief.
Then let's walk slowly and—whoa?! That scared me!
What was that? A bird just flew right past me!
Are you okay?
Ah! Don't turn around, Captain! You'll ruin the surprise event!
No peeking! No matter what!
You have to keep your eyes closed tight, okay?
...Okay.
As soon as we reached the promised spot, Naru covered my eyes and led me for quite a while.
The scent of fresh grass gradually gave way to something crisp and clear, like water...
All right! You can open them now.
Welcome to...
your surprise destination, Captain! The most expensive fishing spot in all of NOA!
There's nobody else around.
Hehe! Of course not! I rented the whole place just for today.
...It cost more than I expected, though.
But it's my gift to you, and to celebrate us proving my equation's limitless potential! So I went all out!
Are we here to catch some special fish or something?
Hehe! You'd think so, right? A normal person comes to a fishing spot to fish!
But do you really think someone like me, a super genius elite, came here for something normal?
Any minute now... Ah!
Look over there, Captain!
I looked up where Naru pointed, just as a breeze pushed aside the clouds overhead.
And then, brilliant starlight began to shine through.
And then...
The water's glowing...?
Hehe! This place is home to plankton that glow under starlight.
Amazing, right? Isn't it incredible?
That's one of the reasons why this place is the most expensive fishing spot in NOA!
Look. Over there.
Don't those sparkling plankton look just like a galaxy?
And the stars above! Twinkle twinkle! Aren't they beautiful?
Wow! That one's the Pleiades star cluster!
See it? That bright one's the Merope Nebula!
And over there! That's the Winter Triangle! You can connect Procyon, Sirius, and Betelgeuse to make it.
Want to try drawing the lines? Like this...
Naru kept pointing out stars and explaining them, until she turned to face me directly.
...So? What do you think, Captain?
Are you having fun?
I've always been the one receiving from you...
Thanks to you, I was able to complete the equation...
So I wanted to give something back. That's why I planned this event.
I'm an Observer of Polaris, after all. When it comes to stars, I know more than most.
I wanted to show them to you and share what I know.
...Hehe.
Do you like it?
Honestly, it's a bit much...
...Really?
Well, I'm gla—wait, WHAT?!
Hold on! This is the part where you're supposed to be touched!
Too much?! What do you mean too much?! I worked so hard on this! Where's the issue?
I mean, the fact that you rented this whole place out, for one...
So everything?!
Ugh, fine! Never mind! Let's just pretend it never happened!
I'll plan something else later, okay?! This event is over! We're done here!
Still.
I actually really enjoyed it.
The glowing plankton, the stars I never knew had meaning.
It was all new, but it's etched in my memory as something special.
...Really?
You're not lying, right? You're not just saying that to be nice?
Then that means Naru's surprise event is a smashing success!
Hehe...!
Captain.
You're someone I truly need in my life.
You fill in all the gaps I lack. No one but you can do this.
So... until the day I become NOA's First Observer...
I hope you'll stay by my side and help me get there.
Will you promise me?
Naru looked at me with serious eyes.
Seeing her like that, I nodded just as seriously.
I promise.
Good. Got it recorded.
...Wait, what was that?
That was the click of the recorder button.
You know what they say, "You can't see what's in someone's heart, but you can secure physical evidence."
Hehe! I learned that from Ms. Roberta. Getting proof is everything!
Seriously?! Way to ruin the moment!
What?! You're the one who ruined the moment first!
I poured everything into this event, and you said it was too much! That hit me hard, okay?!
Hehe! Just accept it, Captain.
Once I rise to the top of NOA...
I'll give you half of it!
What are you, some sort of tyrannical demon lord?
Hehe!
...Come closer, Captain.
There are still so many stories I haven't told you. As many as there are stars in the sky.
Shall I keep going?
After that, I listened to Naru as I looked up at the star-filled sky.
That night, the stars felt closer than they ever had before.
Come to think of it...
What's the name of your completed equation?
Huh...?
Oh! I completely forgot to name it!
How could a genius like me make a mistake like that...?!
It's the biggest blunder of my life!
That's a bit dramatic...
Hmm... Mm...
...Got it.
I've decided.
The name of my equation is...
The Equation of You, Me, and the Stars.
Q. E. D.