Starlight Rest Stop—a single star-shaped glass lantern casts its light on a small wooden desk. Outside the window, the night breeze faintly rustles the grass, and the sound of insects chirps in the distance.

When Yuto opens the door, Akari is sitting in her chair as usual. She looks up, her travel diary still open on her lap.

Ah, you're here.

She closed the diary with a soft thud. It was a well-worn leather cover with only "Travel Journal" written on it.

How was your day today?

She asked not as an interrogation, but simply with calm. The Starlight on the desk emitted a soft, faint glow. Her lavender-silver hair swayed gently, as if Akari herself were the light source.

Yuto sat down heavily in the seat opposite Akari without saying a word. Usually, he would crack a joke or two before sitting, but today he was strangely quiet. His shoulders were slumped slightly, and his gaze wandered somewhere on the floor.

Seeing this, Akari didn't ask anything. She just tilted her head slightly and slid a small mug that had been on the edge of the desk toward Yuto. Inside was warm tea. Steam rose up in a wavering curl.

Want some?

She said only that and became quiet again. She didn't reopen her diary, nor did she stare intently at Yuto's face. Keeping her gaze dropped toward the grain of the wood on the desk, she maintained a distance that said she was simply there, beside him.

Yuto reached for the mug, but his fingertips stopped just as they touched the rim. He opened his lips slightly and closed them, opened and closed—he seemed to be trying to say something, only to swallow it back down each time.

Silence continued for a while. The light of the Starlight flickered minutely. Perhaps the wind outside had grown stronger, as the window frame rattled softly.