Ch. 8: Vanished Power (MOON)
The stillness was too much, and it hurt my ears…-.
Ster was silent for a while, then grabbed my wrist.
Ster: "What did you wish for?"
OO: "I just thought, if I could stop the stardust then…"
Ster looked at me, unblinking.
Ster: "I see. Because of that, I guess I've lost my power."
I couldn't stand to see Ster like that and watch him disappear.
Ster: "I've become like I was then? If I don't have the power to grant wishes then… …who needs me?"
OO: "That's not…!"
Ster: "Don't you understand? Granting people's wishes was the one thing that proved I was alive."
OO: "You can still grant wishes…even without that power. There will be some things that are impossible, but if you put your all into it, you can grant plenty of wishes still. You said it yourself, right Ster? That you love seeing people smile. Those people, and me, smiling…-."
Ster: "That's because I borrowed the power of the stars to grant your wishes."
No…!
Ster: "But now that power is gone."
You're wrong!!
Ster stared fixedly at me with those crystal clear eyes.
OO: "…!"
There was an unbearable sadness in his eyes, and with all my strength I yanked at the chain of the necklace he'd given me.
Ster: "…!"
The delicate chain of the necklace broke, and the adorning flower fell to the bed.
OO: "Ster…you're wrong."
Ster: "OO…?"
OO: "I was happy when you gave me something so beautiful. But the thing that made me most happy…was you smiling. Your smile made me happy. And the thought that you wanted to give me a flower that would never wilt…made me happy too."
Ster: "OO…"
Ster looked at me in surprise.
Seeing his eyes, devoid of light, I thought of how I loved his smile, from the bottom of my heart.
OO: "Ster, let's try again. Let's gather the smiles of the people."
Ster: "Like I said, I can't do that anymore."
OO: "Can you really not do it, even without that power? Can you really not make people happy, and make them smile? Don't you want to try and see for yourself?"
Ster: "I…-. …OO."
Ster quietly closed his eyes.
Then he gently embraced me.
Ster: "Thanks. You're a nice person."
His hands affectionately clasped around my back.
My heart, quivering in pain, slowly recovered.