Story Reader / Festival Event Story / Heart's Whispers Across Time / Story
Heart's Whispers Across Time
>You like sweets?
The woman in the gray-white uniform adds a third spoonful of sugar, gently stirring with her slender fingers.
There's all kinds of sugar—granulated is pure, rock sugar is crunchy, and brown sugar smells like honey...
Every sugar has its own kind of sweetness...
Every kind is worth a taste.
She takes a sip of coffee, thinks for a moment, then puts it down. With her usual mysterious smile, she scoops a lot of sugar into her cup.
You look away, realizing you were staring.
Soft light pours from the dome onto the streets, where researchers, officials, soldiers, Constructs... everyone looks happy.
People are laughing. You see their smiling faces, but nothing else...
People are talking. You hear happy voices, but can't understand anything...
Everything feels hazy.
You seem a little out of it.
In this blurry world, she stands out clearly.
Something's not right, but I can't quite say what...
Or maybe I'm just imagining things...
As you hesitate to speak, Ishmael, across the table, gives you a look to go on.
When I try to remember how I got here, I come up blank...
Let me ask you something first.
Like I said, different sugars have different kinds of sweetness.
Some sugars mix well, making it sweeter and better. Others clash, making it taste weird and feel wrong.
So, what happens when you mix all the sugars together...
While she talks, Ishmael keeps scooping sugar. Even though it's all from the same jar, each scoop looks different.
She puts so much sugar in, it's more than the coffee. But somehow, it all dissolves, like it doesn't matter how much.
Ishmael slides the coffee cup over.
What do you think that would taste like?
Even though her face doesn't change much, her smile seems happier.
You just grab the coffee. The top is smooth, like a mirror, reflecting everything.
The reflection starts changing, and you see new scenes coming up from the bottom.
You lean in to see better. The cup's rim feels magical, and the dark liquid pulls your consciousness in.
Everything around you goes blurry, then disappears, replaced by new scenes.
...
A white-haired agent is looking up, as if thinking hard and spacing out at the same time.
Alright, that works.
But...
She looks like she's decided something, but then runs into a problem. She frowns, staring at what she is holding.
You try to get closer to see what she has, but the moment you move, the whole world crumples like a paper ball.
When the paper opens again, it shows a whole new scene.
If that's true, that's really nice.
I agree, but about what we talked about, we should probably ask Sage...
Qu and Hanying are talking about something.
Then they start walking, calling someone's name.
Following their eyes, you see a mechanoid girl at the edge of the hall. She is balancing on a chair, hands on the back, knees on the seat, and leaning forward. The chair is on one leg, wobbling but not falling.
When they call her, she turns, smiling brightly, her eyes sparkling.
Nanami just thinks of another awesome plan to conquer the universe!
They gather to talk, but you can't hear them. Then the hall silently breaks apart...
Under the broken hall is a meeting room.
A bunch of familiar Constructs are around a screen.
The first plan is ready. We should've shown it sooner, but we've been swamped with missions lately...
Luckily, we still have time. Everyone, look at the screen. I'll explain each point...
Lucia is talking, tapping each item on the screen.
Yata and Bridget, sitting below the stage, listen to Lucia finish, then talk quietly before raising their hands.
About points 2 and 7...
We should add point 6 too.
Okay, points 2, 6, and 7. I just talked about these with Yata...
Most of their ideas were accepted, but some were argued against.
For point 6, I'd like to add some details...
Teddy's fingers fly across the keyboard by the screen, making changes and giving her thoughts.
Still, that's a bit too...
Yeah, it's kind of... let me think...
You could check what happened in past years.
When the argument stalls, Wanshi, who'd been dozing off at the table, pipes up.
Last year... oh, I get it now.
Then that's that...
Things move forward with everyone happy.
You stare at the screen, but can't see or hear clearly, everything is getting distant...
After that, no new scenes show up, and the consciousness fades away...
...
...
Comm...
...mand...ant...
Gray...Com...mand...ant...
Gray Raven Commandant?
conservation area
Morning, at the Old Dossier Building
I've called you a few times, but you didn't answer...
You've been staring at your coffee. Don't like it?
You look down and see you're holding a paper cup of coffee.
Oh yeah, you're helping the cargo crew move material from the old archives in the conservation area.
Just now...
Feels like something went down, but I can't place it...
Just this box left—
He grips the bottom of the box and lifts it carefully.
Once we deliver this last batch, we're done.
So, got any plans for after this?
When we're done, we're free. Everyone's got their own plans.
Some are going to check out the area, some are visiting friends in Kowloong, and some are heading straight back to Babylonia.
If you need a ride somewhere and it's on our route, we can take you.
Where to next...
Feels like this is a big decision...
Thinking about it, you grab your coffee and take a sip—
A weird sweetness hits your tongue.
But it's gone in a flash, like a dream. You try another sip, just normal coffee.
What's wrong?
You barely hear someone laugh, and you barely remember something old.
You chug the rest of your coffee, stand up, and throw the cup away.
