Misha's young voice seemed to have become a little steadier. When he began speaking again, there seemed to be a trace of nostalgia in his tone.
"While waiting for Mikhail to return from his voyage, Uncle Vald gave me this workshop, my toy room, my secret base..."
"I learned how to repair springs and gears here. I like precise machinery. I am the captain of the Compass, and together with my companions, Clockie and Miss Mirror, I search for new continents in dreams."
"I... was born and raised here."
"So this building in the Dream Bubble is your childhood home," Himeko said.
Nero blinked as he looked at Misha. In other words, the Misha standing before him now was a meme creature, a Memory Zone meme.
Although his appearance was vastly different from Mem, the two could perhaps be considered members of the same species.
Memory Zone matter really was a strange thing.
Misha did not notice Nero's gaze. He nodded, then shook his head.
"Yes, but also no." He responded to Himeko's guess. "Perhaps it would be more appropriate to put it this way... This Dream Bubble is my home."
Himeko let out a soft laugh and smiled at the senior in front of her, or rather, at the meme creature who had inherited or preserved the senior's memories and childhood appearance.
"Looks like you remember everything now."
Even Stelle, who was standing beside Himeko and was usually so carefree, smiled and nodded, looking as though she had expected this.
March stared blankly at her companions. "Wait, wait, wait. What's with this feeling that everyone except me knows exactly what's going on?"
March did not even deliberately look at Nero's reaction.
Because based on what she knew about Nero, that kid might have seen through the problem or its true nature even earlier...
"That's right. You're the only one still in the dark." A slightly smug smile appeared on Stelle's face. It looked quite similar to Clockie's smiling face, making people want to punch both of them together.
Nero stood to the side, his voice drifting faintly into March's ears.
"This is his clock workshop. He is the captain of the Compass. Do you remember who the captain of the Compass was in the original story?"
March blinked and raised a hand to cover her mouth.
Stelle continued, "And among the people we've encountered so far, neither Firefly nor Acheron can see Clockie. More precisely, aside from the Nameless and the knights, not a single person can see Clockie or communicate with him."
"It's as if he's a meme creature that only a specific group of people can see, almost like a secret message deliberately left for the Astral Express."
"Maybe you're wondering why we're saying it was deliberately left for the Astral Express..." Stelle copied Nero's way of speaking and shook a finger at March, then looked toward Nero...
"Not to mention that the Path of Beauty itself is hard to make sense of. Now, the person the knights follow is also a Nameless..." March finally realized what was going on.
"Little Misha can see Clockie, this room is little Misha's clock workshop, Misha is the captain of the Compass, and in the original story, Mikhail was the captain of the Compass. And the Clockmaker Mikhail... was a Nameless..."
"That is exactly the answer, Miss March 7th." Misha looked at March. "This Dream Bubble is the cradle in which I was born. I... am a person in a dream, no different from a Memory Zone meme."
"I should have remained in the Dream Bubble and waited for all of you to arrive, but reality and memory overlapped, causing me to unconsciously push open the door and leave, taking Clockie with me."
Listening to Misha, Nero blinked. He seemed to realize something, then lowered his head and looked at his own hands.
Using the method he had learned from the Remembrance, he adjusted his own body. After a moment, the boy narrowed his eyes and murmured softly, "Oh, I see. Looks like there's no problem. 'I' will solve all the problems."
Then he raised his head and looked at Misha.
"Misha, can you speak in your original way? Suddenly becoming this mature makes you feel kind of strange."
"Eh?" Misha froze for a moment and looked at Nero.
"So the Dream Bubble left behind by the Clockmaker was empty not because there was nothing inside, but because... the contents inside left on their own? The whistle you heard was the sound of the train arriving at Penacony? Eh?!"
Nearby, March was still pondering the matter of the Dream Bubble. When she suddenly heard Nero's words, she froze too.
Himeko looked at Nero with some surprise, then smiled and said, "What Little March said is indeed one interpretation."
"But there should be an even longer story behind it. I think the whole story, and all the confusing and difficult-to-understand parts, should still be explained by him personally..."
"How about we start with your name? What should we call you now, Misha, or..."
Only then did Misha somewhat recover from Nero's words. Looking at the smile on the other boy's face, he somehow revealed a relaxed smile of his own before speaking, "Thank you all for helping me recover this long journey. Allow me to introduce myself again.
"I was born on Lushaka in the Puresmir System. I am the adopted son of Mr. Mikhail, the explorer, and Mrs. Schar. The two elderly people gave me a treasure, a name carrying their hopes and wishes for me, Lagervolk Schar Mikhail."
At this point, Misha paused. He turned his head toward Nero again, and his tone suddenly became more cheerful.
"...Or, more simply... Misha (Mikhail Schar)... No, Misha is fine... Mm, you can just call me Misha.
"If you wish, you can also call me by the name people are more familiar with, the Clockmaker. I don't mind. But this child seems to prefer me to be 'Misha.'"
"That's fine too... Because that much-admired dream tycoon is long gone. I am merely a reflection of his life."
"And the child who has accompanied all of you on this journey until now is the innocent protagonist of his childhood dream, the good friend of Clockie, a young apprentice, a future train mechanic..."
"And at the same time, the starting point of everything he explored throughout his life."
At this point, Misha paused again. He smiled as he looked at the Nameless before him, the Nameless of the present day. That smile lingered for a long time when he faced Nero.
When Misha spoke again... or rather, when Mikhail spoke again, his old, aged voice overlapped with the young, childish and lively voice, gradually becoming the dominant one, "At the end of my journey through life, I wanted to leave this precious little flame in the deepest dream, hoping to pass it on to the final Nameless."
"But somehow, he ran out of the Dream Bubble on his own and even completely forgot his mission. I'm sorry. I really did make all of you watch quite a show."
"It's all right." Nero looked at the reflection of Mikhail before him. "Misha is a good kid."
Mikhail gazed at Nero, gazed at this young Nameless who had a deep connection with the Path of Beauty. For a long, long time... he suddenly revealed a kind and gentle smile.
"Mm... You're the same, child."