"Damn, what a stiff ride." Milanor mumbled as he got off the packed airbus, landing his feet on a station that indicated 'Sector 23: Port 12 Relay.'

Apparently, each civilian dock served two sectors, and as such Number 12 served both Sector 23 and Sector 24. Milanor wondered how many sectors there were in Runanthor, but he didn't have the energy to find out.

"Ugh, my waist aches... I didn't get a seat for the whole ride and that damned driver should be fined for being a public hazard."

It was a hellish hour-long journey riddled with sudden turns, acceleration, and brakes. The driver clearly had no regard for his passenger and only cared about his timetable. Milanor wanted to complain to his employer that he should be replaced with an android or something.

...Not to say his opinion had anything to do with Miledi or anything. Any assertion saying otherwise was to be regarded with strict scrutiny.

"Stop grumbling. We reached the place," Naya said even more curtly than usual. Even she was feeling irritated by the ordeal.

"Yeah, yeah... Just let me stretch myself a bit. Ngh!" Milanor pushed on his butt and stretched his back. He eyed the impressive sight rising above him.

There was a massive pillar towering from the city ground right into the surface. They couldn't see it from their position right now, but that tower would keep soaring into space until it ended at a big circular platform acting as a hub of the port. The many terminal 'arms' jutting out from it served as anchors for starships.

The station they were in was situated near the base of the tower. Its interior served two massive elevators that would carry both passengers and cargo to and fro the port.

"Shouldn't be too long, now... Ah, there it is." Something descended inside the transparent shaft just as Milanor spoke. A wide, hundred square meters platform with about a dozen of people on it.

It had six rows of double seats, split into a whopping 9 columns. That meant seating for at most 108 regular-size people. They both boarded and sat on the frontal seat, on the left side. It had an unobstructed view, so it was a good choice.

Not many people joined them in the elevator though, as many of the seats remained empty. When Milanor glanced behind he saw no more than 20 people beside them with a quick count. It was rather desolate.

"Seems like a slow day, huh?"

"What do you mean?" Naya asked him, incredulous since they had just endured that overcrowded airbus. The metal box she had carried around since before lay comfortably on her lap.

"Well, when you go to one of those relay settlements you usually found in border regions, a space elevator like this would always be near maximum capacity," he told her based on his experience. "The port I arrived at was hella busy too. Well, it was morning, I guess."

"Isn't that what it is? Now is Monday afternoon, not exactly a popular time for space travels," she surmised while looking around just like him.

It was unknown to both of them, but what Naya said was about... half correct. The time was incompatible with leisure travel, but prime for industrial and business ones. The majority of those 20-odd people beside them were workers and employees of the various companies situated around Runanthor's system. The space traffic was pretty much alive and bustling. It just wasn't apparent.

Even with his many years, Milanor still had a lot to learn. It just shows how vast the known galaxy was.

To the rear of this passenger compartment would be the freight area, used to transport heavy-duty cargo and belongings of the passengers, but since the only cumbersome baggage they had was Naya's box, they didn't use it.

"What? You never go up there yourself before? Are you telling me you were born and raised here?"

"...No. I just didn't have many chances to go into places like this," she replied with a troubled tone.

"Oh, is that right? I see," Milanor discreetly looked at Naya beside him. She noticed and frowned.

"What're you looking at?"

"Ahaha. Nothing, really. You just looked giddy since we left the café earlier," he smiled, remembering the scene and imagining what went into her mind.

"...Hmph, don't treat me like a country bumpkin," Naya pouted and looked away, pretending to see the scenery.

"I don't mean to offend," he assured her with a hint of humor. "Ah, it seems they're ready," remarked Milanor to distract himself because he found her attitude cute.

An attendant came out from a booth in the rear, "Passengers, we are ready to ascend. Please be warned that we would not stop moving in any event except true emergencies. For the unaccustomed, keep in mind that the change in the gravity modules could induce nausea. Please be prepared in advance," he announced rather lengthy.

After that, the attendant returned to his booth and the elevator began to move.

They gradually climbed the shaft of the tower, and the panorama of the subterranean city below grew smaller and smaller. Naya observed the view with rapt attention.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"Someone's looking very engrossed, huh?" Milanor quipped, trying to make her react.

"..."

"Uwah, she already can't hear me anymore," he shrugged. "And people say the locals know everything..."

Milanor resigned himself to at least watch her unmoving expression from the side. He could see hints of wonder in Naya's eyes, which unbeknownst to her had captured Milanor's gaze itself just like the view did to her.

For all her weird attributes, and despite the fact that she's holding a small company worth of money, she's acting a bit childish, Milanor thought to himself.

Eventually, they reached the ceiling. Or to be precise, the bottom of the asteroid's surface. The shaft began to dig into the tower, and darkness soon enveloped the elevator.

Except where it was lit with artificial lighting, that is. It was public transport, not an amusement ride.

"Well, soon we'll be out in space. When was the last time you came out here?" Milanor asked, breaking the silence.

There was no immediate answer to his question. Just as Milanor thought that he was ignored again, she replied, "Seven years ago."

"Sorry?"

"The last time I'm out here, when I arrived in Runanthor," she continued, then said no more.

"I-I see... That long ago, huh," Milanor mused. Seven years ago was right when he just started freelancing. It was a length of time great enough that it would be normal to forget the feeling of being in outer space when you spend all that time firmly on the ground.

They soon cleared the surface right after that, and the tower kept rising up.

"Ah..."

"Heh, surprised?" he joked, looking for a response. Naya's eyes grew even wider than before, looking around the vast cosmos in the background of Runanthor's busy airspace.

There were numerous ships passing and going above the asteroid's surface. Most of them were small flyers not even 50 meters in size. Far beyond them, however, they could see some humongous cargo ships and space liners in the range of more than 500 meters.

Those types of large spaceships would need a specialized port area to even be able to drop anchor, so none of them were approaching the dock they headed into.

For that matter, Naya was looking around Port No. 12 as if searching for something.

"So, which one is it?" she finally asked, her gaze moving between various vessels lining up the 'piers.'

"You've been curious ever since before, huh? Well, you can see it quite easily from here. There, on the right side," Milanor pointed. He had seen his ship right after searching for a bit. It was very noticeable.

"...Where?" Naya didn't seem to be as perceptive, however.

"What? How can you not see it? It's that big, winged, white one over there," he pointed again, this time describing his ship's appearance as well.

"H-Huh?" she looked stunned. "That big one? Are you serious? You're not just messing around?" She had noticed the ship right after looking around too, but decided that it couldn't be the right one.

It was far bigger than she ever expected.

A 245-meter class Category C registered as a Star Cruiser, a beautiful white spaceship reminiscent of a bird in flight. The wings and the fin-like parts majestically spread from the body near the stern, while its 35-meter total height (from the sensor arrays above the bridge to the landing gear) took up the two levels of the pier.

It definitely didn't look like the ship a single, struggling freelancer should be commanding.

"Hey, what were you imagining my ship actually look like?"

"You said that there were only three crew members on your ship..." she narrowed her eyes, dubious.

"Oh yeah, I did say that... Well, it's the truth anyway. Myself included, there are only two people and one android around," he spoke, sounding proud for no reason. "As I told you before, it's a special kind of ship. We don't need many people."

Naya glanced at him briefly before scrutinizing Helios again. Her expression looked like one of amazement, giving Milanor a boastful feeling that he held inside.

While Naya kept looking at Milanor's ship for the rest of the way, they soon arrived at the hub of the port. After disembarking onto the platform and being scanned for contraband, they probed the installation for the entrance into Terminal 7.

...It seemed that whatever it was in that metal box, it was legal here in Runanthor. Frankly, it was a huge relief that nothing happened. Milanor would have no idea what to say if he learn that Naya was a smuggler or something.

Not only would he be incriminated too, but it would also become extremely awkward for the two of them. And if Milanor was allowed to be honest, that wasn't a situation he was eager to be in.

Amidst the bustle and throngs of people, they peered out the window and saw the huge ship moored, indicating they were close. It seemed out of place when they saw the tiny flyers used by most of the visitors there flying around it.

"It looked even bigger up close..." Naya exclaimed in wonderment. She couldn't help keeping her gaze on the ship, causing her to almost stumble a few times. Milanor tried his best to contain his urge to laugh at the sight.

"I admit many people I came across also have the same reaction when they saw my person first, and then discovered my ship later..." he smiled wryly. They entered the lower level of Terminal 7, which would mean that they would enter the ship via the hangar airlock.

Milanor chose this because he felt it would be better to introduce Naya and the ship crews—however few it was—to each other in the spacious hangar, instead of the main airlock located on the main deck.

They took the express moving floor to traverse the long terminal, heading into the connector bridge. Milanor used the time to contact his maid using his PAW.

"Come in, Miledi," he called.

"Captain, might I inquire into your whereabouts?" a reply came after a short while.

"We'll arrive shortly after this. Can you take Fia with you and go down to the hangar?"

"You will be entering through the lower deck? Very well. I will bring her there at once."

The short call ended with that. Soon, they reached the bridge where they could get into the ship.

"Wah..." Naya gasped softly at the imposing view just before they proceeded. Moving across, they arrived in front of the airlock at the other end.

"Wait a bit," Milanor said before he manipulated the console that came out from the side. He pressed his hand onto a biometric sensor, unlocking the door.

Mechanical whirring could be heard from the separation chamber beyond the door. It had to check that the air pressure between the ship and the terminal matched, or there would be a catastrophic blowout. It wasn't a procedure that could be skipped.

After judging it was safe, the airlock soon opened, welcoming them inside.

"...So it's true..." Milanor heard softly from beside him.

"Hmm?"

It seemed Naya was saying something, but it was too soft for him to make clear. He asked, "What's wrong?"

"...I thought it was some elaborate joke and you were trying to trick me. But you're telling the truth," she clarified, eyes shifting.

"...I'll have you know, that hurts my feeling," he confessed.

Trying to forget the painful comment and soothe himself, Milanor leisurely walked in.

"Whew, I only left this morning, but that felt like forever ago. Oh yeah, I suppose I should do the basic courtesy," he turned around and in a grandiose manner said, "Welcome to my ship, FIS-1245 Star Cruiser Helios."

Naya, still standing outside the separation chamber, looked at him with a wondrous expression.

...