"Right, here we are! This is where you can live! It's like, your personal room and stuff!" Fianna cheerfully explained to Naya after opening the door in a monumental fashion. She then gave her a key card. "This is the key to your room as well for the ship's airlock. You'll also need your biometrics registered first for them, though. Milanor will like, totally take care of that later."

"Ah, thanks," she expressed her gratitude and stepped into the room.

It was a 20 square meter cabin which was frankly huge for a private quarter in a starship. Inside, there were two comfy beds coupled with their own desks and drawers. A shower room and toilet were placed in the corner closest to the ship's outer pressure hull. The reinforced glass window provided excellent views of outer space (in an emergency they would be covered by retractable armor and a heat shield).

"This is Crew Quarter No. 4. It's called crew quarter but there's like, no difference to the passenger quarter nearby, so don't worry about that," Fianna indicated toward the other rooms in the hallway.

They were currently in the living area of the ship, located on the main deck near the ship's bow.

After explaining to Milanor and his maid about the job, the two of them decided to discuss among themselves the specifics of payment, feasibility, and whatnot. They told her to take the opportunity to rest up and put down her belongings in her assigned room.

Milanor also seemed to be worn out and hungry as he said, "I'm starving to death here so I'm gonna get a quick dinner. Fia, can you take Naya to her room? It's… crew number 4."

And that was how she got here with this boisterous girl in pajamas.

"…There are two beds here?" she inquired as she put down her metal box on one of the desks.

"Yes!" Fianna energetically replied. "Each room is supposed to host two people for efficiency, but there are only like, 3 people (one of them an android) on this ship! Can't do anything about that!"

"T-That so…?" She felt pressured by her energy. "This looks nice enough for a 3-star hotel," she stated.

"You think so, too? Hehe, it's the product of the ingenuity of Auntie and my mom."

"Hmm?" Naya wondered what she meant.

"Ah, this ship is not a mass-produced model. It's a custom build ship! Our parents designed and build it together, and stuff," she clarified, noticing her confusion.

"Your… parents?"

"Mine and Milanor's. Our families have been close since before we were born, see? His folks worked alongside those professional spacers, while in my case, they were the crews that helped them in their journey," Fianna explained, sounding a touch proud.

"Huh?" Naya wondered why she told her this in the past tense. Was it not the case anymore? What happened to their parents, in that case?

Still, Naya was prudent. Asking those questions was a tad too personal considering they just met. "So basically, they were doing what you're doing now?" Instead, she voiced an assumption she inferred from Fianna's explanation.

"Ahaha! Maybe?" she replied while scratching the back of her head, along with a wry grin. It wasn't an expression of being humble, no. Rather, it was an indication that Fianna herself wasn't sure if their current lifestyle could be compared to their predecessors.

After all, as far as she knew, their parents didn't live paycheck to paycheck.

"Ah, I should probably let you rest, right? Sorry! I'll totally like, guide you through the rest of the ship later!" she apologized. "Where should I put this cloak?"

Fianna was carrying the cloak Milanor had been wearing, but he was just borrowing it from Naya. He gave it to her before they separated.

"Oh, you can just put it on the bed. And um, I don't mind doing that right now," she added.

"Hm? Aren't you like, tired and stuff?"

"Not really…" Naya just wanted to look around the ship as soon as possible. Honestly, she was just too excited, even though she didn't look like it. Expressions could be hidden and so they could be deceiving.

Besides, Naya doubted she could rest in such a foreign environment. She hadn't moved around much from her usual residence in Runanthor for the last several years, except for several of her brief excursions into her 'hideout' which she was already familiar with.

"…Very well!" Fianna contemplated for a moment but eventually agreed. "Then we'll start from here, on this main deck."

She indicated with her hand for Naya to follow her. They left Crew Quarter No. 4 and came back out into the hallway. There were 9 other rooms in the vicinity.

"For a total of like, ten rooms, five Crew Quarters and five Passengers Quarters. They are all located here, in this aisle," she told her. "My room is not in any of these, however. I sleep in one of the officer's rooms on the upper deck."

"Then, Milanor and that bioroid?"

"The captain has like, his own quarter obviously! Above the bridge, at the top of the ship," Fianna pointed up, somewhere above them. "Miledi… she was given another officer's quarter just like me, supposedly, but she rarely goes into her room."

Stolen story; please report.

"…So you're saying in all of these rooms here, each one is empty? This whole area?"

"Hehe, that's right," she sheepishly nodded. "It gets lonely sometimes, but I have a way of dealing with it no problem. Anyway, this totally makes you like, the first long-term resident here, Naya! I can just call you Naya, right?"

"Mm, that's fine," Naya accepted.

Fianna became very friendly toward her since they separated from Milanor and Miledi, even though she looked quite hostile when Naya first saw her in the hangar earlier. She figured this was her usual personality, being all friendly and cheerful.

She wondered what was her 'way of dealing with loneliness' she mentioned, but didn't ask.

Close to the bedrooms in the direction of the ship's bow, a large door stood on the left side of the wall.

"This is the main airlock, and across from it is the security station. Whenever we dock into, like, port and stuff? This is where we usually use to come and go. I don't know why Milanor chose to go through the hangar when he came back earlier with you."

I don't know either, I just followed him, she wanted to say.

"Okay, let's move on. Toward the front of the ship, you see those doors on the wall?" Fianna indicated two doors placed on each side of the hallway. "Those are for the entrance to the munition compartment located under the bow. Don't go there, okay? It's dangerous, the equipment is vital and sensitive, and so on," she warned.

"Uh-huh."

Although Naya had experience tinkering with machinery and technology, the complex and massive scale of engines running a ship like this would be way beyond her knowledge.

"Past those doors, at the end of this aisle, is the main observation deck. What do you say we like, skip the place and check out the identical one near the bottom of the ship? The view is nicer there, personally."

"Wait, there's two of them on this ship?" Naya interrupted, surprised. She heard some types of large starships would feature a recreational lounge for the crews and passengers to use for relaxation.

"Yeah, surprising, huh? I heard it was Auntie's—Milanor's mom—insistence that two lounges would be built on the ship. The length of the main deck had to be like, expanded several dozen meters to accommodate it," Fianna clarified while rubbing the back of her head.

Naya was speechless hearing the explanation. Whether it was from the blase way Fianna was speaking, or from learning the apparent indulgent that seeped into the very plates and bolts of this starship, no one ever knew. "Okay, we can skip it. I'll just follow you," she then nodded.

"Then to the opposite way," they walked through the rows of bedrooms until they reached the end of it, heading in the direction of the stern.

On either side of the corridor, Naya could see descending staircases. "Those lead to the escape pods. They number twenty-four in total. More than enough, isn't it? We take our safety seriously!" Fianna declared proudly.

Once again, Naya was astonished at the disproportionate proportion between the size of the ship's facilities and its actual number of occupants.

"Want to take a peek?"

"Ah, sure."

They descended the stairs to the floor directly below the bedrooms. It was pretty narrow and the ceiling was a bit low, but numerous transparent containers shaped like elongated capsules were placed neatly on each side of the walkway.

"They can also function as cryosleep capsules, you know?" Fianna added. "Although that feature won't work the moment these pods were launched."

"I see," Naya succinctly nodded as she hoped that the need for her to make use of this particular hardware never came.

When she turned around, she saw a door that by positioning would lead to the back of the sub-deck they were on. Naya was curious about what was behind it and so she asked.

"Oh, yeah. That is the bathroom. I used it so much—almost every day—yet I nearly forget about it."

"Huh? Don't each room have its own shower?"

"Yeah, but they're just like, small showers. Look," Fianna pulled Naya's hand toward the door. She opened it and they passed through a hallway filled with what looked like washing machines, cleaning tools, and other hygiene instruments. They opened another door at the end of this hallway. "This room has a big bathtub for a relaxing soak, you know?"

A grand tub filled with hot water took up most of the room, which screamed the word luxury. Only the highest-class hotels in Runanthor would have this kind of facility, never mind a freelancer ship. Naya's real house itself only had a small tub in a tiny bathroom.

"…"

"Hehe, surprised?"

"Is this bath actually supposed to be here?"

"Um, no? Just like the observation deck, this was possible 'cause of Auntie's passionate drive."

"…I see. Let's just continue." Naya could imagine the sinfully decadent mind of Milanor's mother just from this short tour around the front of the ship.

They returned back up and continued walking through the main deck with Fianna explaining each room they passed. After the escape pods and hygiene compartment, there were the laboratory and infirmary, then after that, the cafeteria and kitchen. Just like before, what Naya saw were grand, advanced, functional facilities that were clearly designed for way more than just 3 people.

The cafeteria they were currently in, with its rows of tables, felt especially empty.

"I always prepared some food in the kitchen's refrigerator, so please help yourself whenever. It's perpetually stocked, you know?"

"'You' prepared?"

"I'm like, the ship's designated cook! I mean, self-proclaimed… But Miledi cannot seem to be able to make food that didn't taste bland, and Milanor only ever cared about instant stuff… so the job just kinda fell to me."

"That so…? Are you good at that, Fianna?"

"Absolutely, believe it! And you know, just call me Fia, please. Milanor and Miledi called me that, and so did all my Net friends," she asked.

"Oh, okay, Fia."

Naya wasn't someone that could easily befriend and got along with anyone, but Fianna's exuberant attitude managed to make even her feel comfortable. She knew she could get close to this person.

"Behind this cafeteria is the ship's elevators. On the starboard side and the port side, for a total of two."

They passed through one of the openings behind the cafeteria, where they came upon a corridor with an elevator at each end.

"What about that large door?" Naya pointed to a big set of metal sliding doors that seemed to lead into the back of the ship.

"That is the entrance to the main engine room. Just like the munition compartment before, please don't go in there. Our engine is like, massive, you know? So many complex parts are placed in confusing passages. You could totally get lost in there if you're not careful."

"Really?" Naya was doubtful seeing her exaggerated mannerism.

"I'm serious, believe it! I'm the one who periodically checked the engine for problems. You could say I'm like, the troubleshooting expert!"

"Fia, you're an engineer?"

She sure didn't seem like it, Naya thought. She was yet to see her in anything other than sleepwear but the impression she already received was enough to make her claim sound dubious.

"Not officially, no. I only know more than your average person thanks to my mom and dad's influences. But still, the machinery of this ship is under my careful watch!"

"Oh, sure, I guess."

Naya wondered if what she said was true, but if she said so, then she would believe it for now.

"Then let's go to the upper deck. It contains, like, the most exciting part of the ship, you could guess?"

"Right, the bridge?"

"Bingo! Well, get in," Fianna gestured to Naya to enter the elevator. "Up we go."

The elevator moved up for a few seconds before the door opened up again. "This is the upper deck, come on, come on!" They exited into a similar corridor to the one directly below.

"Oh, you're here."

From a door on the right suddenly came Milanor, munching on what seemed like a sandwich in his hand.