Time flew by.

  49 days later, Nox brought me back to Unfinished once again.

  The shop owner greeted us warmly, his face beaming with a cheerful smile.

  “Judging by the look of this little girl, she’s almost come of age, hasn’t she?” he said, his tone laced with both curiosity and certainty. “That makes this gift especially meaningful. I couldn’t help but put a lot of thought into it.”

  As he spoke, he handed something to Nox.

  —It was an incredibly beautiful comb.

  Nox received it gently and examined it closely, admiration shining in his eyes.

  “It’s stunning…”

  But this time, my attention wasn’t on the comb.

  Instead, my eyes were fixed on the pale blue hammer in the shop owner’s hand.

  ——

  We didn’t linger long at Unfinished.

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  Just before we left, Nox placed a small envelope on the counter.

  As we stepped out the door, I faintly heard the shop owner’s exclamation behind us—

  “No way?! This is way too much!”

  ——

  Back home, Nox’s expression turned especially solemn.

  Luma stood beside him, watching me with gentle eyes.

  “Vera,” Nox’s voice was steady and serious, “this is your coming-of-age gift.”

  I lowered my gaze to the comb in my hand.

  It wasn’t pale blue, nor black—but it was undeniably beautiful.

  The iron had a certain weight to it, yet it felt soft to the touch. Intricate patterns were delicately engraved on its surface.

  —But I didn’t understand what it represented.

  I looked up, puzzled, and asked Nox,

  “What is a coming-of-age gift?”

  This time, Luma answered,

  “It means… you’re an adult now. From today on, you can make your own choices.”

  …Make my own choices?

  I was momentarily stunned, staring at the comb in my hands.

  Those words… I needed to really think about what they meant.

  ——

  My mind wandered to the stories of Hermes-IX and Ekwe.

  Hermes-IX collapsed under complexity, while Ekwe embraced forging as his faith.

  When Nox spoke of Ekwe’s story, there had been a flicker of nostalgia in his eyes.

  In those stories… there was always a man and a woman.

  I began to reflect on my own past—

  I knew Nox and Luma had always been good to me.

  But… I knew nothing about them.

  Who were they, really?

  What had they gone through in the past?

  What were they searching for?

  Why did they choose to raise me, to walk this path with me?

  —I had never asked.

  A strange emotion churned in my chest. I felt a little nervous, but I gathered my courage and spoke.

  “I… I want to get to know you better.”

  I looked at Nox and Luma, clutching the comb tightly.

  “Because… you mean a lot to me.”