088 A Sleepless Night

What? The captain has moved on to someone else? Lan Li frowned, her face pouting like a child denied candy. "Captain An, have you stopped loving me?"

An Junlie blinked at the question, jolted from his thoughts. Even with all these years of knowing him, he couldn't suppress the chill that ran down his spine at her words. "You're imagining things."

Lan Li rolled her eyes and gave him a once-over. The melancholy etched in his features was impossible to miss. Her lips twitched as she teased, "Feeling lonely all of sudden?"

Before An Junlie could reply, Zi Ye burst through the door clutching Nineteenth Sister by the arm. The girl's hat tumbled askew as she giggled breathlessly, "Where should we hide? Which place is safest?"

"Keep running and they'll never catch us!" Nineteenth Sister chimed in, twirling her hat like a baton. "This always works with Brother Aike."

Zi Ye gazed down the endless corridor ahead, half-wishing for an airship to whisk them away. The two figures in the corner watching their antics were still etched into An Junlie's vision even after they'd disappeared around the bend. He remained transfixed by the memory like a man struck by lightning.

Lan Li chuckled under her breath. "So you've finally discovered your taste for little girls?"

An Junlie shook his head, fingers tracing invisible patterns on his coat sleeve. "No... she reminds me of someone I met in Silver Sign."

Of course it was Silver Sign! Lan Li's eyes gleamed with mischief as she poked him again. "Your secret love during your mysterious disappearance?"

"Sometimes I wish you weren't so perceptive," An Junlie muttered, ruffling her hair like a scolding older brother.

Zi Ye was mid-laugh when the intercom crackled to life. "Children's assembly! Report to nearest dining hall within three minutes..." The broadcast fizzed out as clusters of children materialized from shadowy corners and sprinted toward their destination in coordinated chaos.

Compliant little angels, Zi Ye stepped aside just as Sibent grabbed her arm with panicked urgency. "Hurry up or you'll miss dinner!"

"What? This is the dining hall for kids," she protested as they dashed down the corridor.

"Under twenty is considered a child here," Sibent explained with an amused smirk, ruffling her hair to drown out her protests.

Zi Ye's sneakers squeaked against the polished floor as they joined the stampede of children already seated in military precision - tiny backsides pressed rigidly onto chairs according to height, like rows of miniature soldiers awaiting inspection. The dining hall had transformed into an ocean of youthful faces from other families, every long table flanking twenty seats now fully occupied by eager diners.

Zi Ye lingered at the threshold. At twenty years old, she suddenly felt like a specter haunting this sacred space for children.

Kex entered and found her frozen in indecision. He grasped her wrist and guided her to the last remaining table. "We're the oldest here," he said with mock solemnity as they sat at one end, "you'll have to endure our company."

Zi Ye nodded toward Sibent's empty seat, but he'd already claimed it without ceremony. She gave up trying to rearrange things and resigned herself to her spot.

The dinner spread was a whimsical arrangement of tiny dishes - twelve in total. Cutlery lay meticulously arranged beside each setting: asparagus-shaped forks, carrot-tipped spoons, orange-lobed bowls that looked suspiciously like edible garnishes until everyone suddenly clasped their hands together in unison.

"Thank you for helping me dress today," someone whispered behind a prayer posture.

"Thanks to Aike for pulling me up when I fell."

"Sixth Brother gave me this pretty bead..."

Nineteenth Sister's voice rang out from across the room, "I want to thank Mengyaya Onee-san for playing hide-and-seek with me!" Zi Ye turned and saw the girl grinning as she waved.

Kex leaned in close, his voice barely above a breath. "Thanks for bringing us together, Mengyaya."

Sibent added, "Thanks for keeping us company all day..."

Zi Ye joined their prayer ritual without understanding its meaning until it struck her - this was about remembering the kindnesses woven into each day, cultivating gratitude to nourish the soul alongside the body.

She finished her portion in record time; the menu catered perfectly to omnivorous appetites with carefully balanced portions for every age group. At twenty years old, she'd been given nearly adult-sized servings - second only to the twins.

"Didn't think you could eat so much," Sibent laughed as Zi Ye gaped at her empty plate. "The chefs reduce portions if you don't finish."

Kex snorted, "But why doesn't your appetite translate into weight?"

Zi Ye stuck out her tongue playfully. "None of your business!"

Accommodation assignments began after dinner. Strict curfews applied - 8 PM for under-8s, 10 PM for teenagers, and midnight for those nearing adulthood. The entire ship transformed into a veritable children's paradise with themed quarters for each age bracket.

Zi Ye gaped at the regulations posted on every doorframe. What she'd thought was a battle fortress turned out to be a floating daycare center! The Ambassador Corps had created an entire interstellar amusement park, and now she too had become one of its residents.

After 10 PM curfew bells began ringing through the ship. Her roommates herded her toward bed at exactly 9 PM with military efficiency. As she sank into the soft mattress, she whispered to Xiaodouya curled in a ball on her nightstand: "This place is amazing, right?"

The tiny creature remained unresponsive until it suddenly puffed up like an overinflated balloon and slammed against her head with calculated force. "I hate you!" Xiaodouya shrieked as it launched itself into the air, its glowing eyes wide with indignation. "You kept me trapped all day! I'm so angry!"

Zi Ye caught the tiny ball of fury mid-air, but Xiaodouya simply twisted and spun like a Yo-Yo until her hair became a tangled nest of black silk. When it finally stopped spinning, she carefully untangled every strand while cradling the creature in her palm. "I'm sorry," she murmured.

"Then why did you hide me?" Xiaodouya demanded.

Zi Ye pouted into the pillow. "Because I was afraid of being recognized by aliens..."

The tiny creature blinked uncomprehendingly until it suddenly rolled off the bed with a dramatic sigh. "Self-deception is pitiful," it declared, disappearing under her covers for the night.

Alone in the dark, Zi Ye stared at the ceiling as sleep eluded her. Today's adventure had started with plans to visit Kiras and return home by evening - but then she'd met Kex and Sibent, stumbled upon the Ambassador Corps... and ended up sleeping aboard what was supposedly a carrier.

She rolled onto her back, staring blankly at the shadows on the wall. She hadn't planned for this reunion with An Junlie either. Perhaps it was fate. Yet some fates were meant to be buried deep in the heart.

"An Junlie," she whispered into the darkness before silence overtook her thoughts.

The man standing outside her door remained motionless, his shadow blending with the corridor lighting as he wrestled with indecision. Every detail pointed toward Xiaoyi - same left-foot-first gait, identical height reaching his chest, facial features carved from the same mold except for their genders. If Mengyaya wasn't Xiaoyi, who else could she be? And yet if she was...

He paced outside her door all night long, rehearsing questions that would never sound natural coming from a commander. What if he wasn't An Junlie anymore but just an ordinary man? Would the words still feel so heavy on his tongue?

When the soft glow of her room finally went dark, he turned away, knowing she'd sleep better without his presence. But the uncertainty gnawed at him like ants devouring the edges of a wound. This night would be one long stretch of wakefulness for An Junlie.