Applause

By the time they touched back down at Sakai Industries Headquarters, Rift’s death had already been confirmed.

There was no time to mourn.

A clean set of uniforms—ones not caked in blood and grime and failure—were already waiting for them the morning following their return. The message, though wordless, was clear: You have another mission. Be ready.

Stella didn’t question it—didn’t speak at all, in fact. Instead, she took comfort in the quick and practiced act of getting dressed before tending to her hair in front of the mirror.

She’d cut her hair short when she joined the Force for the sake of practicality, so the time it took her to brush it out would be short—but the time it took her to put in her hair-clip didn’t change.

It was the last, precious memento Rift had left for her. Realizing that caused her hands to tremble so badly that she kept dropping the clip before she could put it in.

Stella caught Yui’s eye through the mirror’s reflection. She was clearly waiting for her to ask for help, but Stella was feeling stubborn. She could do this. It was nothing.

A few minutes later, she succeeded, and the clip was in–but it was also noticeably askew. Feeling frustrated, she ignored it as she sat down on her bed to pull on her shoes. After all, she thought as she laced up her boots, it’s not like there’s anyone left to tease me about a bad hair day anyway.

Stella’s bruised heart punched against her ribcage at the thought.

“Ready?” Yui prompted, her hands buried in the pockets of her uniform as she waited by the door. Stella noticed the area underneath her only eye was smudged purple. From the way she tossed and turned in bed all night, she probably didn’t look much better.

“Literally not at all,” Stella admitted, the exhaustion seeping into her voice. “But I think I can push through if I eat some breakfast first.”

That got her to crack a smile. “Nothing ever throws off your appetite, does it?”

Stella wrapped her arm around Yui’s shoulder. “Nope.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After a simple breakfast in the mess hall, the head of PR informed Stella and Yui that they were expected to attend a press conference in the most majestic locale Stardust City had to offer—the Dust Temple.

Located in the spot where historians claimed the heart of the celestial dragon landed when it first fell, the Dust Temple was originally dedicated to worshiping the fallen dragon. While the religious practice had fallen away over time, it was still a place of great significance to the people of Stardust.

Eventually, the government moved into the building, and the function of the temple changed. In present times, it was the host to foreign dignitaries, high-stakes events, and yearly festivals. It was also the governor’s residence, automatically making it the most well-protected building in the city.

Those qualities alone already made the temple remarkable, but perhaps the simplest reason that it became considered a landmark was because it was the tallest building in the city.

Since Stardust City had been built inside the behemoth bones of the celestial dragon, most of the buildings maintained a modest stature to fit within its ribcage. To date, this meant that besides Sakai Industries, the Dust Temple was the only other building to stretch so daringly close to the ancient bones that had birthed magic in their land.

Stella had been to Dust Temple a handful of times herself, and had always been in awe at its grandeur. But today…those feelings were distant. It was the first time she’d thought that the cascading rooftops, the impossibly perfect golden sheen of the structure, looked gaudy and tasteless.

Needless to say, the whirlpool of reporters that immediately ensnared her didn’t impress either.

“Stella Sakai! Is it true that you’re one of the two survivors left of the Aria Strike Force?”

“Will you be taking over as captain?”

“How will you be handling future Aria attacks going forward?”

The cascade of questions pinched her with guilt. Thankfully, the CEO of Sakai Industries arrived just in time to intervene.

Sakura Sakai smiled as she placed herself between her daughter and the crowd. “I’ll be more than happy to answer those questions once the press conference officially starts.” She put her hand on Stella’s shoulder. “Please wait patiently until then.”

Stella stiffened.

After her swift dismissal, Sakura pushed Stella through the waves of reporters, abandoning Yui below the steps of the grand temple doors. Stella craned her neck as she tried to look back at her. The sight of Yui standing by her lonesome as the doors inched closed caused Stella to panic.

No, she thought frantically. I can’t leave another friend behind.

Stella twisted away from her mother and squeezed back through the crowd. She could hear her mother calling for her, but for once in her life, she didn’t care to listen.

As she approached, she noticed the way Yui’s eyebrows scrunched together as if she was trying to hold back tears, and she reached for her hand without hesitation. “Come on,” Stella breathed as she squeezed her hand reassuringly. “If we’re doing this, we’re doing it together.”

Sakura Sakai stood at the podium in the conference room with a practiced smile. A horde of lenses honed in on her twinkling pantsuit. “Thank you all for coming today. As the overseer of the Aria Strike Force and the head of Sakai Industries, I’d like to address the recent attack on the west side of the city.”

Stella and Yui stood at attention a little ways behind her as she continued her address.

“As many of you know, this was the Aria Strike Force’s deadliest mission to date. However, thanks to their undying devotion—especially my daughter’s, Stella Sakai—we were able to hold the Aria back..”

There was a rousing applause for Stella as her mother nodded for her to step forward. Sakura gave the crowd a curt nod of her own in acknowledgment as she did.

“Stella is the pride of our company, and the embodiment of our tireless efforts in this community.” Sakura smiled brightly. “I’m pleased to announce that in honor of her accomplishments, she will be promoted to Captain of the Aria Strike Force effective immediately.”

Stella’s throat tightened. The public acknowledgment, the promotion, her mother’s praise—she’d joined the Force because she was starved for recognition, but she could hardly be satisfied with it when it was so undeserved.

Yui and the rest risked everything to protect her, and yet here she was, the darling daughter of the CEO, basking in the applause their efforts earned.

As her mother gave her closing remarks, Stella wondered. Did they resent her? Would they ever forgive her?

Even after the conference was over and the hands were gone, the applause echoed so loudly in her ears that it was impossible to make out an answer.