Voices of a Distant Star (ほしのこえ)

Out of Service Area

There is a word, "world".

Until about the time when I was in middle school,

I vaguely thought the word meant the area where the signals from my cell would reach.

But why is it...

My cell never reaches anyone.

Hello?

Say, isn't anyone there?

How far should I go?

I'm lonely.

Noboru?

I'm going home, okay?

Say, where am I?

Oh, that's right...

I'm not in that world anymore.

Wait, Noboru!

Year 2046, First Half of the Term 10 Big Scoops Super Special Feature Newspaper Class July, 2046 Nagamine...

Nagamine, how was your final exam?

Nagamine's final exam was perfect.

Then, the same high school...

Do you think we can go?!

Probably...

Noboru! Look!

There's a spaceship.

Yeah, that's the Cosmonaut ship Lysithea, isn't it?

It belongs to the U.N. Army.

I wonder if there were any from this town too?

Select Members?

Yeah...

That ship will travel beyond the solar system.

Yeah...

The story is they're going after the aliens who attacked Mars, isn't it?

Yeah...

Those Tarsians, I wonder where they came from?

Yeah...

Nagamine, you're not interested?

Kinda...

Well, let's stop by the convenience store, okay?

Where should we eat?

Let's head toward the bus stop.

Nagamine, are you going to take Kendo in high school too?

What should I do? Are you, Noboru?

Yeah, I'm gonna.

You should continue too, because you're strong.

So you say,

but you really just want to join the same club as me, right?

What are you saying?

Should we go home pretty soon?

Yeah... It's stopped raining, hasn't it?

Hey, look!

The sky!

It's a Tracer.

It's pretty, isn't it?

Yeah...

Say, Noboru...

You know, I...

I am going to be on board that.

Found it!

Please hit!

April 1 5, 2047 (Mon) Create Mail Destination Address Please enter a name, or address

April 1 5, 2047 (Mon) Create Mail Destination Address Please enter a name, or address Noboru,

Noboru,

on Mars, it was training the whole time.

Even here, I am a Select Member,

so my scores were pretty good, you know.

I've seen Mt. Olympus, and I've seen the Marineris Valley too.

I totally went sightseeing on Mars too!

Of course, I went to the Trasian Ruins too.

It was a view I'd seen many times in textbooks,

but I feel kind of like I can't believe that I saw the real thing.

NASA's First Survey Unit Annihilated Attack From Alien Life Forms... The Impact of "First Contact"...

NASA's First Survey Unit Annihilated Attack From Alien Life Forms... The Impact of "First Contact"... I thought, "The solar system really isn't just for humans."

NASA's First Survey Unit Annihilated Attack From Alien Life Forms... The Impact of "First Contact"... The survey unit of 2039 was annihilated by the Tarsians here.

This time, with the technology we've received from them,

we're going to pursue them.

I've gotten used to life on the Lysithea.

After training on Mars, we've come all the way to Jupiter

and are taking a short break at a satellite base on Europa.

I never get bored of looking at Jupiter's clouds.

Also, the Flux Tube between Io and Jupiter is amazing.

It's the hugest lightning in this solar system!

Will it reach?

It's from Nagamine.

Mikako Nagamine is a classmate

I was pretty close to during middle school.

That we'd get to go to the same high school...

To the other side Physics 1 Well, I was hoping, but...

Technology, received from the Tarsian Ruins The Use of Energy from a Vacuum Approximately one century's worth Well, I was hoping, but

It seems that Nagamine is on Jupiter right now

During the summer of my third year of middle school,

Nagamine was chosen as a Select Member of the U N Space Army.

That winter she departed with a huge U.N. fleet,

with over a thousand people on board, on a Tarsian survey

Now that you mention it,

Nagamine had pretty good grades and was good at sports,

but even so, it's the U N Army, you know

It seems, somehow, kind of like a stupid story.

Finally, leaving Jupiter

The Lysithea will travel way beyond Pluto after this,

but the specific destination seems to be a secret

It will take longer and longer for the mail to reach you.

From the furthest corner on the other side of Oort Cloud,

it's about half a year

It's like air-mail in the 20th century

Yeah, it'll be all right!

July 3, 2047 (Mon) Subject: Are you well? From: Mikako Nagamine (Mikako@jcom...) Received Sent for the mail to reach you but even from the furthest corner on the other side of the Oort Cloud it's still about half a year, uhu? It's like air mail in the 20th century. Yeah. It'll be all right.

July 3, 2047 (Mon) Subject: Are you well? From: Mikako Nagamine (Mikako@jcom...) Received Sent for the mail to reach you but even from the furthest corner on the other side of the Oort Cloud it's still about half a year, uhu? It's like air mail in the 20th century. Yeah. It'll be all right. What's all right?

In this way, my first quarter at high school passed by

while exchanging mail with Mikako.

No message has been received

The further Mikako goes from the Earth,

the more the time it takes to exchange mail lengthens

There are no messages There are no queues scheduled

No message has been..

It's just...

I will become someone who only waits for Mikako's mail

Noboru, I am at Pluto, the end of solar system

It's been a half a year since we left the Earth

The Lysithea armada has continued the Tarsian survey

all the way from Jupiter,

but we haven't found signs of the Tarsians anywhere

Noboru, but in truth, for me, it'd be best if...

August 3, 2047 (Sat) Subject: It's Mikako! To: Noboru Terao continued the Tarsian survey all the way from Jupiter, but we still haven't found any signs of the Tarsians anywhere, after all. Noboru, but in truth for me it'd be best if we don't find anything, and can go back to Earth, quickly. we don't find anything, and can come back to Earth quickly

What?!

Tarsians confirmed at 12 o'clock. Distance: 20,000

TRACER Unit 1-4, prepare for dispatch

The enemy? For real?! Am I going out too?

I have to shoot them down

What?

Tarsian fleet confirmed at a distance of 120,000

The fleet will evacuate by one-light-year warp

All Tracers, return to the ships immediately

All Tracers, return to the ships immediately The lag between Noboru and I will be a whole year!

The lag between Noboru and I will be a whole year!

Have to mail now

Tracer 2, return to the ship immediately

I have to shoot down this one, or

I won't make it!

I have to go back!

January 24, 2048 (Fri) Checking Mail Box Receiving Message

January 24, 2048 (Fri) Checking Mail Box Receiving Message

The fleet has warped out

Via: Super Long Distance Mail Service Distance to Destination: 13477536000000km Estimated time necessary for the arrival of mail: 1 year - 16 days - 12 hours

In 48 hours, this fleet will take a long distance warp

to the Sirius Alpha Beta system using a galaxy shortcut anchor