An hour passed. I watched Aki sew Blostars' costume with the new ideas she had for the third album. Aside from small details that made reference to the album, she wanted to add a new layer of fabric to the skirt to give it more depth. I instantly agreed when I saw it.

Then, the invitation qmail arrived.

The location was the most important conference hall in the city, where the government always announced important stuff. That was where the ex-president, Sanae's and Risa's father, confessed his actions and revealed that he was stepping down as the president. Regardless, it was a beautiful place, surrounded by the most elegant garden I had ever seen.

The invitation also included the time, which was the next day before noon, and the dress code, which was strictly formal. It made Aki happy because I was going to wear the suit she had chosen for me on our first official date, for the second time since graduation.

Lastly, it also specified that I could bring two guests with me. However, I decided to go alone after Aki had commented that the police could say something controversial.

We headed to HQ a couple of hours later, and the rest of the day was filled with work. Progress on the third album was steady. Umi had written five songs, two of which had been recorded already. In the meantime, they worked on the choreography along with Satō.

The rest of the team was just as busy planning the tour. Haru and I never stopped contacting venues to schedule shows, but they had stopped answering our calls and replying to our qmails. If it wasn't for the accountant smartly managing the money, we would've been in a precarious situation. Still, it was stressful.

The next morning began normally, although a bit earlier than usual. Aki and I ate breakfast together, then she helped me get ready for the conference.

I took a taxi from the apartment building to the conference hall. I could see several crowds of people walking or sitting around the garden before the taxi flew down to park on the street. There seemed to be more than the five hundred people the venue could accommodate.

My foot had barely stepped on the sidewalk when several photographers approached to take pictures. Some news reporters even approached me to ask for interviews as I walked through the garden, to which I refused.

At least there weren't going to be awkward interactions from the public during the conference since this event was by invitation only.

Eventually, I managed to get into the hall. I tried to look for Mr. Mochizuki, the detective that helped us with Chiharu's hacking, but people I hadn't seen before kept praising me for what I did on the ship on my way to my seat. Not knowing what to say, I merely thanked them.

Photographers and reporters kept approaching me even after I had sat down. Luckily, they stopped bothering me as soon as the presenter stepped onto the stage.

Everyone clapped as he walked to the lectern, so I did too. I couldn't complain about the view from the first row.

"Good morning," the presenter smiled. "Thank you all for taking the time to come and watch the conference. I know your work is indispensable for the country, so I'll be brief."

I looked around the hall, finally processing just how important the attendees were. The mayors of three of the most important cities were sitting a few chairs away from me, including the mayor of this city.

The presenter continued speaking.

"Our last statement revealed that thirteen Furenoos are being kept in prison while an arrangement can be made with Furenoora's authorities. There has been an update since then. The Furenoos confessed that they were hired to do what they did. However, they claim that they never saw the individual who hired them."

Now it makes more sense that there are humans behind it too.

"This means that the investigation has to be expanded to Furenoora, and for the first time in history, authorities from different planets are going to collaborate on the same case. Unfortunately, this also means that it is going to take a considerable amount of time for the case to be solved."

He proceeded to explain the arrangements that had been made with the authorities from Furenoora. It was political stuff, so I wasn't too interested.

However, my ears perked up as soon as the presenter announced that the brave people that took action during the incident were going to be awarded a medal of honor.

I knew that I was going to be awarded too immediately, and I was annoyed because they hadn't told me about it. At least they started with the security guards.

The presenter spoke again when the security guards stepped off the stage.

"Lastly, I'd like to honor the civilian that had the courage to help the security guards during such a frightening incident. Please give a round of applause for Kaito Miyahara."

Knowing I was being watched by the entire country, I stopped myself from taking a deep breath. Instead, I simply smiled and stood up.

The audience clapped as I walked onto the stage, where several of the most important authorities and politicians of the country stood as they clapped for me as well.

I approached the man that was holding the medal. He slowly lowered the lace around my head until it reached my neck.

"Please give a short speech," he smiled at me.

Not knowing what to reply, I turned around and walked to the lectern, where I waited for the clapping to cease before speaking into the microphone.

"Thank you. It's an honor to be awarded such an important medal, but I'll kindly refuse it."

A worrying amount of camera shutters clicking could be heard across the room as I took the medal off.

My heart was beating at a thousand beats per second, yet I tried my hardest not to stutter.

"I don't have anything against the officials. We, the ship's passengers, owe our lives to the security guards, but I'm no security guard. I'm a civilian. I went through something no civilian should ever have to go through, and I don't think that being asked to shoot someone should be awarded, even if with a stun gun. A mere thank you is more than enough for me."

While taking a moment to breathe, I could see the expressions of the audience. They didn't seem bothered but they didn't seem happy either. I didn't want to see the expressions of the politicians behind me.

"I also want to take this opportunity to ask the people watching this to not judge Furenoos based on the actions of a tiny portion of their population. Humans can and have done worse things. There are evil beings regardless of the species, sadly, and we can't do anything about it. At the end of the day, life is life."

I stepped away from the lectern without looking at anyone. Only when I was off the stage did the claps start gradually. They continued until I sat down on my chair.

The presenter was quick to thank me for my speech, then he resumed the conference as if nothing had happened.

I could feel the glares from all around the hall. Luckily, the conference ended only two minutes later.

It took some time to walk out of the hall since there were five hundred people and I was in the front row. As soon as I did, dozens of reporters and photographers surrounded me. Fortunately, several security guards formed a circle around me and escorted me out of the building.

Taxis already waited for the attendees on the street, so I quickly climbed on one of them. I gave the driver the address of HQ and she accelerated away. I could finally breathe without worrying about being judged by the entire country.

I expected to receive calls from the team or my family, but I received none. So, I used the trip to check the QNet.

The posts on social media and comments on forums hadn't calmed down. In fact, they now accused the Furenoos of lying, and they even demanded the formation of a space army. It wasn't the first time in history that something like this was requested, but it sounded more plausible than ever before.

We eventually reached HQ. I climbed out of the taxi and stepped into the building.

Sugioka greeted me since she was guarding the door I walked through.

"Hello, Miyahara."

The receptionist stood up from her chair and bowed.

"Welcome back, Mr. Miyahara."

"Good morning," I replied. "I hope you're doing great today."

I walked into the main office. Everyone glanced at me and then looked back at their desks. The only person that kept staring at me was Aya. She spun her chair toward me and waited with her arms and legs crossed.

Once in front of her, I couldn't help but smirk.

She lowered her head and sighed, yet I could see a smile appear on her face.

"You never learn, do you?"

"I did, that's why I did it."

She raised her head to look me in the eye, revealing that she was indeed smirking.

"As long as you're willing to deal with the hate, you did a great job."

"That'll be no problem."

Out of nowhere, Umi aggressively pushed the door open and stepped into the office.

"Umi? Did something happen?" I asked.

"Yes, something happened." She walked toward me and said, "You're a freaking maniac."

"…Huh? Are you talking about my speech?"

"What else? Aside from giving us more fans and haters, you just gave me the last piece of the puzzle."

"What are you talking about?"

"You just gave the album a deeper meaning, and you also gave it a name."

"Did I? What is it?"

"Life Is Life."

While staring at her in silence, I noticed the girls peeking inside from the door of the office.

"Isn't that too simple?" I asked.

"And? Simple doesn't mean bad."

Aya added, "She's right. It's short, direct, and catchy. And now it is a reference to your speech."

I had to take a moment to process it, and it didn't take long to get into my head.

"Alright, our third album will be called Life Is Life."