There was no day or night in space. Kai simply went to sleep and woke up eight hours later.

  The Black Swan had jumped again, but this time he hadn’t felt a thing. He had grown completely used to it, to the point that he could sleep through jumps without even stirring.

  Kai stretched slightly but stopped himself before moving too much—Eliana was still asleep, curled up against him. He didn’t want to wake her. She needed as much rest as she could get.

  He lowered his head and pressed the tips of his lips to her forehead. The fever was completely gone and Eliana was on her way to a full recovery.

  She shifted slightly in his arms, still sound asleep. He could feel the steady rhythm of her breathing, the gentle rise and fall of her chest. Moments like these had become his favorite way to wake up—and if it were up to him, it would be the only way he would ever wake up.

  But getting out of bed without waking Eliana was always a challenge. If she noticed, she’d either beg him to stay in bed longer or insist on going with him. But he couldn't let it happen today, today was different, today he was on a mission.

  A mission for ice cream, that is.

  For some reason, Kai craved ice cream that morning. Maybe it was because of the frozen treats he had seen in the walk-in freezer the other day. He just wanted to experience that cold, sweet mouthfeel.

  Luckily, the galley was empty when he arrived.

  He moved quickly toward the freezer, ice cream spoon in one hand and a small cup in the other.

  There were only two flavors available that day: classic vanilla and a vibrant fruit sorbet.

  Kai was a vanilla person through and through. It was always his go-to choice, and today was supposed to be no different.

  But just as he was about to scoop into the vanilla, he hesitated.

  He had never tried the sorbet before.

  It sure looked delicious, its bright pinkish-red hue practically glowing under the freezer's light. But could it really taste as good as all that artificial coloring made it seem?

  How was he supposed to find out if he didn’t try?

  Kai dug the scoop into the sorbet, rolling a small ball into his cup. He brought it close to his nose and sniffed, but it was hard to determine the flavor in its frozen state. The only way left was to take a bite—so he did.

  The texture was immediately different. It wasn’t the soft, creamy feel of ice cream. Instead, it had a tense, icy texture, almost like eating shaved ice.

  Then, the flavor hit him. A strong wave of fruity sweetness, so intense he could instantly recognize multiple flavors.

  Then the acidity kicked in. His mouth watered instantly, the sharp tang leaving him wanting more.

  Kai took an liking to it right the way.

  He finished his small scoop in no time and immediately rolled a bigger one into his cup.

  Silently, he decided that from now on, whenever he had to choose between two flavors, this was what he was going to get.

  Still, he wished he could have more. But realistically, he was already over his daily sugar limit.

  Ever since he had locked his training into a routine, he had seen visible changes in his body. His shoulders were broader, his legs stronger, and his cardio had steadily improved.

  Sometimes, he would catch his own reflection in the mirror and surprise himself.

  Eliana, of course, was more than pleased with his new physique.

  Kai knew this for a fact because she had developed a habit of touching his muscles for fun.

  He wondered if he would ever get as big as Commander Grayson one day. That man was built like a walking mountain.

  Yeah… maybe that was a little too much.

  Kai however, did end up taking a few more scoops—but not for himself. He wanted Eliana to try some too.

  That was just how his brain worked—whenever he found something good, he wanted to share that experience with the people he cared about.

  Humming a song to himself, Kai exited the galley and walked down the corridor with a light, almost carefree step.

  He was sure it had something to do with the high sugar content in the sorbet—he felt light-headed, his body buzzing with energy, and he had a strong urge to go back and cuddle with Eliana again.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  As he turned the corner into the living room, something unexpected happened.

  He had cut the turn too short, and before he could adjust, his shoulder slammed into the wall with a thud. The shock of the impact made his fingers slip, and before he could react, his plastic cup of sorbet went flying.

  No matter how fast Kai was, he wasn’t fast enough to save that one.

  He watched, helpless, as the cup spun through the air, arcing toward the ground. It bounced once, then landed face-down on the deck.

  "Damn it," Kai muttered under his breath. "Now I have to clean this up."

  He stared at the upside-down cup, contemplating his next move.

  Maybe it was better to leave it like that until he can come back with the tools—at least no one would step in wet sorbet and get the deck all sticky.

  Kai remembered there were cleaning supplies back in the galley. If he hurried, he could grab a vacuum cleaner, clean everything up, and be done before anyone noticed.

  His casual stroll turned into a march.

  As he re-entered the galley, Teresa was just walking out, and because she was in his blind spot, he almost flinched instinctively.

  "Oh hey, Kai," Teresa greeted with a warm smile, her mouth curling slightly. "Why you woke up early today? Your shift doesn’t start for another hour."

  Kai dodged her gaze. "Hmm? Nothing, just here for some food," he said casually, hoping to move past her without suspicion.

  Teresa tilted her head. "You know you’re a really bad liar, right?" she said, smirking.

  Kai paused mid-step. "I am?"

  "Why else do you think Eliana trusts you so much?" Teresa pointed out. "When you brought both Lily and Derniere aboard the Black Swan, she didn’t doubt you for a second. She knew you weren’t hiding anything from her."

  Kai frowned. "Huh… I never really thought about it that way."

  Teresa shrugged. "So, tell me—what’s your real reason for being here in the galley? Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me."

  Kai sighed in defeat. "Alright… I might have spilled some food in the hallway. I was just grabbing the vacuum to clean it up."

  Teresa stepped aside, grinning. "Good. Now you’re telling the truth. Go on, then—good luck cleaning it off the floor."

  Kai nodded in thanks as he walked past her, heading straight for the storage area where the vacuum was kept.

  So that’s why Eliana never questioned his relationship with Lily or Derniere. He thought. And to be honest he felt the same way about Eliana. He never had to wonder if she was hiding anything from him.

  He picked up the vacuum cleaner from its base and turned it on. The battery was fully charged—all he had to do now was return to his "crime scene" and clean it up.

  Rolling the vacuum on its wheels, he made sure not to hit anything else this time.

  Kai turned the corner where he had bumped into the wall and lost his grip on the cup. But neither the cup nor the splash of pinkish-red sorbet was there anymore.

  He scratched the back of his head, looking around in confusion.

  His first thought was that someone had cleaned up the mess for him. But that didn’t make sense—he had only been gone for a few minutes. If someone else had come looking for the vacuum, he should have run into them.

  Kai bent down, inspecting the floor more closely. It was clean—almost spotless. So much so that he glanced up to make sure he hadn't somehow ended up on the wrong level of the ship.

  He pressed a hand to the floor. It should still be sticky, right? Lifting his hand, he rubbed his fingers together. The floor was dry to the touch.

  A weird uneasy feeling crept up his spine.

  There was no way he had imagined the whole thing.

  Kai had experienced lucid dreams before, mostly back in his school days, when he’d dream about doing his entire morning routine only to wake up and realize he had to do it all again. The worst time, he had to wake up three times before he could actually get out of bed.

  But those dreams always had gaps, weird time skips, and a lack of control.

  This one was different.

  He remembered every step, every movement. He had complete free will—and that only made the situation stranger.

  And he couldn’t exactly call anyone to confirm what happened. There were no witnesses—even Teresa had only heard about it from him.

  Kai leaned down again, this time activating his ability, focusing on the smallest details he might have missed the first time.

  The floor was pristine, but now, he noticed something—a thin trail of pink in the corner of the wall where the sorbet had originally fallen.

  That was enough proof for him to know he wasn’t hallucinating.

  His eyes narrowed, someone had cleaned up the mess for him.

  Laying flat on the ground, he examined the trail more closely. It stretched down the corridor, stopping halfway. He pulled back slightly, realizing why—that was where one of the floor air vents was located.

  Without bothering to stand up, he crawled over to the vent, focusing his attention entirely on it.

  A small scratch mark caught his eye, cutting through the layer of dust surrounding the vent’s edges.

  Kai reached out and lifted the cover. Sure enough, the edges underneath were clean, revealing irregular dust patterns of recent movements.

  Then he sniffed the air and scent of fruity sorbet was still lingering inside.

  Kai chuckled, shaking his head. He had a pretty good guess as to who was responsible.

  Kai knocked on Derniere’s door.

  At first, there was no response. But after a few seconds, the door slid open, revealing Derniere.

  She looked better than when she had first boarded the Black Swan—her skin was healthier, her body no longer as frail. But her face was pale, and she wobbled slightly, clearly still struggling with post-jump discomfort.

  Kai winced. He really didn’t want to bother her while she was still adjusting to space travel, but he had to know if his suspicion was right.

  "Hi, Derniere. Sorry to bother you, but… may I know where Bell is?" Kai asked softly.

  Derniere nodded, then pointed to the pocket of her uniform.

  A tiny furry head popped out, sniffing the air. Kai leaned in, studying Bell closer, his fur were clean and not a spot of pink on his mouth.

  Derniere took a step back, still unsteady but managing to speak. "Please don’t stare at my chest like that," she muttered, her voice weak. "I’m already self-conscious about my shortcomings."

  Kai immediately stepped back, hands raised in defense. "Oh no, I’m so sorry! That wasn’t my intention—I was just checking if Bell had eaten some food I spilled on the ground!"

  "There’s no way," Derniere shook her head. "Bell was with me the whole time. And there’s no exit for him to escape. I’m sure of it."

  Kai looked at Bell, who was staring at him as if offended by the accusation.

  Then, the little creature climbed onto Derniere’s shoulder, then perched on her head. He stared directly at the air vent above them.

  Kai followed Bell’s gaze into the air vent.

  Then they both heard it. A faint shuffling noise coming from inside the vent.

  Kai swallowed, then looked at Dernière.

  "I can’t believe I’m about to say this," he muttered. "But… I think we might have an infestation on our ship."