HSR: A Passing Crimson

At the bridge of the space vessel, Merris stood behind Acheron who was sitting down and typing on the ship's terminal, setting the course for their travel.

Looking at the monitor which showed a planned course of trajectory, he got curious.

"How long would we arrive at the Space Station you mentioned, Ms. Acheron?"

"The voyage to the TSS won't take long from where we are- a few system days or week at most. Why?" She replied without turning her head, focusing her attention at setting course.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing much. I just like keeping track of my schedules."

He then changed the subject while looking around, his deep black eyes gazing over the distant darkness outside the windows.

"Oh, right. Are you in need of an assistant by any chance, Ms. Acheron?"

She paused for a moment, her fingers hovering over the keyboard for a few moments before shaking her head.

"Not particularly. I often travel alone, so the presence of a companion is something I seldom experience."

Hearing this, he chuckled softly, finding her answer interesting. He then decided to test the waters and tease her slightly.

"That's not good, Ms. Acheron. Socializing is an important factor in our lives too, you know? Who knows? Perhaps you might become a Hikikomori if you keep that up."

Although it felt redundant to say, the act of socializing was something that no social creature could live without. Through socializing, living beings are able to communicate and exchange information, thus constantly improving themselves. And he was a firm believer of this belief.

She scoffed lightly at his words, though, of course, an air of indifference still lingered around it.

"You must know that not all humanoid species are social creatures, right?"

"Oh... Uh, are you someone like that?"

"No, not at all."

"Oh..."

A few moments passed by before Merris realized what happened. Although she didn't show it and maintained her calm composure, he was undoubtedly sure of what just happened.

'Did she... just pull my leg?'

He was sure of it. Although the way she delivered it was as if she was just answering a mundane question, a hint of whimsicality was without a doubt present in it. In other words, she fired back his attack.

'That was unexpected.'

He had to admit, he didn't expect such a thing from her stoic self.

Giving her an amused smile, he approached her slightly with his hands behind his back.

"Well, returning to my prior question, I essentially have no job right now, and so, I'm now offering my services!"

"You're... asking to be hired by me?"

"Well, I can't possibly be freeloading off my benefactor for a few days. That would just be unbecoming of me. Think of it as me repaying for you!"

Merris, even before becoming a monster, had always valued his mannerisms. And among his favorite mannerisms that he uses to coax and gain the trust of those around him is to always hold an amiable and courteous personality- one that others know they can count on.

This trait might come off as some kind of weakness, but in truth, it was simply just another solution for him.

Acheron hummed lowly before shaking her head. Turning her sit around, she looked at him, her eyes remaining tranquil.

"Then as my assistant, what would you do? You don't even know an inkling of what I do, let alone what you could assist me with."

She got him there. From her standpoint, he was just a hired researcher who was unfortunate enough to be caught in some kind of experiment and got discarded away. Besides his technical and practical knowledge, she really couldn't find anything in his person that could aid her.

Well, he expected that from her.

"Aren't you a drifter? That means you often enter foreign lands. I don't mean to brag, but I'm sort of a people person myself. I can be a guide!"

He wasn't lying this time. He truly did know how to talk to people, coax them, and even easily persuade them. With his knowledge, he could easily make people goad, infatuate, or even cry— should he learn them for a bit longer.

Merris has a lot of knowledge about human nature, after all, that very same human nature was his flaw; and so is everyone else's weakness.

And to cope with his previous life's problems, he made that flaw his weapon.

"A guide..." Acheron held her sheathed blade, tapping it against the table behind her in a rhythmic pattern as she contemplated.

Once more, out of habit, she grasped the hilt of her sword while lost in her thoughts. Seeing her seemingly preparing to draw her blade every time she does this habit, Merris always instinctively backs away a bit out of fear.

Then, opening her eyes, she gave him an answer.

"Alright, Mr. Merris. Answer me this; what do you think makes you a good guide besides communication?"

'Here it is!'

Hearing her answer that was testing his capabilities, he smirked faintly. He had been waiting for this particular answer for quite a while now, and finally, it was here!

"Ms. Acheron, I think I'd be a good guide because..."

He then lifted his finger and pointed it at the screen monitor behind her, his victorious smile ever so gleaming with pride.

"I have a great sense of navigation!"

Acheron followed where Merris was pointing at and saw her planned trajectory— the one she set up to automatically travel to the TSS. She stared at it for a moment before looking back at him with a curious gaze.

"What's wrong with my direction? We'll still arrive there."

"That might be true, but look here..."

Merris went closer to her and borrowed the keyboard for a moment. Then, with Acheron looking at him curiously, he began to change the planned course of the vessel.

Seeing him change the directions and point it at somewhere else, Acheron's eyes narrowed.

"Hold on, why are you going there? That's..."

"A black hole. Specifically, a Kerr Black Hole which has a significant amount of mass and rotation. A deadly natural force in the universe and a wonder, I must admit."

Indeed, her planned trajectory had no problems and seemed safe enough, but it was a long process and they would even pass by an asteroid belt- a dangerous passage. Not only that, but the route she picked also had signs of various obstacles that could potentially extend the trip.

Due to this, Merris had a more daring and bold plan to make their trip way faster by sacrificing only little time.

Looking at him, she frowned slightly.

"If you know that, then why are you still passing by there?"

Hearing this, Merris, who still had a smirk present on his face, turned around and looked at her, his eyes full of fascination.

"Ms. Acheron, have you, in all your mighty knowledge, ever heard the rumor of the gravitational slingshot?"

"Slingshot..."

At the mention of such a word, Acheron's eyes narrowed as her mind quickly raced. However, it didn't take less than a second for her to immediately understand what he was referring to.

She was, after all, someone who had witnessed what a black hole was capable of the most. Literally and figuratively.

And, similarly, black holes were too familiar to her.

Seeing her face turn solemn, he knew she immediately caught on to what he meant. Then, using this, he continued his words.

Spreading his arms wide, he proposed his method:

"That's right— we're going to use the black hole as a slingshot to accelerate and zoom to our destination in no time!"

Merris gained this idea from a certain scifi movie he watched. Theoretically speaking, it could work; as long as the ship they were in can withstand radiation and the gravitational pull of the black hole, of course. But he believed that such a thing naturally came with the ship, after all, this was an age where space travel was the norm.

In essence, what he wanted to do was to fly at the edge of the black hole's accretion disk to gain immense acceleration then jump off to be thrown away to their destination.

And Acheron instantly understood this.

"That's madness."

"But there's that saying, yes? That no great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness."

To be perfectly clear with himself, even he didn't know if it would work as he had envisioned it to be. There were too many variables that could go wrong in that plan, yet he decided to stick to it.

This wasn't a blind faith, but rather, assurance. After all, together with him was a person more powerful than any normal being.

His hand resting just above the lever that would change their course, he looked back at the frowning Acheron with a faint smile.

"In this day and age where the remnants of the Aeons linger and continue to influence the cosmos, something like using a black hole is nothing." He told her with a hint of fascination.

"Shall we?"

She looked back at him, her eyes ever so remaining languidly tranquil and seemingly free from any kind of emotions. Then, looking back at the screen where he had modified the direction, she crossed her arms while emphasizing her blade in her arms.

"You must know that the moment you pull down that lever, your life could very well end, yes?"

Although she made it quite vague, he knew what she meant. Actually, there were two things that could be derived from her vague answer.

One was that, if they follow through with his plan, then there's a chance that they would both be caught inside the black hole and be doomed.

On the other hand, it could also mean that, after he pulls down the lever, she would draw her blade and end him.

Both outcomes were quite clearly death threats and would result in his death. But for her, there's a great chance that she would survive— without a scratch, even.

As for Merris, who was a coward when it comes to people way above his league— especially an Emanator— he could only tremble and slowly retract his hand.

His voice trembled.

"Oh-oh, yeah... Sorry. I, uh, I overstepped my boundaries..."

Indeed, he pushed it too far. He failed to take into account how, just because Acheron represented a black hole, doesn't mean that she doesn't despise it.

Furthermore, he was just a stranger to her— someone who she saved on passing. What he was doing was quite clearly suspicious and might even attract her hostility.

Pulling away his hand, he timidly backed away with an apologetic look.

He was sure of it— she disliked him now. And to Merris, who needed to be close with her to survive in this dangerous universe, meant that it would be instant death if he were to be separated from her.

"I'm really sorry, I won't do it again. I'll... I'll change it back now. I promise I..."

His voice desperate and tremulous, he was just about to redo the planned trajectory, when suddenly, Acheron's voice reached his ears, stopping him midway.

"However... I think it could indeed work."

"...Yes?"

"I meant your method. This ship is equipped with necessary equipment against entities like black holes, so I do think your plan could work."

Surprised by her sudden approval of his insane plan, he looked back at her with disbelief, his eyes dilating.

"Are you sure? This might get us into deep trouble..."

"I know that." She scoffed. "But... Aren't you contending to be my guide? Then do it."

"Show how you can be a great guide that can even utilize the most dangerous objects in the universe for your advantage."

He didn't know if she was praising him or ridiculing him as her tone had consistently been flat the whole time. But he could feel it— she was showing him something he rarely received.

She was believing in him.

Staring at her for a brief moment, his mind turned static for a few moments before he fully comprehended her words.

"You... Ms. Acheron, are you really sure?"

Not once had he thought that an Emanator of Nihility would believe in him— which was rather ironic.

Shouldn't nihilism promote the gradual loss of interest in everything?

Yet an Emanator of such philosophy was doing the opposite. No, she wasn't opposing it, but rather, building upon it.

Looking at the stunned Merris, Acheron, for the first time in a long while, changed her expression and showed an interested expression.

She still had her deadpan expression, but her interest was definitely there.

"Go on then. Show me how capable you are as a guide."

Hearing her confirmation, Merris paused for a moment before smiling delightedly, his eyes gleaming with stars.

"Yes!"

- Tuck

Then, with a pull of his arm, the lever pressed down and their trajectory changed.

Now, they were heading to the warped light in the distance— the event horizon of the nearest black hole.