Light from Uncommon Stars

Some time later, as Katrina and Shirley eat breakfast, Shizuka tells Shirley that her mother wants her back in the donut shop. Her family will probably still see her as a computer program, Shizuka warns, but Shirley should remember that her experiences are true. Lan comes to pick up Shirley.

Edwin teaches his family how to make donuts, and the shop’s popularity rises dramatically. Aunty Floresta worries about Lan, who is spending much more time turning the big donut into a stargate. Lan has also started playing the Stargate game, suggesting that she might be infected with the Endplague.

Shizuka muses about how ironic it is that Katrina finds safety in anonymity, while anonymity has been her curse. She considers how Katrina could carry on her legacy. Shizuka goes to Lucy Matía to get her del Gesù, and while there, acknowledges that Tremon has visited and that Lucy has been working on a cursed violin. Shizuka pulls out a violin bow made of dogwood, a material allegedly cursed because it was used to crucify Christ; this dogwood bow, she explains, was made to cause any user to suffer eternal torment. Back home, Shizuka listens to Katrina’s laughter and thinks about Lan’s comment that Shizuka could have been a good mother.