The timeline rewinds to a point before leaving Dreamflux Reef.
Himeko returned from the Moment of Sol, bringing with her a compelling deduction: the seemingly empty dream bubble held by the Watchmaker might be intricately connected to the bellboy, Misha.
To verify this, the group brought Misha along and re-entered Mikhail's dream bubble—if all went as expected, the truth lay hidden within this child's long dream.
Misha found the dream bubble's scenery incredibly familiar, and the group decided to guide him in recovering his lost memories.
As familiar objects continued to trigger his recollection, Misha gradually regained fragments of his lost memories.
"'Mikhail'… that's my grandpa's name."
March 7th's eyes widened in shock. "Grandpa? What do you mean? Are you saying you're a descendant of the Watchmaker?"
"But from the stories we've heard, there was no mention of the Watchmaker having descendants. The name isn't uncommon—it could just be a coincidence." Himeko touched her chin. "Little Misha, can you tell us more about this Grandpa Mikhail?"
"Of course. Mikhail was a navigator. No mysterious sea or dangerous storm could stop him. He was always out traveling, with many friends journeying alongside him.
Mikhail didn't like being called grandpa—he said it made him sound old when he was still young. 'Mikhail' was the name his parents gave him—Mikhail and Elise, two great sea travelers. Every time he returned, he'd show me his logbook and talk about what happened at sea. My dream is to become an adventurer like Mikhail."
March 7th exchanged glances with Caelus and Himeko. "That doesn't sound like it's related to the Watchmaker at all. Just a same-name coincidence? So, where's that grandpa now?"
"He set off on a new journey. We haven't seen each other in a long time."
——
The group then arrived at another room.
Based on his recollections, Misha continued to recount stories of the sailor, the Compass, Miss Mirror, and the Origami Bird.
[The more I hear, the more familiar this sounds. Is the Compass the Astral Express?]
[Something feels off.]
The group continued to accompany Misha as he pieced together his memories.
Finally, they arrived at a study filled with books, where even Clockie was present.
Clockie leaped with joy. "Misha, you're finally here!"
Misha greeted Clockie happily. "Clockie, you're here! Right, our first meeting… it was in this room, wasn't it?"
Misha began to recount Mikhail's words.
He spoke of his experiences until he mentioned the existence of a train.
March 7th quickly picked up on it. "A train? Could it be…"
"It's the Astral Express. I remember now—Mikhail's friends were a group of Nameless. They came to our world to resolve a disaster caused by a star.
Then Mikhail gave me his pocket watch. It was his treasure, appearing in every tale of sailing afar. He said the days ahead would be tough, but the watch's hands would point me in the right direction.
As long as I kept taking steps forward, I'd surely reach the place I wanted to go. Then, I think I heard…
The train's whistle, sounding from the other end of the room…"
Clockie: "Yes, Misha! And we followed the sound, didn't we?"
"Right, I should still be able to find that path."
[Whoa? This development caught me off guard.]
[Look at the close-up of Misha—there's a train ticket on his scarf!!!!]
[Holy crap, it's true! It's been there all along, but this time the camera focused on it. The ticket's color seems off, though.]
[Huh? I gotta sit up for this.]
——
In the study, there was a space that seemed out of place with the rest of the house's structure.
Caelus quickly noticed something unusual and, after some effort, managed to open the other end of the room.
It was a new room.
As the trio surveyed the room, Misha scanned it once, and the camera caught the upturned corner of his mouth.
"This is it. This… is my 'Clock Room.'"
From that moment, Misha felt entirely different—his tone and demeanor no longer carried the naive, clumsy air.
"While waiting for Mikhail to return from his voyages, Uncle Walder gave me this workshop, my toy room, my 'secret base'…
Here, I learned to repair springs and gears. I love intricate machinery. I'm the captain of the 'Compass,' searching for new continents in dreams with my companions, Clockie and Miss Mirror.
I… was born and raised here."
Himeko naturally picked up the conversation. "So, the building in this dream bubble is your childhood 'home.'"
"Yes, but not exactly. Perhaps it's better to say… this 'dream bubble' is my home."
Himeko smiled knowingly. "It seems you've remembered everything."
"Wait, wait, wait." March 7th interrupted. "What's with this feeling that everyone's on the same page except me?"
[It's fine, I'm feeling the same way. What's going on?]
[Who is Misha?]
[My brain's itching—I'm growing a brain.]
——
Himeko: "Little March, do you remember when the Trailblazer mentioned there was a Clockie only he could see?"
March 7th: "Yeah, I remember. Isn't that the one right there? But in Dreamflux Reef, didn't we all see it? Uncle Yang even greeted it."
Clockie jumped excitedly. "Looks like everyone on the Astral Express has a real childlike spirit!"
"The answer lies with the Astral Express. The Trailblazer's experience proves that at least Miss Firefly and Miss Acheron couldn't see Clockie. And in Dreamflux Reef, did you notice? No one outside the Astral Express… ever interacted with it in any way."
Caelus nodded in agreement, having suspected as much since meeting Acheron.
Himeko rested a hand on her cheek. "A memetic lifeform visible only to specific people—it's almost like… a secret message left for the Nameless."
March 7th asked, "But if that's true, doesn't Misha also see Clockie? They're even childhood friends who grew up together, but Misha hasn't set foot on the path of Trailblaze…"
"That's the key to the mystery, Little March. Now, think back… like Clockie, have you ever seen anyone outside the Astral Express interact with Misha?"
A spark flashed in March 7th's eyes. "No way…"
——