“Gaty hadn’t seen the Sun in such a long time,” Two realized.

Whenever they thought about her time in One’s world, Two could only imagine the looming, foreboding darkness within it. Never the ‘cozy’ yellow stars, for they could only visualize whatever torture Gaty went through—physical and mental alike.

Had Gaty looked at the sky, only for her to wail about the Sun’s absence? Had Gaty craved for its illumination, only to find the Moon and its children?

Two couldn’t bear the thought anymore; the mere concept of their beloved best friend getting trapped in her caused their mind to spiral into oblivion.

They spent years wasting, rotting on a bed. They spent years ruminating on her absence, all because of that terroristic algebralien.

Enough was enough, Two thought.

They must bring her to the sunrise.

Gaty was often fond of the stars; whenever night came, she’d always run out from the hotel to admire the twinkling stars gazing upon her. Gaty would relax, lay down, and behold.

Two, who had spent years of loneliness under them, didn’t quite understand her fascination. Because, how could those exact same beings that calm her show nothing but indifference to their turmoil?

So, in order to attempt to comprehend it better, after walking out from the hotel door, they hesitantly followed Gaty to her spot on the grass.

There, they found her eyes as bright as those floating above her.

Two laid left to Gaty, and titled their body towards her. Finally, they asked their one burning question, “Why do you love the stars so much?” they asked. “Why do you run to admire them every day?”

Gaty initially looked at them in surprise, but then prompted herself to explain it to them. “Well, in this world—not sure about yours—we don’t see the stars all day, for we only get the chance to observe them at night. And, I’ll be honest”—she nervously chuckled—“I’ve always wanted to see the stars for myself, like… actually going up there,” as her eyes regained their twinkle.

Two widened their eyes.

“I don’t really find them interesting,” they admitted. “Maybe because I spent years under them.”

Gaty’s eyes stopped twinkling, as they turned towards Two. She then raised an eyebrow.

“After I was ousted from my home planet, I traveled for years to find some sort of companion. Yet, even with my best efforts, every single being that I met… didn’t really want to be friends with me. Not until I came here.”

Immediately, after making that statement, Two remembered why.

Two laid on their back, closed their eyes, covered them with their hands, and groaned. “Look I know it was because I wanted a competition show and all!…But really, it was also in desperation for a friend.”

Gaty was taken aback, as she always thought that they were…

“Two, you are my friend,” she affirmed.

They immediately stood up and turned to her. “W-W-W-What!? But I-I don’t even know how to be one! I haven’t made one in years!”

“Well, even if I lack knowledge of your past life, I just know, it’s never too late to learn.”

Two pondered it for a bit, and then asked, “What about my hatred of the stars,”—they pointed it out—“I can’t change that!”

“It may not change right away, but you can always work on overcoming it.”

“Overcoming… I’ll try.”

And tried they did.

At first, Two was terrified of the stars; they couldn’t bear to look at even one of them. For the first few weeks, they’d shriek whenever they saw at a single star, even if actually harmless.

Despite this, she would always wait for them at the exact same spot she was in. Then, Gaty would invite Two to talk about whatever they wanted. As expected, it was initially about their siderophobia and how it haunted them; however, as months passed, Two gradually forgot about it and started to talk about unrelated stuff.

“And then I tried to use some building blocks to help me to-”

Gaty chuckled.

As they started to look at her, tears started to form near Two’s eyes. “I’ve always struggled with this type of stuff! Why are you laughing at me like that!?”

Gaty stopped and realized. She widened her eyes. “Oh my goodness I’m so sorry! I accidentally zoned out and thought about something else!”

“What is it, then!?”

“Your former fear of the stars.”

…

“I…forgot about that. It’s been such a long time…”

“That’s a good thing; you completely forgot about being siderophobic!”

“Right…but can we go back to what I’ve been talking about? It’s been bothering me lately…”

“Of course.”

It’s been a while since that conversation, for Two now hardly remembered her fascination.

Initially, since Gaty came back during daytime, they didn’t suspect anything dubious.

They should’ve.

The first sign was that whenever night came, Gaty shut her windows and door, locking herself up in her room. It seemed that her eyes refused to meet the night sky, or anything dark for that matter. Gaty even refused to turn the lights off, even declining to slightly dim them.

The second sign was because of incessant room lighting, her eyes kept wide, alongside dark bags forming under them.

The third and final sign was that overtime, Gaty started to shiver, cough, sneeze…

Even though Two wasn’t a scientist or the like, they managed to figure it out; because she now feared the dark, it led her to being unable to sleep under it—and she can’t sleep under light either—eventually causing a sickness.

Their first target was the sickness; with a snap, they used their powers to immediately heal her.

However, due to the other symptoms, she started to get sick again.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Agai-

ENOUGH.

…

Although they could cure physical ailments, Two realized, it’d take time to alleviate mental ones.

Their mind flashed back to the encounter from years ago.

“I can’t change [my hatred of the stars]!”

“It may not change right away, but you can always work on overcoming it.”

“Overcoming… I’ll try.”

But they’re not Gaty, they’re not perfect at solving mental problems.

…

Yet neither was she.

Two knocked down the building block tower they made. They then cried out, “I can’t even count numbers without using my fingers!” As they held their hands up. “I can’t even do simple math problems without having to use these stupid building blocks just to figure out what two plus three is! And you always have to help me measure stuff whenever I try to bake something!”

“…I thought it was just-”

Two took deep breaths and turned to Gaty. “…Sorry. I-I feel like a child. I just…should be doing all of these without any help! I’m a grown being, just like you! I have everything that I need, except being able to calculate any sort of numbers! What type of number couldn’t…”

They laid down to the ground, with their bare face touching the grass. “I just can’t…” Two muffled, as tears watered the yellow plants.

Gaty froze, she never faced a problem like this before. Sure, she met people who had some difficulties with math, but not a complete absence of it.

She didn’t notice time passing until two balls came up to them.

“Did something happen? We heard some sort of commotion over here,” Golf Ball asked Gaty.

The latter gestured to Two lying on the grass. Golf Ball raised an eyebrow.

“They can’t…do math.”

“Well yeah, some people just suck at that.”

“N-N-N-No! You don’t get it! They… They…”

“…have a learning disorder that affects their ability to understand number-based information and math,” Tennis Ball finished her sentence.

Golf Ball and Gaty turned to him.

“It’s not well known, but to be frank, dyscalculia affects how someone’s brain processes numbers and math. It doesn’t mean they’re less intelligent or less capable, it just so happens that they need extra help on such problems.”

“So how do we help them? Like you implied before, it’s not common,” Golf Ball stated.

“Hmm… unfortunately, as Two’s brain is already fully developed, treatment won’t help them…unless, if they had acquired dyscalculia?” As he turned to ask Gaty.

“…I think they were born with it.”

“Oh.”

“That could explain why they’re reliant on others for mathematical problems. I heard something about them relying on you”—she looked at Gaty—“for baking quantities.”

“I just thought it was because of the pressure of getting the measurements right. Baking is a hard skill, you know?”

“I know that, but you seriously never considered the implications of it all? After months of observation?”

Gaty groaned. “I’m not well-educated in the STEM world, unlike you and Tennis Ball. Besides, frustration for math is common with everyone. How would I have known if everyone has a problem with math in some form or another?”

“…You know what? Just tell me what to do with Two’s learning disability, “ Gaty told Tennis Ball.

“Maybe they can use a calculator to compute pure mathematical problems. Or, if it’s something like baking, maybe draw out the quantities for them.”

“I’ll try…”

And tried she did.

Thanks to Tennis Ball’s suggestions, Two’s dyscalculia became more manageable. Although embarrassing at first, they were grateful for the invention of calculators, even if traditionally observed for ‘harder’ mathematical problems. And Gaty had no problem drawing out the measurements Two needed for baking cakes.

Even if it didn’t cure it, there were at least some supplements for it.

Going back to the present, they weren’t sure if there were supplements for Gaty’s problems, though; they can’t uncover the windows, they can’t turn off the lights, they can’t…

…

Unfortunately, Two no longer had a choice, they realized.

They’d have to force her to see the stars, and then the sunrise.

After contemplating some ideas, Two came up with a plan.

First, they practiced turning the electricity off with their powers. It was a bit hard at first, due to not using their powers in a long time, but they eventually managed to turn off a microwave. After that, Two turned off all their room lights. Finally, they walked to the abandoned Yoyle City, used their powers to turn off the entire city lighting, and then immediately turning them back on.

Next, Two had to learn how to ‘see’ under the darkness; what they did was walk everywhere within their hotel, in order to relearn the general layout of their building. When Two deemed themself confident enough, they closed their eyes and targeted rooms to walk towards; even with teleportation, Two had to remember where the rooms were located in the first place.

Finally, they had to figure out the patterns of a sunrise.

…

What if they can’t?

Even after having supplements, Two still doubted every now of then of their potential. I mean, who else is a number and can’t compute for even simple math problems?

Then, they remembered what they overheard before.

“Maybe they can use a calculator to compute pure mathematical problems. Or, if it’s something like baking, maybe draw out the quantities for them.”

“I’ll try…”

They could’ve possibly use some of technological application to track the times of the sunrise, Two thought.

After some ponderation, they realized what could help him.

The Weather App. They held the times for daily sunrises.

And so, every day, Two would wake up early to write the times for sunrises.

6:22 AM

6:48 AM

6:10 AM

7:00 AM

6:50 AM

5:59 AM

5:40 AM

Maybe give it another week?

7:25 AM

7:10 AM

5:40 AM

6:00 AM

6:48 AM

6:25 AM

7:30 AM

Oh.

…

Although there was a general interval—between 5 AM and 8AM—other than that, the sunrises were unpredictable.

Two slammed their phone, paper, and pencil to the table. Then, they crossed their arms, and sobbed under it.

Was it even worth it? Even if they concocted some sort of math formula for it, it’d be of no use.

Wait.

This is Gaty they were doing it for.

The same person who never wavered in her love for them.

The same person who saved their life.

Imperfections were negligible.

For this, in order to even have a chance of saving her… a leap of faith must be put into place.

So, Two had prepared all the things they needed for the plan.

They turned the power off in the hotel.

Quickly, everyone started to complain-

Two heard her screaming, they then teleported to her room, ran away from the hotel, and away they went to the stars.

They then turned on the hotel lights from there.

“WHAT. ARE. YOU. DOING!?” As Gaty screamed and kicked at Two.

While they restrained her, they also confessed, “I’m getting sick of you not getting the rest you need, especially after what you’ve been through. I tried all else to stop it, and yet nothing worked. And so, I had come to this hasty, rapid plan just to stop you from this dangerous habit of yours.”

Gaty slowly rescinded her kicking. “I… you.”

“You don’t have to say anything, if you don’t want to.”

“…I hate the night.”

“I know.”

“I hate the way its darkness looms over me, like a blanket that’s striving to suffocate me.”

“Mhm.”

“I hate the way the Moon—the Sun’s ugly, wretched twin—stalks me like a predator waiting to snatch, gnaw, devour its prey.”

“I hate the way the stars—the Moon’s foolish, unknowing minions—lock their eyes into me, as if to examine every inch of my behavior to report it to their master.”

“I hate.”

“I hate.”

“I hate.”

“I hate.”

“I hate.”

“I HATE-”

Two put their finger on Gaty’s lips. “Shh…”

…

“…You don’t have to love the night again right away. You can… always overcome it. One step at a time.”

“Didn’t you force me out of my room for this?” Gaty threw at Two.

“I’m really sorry about that. But again, I did it for emergency purposes.”

“Okay… what about the whole night thing? About overcoming it all?”

“Remember when I was afraid of it? Remember whenever I struggle with number-related problems? You were always there to comfort me whenever the stars gazed upon us or we faced a measuring problem. You always reminded me how there is nothing to fear; no number or star could ever hinder one’s way into triumph.”

“…Right…I…just…let me sleep here, please.”

“You never have to ask me for that.”

And slept she did.

For weeks, Two waited for Gaty under the stars, let her sleep, and then let her wake up at her own pace; they realized that they had to temporarily abandon the sunrise part in order to let her have a proper sleep schedule.

Overtime, the plan—though with good intentions—brought out a… side effect. People—contestants and non-contestants alike—started to stare at them with rather curious eyes. How could one do anything wrong if they let their friend sleep on their arms, alongside a longing gaze at her?

Who cares about some weird people staring at them? Isn’t the plan in fruition?

For now, whatever Two felt, had to be put aside. As they had to focus on her rise as a person.

And rose she did.

Besides for sleeping, Two also worked on stabilizing her eating and drinking habits. Golf Ball and Tennis Ball had to help them make a plan to make her physically healthy again.

It had taken months, but, once again, it came into fruition.

Now, it was as if Gaty had no struggle at all; in terms of physical and mental health, she became perfectly stable.

One day, after waking up in the night, Two recalled the sunrise.

Sunrise, they remembered, aren’t they numerically unpredictable?

…

Wait.

Regardless whenever it came, Two could always visually recognize the sign; what they learned from staying awake for Gaty was that no matter the color of the sky, there will always be a slimmer of light under it.

As usual, Gaty slept by their side. But now, they were waiting for the very light that she firmly needed.

Hours seemingly passed, but even with eye bags, Two noticed.

They then woke Gaty up with gentle pokes.

She slowly opened her eyes.“…H-Huh? What-”

“Look!” Two pointed to the sky.

Gaty gasped. “LIGHT! I HAVEN’T SEEN IT LIKE THIS FOR A LONG TIME!”

“BUT you got to wait still!”

“For what!? This view is already beautiful!” Gaty proclaimed.

“For the Sun!”

And so they waited.

Waited.

Waited.

Until…

Finally…

A luminous, divine star had risen.

“THE SUN! OH MY GOODNESS, THE BEAUTIFUL SUN!” She gleamed with her eyes. “I HAVEN’T SEEN A SUNRISE IN SUCH A LONG TIME!”

Besides the Sun, Gaty also admired every crevice of the sky; she found it gorgeous of how the cool and warm colors compliment each other, the Sun being the very jewel of it.

As she gazed upon all of it, Two couldn’t help but smile.

For no matter what happened in the future, all they could ever do was retain the precious glimmer in her eyes.

For in the eyes of the saved, there’s nothing more valuable in paying back their savior, regardless of what had to be done.

Two willingly obliged, then, to her safety and happiness. One step at a time.