A comet's heading for Earth!?" Ruri said.

"Could it be...?" Kohaku said. "The comet Senku and Chrome were talking about at the party!?"

"Colliding with a heavenly body 10 kilometers in diameter..." said Ruri. "The probability is one in ten billion of something like that happening."

Xxx

"A comet is going to collide with Earth?" Chrome said.

"I calculated its orbit," Senku replied. "Since its discovery, its orbit has changed, and now it's heading right for Earth! And it resembles your painting!"

"I see," Chrome said.

Senku looked into his telescope. "The comet's brilliance..." he said. "It's fading away. I can't see it anymore. Be relieved! It looks like it's gone."

"It's gone!" Chrome said. "Just now!"

"It must have burned up."

Senku smiled. He looked down and saw the cloth tied around his arm.

Suddenly he heard a voice..

"I don't believe it," Kuri said walking up. "Princess Snow Kaguya suddenly disappeared."

"That's surprising," said Senku. "Very."

"We'll announce that it burned up abruptly when it approached the sun. It happens often. We shouldn't cause a big commotion. I didn't see a meteor shower. Strange... If it burned up, we should have seen one." Kuri said.

"It's too bad you couldn't see the remains of your Princess, Chrome." Senku said.

"She's here," thought Senku as he looked in the window. "Kuri. I'll just return the handkerchief I borrowed." He handed it over.

"Really? You kept it?"

He smirked.

"Come with me, Senku." Kuri led him to her place.. "It burned up and disappeared. That's too bad."

"I can't believe I'm back here.," Senku said.

"What?" Kuri says. She held up the handkerchief, all clean now.. "This... Is this the handkerchief I bandaged your injury with? Amazing."

"Yes it's all healed now." Senku said, folding his arms behind him as he sat on her bed.

"I should thank you." Kuri grinned and kissed him. But as his lips touched hers, he fainted on the bed, eyes flickering as if from a nightmare.

Kuri examined his eyes and removed a snow crystal and put it in a Petri dish.

Senku blinked and looked at it.."A crystal? It's shaped like a snowflake."

"It was in your eye." Kuri looked concerned. "It looked like the comet and this piece must have fallen from it. Have you been near Chrome, the comet's discoverer?"

"Well yeah, I was just at lunch with him… you don't think…"

"Yes…" Kuri looked in the Petri dish, fascinated. "Some kind of pathogen…or a symbiote… from the comet. Your friend is in danger, Senku."

Just then she got a call. She spoke and then hung up. "There's a meeting at NASA. I spoke to them about you and they want you to attend."

"W-What about Chrome?"

"The only way to help him now is to meet with the NASA scientist and put together a mission to the comet." Kuri said matter of factly, then suddenly gripped the table, struck by pain.

"Huh?" Senku helped her up. "Are you ok?"

"It's all right, Senku," she said. "I get dizzy standing...hey, you should keep that handkerchief. It's a good color for you."

"I'll come see you again, Kuri." Senku kissed her forehead. "I gotta find out what's wrong with Chrome."