Time has passed...

And it's already been two days before the Starsending Ceremony.

From the tablet, Idia says to himself in thought, "On the day of the ceremony, giant clouds are gonna roll in, bringing storms to campus. That weather definitely puts me on the Good Ending route. I couldn't ask for a better outcome. But Ortho's gonna be sad if the ceremony gets canceled. I wouldn't want my little bro to be upset."

Then says out loud, "But even I can't change the weather. Ughhh, what's the right play here?"

"Idia?" Ortho calls out.

Idia reacts, "Huh?! Uh... What's up, Ortho?"

"Trey Clover's suggesting we wrap up rehearsal now," Trey answers.

"Oh, okay. A bit earlier than usual, isn't it?" Idia says.

Just then, Trey says, "I figured we could take some time to hang up all the Wishing Stars Deuce collected."

"Ooh, I can help with that," Ortho happily says.

"I'd appreciate it," Trey says. Then turns to the others "Guys, you mind pitching in as well?"

"I'll do my best!" Sereia says.

Grim sighs, "Fiiine, I GUESS."

"Well then, we better get started," Briar says.

Soon enough, everyone begins to put the remaining stars on the tree. After that, there are more Wishing Stars on the tree.

Deuce sighs, "Phew... That's the last of them. Boy, I sure gathered a lot of those things."

'So, Deuce. When are you gonna hang your own Wishin' Star?" Grim asks.

"Mine?" Deuce questions.

But soon realizes, "Gosh, I was so busy getting everyone else's that I forgot about my own."

"Same, actually. We might as well hang ours up while we're here," Trey says.

"Good idea. All right, here goes," Deuce says.

And with that, Deuce begins to make his wish, "My wish is... to become a police officer."

Then the Wishing Star lights up.

"That sounds like the perfect job for someone as diligent as you, Deuce Spade!" Ortho says.

"Well, I specifically wanna be a magic marshal. That's gonna be an uphill battle, though," Deuce clarifies.

"Oh, magic marshals are part of an elite agency that handles magic-related crimes, right?" Ortho asks.

"Yeah, exactly," Deuce says, "I know getting in there won't be easy, but I'm going to try my hardest. I'm sure my mom will worry a lot less if I get a respectable job."

"Wow, you must really care about your mom. I hope your wish comes true, Deuce Spade," Ortho happily says.

"Heh, thanks," Deuce says.

"I guess I'm up next," Trey says, and brings out his stone, "This might be a bit shallow compared to Deuce's wish, but... I wish to receive a state-of-the-art food processor."

And Trey's Wishing Star glows.

Deuce laughs, "Ahaha! That's so you, Trey."

"Now that's what I call a wish! If it comes true, I'll get some sweet snacks out of it," Grim says with glee.

Trey chuckles, "Haha, you're not wrong. Feel free to get your hopes up then."

But Deuce says, "Now hold on, Grim! Enjoying Trey's homemade treats is supposed to be the exclusive privilege of Heartslabyul students! But you show up every time we hold an unbirthday party and start gobbling up all the food..."

Grim gets offended, "Hey, Briar and the others go to those parties too! Why're you only pickin' on me?"

"Because we're not the ones who eat a lot of food like there's no tomorrow," Jasper says.

"Okay, that's enough now. No need for silly squabbles," Trey says, "How about we have our Ignihyde duo go next?"

"Huh? I gotta make my wish now too?" Idia questions.

"I mean, you don't HAVE to..." Trey says.

But Ortho then says, "It's not like it's anything to be embarrassed about. Why not do it now, before you forget?"

"Um..." Idia says, unsure.

Then Deuce asks, "Do you know what his wish is, Ortho?"

"Yep! Idia makes the same wish every year," Ortho happily says.

"Oh really? Now my curiosity's PIQUED," Grim asks, taking an interest.

Deuce agrees, "Same. It's gotta be a good one if you wish for it every year, right?"

"You're in for a letdown, but...sure, why not," Idia says annoyed. Then makes his wish, "I wish for the sequel to Star Rogue to come out!"

"Star what now?" Deuce questions.

"Star Rouge?" Tanzanite says, confused.

Then Grim asks, "What's that?"

"Pfft," Idia responds with a scoff, "Normies, am I right?"

"It's a game my brother and I played a ton when we were younger," Ortho answers, "They announced a sequel for it, but then the development team was disbanded. Idia's been waiting for production to resume ever since."

"Huh. So is this Star-thingamajig fun?" Grim asks.

"Is it fun? IS IT FUN, YOU ASK?!" Idia reacts in shock, "Star Rogue is a shmup game that had incredible, cutting-edge graphics for its time. It's a grand, epic space opera that got rave reviews from gamers and sci-fi fans alike. I can still vividly remember the first time I played it. Those shining stars... The intense barrages from enemy ships... My wingmates praising me over the comms... It was such a pivotal moment in my gaming career!"

"Boy, that sure got him going. He lost me at 'shmup,' Grim says, surprised.

"Well, at least you can appreciate how much he likes the game. Right?" Trey replies.

"Uh, yeah, totally. Sounds like a lot of fun!" Deuce says.

Suddenly, they hear a strange noise.

"Did that noise come from the tablet?" Deuce asks.

Ortho calls out, "Idia? Hey, Idia?" but soon notices, "He's not answering... Maybe he got mad and ended the call."

"Sorry. I wasn't trying to sound patronizing," Deuce apologizes.

But Ortho says, "Don't worry about it. My brother's just shy. So, um... Can I make my wish now?"

"But wait... You don't got no Wishin' Star," Grim says.

But Ortho says, "Yeah. I'm technically not a student here.

My brother and I basically have the same deal as Grim, Briar, and Sereia—together, we count as one student."

"But you want to share your wish anyway?" Deuce asks.

"Yes. I'd like to recite my wish in front of you Stargazers, since you send wishes up to the stars. So can I?" Ortho asks.

"Absolutely. Lay it on us!" Deuce says.

"Here goes..." Ortho replies and makes the wish, "I wish for my brother's wish to come true."

"Wow. You really care about your brother, huh," Deuce says, impressed.

Ortho giggles, "Eheheh... He's the most important person in the world to me. I thought it'd be nice if my brother's wish could reach the stars, like in that old tale..."

"That's very sweet," Briar says.

"This kid's so nice and wholesome, it's hard to imagine he's related to Idia at all," Grim says.

"I'm sure Idia would be very flattered if he knew what you just said," Trey replies.

And Decue says, "I'll pour my heart into my dancing, so that your wish'll make it even without a Wishing Star!"

Ortho giggles, "Eheheh... Thank you, Deuce Spade! I hope the weather holds out on Starsending day!"

Idia remains silent to hear Ortho's wish.

Meanwhile, in Idia's room of Ignihyde Dorm...

Idia says in thought, "I meant to log off, but I was so flustered I just muted my mic instead. At least I got to hear Ortho's wish."

Flashback:

Ortho says, "I ran a model of cloud movements over campus based on weather radar data. The headmage is right. Giant cumulonimbus clouds will pass right over us that day."

"But that's just a computer model, right? We don't know for sure what'll happen," Deuce says.

"True," Ortho says, "It's strange, though. I've calculated everything down to the last decimal, and the odds of clear weather are very low... And yet I still find myself running simulation after simulation in which you're performing the Starsending under a perfectly starry sky."

"Ortho..." Trey says.

Then Deuce says, "Look, didn't a miracle happen in 'Wish Upon a Star'? A wooden puppet became a real boy. I'm sure the weather will clear if we just have faith!"

"Mm..." Orthon says, "It sure would be nice if the Starsending could still happen somehow."

Flashback Ends:

"What can I do as a Stargazer to make Ortho's wish come true...?" Idia asks himself, trying to think of a way to help Ortho make his wish come true.