Astronavigation

The family was currently sitting together. They made sure to sit in the seats that were closer to the cockpit so they could respond in time if ever Sophie called them.

Faced with his wife's question, Ren took a deep breath and said, "Do you remember when Ms. Sophie said that she lost contact with her colleagues at the airport?"

"Yes! I really want to beat up those government dogs!" Rina replied while waving her fists.

Zen and Sera, who were listening on the side, also nodded their heads in agreement.

Seeing this, Ren shook his head with a chuckle and said seriously, "Her words also meant that she had lost contact with the control tower."

"Then does that mean…"

Seeing their parents' worried expression, the siblings leaned over curiously, as if doing it would enable them to know more from their parents' discussion.

Ren nodded and continued, "Yes, that's right. Since the control tower is what guides pilots in order for them to be able to avoid air pockets and guide them to their destination, losing contact with it can only mean that we're blindly flying through the air right now."

"Air pockets?" Sera leaned over her brother and asked in a whisper.

Zen chuckled and whispered with a smug smile, "Air pockets are the terms used by pilots for 'turbulence'."

"Hmmm? Why is that?"

"Silly girl. If you're on a flight and hear the word 'turbulence', wouldn't you worry? That's why they use the term 'air pockets' to prevent the passengers from panicking needlessly."

With a look of understanding, Sera nodded her face.

Zen found this adorable, so he whispered further, "This is why you should stay in school, sis. The world outside is too vast for you~"

After all, as the brother, he couldn't miss the chance to mock his sister, right?

"Ouch!"

Of course, such actions would have their consequences as well. In Zen's case, being slapped by his sister in the back of his head.

He showed an exaggerated look of pain, making his sister giggle silently. Of course, this also meant that she had stopped hitting him.

'Nice plan, self!' Zen thought slyly.

This exchange between the brother and sister was done silently. As such, this did not cause any disturbance with their parents' discussion.

Thus, after their little exchange, they continued listening to their parents' discussion attentively.

"Then, does that mean that we're really, like REALLY in danger right now?" Rina asked with a worried expression.

Ren shook his head and replied, "No."

"Huh? Then what are you worried about earlier?" Rina was confused. After all, what could possibly be the reason behind the tone of worry she heard from her husband earlier?

"I'm afraid of us causing inconvenience and disturbing Sophie."

"What? Why?" Rina asked, becoming more and more confused.

To his wife's question, Ren answered with a tone of amazement, "That's because I saw her still calmly and steadily controlling the plane as if nothing happened."

"And also…"

"And also???"

"I saw her looking above…"

Hearing this, Rina had an inkling of what Ren meant.

On the side, Zen and Sera had no clue what their parents were talking about but still chose to focus their attention on them.

Then, Ren continued, "That's right. She's looking at the stars."

Hearing her husband's words made Rina ponder, "Then the reason why she was still so calm despite losing contact with the control tower. The reason why she still seems to know the direction we're going is because of…"

Ren nodded, "Astronavigation."

His words made Rina speechless in shock.

Hearing her father's words, Sera leaned over her brother again and whispered, "Do you know about this too?"

Zen was silent for a while before saying in an unsure tone, "I think it's like reading the sky?"

When Ren heard his son's words, he nodded and explained it to them. "That's right, it was used by wanderers in the ancient times in order to determine the direction of their destination. Astronavigation is also known as celestial navigation. It's more or less self-explanatory. It is the ability to rely on the positions of the stars and celestial bodies that hung in the sky in order to know the position where one was, and also the direction to one's destination."

After a slight pause, he continued, "Even though this kind of skill was used in the ancient times, as years, decades, and centuries went by, it became obsolete. Even though many still tried to explore space through various means, the practice of astronavigation itself became non-existent. This is also the reason why it brought out such a reaction to your mother and I."

The siblings had a look of amazement in their eyes.

"What fascinated us even more is her ability to make judgements depending on the situation." Rina added.

Zen and Sera once again perked up their ears and listened carefully, like students who were eagerly learning from their favorite teacher in class.

She continued, "The reason why I said this is because of the pressure that she was facing. The matter with her colleagues coupled with the fact that she had lost contact with the control tower that was responsible for guiding airplanes, she was still able to react calmly to the situation."

"Oh, and it also seemed like Sophie's only a few years older than Zen. But still, you kids have a lot to learn from her. So make sure to treat her with respect, okay?"

Looking at her children, who were nodding like chicks pecking grains, Rina nodded in satisfaction.

Then, she leaned back on her seat and said with a tired voice, "That's enough for now, your father and I have been very busy these few days."

Seeing the tired expression on their parents' face, the siblings did not make it harder for them and rested silently as well.