Chapter 18

Chapter 18 is the eighteenth chapter of the Astra Lost in Space manga. It is the eleventh chapter of the Shummoor arc and, in the compiled volumes, the eleventh and final chapter of the second volume.

Synopsis
On the bridge of the Astra, Yun-Hua takes Charce's temperature and tells him his fever is gone; looking around at the rest of the crew, all of whom have now recovered, she tells them that their ordeal with the poison is over. When Quitterie thanks Yun-Hua for her work, she deflects it toward Kanata, who is leaned up against the wall behind her, unconscious from exhaustion after bringing the antidote back for the crew.

After he wakes up, they have a feast, which Charce points out will wipe out the majority of their leftover food supply. Kanata prioritizes restoring everyone to full strength, given what has happened, over everything else, though he is horrified to see Aries demolishing the food in front of her at a blistering pace and asks her to slow down, to the amusement of the crew.

Later, on the bridge, the crew and Yun-Hua discuss her singing, as Kanata was not there to hear it; Aries, Charce, and Luca all corroborate the story, describing it as a blessing that put them at ease, even on the verge of death. Zack thanks her for saving them, drawing a bashful reaction from her, and Luca apologizes for the things he said about her before. When he tries to get Ulgar to do the same, Ulgar responds by dispassionately insulting the length of her bangs, an accusation Luca finds deeply ironic, given the length of Ulgar's own bangs, which are even longer than Yun-Hua's. Yun-Hua apologizes for being the inciting action of the crisis, in that they never would have been sickened if she had stayed on the ship, but they all try to assure that it doesn't matter and that whatever mistakes were made are in the past.

Quitterie then asks Kanata if he had previous knowledge of Yun-Hua's desire to be a singer, and he confirms that he did, continuing by revealing that she is Lucy Lum's daughter. Aries, Luca, and Zack (who is secretly a fan of Lucy Lum's) are especially shocked by this, with Zack noting that, in retrospect, Yun-Hua's singing resembles Lum's greatly. Quitterie goes so far as to say their faces look similar, sparking a fit of embarrassment from Yun-Hua.

Kanata steps in, explaining that she has no need to be embarrassed about her aspirations; he himself, as well as Luca, Quitterie, and Zack have things they want to be, and while they have been influenced to follow in their parents' footsteps, they have ultimately chosen what they want for themselves. He encourages her to open up to the others and let them see who she is, and she relents. Rising from her chair, she explains to them that she becomes deeply emotional when she sings and that she loves the feeling it brings. She tells them she is enjoying journeying with them, and that the reason for her joy is the kindness they have shown her. Fighting back tears, she promises to do her best to help them however she can. Having understood each other a little better, Yun-Hua and the group resolve to tend to the ship for the rest of the day and resume their search for food and water the following day.

Acting on a hunch from Charce, Kanata, Luca, Yun-Hua, and Zack return to the pole-tree the next day; using an edibility tester, they find that the shaft of the pole-tree is both edible and delicious. Zack reasons that cutting off the sporangium bulb at the top should make it safe for eating. They resolve to cut the pole-tree down and take it back to the ship. Meanwhile, acting on another hunch of Charce's, Aries, Charce, Funicia, Quitterie, and Ulgar walk in the direction the Gloopies ran the day before and discover an underground cave filled with gloopies and a freshwater lake. Aries notes in her diary that this both solves their water problem and adds to their food store; they find several species of edible animals, such as fish- and shrimp-like creatures, and plants in the water. Five days after landing on Shummoor, the crew has found enough food and water to complete the next leg of their journey.

The crew bids farewell to the gloopies; as the Astra rises into the sky, Aries, Kanata, and Luca collapse in sobs as they watch the gloopies chase after them. In her diary, Aries notes that, while their time on Shummoor was far from easy, the group has emerged from the crisis closer and stronger than they were before.

Yun-Hua finds Luca in the bathroom and asks him if he can help her with something. A short time later, she walks onto the bridge, shocking the boys; her ponytail is gone, as are her bangs, replaced by a short cut that falls at her neck and a small braid with a bow that runs from atop her head down to her left ear. The boys, stunned by her beauty, stare mindlessly at her, leading Quitterie to scream about the stupidity of boys.