Chapter 35

Chapter 35 is the thirty-fifth chapter of the Astra Lost in Space manga. It is the ninth chapter of the Icriss Arc and, in the compiled volumes, the seventh chapter of the fourth volume.

Synopsis
84 days have passed since the stranding of Group B-5. With the Astra still on Icriss, Charce and Kanata take inventory of their supplies; Charce mentions they have spent too long in their current position and suggests they move the ship to another location to preserve the integrity of their surrounding environment. Agreeing, Kanata turns the conversation to the revelation that they are clones, asking him why he seems to have responded to the revelation more casually than the others.

Charce replies that he is stunned, but posits that having cut ties with his family has lessened the emotional distress which the others have felt more acutely. Charce asks Kanata how he is holding up, and Kanata remarks briefly on his father's callous, emotionless focus on training Kanata's body to prepare it for himself. Kanata states that he has a will of his own, having asked for his father's training of his own accord, and proclaims himself independent from Rei. Complimenting Kanata's outlook, Charce suggests he meet with the rest of the crew to talk about their feelings as well.

Kanata meets with Luca while foraging outside later. Luca admits to feeling deeply angry at his original and father, but that the lack of communication between himself and his family has kept the reality from fully sinking in. He adds that his intersexuality has given him time to reflect on things over which he has no control, and not to focus on such things. Instead, he tells Kanata that he intends to think of ways to make his life more enjoyable and to focus on being the person he is, rather than to define himself in terms of someone else.

Talking with Ulgar in his room, Kanata finds that the knowledge has acted almost like a weight lifted off his chest, having finally found clarification as to why his parents played favorites with his brother. Ulgar feels more determined to become a journalist and expose Luca's father, which he can now do with a clean conscience. Kanata reminds him that he will have to cut ties with his mother and he will be left alone, to which Ulgar replies that he isn't alone; the subdued sentiment catches Kanata off guard, and he promptly begins to tease Ulgar for it, annoying him.

He visits with Yun-Hua in the common area. She tells him that she cried for hours but now has come to accept it, and understands that her mother raised her to be unnoticeable to make future use of her body easier for her. She asks Kanata what will happen to the originals, and he repeats that they will be arrested, giving them the chance to live their own lives. She states that, while losing her mother will be hard, she would like to be a singer when they return home.

In the infirmary, Polina learns from Aries that all of them are clones, while Kanata listens by the door. Unaware that he is there, Aries explains to Polina that she plans to use the police to investigate the identity of her mother, admitting that of all the people in the group, she feels the most confused. She also says that, while she may not understand what everything they have learned means, her faith in her mother is unshaken; regardless of whether or not she is her biological mother, Aries still loves her. Hearing this shakes Kanata deeply; he leaves the doorway and walks the halls of the ship alone, processing what he has heard and how starkly it differs from the declarations of the others.

Later, on the balcony of the ship, Funicia, Zack, and Quitterie watch the sunset. Funicia asks Quitterie how she is holding up, and she replies that she has grown to accept it. Having spent her entire life following her mother's commands believing it would gain her mother's approval, finally having the truth before she has left her feeling release. She notes that Funicia seems to be emotionally stronger than her, and Zack tells them that the environments in which they were raised have resulted in the development of two different personalities in genetically identical bodies, meaning they are no longer the same person. Summarizing that the sum of her experiences and who she has met and befriended are the sum of herself, Quitterie tearfully expresses gratefulness for their journey, which has changed her and given her the chance to find herself.

Later that night, Quitterie and Zack announce their engagement to the rest of the crew, surprising them. The crew immediately begins teasing them about their wedding plans and other details of their relationship, which Zack brushes off by telling them they had decided to get married when they were children. He also proclaims that he's been in love with Quitterie since childhood, a series of revelations that, similar to Quitterie's response, utterly shocks the crew, hurling the others into a frenzy. In her diary, Aries writes of the crew's strength and upbeatness, asserting without exception that, no matter what may come, they are invincible.