The short story “Mono no Aware” by Ken Liu has been published for the first time in 2012. It won the Hugo Award for best short story of the year.

Hiroto Shimizu is part of the crew of the Hopeful, a starship that set off for a journey of more than three centuries to a star called 61 Virginis to escape a disaster caused by the impact of an asteroid on Earth. When a damage to the giant solar sail used as a propulsion system is discovered, Hiroto is the most qualified for the difficult repair work.