The day the Astral Express set sail.
Himeko stood before the open doors of the Astral Express, her long hair fluttering gently in the Space Station’s air currents.
She watched the grey-haired girl approaching quickly, a gentle and knowing smile on her face.
“If you don’t hurry up,” she said with a tone of good-natured teasing, “the Astral Express might just ignore you and leave without you.”
“Eh?!” Hearing this, Stelle’s pace quickened instantly, and she practically ran over, a hint of urgency on her face.
“No way!
We already voted yesterday, and I was allowed to join the Astral Express!”
Before she even finished speaking, she had already stepped onto the Astral Express.
Herta, controlling her puppet, had appeared at the edge of the platform at some point, arms crossed as she watched her board the Astral Express: “Hey, Stellaron brat, remember, whenever you have time, come over to test the Simulated Universe.”
She paused, her eyes turning towards the Astral Express, as if she could see someone through the carriage walls, and added: “Also, tell Selene that just because my main body isn’t at the Space Station right now doesn’t mean I’m not still her best friend!
She, on the other hand, just knows how to hang out with that pink-haired girl…”
Stelle’s mouth twitched slightly, but she nodded honestly: “Uh…
okay, I will pass the message along to Sister Selene.”
After saying goodbye to everyone at the Space Station, the Astral Express set off into the starry sky.
“Welcome, officially joining the Astral Express, Stelle~” March 7th popped up from out of nowhere, hands behind her back, grinning as she watched the still-dazed Stelle.
“Thank you.” Stelle nodded at her.
“Oh right, Sister Himeko said,” March 7th leaned in closer, pointing towards the interior of the carriage, “our rooms on the Astral Express are basically all full.
But, there’s an empty room on the second floor of the parlor car, though it needs some time to be renovated.
Before it’s ready, you can just sleep in my room!”
“Sleep in your room?” Stelle blinked, instinctively asking back, “With you…
sleeping together?”
“What are you thinking!” March 7th immediately put her hands on her hips, eyes widening, “I’m not sleeping with you!
I’m sleeping with Sister Selene!”
(Hehe, now I have a legitimate excuse to sleep with Sister Selene!) March 7th thought happily to herself.
Of course, she wouldn’t admit that, regardless of whether she had an excuse or not, she had been running to Selene’s room every few days, and crashing in her bed was a common occurrence.
Stelle: “…” Fine then.
Some time later.
“Hey, over there, over there.”
Stelle looked down and saw a…
doll?
A rabbit?
Wearing a conductor’s hat, standing by her feet and looking up at her. Find the original chapter at g.com.
“Looking all dazed and confused, that’s right, I’m talking to you, newcomer.” Pom-Pom looked at Stelle.
“I’ve already heard the specifics from Himeko.
Alright, newcomer, I’ll only say the important things once.”
It cleared its throat: “Lately, quite a few people have probably told you that you are special.
But this is the Astral Express; everyone on this train has their own secrets and their own pasts, more or less.
Since you chose to board, you must follow the rules here.
Remember, you aren’t the only special one, get that through your head!”
“I am the conductor of this Astral Express, Pom-Pom!
If you run into any problems on the train, you can feel free to come find me!”
Stelle looked at it and nodded seriously: “I understand, Conductor Pom-Pom.”
Afterwards, she chatted with March 7th for a while longer.
“Hey, hey, hey!
Attention, passengers!
Attention, passengers!
The Astral Express is about to warp!
Repeat, the Astral Express is about to warp!
Please sit tight and hold on!”
“Ah!
It’s here!” March 7th instantly sprang up from the sofa, hands clenched into fists in front of her chest, eyes staring fixedly at her feet, muttering to herself, “I won’t fall, I won’t fall, I won’t fall, this time I definitely won’t fall…”
Stelle was dumbfounded by her enemy-at-the-gates demeanor.
Before she fully understood what “warp” meant, she heard Pom-Pom’s countdown over the broadcast:
“4, 3, 2, 1—!”
“Vroom—!!!”
A low, resonant hum that seemed to act directly on her bone marrow instantly filled the entire space!
Stelle felt a brief ringing and deafness in her ears, and everything in her field of vision began to double and stretch.
Immediately after, a strange sensation of weightlessness and cold enveloped her, as if she had been instantly plunged into the deep sea, or passed through some kind of viscous medium.
This process did not last long, perhaps only a few seconds, but the sensory impact was incredibly vivid.
The cold sensation receded abruptly, her vision refocused, and the ringing in her ears quickly subsided.
Outside the window, a white planet was suspended.
Jarilo-VI.
“Waaah—!”
A short exclamation was accompanied by a dull “thud.” Stelle turned to look and saw that March 7th, who had just been trying so hard “not to fall,” was now sprawled out in a face-down position, having landed solidly into the arms of Selene, who had appeared nearby in a wheelchair at some point. Visit novelping.com for the full chapter.
Selene caught her steadily, gently wrapping her arms around March 7th’s shoulders, looking down at the slightly dizzy pink-haired girl in her arms, her eyes full of helplessness and doting affection, her voice soft: “You, why are you like this every time?”
March 7th nuzzled into Selene’s arms, raised her still-dizzy face, stuck out her tongue, and tried to save face: “Ehehe~ Sister Selene, this time I really almost succeeded!
Just by a tiny bit!”
Selene just smiled gently, not exposing her further.
Afterwards, just like in the original plot, Pom-Pom announced to Himeko and the others that the stop would be changed from seven days to an indefinite period, and they discussed solving the anomaly on this planet.
Himeko looked at Stelle and spoke slowly: “Stelle, I hope to entrust this Trailblaze journey to you, March, and Dan Heng.”
“Sister Selene, we’re off!”
After saying goodbye to Selene, March 7th headed to Jarilo-VI together with Stelle and Dan Heng.
Selene nodded gently at them: “Mm, take care on the way, stay safe.”
Watching them leave, Selene breathed a soft sigh and leaned back against the wheelchair.
Ha~ that’s right, she herself would not be directly participating in the operations on Jarilo-VI during this Trailblaze journey.
However—
Meanwhile, on Jarilo-VI, in the Underworld, at the Robot Settlement.
Amidst a mountain of enormous mechanical parts and abandoned pipelines left over from who knows which era, a purple-haired girl was half-squatting, focused on searching for something.
She was wearing a white crop top and black hot pants that were easy to move in, revealing the clearly exquisite joint structures on her limbs.
Her long purple hair hung down smoothly, with the bangs on her forehead perfectly covering her right eye.
She was currently scanning the parts in her hand.
It was Sirin.
Just then, a very faint sound of footsteps stopped behind her.
“…Mom.”
A timid girl’s voice, with a hint of a babyish tone, sounded softly behind her.
Sirin finally stopped what she was doing and turned to look at her.
The person speaking was a girl who looked very young.
She had short, snow-white hair, was wearing a slightly oversized but clean red coat, and was barefoot, stepping on the cold metal floor.
The eyes looking at Sirin were filled with dependence, adoration, and a hint of imperceptible nervousness.
It was Clara.
“It’s time to eat…” Clara added in a whisper, her voice thin and weak, “Sister Seele…
is here too, waiting for us.”
“Mm.” Sirin stood up and took Clara’s hand.
You don’t have to call me Mom from now on; Mom’s body is a puppet, it can’t eat.
Sirin said while holding Clara’s hand on the way home.