On the day the train departed.
Himeko stood before the open train door, her long hair gently swaying in the air currents of the space station.
She watched the gray-haired girl hurrying toward her, a gentle, knowing smile on her face.
“If you don’t hurry up,” she teased playfully, “the train might just ignore you and leave.”
“Eh?!” Hoshino exclaimed, instantly quickening her pace and almost breaking into a run as she rushed over, her face filled with urgency.
“No! Everyone voted yesterday, and they let me join the Astral Express!”
Before she finished speaking, she had already stepped onto the train.
Black Tower, controlling one of her puppets, had somehow appeared at the edge of the platform.
Crossing her arms, she watched Xing board the train.
“Hey, Stellaron brat, remember to come back and test the Simulated Universe whenever you have time.”
She paused, her eyes shifting toward the train, seemingly able to see through the carriage walls to someone inside, and added,
“Also, tell Selene that my real body is temporarily away from the space station, but I’m still her best friend! Meanwhile, she spends all her time with that pink-haired girl…”
Xing’s lips twitched slightly, but she still nodded obediently.
“Uh… okay, I’ll tell Sister Selene.”
After saying goodbye to everyone at the space station, the train departed into space.
“Welcome! You’re officially a member of the Astral Express now, Xing~”
March 7th appeared out of nowhere, her hands behind her back, grinning at the still somewhat dazed Xing.
“Thank you.” Xing nodded to her.
“Oh, right!” March 7th leaned closer and pointed toward the interior of the carriage.
“Sister Himeko said the Express is basically full. There’s an empty room on the second floor of the Party Car, but it’ll take a while to renovate. Until then, you can stay in our room!”
“Stay in your room?” Xing blinked and instinctively asked, “With you…?”
“What are you thinking?!” March 7th immediately put her hands on her hips, widening her eyes.
“I’m not sleeping with you! I’m sleeping with Sister Selene!”
(Hehe… now I have a perfectly legitimate excuse to sleep with Sister Selene!)
March 7th secretly felt pleased with herself.
Of course, she would never admit that, even before this, she would often sneak into Selene’s room, and sleeping in her bed had long become a regular occurrence.
Xing: “…”
Fine.
…
A little while later.
“Hey, you over there! Yeah, you!”
Xing looked down and saw…
a rabbit?
A doll?
Wearing a conductor’s hat and standing at her feet, looking up at her.
Pam looked at Xing.
“I’ve already heard everything from Himeko. Alright, newbie, I’ll only say this once.”
Pam cleared their throat.
“Lately, a lot of people have probably been telling you that you’re special. But this is the Astral Express. Everyone on board has their own secrets and their own past. Since you’ve chosen to come aboard, you have to follow the rules here. Remember, you’re not the only special person on this train.”
“I’m the conductor, Pam! If you run into any problems on the Express, come talk to me!”
Xing looked at Pam and nodded seriously.
“I understand, Conductor Pam.”
Afterward, she chatted with March 7th for a while.
“Attention, passengers! Attention, passengers! The train is about to make a Warp Jump! Repeat! The train is about to make a Warp Jump! Please hold on immediately!”
“Ah! It’s happening!”
March 7th instantly sprang up from the sofa, clenching her fists in front of her chest.
She stared at her feet and muttered,
“I won’t fall… I won’t fall… I won’t fall… I definitely won’t fall this time…”
Xing was startled by her reaction.
Before she could fully understand what a Warp Jump was, she heard Pam’s countdown over the intercom.
“Four… Three… Two… One!”
“Buzz—!!!”
A deep, resonant roar, as if it penetrated into the very marrow of her bones, instantly filled the entire space.
Xing felt her ears ring as everything around her blurred and stretched.
Then, an overwhelming sense of weightlessness and icy cold enveloped her, as though she had been plunged into the deep sea or forced through some thick, viscous substance.
The entire process lasted only a few seconds, yet every sensation felt incredibly vivid.
Then the cold suddenly vanished.
Her vision returned to normal, and the ringing in her ears quickly faded.
Outside the window floated a snow-white planet.
Jarilo-VI.
“Whoa—!”
A short cry of surprise was followed by a muffled thud.
Turning her head, Xing saw that March 7th—who had been trying so hard not to fall—had once again ended up face-first in Selene’s arms, who was sitting quietly nearby in her wheelchair.
Selene caught her effortlessly, gently wrapping an arm around March 7th’s shoulders.
Looking down at the slightly dizzy pink-haired girl in her embrace, Selene’s eyes were filled with helpless affection.
“Why does this always happen to you?” she asked softly.
March 7th snuggled comfortably against Selene, raising her still-dazed face and sticking out her tongue.
“Hehe~ Sister Selene, I almost made it this time! I was sooo close!”
Selene simply smiled gently without exposing her bluff.
Then, just like in the original story, Pam informed Himeko and the others that their stopover would be extended from seven days to an indefinite period, and they began discussing the abnormalities affecting the planet. This story is hosted at g.com.
Himeko looked at Hoshino before speaking slowly.
“Hoshino, I’d like you, March, and Dan Heng to take on this exploration mission.”
“Sister Selene, we’re heading out!”
After saying goodbye to Selene, March 7th, Hoshino, and Dan Heng departed for Jarilo-VI.
Selene gently nodded.
“Take care. Have a safe journey.”
Watching them leave, Selene let out a soft sigh and leaned back in her wheelchair.
Ah…
that’s right.
She wouldn’t be directly participating in the Jarilo-VI mission this time.
But—
Meanwhile…
Jarilo-VI.
The Underworld.
The Robot Settlement.
Amid towering piles of massive machine parts and abandoned pipes left behind from an unknown era, a purple-haired girl crouched quietly, carefully searching for something.
She wore a white cropped top and black shorts, revealing her slender limbs.
Her long purple hair flowed down her back, while her neatly trimmed bangs concealed her right eye.
She was carefully examining the mechanical parts in her hands.
It was Celine.
Just then, an almost inaudible pair of footsteps stopped behind her.
“…Mom.”
A timid, childlike voice quietly called out from behind.
Celine paused and turned around.
Standing there was a very young-looking girl.
She had short snow-white hair and wore a slightly oversized but clean red coat.
Her small bare feet rested directly on the cold metal floor.
As she looked at Celine, her eyes were filled with dependence, affection, and a trace of nervousness.
It was Clara.
“Dinner’s ready…” Clara said softly, her weak voice barely above a whisper.
“Sister Seele… is waiting for us too.”
“Okay.”
Celine stood up and gently took Clara’s hand.
“From now on, you don’t have to call me ‘Mom.’ This body is only a puppet… and Mom can’t eat.”
As she spoke, Celine gently led Clara home.