“Sister Celine,” March 7th blinked her big eyes, naturally using the newly adopted title, and asked, “Have you seen… well, a black-haired man nearby with a cold, expressionless face?”
“You mean Little Azure Dragon?” Celine replied in a flat tone, as if she were stating something perfectly ordinary.
“Little… Little Azure Dragon?” March 7th paused, comparing Dan Heng’s perpetually serious expression with the rather…
cute nickname.
Somehow, it actually fit.
“It… kind of suits him?”
“Hmm…” Celine seemed to think for half a second before adding, “Let’s make it Cold-Faced Little Azure Dragon.”
“Exactly!” March 7th clapped her hands in delight, wholeheartedly agreeing.
“We think it suits Dan Heng perfectly too! Cold, handsome, and powerful!”
“So, Sister Celine,” she returned to the main topic with an eager expression, “do you know where he went?”
“The Fight Club,” Celine replied succinctly.
“The Fight Club?” March 7th tilted her head in confusion.
“Mhm.” Celine nodded and calmly explained, “He said he needed to gather information, as well as earn some local currency. The club was holding an event, and since he seemed pretty skilled, I suggested he give it a try.”
“Oh! I see!” March 7th exclaimed, realizing that it perfectly matched Dan Heng’s straightforward and efficient style.
“That’s definitely something he would do!”
“Haa~”
Just then, a satisfied yawn came from the clinic entrance.
The two looked over and saw Star rubbing her eyes as she slowly walked out of the clinic, her face still carrying a trace of sleepiness.
“Hey! Star, you’re awake?” March 7th’s eyes lit up as she hurried over to greet her.
“Mmm.” Star nodded, stretched lazily, and rolled her stiff shoulders.
“I slept really well. It was my first time on a Trailblazing expedition, so I was too excited to sleep at all last night. I finally caught up on my rest.”
Her gaze naturally landed on Celine standing beside March 7th, and a hint of confusion flashed across her face.
“Hmm? And this is…?”
Star carefully examined Celine, slightly furrowing her brows as if trying to remember something.
“You look really familiar… I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before.”
She unconsciously circled halfway around Celine, studying her face, hair color, and unique outfit more closely, but no clear memory came to mind—only a vague sense of familiarity lingered.
“But I just can’t remember where I’ve seen you…” Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
Celine crossed her arms and quietly watched Star circle around her, silently thinking,
(How could she not recognize me? I’m your “Auntie.” I was the second person you saw after waking up.)
(But it seems that because she wasn’t fully conscious at the time, and everything that happened afterward was so overwhelming, that brief memory has become blurred…)
At that moment, Star’s attention was drawn to the delicate joints visible on Celine’s arms and neck.
As though discovering something fascinating, she leaned in curiously and even reached out a finger, seemingly wanting to poke one of the joints to confirm its texture.
“Is this… a puppet like Herta? Or something even more advanced…?”
“Hey, hey, hey! Stop!”
March 7th reacted instantly, grabbing Star’s wandering wrist and pulling her back.
“You may have an amazing Trailblazing spirit, but you can’t just touch people without permission! That’s really rude!”
“I’m sorry, Sister Celine,” March 7th apologized awkwardly on Star’s behalf.
“Our companion just woke up, so she’s still a little out of it. Please don’t mind her.”
Realizing what March 7th had said, Star immediately stood up straight, clasped her hands together, and bowed apologetically.
“I’m so sorry! Really, really sorry!”
Even so, the curiosity in her eyes hadn’t completely disappeared.
It was obvious she still wanted to “investigate this puppet with her own hands.”
“It’s alright,” Celine waved her hand, indicating that she didn’t mind.
Looking at the two of them, she calmly suggested,
“You’re looking for that Cold-Faced Little Azure Dragon, right? I’m free at the moment, so I can take you there.”
“Really? Thank you so much, Sister Celine!” March 7th thanked her happily, convinced that her new acquaintance was incredibly kind.
However, just as the atmosphere became warm and friendly—
*Grrrrrr…*
A long, loud, and slightly echoing rumble suddenly came from Star’s stomach, instantly shattering the peaceful mood.
Silence.
Celine and March 7th simultaneously turned toward the source of the sound.
Star: “…Eh?”
She tried to laugh it off with an innocent, slightly goofy smile, but an embarrassed blush quickly spread across her face.
“I haven’t even had breakfast yet!”
The more she talked, the more justified she felt.
“That Supreme Guardian suddenly sent people to pick us up. I thought she was inviting us to a nice meal, but instead they suddenly tried to arrest us. Fighting and running at the same time is exhausting.”
She nudged March 7th with her elbow, looking for an ally.
“Right, March? You’re hungry too, aren’t you?”
“Of course not! Beautiful girls are highly resistant to hunger…”
Before she could finish—
*Grrrr…*
A quieter, but perfectly audible rumble came from March 7th’s own stomach, interrupting her at the worst possible moment.
March 7th: “…!!!”
Her cheeks instantly turned bright red—even redder than Star’s had been.
“See?” Star immediately pointed at March 7th’s stomach with an “I knew it!” expression.
“You’re hungry too!”
“N-No, that’s not it!” March 7th hugged her stomach, blushing furiously as she protested, though her confidence had clearly weakened.
“Th-This is just… normal intestinal peristalsis! Yes! Totally normal peristalsis!”
Standing off to the side, Celine didn’t join their argument.
Instead, she quietly reached into seemingly nowhere and pulled out two items.
They were two brightly colored cups of instant noodles, each decorated with a cute anime girl illustration.
“Here.”
She handed one to Star and the other to March 7th, who immediately stopped arguing.
The two of them froze.
Their quarrel ended instantly.
March 7th stared blankly at the cup in her hands and silently muttered,
“…Bishoujo Instant Noodles?”