“Found him!” Herta’s voice cut through the quiet hum of the monitoring room.
“This brat actually sneaked off to Azure Star!
Has he—has he had his brain eaten by a Void Ranger?
Does he honestly believe his parlor tricks are flawless?
That I’d waste half a month investigating his little charade?
Daring to underestimate a genius of the Genius Society!
Even the Interastral Peace Corporation wouldn’t dare play me like this!”
Herta glared at the holographic tracking data she had just decrypted, letting out a sharp, incredulous laugh.
She didn’t even have the energy to monitor Stelle, who was currently causing chaos inside the Simulated Universe.
Honestly, Kazuki was a walking contradiction that left her utterly exasperated.
If he was an idiot, he was an idiot with the sheer audacity to swagger around her own space station wearing her exact face.
But if he was brilliant, the trail he left behind was riddled with amateur holes, easily exposed by a cursory trace of the station’s data logs.
Beside her, Himeko gracefully shifted her gaze from the Simulated Universe monitors.
Watching the hopping-mad genius, she offered a warm, soothing smile.
“Alright, Herta.
Getting so worked up is bad for your health.
Besides, he didn’t cause any actual damage to the space station, did he?”
Herta immediately crossed her arms, shooting Himeko a sideways glare that practically screamed, Are you out of your mind?
“Ha?
Himeko, don’t you feel the least bit offended?
He’s parading around the galaxy wearing our faces!”
“Honestly?
I find it rather charming.” Himeko rested a hand against her cheek, her amber eyes crinkling with a nostalgic amusement.
“That ‘Student Himeko’ persona actually reminds me of my own academy days., his acting doesn’t mimic our true mannerisms at all.
If it did, Welt wouldn’t be pacing around the Express looking so conflicted, muttering about seeing the shadow of an old friend.”
Recalling Welt’s thoroughly distracted state, Himeko couldn’t suppress a soft chuckle.
After all that fuss, the mysterious ‘old friend’ he kept agonizing over was merely a reflection of her younger self.
Herta clicked her tongue, thoroughly unimpressed.
Naturally, a genius of her caliber wouldn’t throw a tantrum over a mere case of identity theft.
The true mystery—the anomaly that kept her up—was the fact that Kazuki had successfully interfaced with her private Herta Puppet network.
That puppet he used wasn’t a cheap imitation; its core logic code was identical to her own creations.
It was undeniably a genuine Herta Puppet.
Yet, she hadn’t lost a single unit.
How could an extra puppet simply materialize out of thin air?
There was definitely a secret hidden here, one that eluded even her intellect.
Meanwhile, light-years away at the military spaceport on Azure Star.
Kazuki had long since slipped off the transport vessel.
Relying on the unique phasing capabilities of the [Black Tomb Puppet], he had effortlessly bypassed the stringent security checkpoints and biometric scanners of the military terminal.
The moment his boots hit the pavement outside the spaceport’s massive blast gates, a thought crossed his mind.
The illusion shimmered, dissolving into the air as he deactivated the transformation, reverting to his true form.
He casually tucked his signature stark-white hair beneath the heavy hood of his jacket, leaving only the sharp line of his jaw exposed.
Slipping into the bustling, chaotic flow of the planetary crowd, he vanished like a drop of water in the ocean.
Azure Star greeted him with its signature humid atmosphere, a heavy, clinging warmth mixed with the cloying, sugary scent of pastries wafting from a nearby street-side dessert parlor.
Above the sprawling plaza, massive holographic screens cycled through the daily news cycle.
The headlines blared with reports of the recent Antimatter Legion assault on the Herta Space Station, proudly highlighting the swift reinforcement provided by the Azure Star fleet.
The broadcast repeatedly cut to stern-faced generals barking orders from their command centers, while the live comment feeds below scrolled rapidly with patriotic applause.
Kazuki spared the floating screens a passing glance, perfectly playing the part of a wide-eyed provincial tourist fresh off the shuttle.
He swiveled his head left and right, marveling at the sights, though his pace never wavered as he drifted with the pedestrian tide toward the city center.
Beneath his relaxed exterior, his mind was racing.
He had one pressing objective: locate the planet’s civilian interstellar spaceport and map out the available departure routes.
Staying grounded on Azure Star was a death sentence for his freedom.
As he handled the winding avenues, he took in the local architecture.
The street was lined with retro, red-brick buildings that felt pulled from a bygone era, yet their facades were smoothly integrated with high-tech holographic display windows.
The collision of rustic charm and futuristic neon should have been jarring, but it possessed a strange, cohesive beauty.
A few blocks down, a flickering neon sign caught his eye: Star Traveler Hotel.
The scrolling marquee beneath the bold lettering promised exactly what he needed: No ID Registration Required.
Hourly & Long-Term Rentals Available.
Kazuki’s eyes gleamed beneath his hood.
Establishments that bypassed the Interastral Peace Corporation’s strict ID registry always employed front desk clerks who doubled as living, breathing city maps.
They knew the underworld, the transit lines, and the quietest ways out of town—perfect for untangling his current mess.
He pushed the heavy glass door open.
A brass wind chime jingled merrily overhead, cutting through the low, sultry jazz playing in the lobby.
The young woman stationed behind the polished mahogany front desk glanced up at the chime.
Her fingers hovered gracefully over a glowing check-in terminal, and she offered him a practiced, welcoming smile.
“Hello, welcome to the Star Traveler.
Are you looking for a room?
We offer hourly, daily, and extended stays.
No identification is required at any point, and we guarantee absolute privacy for all our guests.”
Kazuki closed the distance to the desk, his lips curving into an easy, disarming smile.
He didn’t rush to slap his credits down.
Instead, he leaned casually against the counter.
“With a privacy guarantee like that, how could I say no?
I’ll be staying the night.
I just touched down from out of town and was dreading the hotel hunt.
Plus, I was hoping to pick the brain of a local expert.”
The receptionist’s smile warmed into something more genuine.
She set her digital stylus aside and leaned forward slightly, resting her chin on her hands in an attentive posture.
“You flatter me.
Feel free to ask whatever you need.
We’re situated right on the edge of the transit district, so I can map out just about every corner of this city for you.”
Kazuki mirrored her posture, lowering his voice to inject just the right amount of weary helplessness into his tone.
“Then I’ll shoot straight.
I’m just passing through and don’t plan on putting down roots.
I need to find the interstellar spaceport to secure a departure ticket.
I’ve been walking in circles out there for an hour and can’t make heads or tails of the district layout.
Do you know the exact coordinates?”
“Heh, you definitely asked the right person.” She nodded knowingly, her tone shifting into the brisk efficiency of a seasoned guide.
“The only civilian interstellar hub in our city is nestled deep within the Central Spaceport complex.
It has a massive holographic spire; you literally can’t miss it once you’re in the sector.”
She paused, thoughtfully tapping the desk.
“If you want the most efficient route, just walk out our front doors.
There’s a floating transit stop directly across the street.
Catch the 107 mag-lev bus and ride it all the way to the terminal station.
It drops you off right at the main gates.
It’s infinitely cheaper than hailing a cab, and you won’t get scammed by the unlicensed hover-taxis prowling the perimeter.”
“You’re a lifesaver, seriously.” Kazuki’s expression brightened with genuine relief.
He smoothly pivoted to his secondary objective.
“By the way, I saw some chatter on the local network claiming they recently opened up new flight paths to the Xianzhou Alliance and Penacony.
Is there any truth to that?
Are the tickets a nightmare to get?”
The receptionist let out a soft laugh, waving a hand dismissively.
“You certainly keep your ear to the ground.
Yes, the IPC recently approved a new batch of hyper-jump quotas for this sector.
They’ve added several direct commercial flights to the Xianzhou Luofu and Penacony.
The tickets just went live, but the demand is astronomical.
If you want a seat, you’ll have to physically queue up at the terminal and fight for one.”
She glanced around the empty lobby before leaning in closer, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper.
“But fighting for a ticket is only half the battle.
To board any interstellar vessel, you absolutely must possess a valid Interstellar Pass.
It’s an ironclad rule.
Without that pass, the automated security gates won’t even let you into the departure lounge.”
Kazuki’s heart skipped a beat, a cold spike of tension piercing his chest.
He maintained his easygoing smile, not letting a fraction of his internal panic bleed through.
“An Interstellar Pass?
Where exactly do I apply for one of those?
This is my first time venturing off-world, so I completely missed that detail.”
“If you go through the official channels, you apply at the Government Affairs Hall right inside the Central Spaceport.
The registry windows are clearly marked,” she explained, her tone sympathetic.
“The catch is the wait time.
The queues are notoriously brutal.
On a slow day, it might eat up half your afternoon.”
She winked, offering him a lucrative alternative.
“However, if you’re in a rush, there’s a small army of scalpers loitering near the Hall entrance who handle expedited processing.
Toss them enough credits, and they’ll grease the right palms to get your pass minted in about an hour.
It’s extortionately priced compared to the standard fee, but you’ll have to weigh the cost against your schedule.”
The invisible weight crushing Kazuki’s chest instantly evaporated.
The logistical nightmare that had been looming over him suddenly had a clear, actionable solution.
He beamed, pressing his hands together in a gesture of deep gratitude.
“My god, you’ve just saved my life.
I was wandering around like a headless fly out there, but now everything makes sense.
Alright, let’s get that room sorted.
I need to take a breather and organize my gear before I tackle the spaceport.”
The receptionist smiled brightly, her fingers flying across the holographic terminal.
“I’ll get that processed for you right away.
Our hourly rates start at a minimum block of four hours.
How long would you like to book the suite?”
“Put me down for a full day,” Kazuki replied without hesitation.
He pulled out his mobile terminal and authorized the credit transfer.
Thank the Aeons he had successfully swindled a cool billion credits out of Asta’s bottomless pockets earlier; otherwise, he wouldn’t have even been able to afford a dingy motel room to sleep in.
The transaction cleared with a soft chime.
The receptionist encoded a sleek, black room card and slid it across the mahogany counter.
Kazuki offered a final word of thanks, pocketing the key as he turned toward the dimly lit stairwell.
Yet, the very moment he turned his back to the lobby, a high-priority data packet burst across the planetary network.
A glaring, high-resolution wanted poster, broadcast directly from the Herta Space Station, synchronized simultaneously with every public and private terminal in the city.
The digital bounty flashed ominously across the screens, though it conspicuously omitted one crucial detail: the arrest warrant had been personally drafted and authorized by Madam Herta herself.
[Elysian’s Note:
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