“Found him!
This kid actually sneaked off to Azure Star!
Has he—has he—has he had his guts eaten by a Void Ranger?
Does he really think his little tricks are flawless and that I’d spend ten days or half a month investigating?
Daring to underestimate a genius!?
Even the Interstellar Peace Corporation wouldn’t dare play me like this!!!” Herta stared at the location results she had just dug up, laughing in anger on the spot.
She didn’t even have the energy to care about Stelle, who was messing around in the Simulated Universe.
Honestly, she really was at a loss with a person like Kazuki.
If you said he was dim-witted, he dared to swagger around the Herta Space Station wearing her face, with enough guts to pierce the heavens.
If you said he was sharp-witted, the messes he made were full of holes, and she could expose everything with a casual investigation.
Beside her, Himeko shifted her gaze from Stelle and, looking at the hopping-mad Herta, smiled and advised, “Alright, alright, getting angry hurts your health, Herta.
Besides, he didn’t cause any real loss to the Herta Space Station, did he?” Herta immediately crossed her arms, eyeing Himeko sideways with an expression that said “Are you okay?”: “Ha?
Himeko, don’t you feel offended?
He’s just swaggering around everywhere wearing our faces and using our appearance!” “Honestly, I find it quite interesting.” Himeko spread her hands, her eyes carrying a nostalgic smile.
“That Student Himeko look actually reminds me of myself back when I was in school.
Besides, his acting isn’t like us at all, in terms of appearance or mannerisms, otherwise Welt wouldn’t be acting all weird, saying he saw the shadow of an old friend.” Thinking of Welt’s distracted state, Himeko couldn’t help but curl her lips.
After all that fuss, the “old friend” in his mouth referred to her own student days.
Herta curled her lip speechlessly.
Of course, she wouldn’t get angry over such a trivial matter.
In fact, the real reason she wanted to catch Kazuki was that he had successfully accessed her Herta Puppet network.
That is to say, that puppet really was her Herta Puppet!
At the very least, the logic code was identical; there was no possibility of it being a counterfeit.
She was curious: without her losing a puppet, how could an extra one appear out of thin air?
There was definitely a secret in this that she didn’t know about.
…
Meanwhile, at the military spaceport on Azure Star.
Kazuki had long since slipped off the transport ship.
Relying on the ability of the [Black Tomb Puppet], he easily bypassed the security checks and investigations in the military spaceport.
Just as he stepped out of the military spaceport’s gate, a thought crossed his mind and he deactivated his transformation, reverting to his original self.
He casually tucked his signature white hair into the hood of his hoodie, revealing only his jawline.
Blending into the bustling crowd, he vanished in the blink of an eye.
He was greeted by the humid air unique to Azure Star, mixed with the sweet, cloying scent wafting from a roadside dessert shop, and the news cycling on the distant floating screens—all reports about the recent attack on the Herta Space Station and the reinforcements from the Azure Star fleet.
The footage repeatedly cut to the generals issuing orders in the command room, and the comments section below was filled with applause.
Kazuki glanced at the floating screen, looking for all the world like a bumpkin who had just arrived in the city.
He looked left and right, but his pace didn’t falter as he followed the crowd toward the city center.
Right now, he only had one urgent matter in his mind: he had to quickly figure out where the interstellar spaceport on this planet was and what routes it had, as he couldn’t stay trapped on Azure Star forever.
As he walked, he examined the shops along the street.
Most were brick buildings with a retro feel, yet embedded with high-tech holographic display windows.
The two styles collided, yet they didn’t seem out of place at all.
Not far away, a hotel with a “Star Traveler” sign caught his eye.
The neon sign at the entrance clearly read, “No ID registration required, hourly/long-term rentals available.” Kazuki’s eyes lit up instantly—this kind of hotel that didn’t require ID registration usually had a front desk clerk who was a local map, knowledgeable about all the ins and outs, which was perfect for solving his current pile of troubles.
He pushed the door open immediately.
The retro wind chime hanging on the door gave a light jingle, shattering the soothing background music in the lobby.