“The Astral Express only has a total of five cars, and eleven rooms if you don’t count the Archives.”
Pom-Pom introduced the place as it led everyone on a tour.
Mon3tr was holding a broom, diligently cleaning the dust-filled room, her black hair covered in spiderwebs.
In the Observation Car, Kal’tsit took the coffee handed over by Himeko.
She stared at the thick, almost solidified black liquid in the cup, her cat ears perking up alertly.
“Is this… coffee?”
Himeko watched her with full anticipation.
“Give it a try quickly, this is my special recipe.”
Kal’tsit took a light sip, and her expression instantly froze.
She forced herself not to spit it out, her throat moving with a difficult swallow.
“The aroma and bitterness of the coffee are very rich… but the texture is as hard to swallow as a solid.”
She weighed her words, “Next time you could use a little less coffee grounds and add more water, the texture will be better.”
“I see!”
Himeko nodded in sudden realization, “As expected of Doctor Kal’tsit, the evaluation is so professional.”
At this moment, Mon3tr finished cleaning the room and walked over, curiously leaning closer.
“Doctor Kal’tsit, what is that in your cup?”
Her nose was still stained with dust, making her look just like a little calico cat.
“Coffee.”
Kal’tsit answered briefly.
Mon3tr’s eyes lit up.
“I haven’t had coffee in a long time, I really miss that bitterness.”
She licked her lips, “I happen to be thirsty, can you give me this cup?”
Kal’tsit silently pushed the cup over.
Mon3tr happily took it and threw her head back for a big gulp.
The next second, her body suddenly stiffened, and her pupils constricted violently.
“Mon3tr?”
Kal’tsit frowned.
“Bang!”
Mon3tr convulsed all over, the whites of her eyes rolling up, and a mixture of coffee and saliva spilling from the corners of her mouth.
Three seconds later, she turned directly into a cluster of memory residue, zipping right back into Kal’tsit’s body.
The scene fell into dead silence.
Pom-Pom’s rabbit ears stood straight up in fright.
“Th-This is murder, pa!”
Himeko coughed awkwardly twice.
“Um… I-I think I really did put in a whole pack of coffee grounds…”
Kal’tsit rubbed her temples and let out a long sigh.
Inside her shadow, Mon3tr cautiously poked out half her head with a wronged expression, still retching continuously.
“It seems…” Kal’tsit said expressionlessly, “we must first formulate a set of Astral Express food safety regulations.”
Pom-Pom’s rabbit ears twitched, and its little paws nervously clutched its hat.
“Oh heavens, pa! Is this passenger alright, pa?!”
Kal’tsit calmly took a sip of plain water.
“Don’t worry, she just temporarily needs to… digest it.”
As she spoke, she glanced at Mon3tr’s shadow curled up at her feet.
Himeko twirled her fingers guiltily.
“I-I’ll go brew a normal cup of coffee right now!”
She hurried towards the dining car, her red hair cutting a panicked trajectory through the air.
Mon3tr’s shadow slowly condensed into form, floating weakly onto Kal’tsit’s shoulder.
“Doc…tor… that wasn’t coffee at all… it must be asphalt…” she said with a faint, dying breath.
Kal’tsit gently patted her head.
“Don’t be so gluttonous next time.”
Although her tone was cold, the movement of her hand was unexpectedly gentle.
At this moment, Himeko came back carrying the newly brewed coffee, placing it cautiously on the table.
“There’s definitely no problem this time! I had Pom-Pom supervise the brewing.”
Pom-Pom proudly puffed out its chest.
“This Conductor personally kept watch, pa! Three spoonfuls of coffee grounds, 200 milliliters of hot water, pa!”
Mon3tr shrank back warily, hiding behind Kal’tsit.
Kal’tsit picked up the cup, sniffed it, and cautiously took a sip.
“…It’s normal this time.”
“Great!”
Himeko breathed a sigh of relief, her eyes lighting up as if remembering something.
“Right, since you’ve officially joined, would you like to go see your rooms? Mon3tr only finished cleaning half of it just now, right?”
Pom-Pom bounced as it led the way.
“This way, pa! We’ve prepared adjacent rooms for the two of you, pa!”
Mon3tr only then recovered a bit of spirit, floating curiously in front.
“Doctor, Doctor, we’re going to have our own room!”
Kal’tsit looked at the revitalized Mon3tr, the corners of her mouth curving up imperceptibly.
“Mn, remember to keep it clean.”
“Got it~”
Mon3tr happily spun around, her black hair tracing a graceful arc in the air.
Suddenly stopping as if remembering something, she said, “Ah! Doctor, can I have a body pillow just like yours?”
Kal’tsit’s footsteps paused.
“…What body pillow?”
“That Rhodes Island limited edition one…”
Before Mon3tr could finish, Kal’tsit clamped a hand over her mouth.
“Ha! This topic ends here, and that belongs to Amiya alone.”
The tips of Kal’tsit’s ears were slightly red as she quickly caught up to Pom-Pom.
Leaving Himeko standing in place with a look of curiosity.
“Wait, what body pillow?”
Himeko asked, chasing after them.
“Nothing at all!”
Kal’tsit said without looking back, her pace quickening even more.
Mon3tr snickered from behind, immediately putting on an innocent expression after being glared at by Kal’tsit.
But within those emerald-green eyes, the mischievous gleam couldn’t be hidden no matter what.