After the Heliobus had been contained and appropriately assigned to tasks, Pei Guang, Stelle, and Huohuo had a hearty meal on the Xianzhou Luofu before returning to the Astral Express.
However, when they returned to the Astral Express, the scene in the hall left both Pei Guang and Stelle speechless.
In the center of the hall, the white plastic lawn chair was placed exactly in the middle. The entire hall was empty, and Pei Guang glanced at the mini-map to see that everyone had turned off their location sharing.
There was no mention of anyone entering combat status in the system log, which reassured Pei Guang.
While the train was supposed to be a safe house, the fact that such places weren't always safe had become a well-known fact in many games.
Stelle stared at the large chair for a long time before speaking. "Ah Guang, this is the chair we got from the draw, right? But why is it here…?"
Pei Guang answered, "March 7th took it out to play with... but now that you mention it, we haven't gotten a chance to try it out ourselves."
Stelle nodded. "Yeah! Perfect, let me try sitting on it."
Stelle walked a few steps forward and sat down on the chair.
The moment she sat, she felt her body fill with power. Without thinking, she pulled out her club and War-Flaming Lance, holding the club in her left hand and the War-Flaming Lance in her right.
She also instinctively swept her bangs out of the way.
Watching Stelle's skillful movements, Pei Guang remained silent.
After a long pause, he finally spoke. "You've been hanging out in the big sick ward, huh?"
"Huh?"
"Seems like you're not just hanging out there; you've got some exceptional talent…"
Pei Guang looked at Stelle, who had brushed her bangs back and exposed her forehead. He pulled out the best wooden sword from his collection and stood behind her.
With a perfect distance, he spoke in a documentary-style narration.
"June 15th, 4:04 PM."
Anyone else would've turned and wondered what Pei Guang was up to. But March 7th, who had been secretly watching with her phone, didn't understand what Pei Guang and Stelle were doing, though she knew she was about to witness something interesting.
Stelle, raised by Pei Guang, didn't know what he was planning either, but her instincts told her something fun was about to happen.
Pei Guang: "Hey, Stelle! The days of you stealing my trash cans are over, all the trash cans are mine now."
March 7th, watching from the corner, almost choked on her own laugh.
"Ha ha ha, just like Ah Guang… always saying shocking things."
March 7th, who had been lurking around the corner, held back her laughter while Himeko and Welt, who had snuck up beside her at some point, also overheard.
Himeko: "What are they... doing?"
Welt adjusted his glasses: "Probably recreating some iconic scenes they've seen before. Let's not disturb them..."
Welt's tone was filled with curiosity.
Since Stelle and Pei Guang boarded the train, he felt the train and their exploration tasks were filled with joy and laughter. At least with Pei Guang around, he could freely indulge in some fun without worrying about being judged.
At this point, both Pei Guang and Stelle had entered their "play mode." Stelle, though only a month old, instinctively spoke up as a Trailblazer.
"If you want it, you'll have to take it yourself! You've known this logic for a long time."
Stelle stood up, put away the War-Flaming Lance and the club, and grabbed a large loaf of bread, giving Pei Guang a "I'm the boss" look.
Pei Guang now held a large loaf of bread he'd brought from Belobog and pointed it at Stelle.
"In my memory, every time we open a treasure chest, we're competing for it, hmm~"
Pei Guang grinned, and Stelle also revealed a smug smile. "Hmph!"
At this moment, the two of them dashed toward each other.
Pei Guang: "Time to settle this!"
Stelle took a big bite of the loaf of bread, chewing while smiling. "I won't let you have the trash can, only the strong deserve it."
Pei Guang and Stelle started to fight, using the Belobog bread as weapons. One swung the loaf like a sword, and the other wielded it like a club, sending gusts of wind with every swing.
Every time the loaves collided, crumbs flew everywhere.
As the crumbs scattered, Pei Guang and Stelle gave the onlookers a performance on how not to waste food.
Pei Guang: "Let me show you my Power!!!"
But it wasn't just a simple loaf battle. Pei Guang, with his lack of fair play, took a bite out of Stelle's loaf, tearing it away from her.
Stelle's eyes widened as she watched. "What kind of Power is that?!"
Pei Guang: "The kind that loves you! Cat Power!"
Stelle: "Ah~ stop saying such embarrassing things~"
March 7th: "?"
The pause didn't last long. Once they were in full swing, they weren't going to stop until someone won.
While they were battling, swinging Belobog's signature bread as weapons, they even shouted things like "Dimensional Slash," "Illusory Invisible Sword," and "Phantom Sword Dance."
Influenced by Pei Guang, Stelle shouted: "Power! My Power loves me, more Power!"
In the train hall, with swords and... bread flying?
The two were fighting quickly, but as Pei Guang had inspired a rather unconventional fighting style, their tactics began to shift as well.
What started as a contest of strength soon turned into a bread-eating contest.
And, just to clarify, they were nibbling on each other's bread.
In just five minutes, only the palms of their loaves were left. Just as they were about to grab each other's bread to finish it, March 7th jumped in.
"Stop, you two!"
As soon as the voice came out, the expressions of Pei Guang and Stelle, who had been happily playing, froze.
Both of them, lying on the ground and tangled up in the act of fighting over loaves of bread, turned toward the sound. There, not far away, March 7th was holding a camera, looking at them, with Welt and Himeko calmly standing beside her.
In that instant, Pei Guang and Stelle's bodies stiffened.
They stared at March 7th for a long while before Pei Guang and Stelle spoke at the same time: "'March... when did you get here?"'