Ten minutes after departure, the train had fully entered the vast cosmic expanse.
Sailing smoothly through the starfield, Pom-Pom's voice soon crackled over the intercom, announcing that everyone was free to move about the cabins.
Himeko reluctantly let go of Yuki's hand and rose to her feet, gazing out at the breathtaking view beyond the window.
The boundless depths of space stretched before her, an endless dark canvas, profound and silent.
Brilliant starlight flickered in the distance. Countless celestial bodies and planets drifted by like companions on this journey without a final destination.
Watching this unfold, Himeko felt an overwhelming sense of joy.
The Path of Trailblaze—hers and her companions'—was finally unfolding before them, leading to new, uncharted worlds.
She couldn't wait to reach their first stop. What kind of world would it be? What stories awaited them there?
All of it sparkled brightly in her golden eyes.
Yuki, meanwhile, wasn't lost in quite the same reverie.
The Astral Express had set off much earlier than it would have in the original flow of fate. Because of this massive shift, both he and March 7th received notifications from the chat group, reward points for altering destiny.
This time, the reward was substantial: a massive 80,000 points.
It was enough to show just how significant the Express's early departure was to the overarching trajectory of this universe's timeline.
March 7th's share came to 50,000 points, more than enough for her to finally boost her strength and unlock her hidden potential.
As for March herself? No surprise there, she had completely wiped out the moment the train launched.
She was still sprawled on the floor, groaning in pain.
"Oww..."
Yuki shook his head with a helpless smile, then got up and walked over to haul the impulsive girl to her feet.
"See? Told you you'd fall."
"If you'd just sat down like I said..." Yuki gave her a flat look, clearly unimpressed.
March 7th, now back on her feet, rubbed her sore backside with a deeply embarrassed expression.
"How was I supposed to know I'd actually wipe out? This is the Astral Express! You're telling me you can't even stand up when it launches?"
She grumbled under her breath, low-key questioning the legendary train's engineering.
"No duh. Sure, the train has some black tech, but not that much. A lot of it's still based on traditional physics and kinetics."
"Sudden acceleration throwing off your center of gravity at launch? Totally normal."
"Not my fault you were too stubborn to listen."
Yuki rattled off a bunch of technical jargon that left March 7th completely lost.
"What are you even saying? 'Center of gravity'? 'Kinetics'? What is all that nonsense?!"
She scratched her head, radiating that special kind of clueless charm.
Yuki sighed. "Look, just don't do it again, alright?"
"No way!"
"I'm gonna conquer this! Once I figure out the timing, I won't fall next time!"
March 7th shook her head, stubborn as ever, there was no way she was letting one little tumble defeat her.
"Your stubbornness is seriously misdirected." Yuki's eye twitched, but he gave up. Some people just had to learn the hard way.
"At least you're tough. No damage done." He gave her a once-over and nodded approvingly.
"'Tough'?! Who calls a beautiful girl 'tough'?!"
"Where am I even tough?! Huh?!"
Hands on her hips, she glared at him, demanding an answer.
Yuki looked right at her face.
"Tough skin."
Then his gaze slowly traveled down, until it stopped at well-endowed bosom.
"Soft."
"AH!"
"Pervert!"
"You're totally a creep!"
March 7th immediately crossed her arms over her chest, cheeks burning as she squeaked out the accusation.
Yuki just grinned, shook his head, and turned back toward the sofa.
"Pervert... always taking advantage of me..." she muttered under her breath, still red-faced, before shuffling over and plopping down beside him anyway.
Despite all the complaints, there was a little flutter in her chest she couldn't quite explain.
"Oh, right! I totally forgot—I got reward points this time! Over 50,000! Yes! Finally, I can upgrade!"
Eyes fixed on her chat group balance, her gradient-colored pupils sparkled with excitement.
With what she already had, she was sitting on 60,000 points now. Enough to upgrade her abilities and maybe even try the gacha a few times.
"Your points, your call. Do whatever you want with them," Yuki said simply.
March 7th nodded and dove into the chat group interface, mentally planning how to allocate her newfound wealth.
Elsewhere in the universe.
On some nameless planet, in a hidden refuge.
A figure sat in a chair, their features obscured by the shadows.
Suddenly, they stiffened, as if sensing something entirely unexpected.
"No... how? The Express is back... already?!"
"This changes everything... Can the script still unfold as planned...?"
The figure murmured softly to themselves, a mix of confusion and heavy speculation in their voice.
Just then, another silhouette—tall and imposing—slowly entered from outside.
Dim light fell upon the figure, revealing a layer of white, metallic armor.
As they stepped fully into the light, their entire form became clear. A person clad in heavy white armor, like a towering mechanical warrior, now stood before them.
"Elio, what's wrong?"
"The one who always has everything under control doesn't suit you to sound so uncertain."
A synthesized, metallic male voice emerged from beneath the armored helmet.
"That was then, Sam," the one called Elio replied with a bitter smile.
"A few days ago, I sensed a massive shift in fate. The future has become an unknown variable. Now... I've completely lost the ability to foresee it."
"Lost your ability?! What do you mean?! Then my—"
At Elio's words, Sam's demeanor shifted sharply. His armored hands clenched into fists, tension radiating from his frame as he stared at the figure on the bench.
"To be precise, it's not that I've lost the ability entirely. I can still see certain events happening in the present."
"But the future... has become hazy. Completely unclear."
Elio shook his head, his tone laced with heavy suspicion.
"The source?" Sam asked.
"Probably linked to the Astral Express. It didn't depart according to its original timeline—it launched far too early."
"So I suspect the Express itself, or someone newly aboard it, is connected to this anomaly. My power can't see through anything on that train."
Elio voiced his theory.
"Then I'll go to the train myself. Root out the source of the change."
Hearing this, Sam's white armor flared with searing flames, as if ready to burn any obstacle to ash.
"No."
"You have another mission."
"Even if the future is unclear, the script is already set. I must see it through."
"I'll have Kafka find a chance to investigate the train. Sam, you need to prepare the stage ahead of time."
At Elio's words, the flames around Sam slowly subsided.
"Fine."
Sam turned and walked toward the exit.
But at the door, he paused and looked back, his voice low and intensely serious.
"Elio... I hope you'll keep what you promised me."
With that, he turned and stepped out of the room.
Elio watched him go, letting out a long, quiet sigh.
He had made certain promises to Sam but those were based on a future he could once see with absolute clarity.
Now? Even Elio himself couldn't say for sure.