March 7th had no idea that her little upgrade had just grabbed the attention of every major cosmic entity, past and present.
Right now, she was too busy trying to dodge Yuki's teasing gaze, eventually darting into the dining car to hide.
"Passenger March 7th! What are you doing in here?!"
"If you're here to steal Pom-Pom's favorite Pom-Pom Pie and doughnuts, Pom-Pom will get mad!"
Pom-Pom, busy preparing food, spotted March rushing in with Yuki close behind, and immediately issued a stern warning. The conductor even nervously hid a tray of doughnuts and pie behind their back.
"Uh... Conductor! Why would you automatically assume I'm here to steal your pie and doughnuts?!"
"And why am I the only one getting warned?! He came in too!" March pointed indignantly at Yuki behind her.
"(⊙o⊙)…"
Pom-Pom blinked, caught completely off guard. The conductor cleared their throat and quickly recovered.
"Ahem, Passenger March 7th!"
"Passenger Yuki is different from you! He is an exemplary passenger! He would never stoop to stealing Pom-Pom's favorite pie and doughnuts!"
"That's ridiculous, Conductor! It's because you're scared of him! You know you can't take him on!"
"You're such a cowardly conductor, picking on the easy target!" March shot the fluffy mascot a disdainful look.
"Nonsense! This conductor is no such person!"
Pom-Pom's expression turned sheepish. Their fuzzy little hands fidgeted nervously, and their eyes darted away, unable to meet hers—clearly guilty.
Unlike the others, Pom-Pom could sense the terrifying depths of Yuki's power. It was something beyond even Akivili, the former Aeon of Trailblaze. Faced with such an unfathomable existence, Pom-Pom naturally wouldn't dare complain. So of course they wouldn't snap at Yuki.
"Oh really? Then how come he's already helping himself to your pie and doughnuts? Right in front of you! Got nothing to say about that?"
March pointed at Yuki, who was leisurely munching on a slice of pie in one hand and a doughnut in the other, and shot Pom-Pom a pointed look.
Pom-Pom broke into a cold sweat.
"Uh... Pom-Pom's not mad!" the conductor squeaked.
"See?! You're totally picking on the weak!" March huffed.
"I am not!"
"Pom-Pom said no stealing! Passenger Yuki isn't stealing! He is... taste-testing!"
Pom-Pom's desperate justification made Yuki pause mid-bite, then give the conductor an amused thumbs-up.
March just stared, dumbfounded.
"Could you be any more desperate?!" she couldn't help but complain.
But hey—if Pom-Pom was gonna play that game, she wasn't about to lose out. She stepped right past the short conductor, grabbed a pie and some doughnuts from the counter, and stuffed them into her mouth.
"Waaah! Pom-Pom's pie! Doughnuts!"
"Passenger March 7th! What do you think you're doing?!"
Pom-Pom watched their beloved treats disappear into her mouth, tears welling up in their eyes. Fuming, the conductor planted their tiny hands on their hips and demanded an answer.
March swallowed her bite and replied calmly, "Conductor, you said it yourself—no stealing. So I'm taking them right in front of you. That's not stealing!"
Pom-Pom was speechless.
Because... that was literally what they had just said. Now they'd shot themselves in the foot. The frustration was real.
At this moment, the only one suffering here was Pom-Pom. The poor conductor seriously wanted to find a quiet corner and cry.
Yuki, having finished his pie and doughnut, dusted off his hands and offered some comfort.
"Conductor, your pie and doughnuts are pretty good."
"Here's a little reward for you."
With a snap of his fingers, the entire dining car's tables were suddenly covered in pies and doughnuts. Same style, same taste, same look—identical to Pom-Pom's culinary creations.
Pom-Pom's jaw dropped.
"Oh my god... you're using your transcendent powers for this?!" March exclaimed, staring at the car now overflowing with treats.
"Who do you think made our conductor cry? This is compensation." Yuki shot her a look.
Pom-Pom, on the other hand, was overjoyed. Their impression of Yuki did a complete 180.
This guy? A truly good person! A great benefactor! A five-star-rated train passenger!!!
If Pom-Pom had to pick a favorite passenger right now, it would undoubtedly be Yuki.
"What do you mean I made him cry?! You were part of it too!" March pouted, refusing to take all the blame.
"Come on, let's leave the conductor alone." Yuki smiled and turned to leave the dining car.
March followed. But halfway out, she grabbed an entire plate of pie and doughnuts.
"Conductor, mind if I take this plate?"
"Take it, take it! Passenger March 7th!" Pom-Pom waved a paw happily, not caring at all. The conductor had plenty now—enough to stock up and last a long, long while.
Back outside the dining car, March had already gotten over the whole "X-ray vision" panic.
Her reasoning? He'd already seen everything anyway when she was unconscious in the ice. What difference did it make? So she had made peace with it.
Settling down on the Parlor Car sofa, she munched on her stolen snacks while thinking about her remaining points.
Originally, she'd considered upgrading "Source of Imaginary · Tier 1" again, to see if she could push it to Tier 2.
But when she saw the cost jump from 20,000 to a massive 50,000 points, she started thinking more carefully.
Sure, upgrading again would boost her power exponentially, but she only had 40,000 points left right now.
So instead, she figured she'd upgrade her other ability—Crystallized Memory. That way, she'd still have points left over to try the gacha.
Decision made.
But just as she was about to interact with the chat group interface, Yuki suddenly spoke.
"Come out. You're already here, why hide?"
He gazed into empty space, his tone perfectly calm.
March blinked, confused. "Huh?"
She didn't get why he was talking to thin air.
Then, a strange, echoing voice filled the carriage.
"Heehee haha—!!!"
"Got caught! Aha's lost face!"
The bizarre laughter bounced off the walls, but there was no one in sight.
March felt her skin crawl.
"What... what is that?! Why is someone laughing?!"
"Aha? Could it be the Aeon of Elation? The one they call the 'Jester God'?"
Himeko had finally snapped out of her intense focus at the navigation console and now stood beside them, alert, scanning the surroundings. As a brilliant scientist, she had studied the Aeons extensively.
"Himeko, you're finally paying attention! Took you long enough!" March remarked, though her voice wavered nervously.
"Heh. Even I can't resist the power in that laughter. I'm only human, after all." Himeko had only been pulled from her deep thoughts by the sheer, undeniable cosmic force of that very laughter.
"Oh! The Navigator of the Astral Express knows me!"
"Heehee haha—! Aha's got face!"
The voice was full of mirth, but to March and Himeko, it felt anything but funny. It was unsettling. Eerie. A being of unimaginable power had infiltrated their sanctuary.