At the train station in the Steam Capital.
Chen Kong looked at Liu Ma, who was currently red-faced and at a loss for words.
He was just about to help him out of his predicament when the line in front suddenly moved forward, and it was the JK girl's turn to have her ticket checked.
She took the ticket back from the attendant and waved goodbye to Liu Ma.
"Old man, see you at the concert later!"
With those words, the JK girl skipped towards the train platform, her ponytail tracing a pink arc in the air, leaving Liu Ma alone, standing rooted to the spot with something unsaid on his lips.
After an unknown amount of time, Chen Kong suddenly gave the big, simple-minded guy a hard slap on the back, who was still grinning foolishly while staring at the girl's retreating back.
"Hey, she's gone. Stop staring."
Liu Ma snapped back to reality, coughing twice to cover his embarrassment.
"Cough, cough, g-gone! Time to check tickets!"
Vivian followed behind the two. She first looked at Liu Ma's reddened ears, then glanced in the direction where the pink-haired girl had disappeared, a thoughtful expression on her face.
Even after checking their tickets and entering the station, Liu Ma still seemed unable to recover from the earlier blow, continuously muttering under his breath.
"I'm really only nineteen! Is it so bad to be a little mature and steady?"
Annoyed by him, Chen Kong couldn't help but retort, "Yes, yes, the mature and steady 'old man'. If you don't get on the train, this one's going to leave, you know?"
Shortly after the three boarded the train, the wind on the platform stirred the white steam, and the train bound for the Crimson Mist Capital sounded its departure whistle.
On the distant advertisement screen, Jing Liuli's song still echoed in the station.
What Chen Kong and his companions didn't realize was that this seemingly relaxed concert trip would be more winding than they imagined. Even the people they would meet along the way would defy their expectations.
For example... the unfamiliar JK girl they had just encountered.
In the early morning, the metal carriage of the steam train was slightly warmed by the sun, and the second-class seat covers carried a faint, aged leather smell.
Attendants occasionally pushed meal carts down the aisle. The clanging of metal trays mixed with shouts of 'Coffee, tea, mineral water' gave the dimensional viewers a long-lost memory of riding old-fashioned green-skin trains in their childhood.
This also gave the scene a strange sense of everyday life.
In the aisle, Liu Ma had just found his seat with his luggage. Before he could even sit down, a familiar voice rang out in front of him.
"Huh? Old man, you're in this carriage too!"
Liu Ma abruptly looked up. The pink-haired girl he had briefly met earlier was standing in the aisle, holding a small suitcase with a purple butterfly pattern, her expression one of surprise.
Her twin pigtails swayed slightly in the breeze from the window, and her eyes curved into adorable crescent shapes as she smiled.
Seeing the smiling JK girl, Liu Ma's face instantly flushed red. He opened and closed his mouth for a long time before finally managing to blurt out: "Y-You're in second-class too?"
"Yep! The money I save can buy two extra boxes of Liuli's limited-edition merchandise!"
The JK girl shook the train ticket in her hand and pointed to the empty seat right across the aisle from Liu Ma.
"And this is my seat~"
Before Liu Ma could react, Chen Kong, ever the alert wingman, whooshed into the window seat that was originally Liu Ma's.
After sitting down, he deliberately winked at Vivian.
Vivian saw this, suppressed a laugh, and tacitly sat down next to Chen Kong.
The two instantly exchanged a 'watch the show' look, then turned to Liu Ma, who was still standing in the aisle like a wooden man. Their shoulders quietly trembled; they were clearly using great effort to keep from bursting out laughing.
That big fool was just now grinning foolishly at her back on the platform, and now he had turned into a mute.
Liu Ma looked at the occupied seat, then at the seat the JK girl had already settled into. He braced himself and pulled out the chair next to her, sitting down with rigid movements.
Due to the immense weight brought by Liu Ma's imposing 2.2-meter figure, the seat let out a soft 'creak' when he sat down, which was particularly noticeable in the quiet corner.
Hearing the embarrassing sound, Liu Ma immediately straightened his back and pretended to be intensely studying the scenery outside the window.
Seeing Chen Kong and Vivian's incredibly coordinated wingman move on screen, the dimensional viewers erupted in laughter.
'Hahaha, fate is mysterious and wonderful!'
'Liu Ma: I just wanted to save some money, why am I about to get a (fake) girlfriend?'
'I blindly guess this JK girl is not simple! She might be a hidden big shot!'
'In any case, this concert trip is definitely going to be lively~'
The moment the train pulled away from the Steam Capital, the camera of the theatrical version seemed to freeze on a seagull, giving an overhead close-up of the steam train and its surroundings.
In this perspective, a fantastic seascape, different from the cyberpunk style of the Steam Capital, appeared before the dimensional viewers.
White train steam mixed with moist seawater, drifting above the Crimson Mist Sea.
Several silver flying fish with wings skimmed the surface of the sea on both sides of the train, kicking up fine sprays of water.
As the seagull flew past the window where Liu Ma and the others were seated, the camera of the theatrical version returned to them.
In the picture, Liu Ma on the seat showed no interest in the beautiful scenery outside. His peripheral vision kept glancing sideways.
The JK girl was pressed against the train window, her nose almost touching the glass. Her pink hair was messy from the wind, and she was softly muttering things like 'I think there are glowing fish in the mist,' clearly full of curiosity about everything in the Crimson Mist Sea.
Seeing the JK girl focused on the scenery outside, Liu Ma cleared his throat and spoke: "Um... Are you traveling to the Crimson Mist Capital alone? Aren't your family worried?"
Hearing this, the JK girl spun around, her eyes sparkling, and she said proudly: "Don't underestimate me, old man!"
"I'm a Tier 1 Star Envoy certified by the Steam Capital Star Envoy Association! Traveling alone is no problem at all~"
As she spoke, the JK girl earnestly clenched her small fist, indicating that she was actually very capable.
"Oh?"
Liu Ma raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He finally found a topic they could talk about.
He looked at the proud JK girl and praised her: "I didn't realize you were so formidable."
"Of course I am!"
The JK girl shook her head proudly. Her gaze fell on the curved horns on top of Liu Ma's head, and her eyes instantly lit up.
"Old man, you must be a Star Envoy too, right? After all, your horns are so cool!"
Struck on a point of pride, Liu Ma straightened his back, nodding with an air of profoundness: "Yes, I come from the Seventh Floating City, Martial Sky Capital."
The JK girl's eyes sparkled with admiration, and she said excitedly: "Then you must have been on many interesting adventures, right? Can you tell me about them!"
Hearing this, Liu Ma deliberately slowed his speech, pausing before saying: "I've been on quite a few missions. For instance, I eliminated a rampaging Armored Bear in the Black Forest, and I tracked a Star Beast lair in the Misty Swamp..."
Liu Ma seized the opportunity, selecting some shareable adventure stories and embellishing them.
At the same time, when he caught sight of the JK girl's look of utter admiration from the corner of his eye, Liu Ma's sense of vanity swelled like a balloon.
Indeed, no one can refuse a cool adventure story!
After listening to Liu Ma's boasts, the JK girl immediately provided an abundance of emotional validation at the appropriate moment.
"Wow! You're so amazing, old man! Much more interesting than the teachers at my school who teach Star Envoy history!"
With those words, the JK girl suddenly changed the subject.
"So, old man... are your two companions Star Envoys too?"
"Mhm."
Hearing this, a gleam flashed in the JK girl's eyes.
Then, without waiting for Liu Ma to continue boasting about his glorious deeds, she thought for a moment, then suddenly turned to Vivian, who was seated across the aisle.
With an innocent, sweet smile, she extended her hand toward Vivian.
"Hello, big sister~"
"My name is Ying Qianhuan, and I'm a senior student at Trist High School in the Upper City of the Steam Capital."
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