The moment Yevenko saw Raiden Ei, his face lit up into a bright smile as he called out warmly:
"I'm home!"
The cat ears had already vanished from his head, and the power of the [Transformation Stone] was nearly gone, leaving only a thin thread of energy keeping his spirits lifted.
Even now, Yevenko could hardly believe what had happened—that he and Tom had actually pummeled the Aeon of Nihility senseless and escaped intact.
Well...not exactly intact.
If not for Tom's tireless resurrections, Yevenko would've permanently laid flat countless times back in the Astral Express.
Still, all's well that ends well.
Though… did my Astral Express end up drifting back to Jarilo-VI after smashing through Nihility?
Shaking his head, Yevenko decided not to dwell on it.
Right now, seeing someone he could finally talk to, he eagerly wanted to share the bizarre adventures of saving Izumo and thrashing Nihility. Excitement filled his face, his body practically vibrating with anticipation.
"Ei, you wouldn't believe the incredible things I went through this time! Let me tell you—"
Yevenko took a step forward.
One second, his eyes were sparkling, brimming with excitement.
The next, the [Transformation Stone]'s power fully expired, and crushing fatigue overwhelmed him.
It was the accumulation of dozens, perhaps hundreds of deaths, and the release after holding his nerves taut against IX. His body grew impossibly heavy, eyelids fluttering shut, and he struggled weakly before collapsing forward.
Yet no sound of impact came—because he fell gently into Raiden Ei's embrace.
Soft, even breathing filled the silence; Yevenko had already fallen deeply asleep.
In his dreams, Yevenko believed he had collapsed onto a wonderfully soft bed, resting his head on pillows plush and full like steamed buns.
But since when do pillows feel like steamed buns? Ridiculous.
In reality, Ei held Yevenko tenderly, feeling the overwhelming fatigue radiating from him, along with the heavy traces of Nihility lingering around him.
She recognized this sensation immediately. Clarity flickered briefly through her violet eyes, quickly replaced by boundless tenderness. She softly caressed Yevenko's hair and whispered gently:
"I know..."
"I understand."
"You've worked so hard this time."
At that moment, a black hole appeared on the ceiling of the Astral Express. Ei glanced up, noticing Tom tumbling through, then decided not to worry further.
Scooping Yevenko up princess-style, she quietly carried him back to his room.
Alongside Tom, a single photograph fluttered down from the black hole.
Landing gracefully, Tom spotted the photo and picked it up curiously.
But the photo appeared completely pitch-black.
Tom stuck out its tongue and gave the darkness a few experimental licks before pulling out a cloth, wiping vigorously with squeaky glass-cleaning sounds.
The hidden scene emerged clearly—
—it was a moving picture of Tom and Yevenko repeatedly flattening IX with flyswatters.
Tom stared intently at the image.
Suddenly, inside the picture, Yevenko-as-Tom pointed directly at the camera, causing the Tom in the photo to march over, dramatically pulling a set of black curtains shut. Darkness filled the photo again.
Scratching its head, Tom tossed the photo aside. The picture gently landed on a nearby table.
Yawning widely, Tom patted its mouth. After playing for so long, even it was tired.
In a blur, Tom sprinted toward its cozy cat-bed in Yevenko's room, lying down so quickly the blanket flew high into the air. Eyes closed, Tom lazily stretched its arm several meters upward, catching the blanket neatly and pulling it back down.
Wrapped snugly, Tom quickly fell asleep.
---
Half a day later.
Yevenko's Astral Express doors gently slid open.
A pink-haired girl's head poked inside, glancing around curiously.
Satisfied it was safe, March 7th fully stepped inside.
"Oh, it's really back. I was wondering why Yevenko, Tom, and their Astral Express vanished without warning for most of the day."
Pursing her lips thoughtfully, March continued, "I thought it was another 'Henri-style' hidden quest where we'd have to search for missing companions."
Stelle walked in right after, placing her hands confidently on her hips and nodding in agreement.
"Right? I almost thought my new big brother had disappeared for good. That would've made our siblinghood super awkward."
Himeko entered last. Hearing the two Trailblazers' banter, she gently shook her head, softly remarking:
"We came to check on Yevenko and Tom because we were genuinely worried. Vanishing without notice for nearly a day means something serious must've happened."
"If they ran into trouble, we'd all figure it out together."
"But it looks like they're not in the lounge car now?"
Himeko furrowed her brows, crossing her arms lightly, inadvertently emphasizing her generous curves as she glanced around. Suddenly, she spotted a conspicuous photo lying on a table, emanating an unusual aura.
Stelle and March also noticed and stepped closer, curious.
Picking it up, Himeko saw only a pitch-black surface at first.
"This is…"
Realization struck her. Flipping it over revealed a bright red stamp of a Fool's Mask clearly printed on the back.
Shock flashed through Himeko's amber eyes.
"It really is one of those photographs!"
Confused, Stelle looked to March, expecting to exchange puzzled glances—only to see March proudly wagging a finger, grinning smugly.
"Hehe, I actually know about this one."
"It's a massive secret of the universe!"
Growing serious, March lowered her voice dramatically, recounting gravely:
"It's said this photograph story originated from a certain masked Fool. He declared: 'Do you want to become an Aeon? If so, take them! They're all hidden in these photographs. Go find them!'"
"And thus began the Great Photo Era of the cosmos!"
Stelle tilted her head skeptically. The story sounded oddly familiar—like March had lifted it from some cheesy novel.
She turned toward Himeko, surprised to see her nodding seriously.
"March is telling the truth."
"The origin of this story can no longer be traced. Initially, everyone thought it was another of the masked Fool's silly pranks—until one day, an Emanator actually found one of these photos."
Himeko calmly continued explaining.
That Emanator, obsessed with the photo, began ruthlessly pursuing more, sparking countless incidents across the cosmos. It soon came to light that the photos genuinely held the power of at least three Aeons.
This realization drove the entire universe into madness, desperately searching for more photos, believing they held the secret to ascension itself—or something equally valuable.
Eventually, though, it became clear these photos required immense combined energy—at least a dozen Emanator-level beings—to dispel their darkness and reveal their contents.
The craze slowly subsided but never entirely vanished.
Gently setting the photo back on the table, Himeko continued quietly:
"Even today, many factions still secretly seek these photos. The possibility of becoming an Aeon is simply too tempting."
"Although gathering that many Emanator-level beings is nearly impossible, rumor says collecting multiple photos reduces the energy needed."
Stelle asked thoughtfully, "Couldn't you use something like a star-destroying cannon instead?"
March shook her head.
"I get your thinking, but the energy required apparently needs to be high-quality, or at least possessed by an Emanator or near-Emanator-level Trailblazer."
Stelle nodded slowly.
Placing the photo back, Himeko spoke again:
"This photo appearing means Yevenko must've returned here safely. Perhaps they're resting in their rooms?"
With that, the trio headed toward the sleeping quarters.
---
Yevenko woke some unknown time later, eyes fluttering open.
Strange… Normally I see the whole ceiling clearly. Why do I only see half?
And the other half… seems like two perfect hemispheres?
Not only that, the pillow beneath his head felt smooth, cool, and surprisingly supple.
A faint fragrance reached his nose, and realization struck.
Oh, no.
He immediately squeezed his eyes shut, feigning sleep—
—only to hear March's delighted voice right beside him.
"Oh! Yevenko's awake!"
Yevenko: "…"
Dammit, I could've faked sleep a bit longer.
Is this payback for always teasing March?
Resignedly opening his eyes, Yevenko sat up slowly. Ei gently supported his back, carefully guiding him upright.
Seeing Yevenko glaring at her, March smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry, sorry! I shouldn't have disturbed you, but I've been sitting here so long my butt went numb!"
She rubbed her rounded backside delicately; the supple skin bounced softly back like pudding.
"Forgive me this time? Next time, I'll even give you my share of Himeko's coffee!"
Yevenko's mouth twitched into a half-smile.
"If you share Himeko's coffee with me, I'll have Ei treat you to her homeland's specialty—her legendary cooking."
March paled slightly.
Ei blinked innocently, quietly deciding to observe Yevenko closely from now on, just in case he vanished again.
Chattering playfully, the group headed toward the other Astral Express, ready for their next journey, unaware of Tom silently saving Dan Heng from a nightmare—
—by mercilessly dragging Blade out of Dan Heng's dream and beating him senseless with a baseball bat.
WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!
Blade: "???"