Whack! Whack! Whack!
With three swift swings of the baseball bat, Tom delivered a triple-combo to Blade's head. Three impressive bumps immediately emerged—left, center, right—like small, ridiculous mountains.
Five tiny stars spun endlessly in circles above Blade's dizzy head.
Tom shoved Blade back into the speech bubble, swiftly took out a needle and thread from behind its back, and sewed the entire thing closed, shrinking it down to the size of a fist.
Grasping it firmly, Tom opened Dan Heng's window, rigged up a simple slingshot with nearby cloth, loaded the sealed bubble, pulled back hard, and let go.
Twannng—!
The bubble sailed off into some distant, unknown corner of the cosmos.
Grinning broadly, Tom leaned against the window, cheerfully waving a white handkerchief in farewell.
At that exact moment, Dan Heng awoke.
Well… naturally. After all, Tom literally threw his nightmare out the window.
Dan Heng's frantic breathing gradually settled. Taking in his surroundings and seeing Tom nearby, he recalled the nightmare vividly and nodded thoughtfully.
"Thank you, Tom."
Tom sheepishly rubbed the back of its head, flashing eight pristine white teeth with an embarrassed grin. It pointed towards the door.
Dan Heng immediately understood.
"Is it already time for the train's departure? All right, let's head to the viewing car."
He rose from his bed and followed Tom out.
...
All the Trailblazers gathered together in the Astral Express.
Seeing Yevenko, Himeko suddenly remembered something important and softly said:
"Yevenko, earlier I noticed a pitch-black photo on the table aboard your train. It's a rare and valuable curiosity—don't leave it lying around. Keep it close to you."
"I'll explain its significance later."
Yevenko nodded earnestly. Truthfully, he had no clue where the photo came from—he'd assumed it was another one of Tom's whimsical finds. But if Himeko considered it important, it must be valuable indeed.
At that moment, Dan Heng and Tom finally arrived. Everyone gathered around Pom-Pom to hear its announcement.
"Now, this conductor shall announce our next destination—"
Bzzt—!
Suddenly, a wave-like distortion rippled through the car. All eyes immediately turned toward the source.
A holographic projection emerged, casting a striking woman in glowing blue—holding a familiar black umbrella. She raised it slowly, revealing an exquisite face. With elegant, languid grace, she spoke clearly:
"Long time no see, passengers of the Astral Express."
"I'm Kafka."
She moved through the car effortlessly, confident and commanding, as though this unfamiliar space were her own domain. She seized everyone's attention instantly, calmly changing the train's destination.
Just then, standing near the back, Yevenko felt someone gently tugging at his sleeve. He turned quickly, finding Silver Wolf behind him, eyes glinting with barely hidden excitement.
"You're aboard the Astral Express now too?"
"That's fantastic—now I have someone to slack off with during these dull missions."
Silver Wolf threw her hands up excitedly, letting out a quiet "Yay!" Her hoodie briefly rose, revealing a slim waist, porcelain-smooth belly, and a delicately shadowed navel. Yevenko idly noted that having someone to slack off with was indeed excellent news for her.
"Come on," she urged, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward a secluded corner, with Tom swiftly trailing behind. Of course, Raiden Ei, who hadn't taken her eyes off Yevenko, naturally followed too.
Reaching the corner, Silver Wolf quickly tapped into a holographic interface, deftly summoning an arcade machine out of thin air.
Yevenko was stunned. So this is what she meant by "slacking off?"
Back when he was a corporate slave, Yevenko considered reading novels or chatting during office hours as peak slacking. Clearly, his slack-off skills were embarrassingly amateur—barely third-level, perhaps.
Settling in front of the arcade machine, the two exchanged friendly snacks—milk and bubble gum. Yevenko thoughtfully handed bubble gum to Tom and Ei as well, who watched quietly from the side.
After choosing characters in Street Fighter VI, they dove into battle, frantically mashing buttons and wiggling joysticks.
Honestly, while others were up front doing important "work," sneaking in games like this was thrillingly satisfying.
Meanwhile, March 7th grew impatient listening to Kafka's speech. She turned back, whispering:
"Hey, Yevenko, what do you think—"
But turning around, she realized Yevenko had disappeared! Scanning around, she spotted him half-hidden behind a strange machine. Curious, March wandered toward it.
Stelle hesitated too, unsure if changing the train's destination was wise. Turning to discuss it with March, she found March had vanished as well!
She glanced back nervously at Himeko and Welt—still deep in conversation with Kafka—and decided it wouldn't hurt to step away briefly. After all, that strange machine looked intriguing…
From the corner of his eye, Dan Heng saw Stelle wander off and, equally curious, quietly followed.
Unaware of her shrinking audience, Kafka continued calmly:
"The Xianzhou Luofu is currently very close to you. Two warp jumps and you can arrive there."
"Forty-five system hours ago, a Stellaron erupted on Luofu. A sudden disaster, wouldn't you say?"
Himeko frowned slightly, sighing, "Just say what you really mean, Kafka."
Kafka nodded slightly. "Simple enough. This Stellaron incident has nothing to do with us, yet the Xianzhou are blaming the Stellaron Hunters anyway."
"Additionally, my companion Blade has been captured by the Cloud Knights. I intend to retrieve him, resolve this chaos, and clear our names."
She glanced to her side, noticing Blade's hologram was oddly missing.
"Silver Wolf?"
Receiving no reply, Kafka scanned the room, only then realizing almost everyone had vanished—only Himeko and Welt remained. Her gaze finally landed on the corner, crowded with people. An ominous feeling rose inside her.
She strode over purposefully. Following her gaze, Himeko and Welt finally noticed the crowd as well. All three "adults" marched toward the corner together.
The corner was in a state of intense battle.
Yevenko's fingers had grown sore from mashing buttons, but he stayed laser-focused, launching combo after combo.
"Combo! Combo! Yevenko, use the Hadouken!" March shouted frantically.
"Why does she keep blocking everything? Let me play—I'm pretty decent at Street Fighter myself!" Stelle joined in eagerly.
The noisy commotion annoyed Yevenko.
"Silver Wolf, they're so loud. Won't Kafka catch us slacking off?"
Silver Wolf confidently smirked, "Relax. I've used ether editing to isolate the sound and blur their vision. As long as Kafka doesn't look directly, we're safe."
"I just have to trigger Blade's hologram at scheduled intervals according to Elio's script…"
Her voice trailed off, expression freezing.
"Wait… what time is it now? I got so absorbed in the game I completely forgot!"
A wave of dread washed over her.
The next second—
SLAP—!
A slender, purple-gloved hand outlined in luminous blue landed atop the arcade machine. Everyone froze, slowly looking up to see Kafka and Himeko smiling warmly. Only Welt silently adjusted his glasses.
Yet even his lenses couldn't hide his excited glint.
Stepping closer, Welt murmured nostalgically:
"Is this an arcade machine? How nostalgic—mind if I try?"
He was momentarily lost in thoughts—not just about the arcade, but also the fleeting glimpse of someone familiar when Raiden Ei boarded. Unfortunately, now wasn't the time to bring it up.
Noticing Himeko's pointed gaze, Welt cleared his throat, swiftly stepping back beside her.
"Playing games secretly during an important discussion? As punishment, this arcade machine is now confiscated."
Kafka shook her head helplessly, sighing softly:
"Silver Wolf, at least display Blade's hologram now."
Caught red-handed, Silver Wolf reluctantly pressed a virtual button.
Instantly, Blade's hologram appeared—head adorned with three absurdly prominent bumps.
"Pfft—!"
Someone immediately burst out laughing.
---
Xianzhou Luofu, Shackling Prison.
Two solemn Cloud Knights escorted a navy-haired man forward. On a raised platform waited two figures.
One was a tall, white-haired man with golden eyes, wearing ornate armor with a lion's-head pauldron—Jing Yuan, general of the Luofu. Despite his majestic bearing, heavy, swollen dark circles marked his eyes.
Beside him stood Yanqing, usually sharp-eyed and alert, now desperately nodding off.
"Yanqing," Jing Yuan whispered.
Startled awake, Yanqing straightened sharply. "Yes, General!"
"Pay close attention to this prisoner."
Yanqing turned obediently, forcing open his sleepy eyes—
—and saw Blade, his head sporting three absurdly conspicuous bumps.
Yanqing's lips twitched desperately, holding back laughter.
After a pause, Jing Yuan sighed softly and questioned his knights sternly:
"Did you secretly torture this man?"
"No, General. He was already like this when we brought him out."
Jing Yuan nodded solemnly, eyeing Blade intently. "Do you remember me?"
Blade's voice rasped ominously, "I do." A sinister smile curved his lips. "Five people, three must pay—"
Jing Yuan interrupted coldly, "Explain the bumps on your head."
Blade: "…"
Ignoring the question, Blade dramatically resumed his speech:
"Jing Yuan—" Crimson eyes lifted with menace. "You are not one—"
"What about your dark circles?" Blade said calmly.
Blade and Jing Yuan silently stared at each other, enemies now sharing awkward empathy.
Finally, Jing Yuan admitted bitterly:
"You may not believe it, but…my eyes were injured by a mouse."
Blade nodded slowly.
"I believe you. My bumps were caused in a dream—by a cat wielding a baseball bat."
The former allies, now bitter foes, gazed wordlessly at each other, united briefly in mutual embarrassment.
Blade secretly consoled himself: at least fewer people had witnessed his humiliation. Jing Yuan, however, would never live down those dark circles.