Hearing March 7th's words, Himeko gave a somewhat helpless smile. Her Sāmu... was quite popular, it seemed.
Sāmu couldn't help but murmur to himself, "Stelle..." The boy seemed to have some reaction to the name.
Seeing this, Himeko, considering various factors, gently asked the pink-haired girl, "In that case, could I trouble you, little March, to invite Stelle one more time?"
"I believe she will add a different kind of brightness to our Astral Express."
Stelle's joining the Astral Express was indeed necessary. It wasn't just because of the "Stellaron" inside her. It was also because Himeko believed Stelle needed a chance to discover how she was different from others. She needed to experience enough to know what she had gained and what she had lost because of the Stellaron, and who she truly was.
Stelle had to learn how to control that Stellaron. Only then could she control her own destiny. And the Astral Express was undoubtedly the most suitable place for her to walk this path.
"Roger that!" The lively March 7th's eyes crinkled into a smile.
You know, March 7th and Stelle have known each other for a while now. That girl is unbelievably strong! March 7th couldn't wait to form the Astral Express's beautiful girl duo with Stelle! As for Silver Wolf... for now, she could only wish her well with the Stellaron Hunters.
Sāmu also looked at Sister March 7th with anticipation. It seemed he also wanted to meet the big sister named "Stelle" as soon as possible. However, the topic of conversation on the train had turned to arranging a new room for him. As the person in question, he couldn't very well leave with March 7th to find her.
"There are still empty rooms in the passenger cars on the train. Pom-Pom can help tidy one up for passenger Sāmu!" Conductor Pom-Pom raised its short arms high, volunteering.
It was written as "Conductor" but read as "cleaner"... ahem. But Pom-Pom did indeed handle the cleaning of the train, and seemed to enjoy it.
"I-I can tidy it up myself!" Sāmu didn't want to be treated like a pampered child who never lifted a finger and actively volunteered.
Himeko saw through his thoughts and smiled indulgently. She knew, of course, that Sāmu was a very capable child. But sometimes, being too capable and sensible wasn't entirely a good thing. It made it hard to know how to show concern for him. It wouldn't hurt to be a little spoiled and willful once in a while~ My little Sāmu.
At this point, Himeko interjected, making the final decision. "I don't think we need to rush to clean up a room for Sāmu."
"!?" Sāmu's heart tightened. He didn't understand what that meant.
But Himeko's next words turned him from confused to utterly shy and flustered.
"My room is quite large."
"Sāmu can stay in my bedroom for now. That way, I can take care of him and help ease his discomfort from just boarding the train."
"I have spoken. Who agrees, and who objects?"
Dan Heng remained silent.
Welt lifted his gaze, then slowly lowered it. He was long past the age where he felt the need to correct his student's willfulness.
Finally, there was Pom-Pom, who shook its head like a rattle, its long ears flopping from side to side. "No objections, Pom-Pom!"
What a... "harmonious" scene. Its name was "Himeko's Dictatorship." Even if March 7th were present, it wouldn't change a thing.
"Then it's happily decided~" Himeko smiled with satisfaction.
...
Herta Space Station, Containment Zone.
A lovely young girl with short pink hair was, for some reason, acting strangely. She was seen rummaging through every trash can she encountered, muttering to herself. The passing researchers couldn't help but sigh and cast sympathetic glances.
In her quest to find the "Four Cans for a Home" Stelle, March 7th had suffered a major social death! Fortunately, the train would be departing soon. March 7th was, quite literally, moving to a new planet. So what the people on the Herta Space Station thought of her didn't matter at all.
And gradually, in the process of digging through trash cans, she strangely began to experience the joy of "opening blind boxes"! Hiss, it's so damn exciting, it's addictive!
Ordinary trash.
Ordinary trash.
Ordinary trash...
Wow! Legendary golden trash!
Ordinary trash.
Ordinary trash.
Stelle and a Cat Cake.
Ordinary trash...
Wait a minute, did she just skip over something?
Realizing it belatedly, March 7th, holding the golden trash bag she had just picked up, quickly returned to the second-to-last trash can she had opened. The girl hurriedly lifted the lid.
Sure enough, she saw Stelle hugging a Cat Cake. The two of them, a person and a cat, were staring at her with perfect synchrony, blinking their big, golden, dazed eyes.
The corner of March 7th's mouth twitched, and she dropped the golden trash in her hand as if it were scalding hot. "Ahem, well... long time no see, Stelle!"
"Mhm, it has been a long time."
"Hold on, let me wipe my face with a cat towel first." Stelle stood up from the trash can with a cabbage leaf on her head, still hugging the Cat Cake. However, the girl was generally clean and smelled faintly fragrant. It was just the place she appeared from that made one want to hold their nose.
"Towel? What towel?" March 7th didn't see any towel.
It was then that Stelle did something that made March 7th's pupils tremble. She pulled the fluffy little cat halfway out of its trash-can-shaped pastry shell and began to wipe her face with its fur.
Rub, rub, rub~
The Cat Cake didn't resist, just made a cute "m-nyu m-nyu~" sound.
March 7th was dumbfounded, feeling that Stelle had once again shattered her worldview! But she put that aside for a moment.
"I have something important to tell you, Stelle!"
"Ah~hmm, what is it? Is it more important than me getting some fries at the space station dock?" Stelle put down the Cat Cake and stretched lazily. Her languid posture suggested she was prepared to make her vagrant life of waiting for Sāmu's return a "protracted war."
"Much more important than that!"
"It's Sāmu! He's back!"
March 7th's words were like a bolt from the blue, instantly enveloping Stelle's world. And the volume of her excited voice shot like a bullet, striking the hearts of the passersby behind them!
One of them was a graceful and beautiful woman in an elegant, antique-style cheongsam. Her long-untrimmed dark hair cascaded like a waterfall, and her pair of light green, jade-like pupils shone with a firefly-like glow.
She had just left her laboratory after a long time, seeking an answer. And what had she heard?
Could it be true? With a Synesthesia Beacon, there was no mistaking it.
"Sāmu..." the woman murmured imperceptibly, in a tone only she could hear, and with a tremor only she could feel.
Ruan Mei slowly stopped in her tracks. Behind her, the conversation between March 7th and Stelle continued.
"Ouch, what are you doing! That hurts!"
"I'm checking if I'm dreaming..."
"If you want to check, use your own face! Why are you pinching mine!"
March 7th was about to lose her mind over Stelle. How could this girl be so shameless!
Stelle scratched her cheek and gave a sheepish smile. March 7th sighed. "There's no time to lose. Come back to the train with me now. Sāmu is waiting for you."
"Yay! From today on, I'm a Trailblazer!"
Just as the two decided to leave, a voice called out from behind them.
"Please wait a moment!"
The voice was clear and crisp, like pearls falling onto a jade plate. The tone was gentle and melancholic, like a weak plum blossom swaying in the wind and snow.
March 7th and Stelle turned around at the same time. The stunning figure and graceful temperament of the woman reflected in their pupils left them speechless for a long time. March 7th was someone who enjoyed reading stories about the geniuses of the Genius Society, so she instantly felt a sense of déjà vu from the woman's appearance and attire. However, rather than making wild guesses, it was probably better to ask directly.
"You are...?"
Hearing March 7th's question, Ruan Mei's eyes seemed to droop with sadness. Her tone was low.
"Me?"
— "Just a woman who wants to find her child."
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (330 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (130 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (140 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (330 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (160 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (200 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (170 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (90 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (130 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (140 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (140 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (140 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (110 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (120 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (70 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.