Back at the Herta Space Station, Mo Wang felt a wave of nostalgia.
"Emmmm, it feels like coming home after a few months away. Can I even call this place home?" he wondered. As the place of his 'birth,' he was, for all intents and purposes, a native.
"So, why did we rush back here? Don't tell me you were just feeling homesick," March 7th asked. He had dragged her here without a word of explanation.
"Uh, Herta contacted me. She wants to see me within two hours, or else..."
"So? What's that got to do with me?" She wasn't afraid of Herta.
"Can I just say that I'm afraid she's going to dissect me?" he admitted. Before, when he was just a Stellaron-infused nobody, she had already subjected him to all sorts of tests. Now that he was a dual Emanator, who knew what she had in store for him?
"And what am I supposed to do about it? Hold her back?"
"There's safety in numbers, right? And if I'm going down, I'm taking someone with me." If Dan Heng hadn't refused to come, he would have dragged him along too.
"You bastard! I knew you were up to no good!" she yelled, swiping at him with her claws. He easily dodged.
"I'm going back to the Express! You can be Herta's lab rat all by yourself!"
"I don't believe you. The cutest mascot of the Astral Express, the beautiful March 7th, wouldn't abandon her best buddy."
"Hmph, you only call me beautiful when you want something. You were too busy flirting with all those girls in Belobog to even think about me."
"Oh? Is our dear March-chan jealous? How about I take you on a date next time?" he teased.
"Who wants to go on a date with you?!" she said, her face turning red as she slapped him on the back.
"Next," the guard at the entrance called out. When Mo Wang handed over his pass, the guard's eyes went wide.
"M-Mo Wang?!" he shrieked, drawing the attention of everyone around them.
"Hey, is it really that surprising to see me? You don't have to scream," Mo Wang said, cleaning out his ear.
"You're scarier than a ghost!" the guard stammered, backing away as if he were a terrorist. The crowd, hearing his name, began to panic.
"What?! The Emanator of Elation is here?! No!"
"Mommy! I want to go home! Get me the next flight out of here!"
"Why is he here?!"
"Hey! It's me, Mo Wang! Your buddy! Your hero! You can't have forgotten me already!" he yelled, but it was no use.
"That's why we're scared!" the guard trembled. The thought of Elation running rampant on the space station was more terrifying than another attack by the Antimatter Legion.
"Do you have to be so dramatic? I was born here, for crying out loud!" But the guard just remembered the months Mo Wang had spent here, collecting trash from every single bin on the station, and the rumors that he was a Stellaron given human form.
"Are... are you here to steal all the trash cans? Or fill every corner of the station with garbage?!" the guard wailed.
March 7th was doubled over with laughter.
"What's going on here?" a gentle voice asked.
"Asta! My savior! You're finally here!" The pink-haired station master had arrived.
"Mo Wang? What are you doing here?" she asked, surprised. He quickly explained the situation.
"I see," she said, nodding at the terrified guard. "You've been through a lot. I'll take it from here. You can rest now."
"Station Master Asta! I will follow you for the rest of my life!" the guard cried, vowing to join her fan club.
"It's been a while, Asta. You've gotten even more mature," Mo Wang said as they walked.
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" she replied with a smile.
"A good thing, of course! You're more and more like a real station master. Elegant, graceful, the face of the station!"
"Hey, what about me?" March pouted. "Am I not prettier and more graceful?"
"I see you every day, March-chan. I'm already used to your beauty," he said, and she blushed.
"Hmph! You're just biased!"
They bickered all the way to Herta's office, the other researchers on the station barely giving them a second glance. It was just like old times.
"Alright, we're here. You should go in," Asta said.
"Do... do we have to?" Mo Wang asked, staring at the door as if it were the entrance to hell.
"Stop being a baby and get in there!" March said, pushing the door open.
"That's weird, where's Herta?" he asked, looking around the empty office.
"Maybe she stepped out?"
Slam!
The door closed behind them, making them both jump. Asta was gone.
"Are you... looking for me?" a familiar voice said.
A mature, beautiful woman was standing beside them, staring at him with an amused expression.
Holy crap, who are you? And why do you look so much like that bratty little Herta puppet?