Stelle was stunned by the joke for a solid three seconds before helplessly saying, "The cardboard boxes, hand them over."
"Happy to serve you."
"Shush," keeping its promise, retrieved two cardboard boxes. "May I ask, would you like the one on my left or the one on my right?"
"Is there a difference?"
"Oh, of course," "Shush" explained. "The one on my left originally contained grape juice. My system detected a residual six percent concentration of grape aroma."
"And the one on my right is…"
Stelle cut it off directly. "Just give me both. I just want to piece together a bed to sleep on."
"Piece together a bed?"
A clear, cool voice came from behind. March 7th had entered the party car at some point, arms crossed. "Is your room that bad?"
"Well, I'm new here, so it's not surprising I don't have a proper room yet," Stelle shrugged. "I'll make do for now. Anyway, the Trailblazer's conductor already promised to order me a set of furniture. It should be ready in a few days."
"Oh…"
March 7th nodded thoughtfully and said softly to "Shush," "One 'Deep Blue to Purple,' please."
"Coming right up."
"You drink?" Stelle's eyes widened. She realized she still didn't know much about her companions in this world.
"Yeah, special reasons."
March 7th gave a brief explanation before falling silent again, making the atmosphere a bit awkward.
"Well, uh, enjoy your drink. I won't disturb you any longer," Stelle said with a smile, clutching the collected cardboard boxes. "I'm heading upstairs to set up my bed. Catch you later."
With that, Stelle went straight upstairs, but to her surprise, a green-clad figure was standing at her room's door.
"You're back."
Dan Heng saw Stelle, holding a set of bedding in his hands. "I heard from the conductor that your room is missing a lot of essentials. I brought a blanket. It gets a bit cold when the train travels through space, so be careful not to catch a chill."
For some reason, seeing Dan Heng, whose character design was mostly unchanged, gave Stelle a sense of relief. She took the bedding from Dan Heng's hands. "I owe you big time!"
"It's nothing. We're all companions on the train; it's only natural," Dan Heng said. "If there's nothing else, I'll head back."
"Wait a sec!"
Stelle hurriedly called out to him, a bit embarrassed. "Um… can I ask you about something?"
"What is it?"
"I just saw March 7th drinking downstairs. She mentioned 'special reasons.' Do you know what that's about?"
Realizing her question might sound inappropriate, Stelle quickly added, "Oh, of course, I don't mean to meddle in March 7th's life. I just want to check in on her… you get what I mean, right?"
At the mention of March 7th, a rare look of helplessness crossed Dan Heng's face. "I didn't expect you to notice so quickly… It's not exactly a secret, so it's fine to tell you."
"March joined the train after me. When we found her, she was completely encased in a block of ice. It took a lot of effort to free her."
"But maybe because she was trapped in the ice for too long, March could barely speak at first, and her personality was always cold and distant. Even worse, her health has always been frail. Her body temperature stays at zero degrees, making it impossible for her to have physical contact with others…"
Stelle: ???
What kind of setting is this? Who slapped the setting of some ancient ancestor onto our March 7th?
And… during some interactions at the space station, Stelle hadn't noticed anything unusual about March 7th's body temperature. Could it be… part of her "golden finger" ability?
"March doesn't say it out loud, but we can all tell she hates being like this. So, every now and then, she tries drinking to raise her body temperature."
"I see…" Stelle thought for a moment before saying earnestly, "But I like her. We all like her, don't we?"
Dan Heng paused for a moment, and after a few seconds, a faint smile curved his lips. "Yeah."
…
"Dear passenger March 7th, your alcohol consumption today has exceeded your usual average. You seem quite happy."
Behind the bar, "Shush" prepared another strong drink and placed it in front of March 7th, asking.
"Yeah, a new friend joined the train today. She didn't seem to notice my hands are cold…" March 7th's fair cheeks were flushed with a rosy glow. She was lazily slumped over the bar, a smile lingering on her lips, lively and charming.
In this state, she actually resembled the "cute, beautiful girl version" of March 7th.
"Based on my assessment, none of the Nameless have noticed your hands are cold," "Shush" said.
"Hmph… they're all liars…" hic "The moment we touch, their bodies still instinctively shiver…" hic.
March 7th's long lashes trembled slightly, her beautiful eyes slowly closing. "Phew, they're all liars. Gentle liars."
Just then, two figures—one gray, one green—suddenly sat down on either side of her, silent.
"…"
"…"
"…Ugh, you two, you were eavesdropping on me, weren't you?"
March 7th was the first to break the silence. Her eyes glared at the two beside her with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance. Perhaps a bit drunk, her ears were bright red, and her voice carried a lively, girlish charm. "Eavesdropping on this lady's conversation? Watch out, or I'll deal with you both!"
Stelle and Dan Heng exchanged a glance, neither saying a word.
"…Hmph."
March 7th let out a soft huff, put down her glass, and turned to leave. But at that moment, the alcohol hit her, causing a brief moment of dizziness. She stumbled, about to fall to the ground—
Stelle and Dan Heng immediately steadied her, asking with concern, "March, shall we take you back to your room?"
"N-no need…"
Despite her words, March 7th let them help her back to her room. But at the door, Dan Heng suddenly stopped and said, "You take March inside. Make sure to change her clothes and tuck her in properly."
Stelle was stunned. "Me? Is that… appropriate?"
Dan Heng said calmly, "We're all friends, but there's still a difference between men and women. It's not convenient for me to do this. You're a girl, so March won't mind."
Stelle: …
Damn it… how did she forget? She's using Stelle's body right now, unmistakably a girl.
But if she actually did this, wouldn't it be a bit unethical?
Carrying March 7th horizontally into the room, Stelle's face was full of hesitation. Her heart was pounding, and it felt like two voices were arguing in her head:
—No, no, no, Stelle, you're a gentleman, a pure-hearted warrior. You can't take advantage of someone in a vulnerable state!
—Stelle, come on, it's just a game character. What's wrong with taking a little advantage? Don't you want to?
Stelle gently placed March 7th on the bed, tucked her in with the blanket, shook her head firmly, and turned to leave.
But at that moment, a small hand suddenly grabbed her wrist. March 7th, eyes closed, murmured, "…Stelle, don't sleep in a cardboard box. Come sleep here… it's fine."
"Anyway…" hic "My place is pretty big."