Huh?!!
Stelle's heart was pounding fiercely. She tried to pull away from March 7th's hand, but found her grip stronger than she expected. After a futile struggle, she was instead pulled closer, half-kneeling on the bed, her eyes practically swirling like mosquito coils in panic.
What… what kind of plot development is this?
Seemingly noticing Stelle's embarrassment, March 7th suddenly let out a "pfft" and burst into laughter. She sat up from the bed, playfully lifting Stelle's chin with a tipsy grin. "We're both girls, what's there to be shy about? It's not like this lady's gonna eat you… hic~"
March 7th rested her chin on Stelle's shoulder, like a lazy cat basking in the other's warmth. This position lasted for quite a while, until Stelle heard her soft, steady breathing—she had fallen asleep.
Phew, thank goodness. That was close to crossing a moral line… Stelle's hands trembled slightly as she tucked March 7th in with the blanket, then fled the room as if escaping. She nearly forgot to turn off the light on her way out.
Leaning against the wall of the passenger car, Stelle took deep breaths to calm herself. Some things you don't truly understand until you experience them firsthand. Even though she'd had plenty of "wicked" thoughts before transmigrating, when faced with these living, breathing characters from the game, her sense of morality wouldn't allow her to do anything out of line.
This was a matter of respect for March 7th herself, as well as respect for the "friendship" between them. From March 7th's perspective, if someone she'd only known for a day took advantage of her while she was drunk, even if that person was another girl, it'd be hard for her not to feel repulsed.
"Stelle? Your face is really red. Are you feeling unwell?"
As Stelle was mentally collecting herself, a concerned voice reached her. Himeko stood at the entrance of the car, looking worried.
"I-I'm fine."
Stelle scratched her head. "Uh… it's getting late, so I'll head back to my room."
Himeko nodded gently. "Alright, rest well then. We're holding a train meeting tomorrow to decide our next destination, so don't oversleep."
"I'll keep that in mind."
…
The next day.
Cardboard boxes, as expected, were no match for a proper bed. After a night's sleep, Stelle felt aches all over her body, and her skin was sticky from sweat. With no other choice, she headed to the train's public shower room to freshen up.
But upon arriving at the shower room, she hesitated once again.
Should she use the men's or women's?
The answer was obvious. After deliberating for a long while, Stelle finally stepped into the shower room marked "Women," silently hoping she wouldn't run into…
Whoosh—
Warm water cascaded over the pink-haired girl's fair skin. In the confined space, their eyes met, and the atmosphere grew strikingly quiet.
Swish—
March 7th calmly turned off the shower, wrapped herself in a bathrobe, and as she passed by Stelle, said lightly, "You probably don't have any clean clothes, right? I left a set for you in the locker room."
With that, March 7th walked out of the shower room, leaving Stelle standing there in a daze.
Drip.
It felt like a nosebleed was coming. Stelle looked down and realized it was flowing even faster.
…
"Ahem, looks like everyone's here!"
In the observation car, the entire train crew gathered on the same sofa. Pom-Pom stood in front of everyone and said, "Based on the conductor's observations of the nearby star charts, our next destination is a world that has been disconnected from the 'Silver Rail' for years and is deeply afflicted by a 'Stellaron.'"
"And the name of this planet is 'Jarilo-VI,' pa!"
"As Nameless, we cannot allow an uncontained Stellaron to harm other worlds. So, the goal of this Trailblaze mission is simple: seal the Stellaron and save this planet, pa!"
"Any questions from the passengers?"
"…"
Everyone remained silent, indicating no objections.
"Very well, then. The train will soon begin its warp jump. Please prepare yourselves."
…
After the meeting, Pom-Pom waddled off to the control room with its short legs. The others began preparing for the upcoming Trailblaze mission, but Stelle sat slumped on the sofa, head lowered, looking as wilted as a drooping flower, not saying a word.
Welt looked at the newcomer who had just joined the train. From his seasoned perspective, young people this age should be thrilled about new adventures. Yet, after hearing Pom-Pom's words, Stelle showed no reaction at all, instead appearing burdened with heavy thoughts.
Why was that? Hmm… oh well, young people always have ideas that someone his age might not understand. Once they reached Jarilo-VI, he'd personally take the kid out for some hands-on experience.
Meanwhile, Stelle's mind was undergoing a frantic reorganization of information—the vivid, impactful scene from the shower room had shattered her ability to think.
"The train will now begin its warp jump. Final countdown: three…"
Pom-Pom's voice rang through the train's intercom. Hearing this, everyone immediately braced themselves to counter the turbulence of the warp jump.
"Two, one!"
Whoosh!
The moment the countdown ended, Stelle felt a violent jolt around her. The space outside the window seemed to tear apart forcefully. Caught off guard, her body tilted, uncontrollably falling toward the table's edge—
"Careful."
March 7th steadied Stelle in time, her tone gentle. "The first warp jump is always like this. You'll get used to it."
Stelle guiltily turned her head away, letting out a soft "mm."
When the massive outline of Jarilo-VI appeared outside the window, Stelle had to admit it was the most magnificent sight she'd ever seen in her life.
Seeing pictures online was one thing, but witnessing it in person was another. Back when Stelle saw photos of Earth taken by astronauts in space, she was already struck by their grandeur. But seeing this with her own eyes today, she couldn't help but be awestruck once again.
It was hard to imagine an entire planet laid out before her like this.
"Pretty spectacular, huh?" Himeko smiled warmly, patting Stelle's shoulder. "When I first saw the full view of my home planet, I felt much like you do now. The galaxy is like that—vast and magnificent."
"Yeah."
Himeko smiled lightly. "Next, as the navigator of the Astral Express, I will announce the members for this Trailblaze mission."
"First, Stelle, March, and Dan Heng—you three young folks will form the train's flagship team and are the first to be listed."
Stelle scratched her head. "Just curious, didn't the three of us just form a team yesterday? How'd we become the flagship team so fast?"
She wasn't surprised by the grouping; after all, she'd played through the main storyline multiple times.
"I just appointed you," Himeko said with a light chuckle. "But considering Stelle is a new member, to be safe, Welt will also join you on this mission. Passenger Stelle, Welt is the most reliable veteran of our train crew. Take this chance to learn from him."
"Got it…"
Wait, who's joining us?
Stelle's eyes widened as she stared blankly at the middle-aged man nearby. Welt's coming along too?
In that case, isn't Belobog's Cocolia about to face being torn apart by gravity?