Swish, swish, swish—
The sound of water pattered in the bathroom, faintly revealing a youthful, graceful silhouette through the frosted glass and mist.
Stelle's cheeks flushed slightly as she forcibly restrained her "Trailblaze heart," consciously turning off her auto-aim and pulling the blanket over her head, listening to her heartbeat in the darkness.
Having been in this world for just over a week, she felt she'd fully embraced Stelle's identity, even subtly adopting a more feminine personality.
Honestly, Stelle felt March 7th was more boyish than she was.
Stelle shook her head vigorously, rolling back and forth on the bed, kicking her legs. But in one overly enthusiastic roll, she lost balance and tumbled off the bed.
Buzz, buzz—
Grabbing the bed's edge to pull himself up, Stelle's phone chimed. It was a message from Dan Heng: Asleep yet?
Stelle: Not yet, not yet. March is still in the shower.
Dan Heng: …
Dan Heng: Didn't realize you two were already so close.
Stelle: It's not what you think! (Pom-Pom angry emoji)
Dan Heng: Alright, I take it back.
Dan Heng: Thanks for picking up the books this afternoon. I had some issues and might've come off a bit harsh. Sorry.
Dan Heng: Oh, and thanks for delivering that lady's manuscript too.
After parting ways with Gepard and the others, Stelle had made a special trip to Dan Heng's room to hand over the manuscript he'd forgotten to deliver earlier. He hadn't had time to look at its contents, but it was probably a wholesome, uplifting story.
Dan Heng: Miss Pela's manuscript is quite interesting. Want to hear about it?
Stelle: Yeah, yeah, tell me!
Dan Heng: I must say, Miss Pela's imagination exceeds the cultural limits of this planet. The manuscript tells the story of a mysterious figure called the Traveler, who, during a journey of freedom, meets companions with diverse personalities and unique abilities, teaming up to defeat powerful enemies and reunite with long-lost family.
Five minutes passed before Dan Heng received Stelle's reply: That's some wild imagination, even beyond this world.
Dan Heng: I have a feeling if Miss Pela had a bigger stage, her works could resonate across the cosmos.
Dan Heng: Sadly, she lacks the experience and connections to leave this place.
Stelle: Leave… Speaking of, we're leaving soon too, right? Thinking about everything that happened here, I'm a bit reluctant.
Dan Heng: Don't worry. When we arrived on this planet, the power of Trailblaze already planted a "Domain Anchor" here. Whenever you want, you can use the Trailblaze power to teleport between anchors.
After another long silence, Stelle replied: …Awesome.
Even with two more brains, Stelle couldn't have imagined the Trailblaze power in this world was so strong it could achieve actual spatial teleportation.
Stelle: So we can teleport back to the Express now?
Dan Heng: Not yet. We need to bring the local "Trailblaze Destiny Power" back to the Express to activate a two-way anchor.
Stelle: Got it. So we still need to take the spaceship back.
Dan Heng: …The spaceship isn't one-time use.
Dan Heng: Rest early. No need to feel sad about a brief parting. Besides, Uncle Yang shared the basics of phone technology with Belobog today. It won't take long for a new tech to spread here.
Stelle: You sleep early too.
Swish, swish, swish—
The sound of water in the bathroom stopped. Soon, the door opened, and March 7th stepped out comfortably, wrapped only in a towel, just like the scene Stelle witnessed the second day. Her exposed skin was fair with a rosy flush, faintly steaming.
Stelle awkwardly averted her gaze, her fingers instinctively twirling the hair at her forehead.
March 7th, with her slender, pale legs, walked lightly to the bed, one hand covering her chest as she leaned slightly forward. The ceiling light cast a shadow over Stelle.
"…"
"…M-March, careful not to catch a cold."
The pose held for a few seconds before Stelle, unable to take it, stammered a warning.
She had no idea what she looked like right now.
March 7th tilted her head, looking at the blushing girl, finding this creature utterly adorable. She suddenly broke into a light smile, her usually calm voice carrying a rare playful lilt. "I'm gonna change now, so no peeking, okay~?"
Stelle immediately buried her head under the blanket. "Mhm, mhm, no looking, no looking."
The sound of rustling clothes came from beside her, followed by the bed dipping noticeably. Even with some distance between them, Stelle could feel her body heat.
Cool and chilly.
She recalled the first day she arrived in this world, when Dan Heng told her March 7th's body temperature was much lower than normal. In their prior interactions, Stelle hadn't noticed much, but this time, with no seriousness, no conversation, no overthinking—just silence surrounding them—she truly felt March 7th's temperature for the first time.
March 7th looked at the big lump under the blanket, puffed out her cheeks, and yanked it off, locking eyes with Stelle from less than twenty centimeters away.
Stelle's heart raced. She knew this moment was closer than any other interaction they'd had.
Unlike their drunken embrace the first time, when their bodies were pressed together but one soul was awkwardly shy and the other barely conscious.
Unlike the ghost-scare night, when their souls leaned on each other's backs but physically faced opposite sides of the bed, separated by a literal gap.
"…March, don't you feel this room's a bit hot?" Stelle swallowed, instinctively changing the subject.
"…Pfft, Stelle, you're always so entertaining, always so… admirable."
March 7th chuckled, ignoring Stelle's clumsy attempt to shift topics. She gently stroked Stelle's cheek, gazing into those golden eyes. "From the day we met, I've genuinely admired you."
"No matter what challenges we face, you always manage to say something that finds joy in hardship. You're completely different from someone like me."
"Let me tell you about my first time boarding the Express. Back then, I'd just thawed from the ice. I didn't know who I was, where I came from, or even the meaning of my existence."
"Thanks to Himeko, Uncle Yang, Dan Heng, Pom-Pom, and even 'Shush,' I gradually found my drive to move forward. I'm so glad I made it this far, or I wouldn't have met you."
Stelle's breathing grew heavier. "March, even if—"
"I bet you're gonna say, 'Even if you didn't meet one me, there'd be thousands of mes to meet you,' right?" March 7th's lips curled slightly.
"How'd you know? March, you're spot-on," Stelle said, feigning surprise with a laugh.
Suddenly, March 7th leaned closer, and Stelle felt a cool sensation on her forehead, like touching something incredibly soft.
"Dummy Stelle, I was just guessing. Only you'd play along like that."