The following is the recorded video content. Please watch with caution (beware of journalism's charm moments):
—"Stelle, when you make a mistake, you have to pay a price. Even for you, especially since your mistake is something even the Aeons wouldn't forgive."
The camera zooms in. Stelle looks like she's about to cry, her face flushed red. "No, please, let me go! If you keep this up… I'll break, waaah—"
"Don't scream—"
Due to the camera's distance, only March 7th holding Stelle's ankle is visible at the bottom of the frame.
—"Dan Heng, don't film downward. Just capture the moment of suffering."
—"Got it."
The camera zooms in further, now showing only Stelle's face and neck. She's incoherent, rolling her eyes, drool trickling from the corner of her mouth.
—"March, she's probably at her limit."
—"Alright… Stelle? Say something?"
—"…"
—"? Stelle!"
…
"Huh? What do you mean 'laughed so hard from being tickled that she passed out from lack of oxygen'?"
"No idea, pa, but according to the three passengers, that's what happened, pa! Passenger Himeko, we've got to punish them hard, pa!"
"Roughhousing without restraint? Let them wait. I'll go brew some coffee!"
"Hehe, got it! The Conductor's off to grab some canned herring, pa!"
"…"
Amid the conversation, Stelle gradually regained consciousness.
As soon as she woke, her body jolted as if startled, shivering violently. March and the others had been way too harsh, going so hard on her.
She'd even begged for mercy!
She glanced at the ceiling in confusion, then slowly sat up, looking around. This didn't seem to be her room or March 7th's. The room was filled with a faint coffee aroma that was oddly invigorating.
Stelle curiously surveyed the room. How to put it… it felt a bit too full?
Besides the essential living furniture, the room was packed with fitness equipment—treadmills, yoga mats, hula hoops, exercise balls… and scattered everywhere were auto repair tools.
This… was Himeko's room?
Stelle clearly remembered that Himeko's role on the train was "train mechanic," so having these tools made sense.
She'd better head out and see what's going on.
Stelle climbed out of bed, her bare feet touching the floor. She took two steps toward the door but accidentally stepped on a stray screw.
"…Ugh!" Stelle let out a muffled groan, tears nearly spilling from the pain. Balancing on one foot, she hopped twice, only to trip over a jump rope carelessly left on the floor. Losing her balance, she crashed face-first onto the ground.
Thud!
Stelle's body slid across the floor, her head unfortunately smacking into the wardrobe door.
The wardrobe wobbled but didn't open, though something inside seemed to hit the door, making a rather loud noise.
"Stelle? You're awake?"
Hearing the commotion, Himeko hurriedly pushed the door open. Seeing Stelle sprawled in front of the wardrobe, she exclaimed, "Stelle, what happened to you?"
Himeko took a step forward but, like Stelle, got tangled in the stray jump rope. She stumbled and fell heavily onto Stelle.
Stelle: "…Now you know, right?"
"Sorry… it's been a bit boring on the train without you all, and I haven't had time to tidy up," Himeko said with an awkward smile, helping Stelle up. "You just woke up, right? Any discomfort?"
"Nope, ugh, I'm just too weak. To think I laughed so hard I passed out," Stelle scratched her head, chuckling softly.
"You mean that incident? Don't worry, I've already taken care of it for you," Himeko said, ruffling Stelle's hair. "Oh, right, how about I brew you a cup of coffee?"
Before Stelle could refuse, Himeko jogged out of the room.
Stelle's hand, raised to protest, froze in midair. Watching Himeko's retreating figure, she hesitated to speak. She really wanted to ask: Can this coffee kill me?
Back at the space station, she'd only seen Himeko and Asta drink it. Stelle had never dared try it herself because, according to the lore, Himeko's coffee was blacker than black coffee.
The taste was explosively intense!
Wait, though the original lore said Himeko's coffee was bad, that didn't mean this version of Himeko's was, right?
With that thought, Stelle felt a mix of apprehension. She truly didn't know what she was about to face.
Fear comes from the unknown.
Two minutes later, Pom-Pom poked their little head through the doorway. Seeing only Stelle in the room, they hurriedly waddled in, holding a steaming cup of coffee. "Passenger Stelle, this is Himeko's 'Super Refreshing Mind-Sharpening Special Blend Coffee'! Try it, pa!"
Pom-Pom's fluffy appearance, waddling like a penguin, was too cute to resist. Stelle couldn't help but vigorously rub their head.
"Pa! Don't treat the Conductor like a kid, pa!"
Pom-Pom shook their head vigorously. "Passenger Stelle! Drink the coffee already!"
"Alright, alright, thanks, Pom-Pom."
Stelle took the coffee but, before bringing it to her lips, caught a whiff of a pungent smell—
Ugh… what's that smell? Fishy and foul.
It was like the broth from canned herring!
Click, click, click…
Just then, the sound of Himeko's high heels echoed from outside. Startled, Pom-Pom snatched the coffee from Stelle's hands. "S-Stelle, this cup might not be brewed right. The Conductor's got things to do, so I'll head out, pa!"
"I'll bring you another coffee later!"
With that, Pom-Pom scurried off with their short legs.
Stelle: ?
Why did something feel off?
"Stelle, I'm back~"
No sooner had Pom-Pom left than Himeko walked in with another cup of coffee. "Come try this."
Stelle was dumbfounded. Another one?
"What's with that look?" Himeko said with a hint of playful reproach. "Don't tell me you want me to feed it to you?"
Stelle solemnly took the coffee. Seeing Himeko's expectant expression, she sighed inwardly, held her breath, and took a small sip.
If I die, I die… right?
To her surprise, Stelle's eyes widened. It… wasn't that bad?
She downed the entire cup, her eyes comfortably narrowing into slits. "Big Sis Himeko, you're amazing…"
"You think it's good too, right?"
Himeko's heart swelled with satisfaction at Stelle's praise. "Sigh, but on this train, you're the only one who thinks so."
"I brewed coffee for Welt and the others before, but for some reason, after trying it once, they never wanted to try it again."