Somewhere on the space station
"Hearing Asta's words, Bai Ming's eyes instantly lit up."
"We can actually make March 7th come find us?!"
"Of course." A hint of confidence crept into Asta's tone. "I have a method that'll almost guarantee March 7th comes looking for us herself."
Bai Ming, still sulking from March 7th's earlier rejection, didn't seem to notice.
But Asta—watching as an outsider—saw it all clearly.
When March 7th had left, she'd been smiling. That "rejection" of hers was nothing more than a sulk.
To use a perhaps not entirely appropriate analogy…it wasn't much different from two elementary schoolers quarreling.
"Hmph! I'm not playing with you anymore!"
"I'm never talking to you again!"
Just imagining March 7th saying that made Asta shudder. In a way, those two really were cut from the same mold.
That also clarified another matter so that's what Arlan meant by "don't become people like them."
Indeed. As the Master of the Space Station, she really should be more mature and composed. How could she possibly get involved in something that resembled a grade-school spat?
Still, even so looking at Bai Ming in front of her, Asta felt a faint pang of guilt.
And precisely because of that, she was determined to help her.
"Eh—?!"
At that, Bai Ming immediately grabbed Asta's hand. "How do we do it?! Tell me, please!"
"It's very simple."
A knowing smile spread across Asta's face.
"You just need to do exactly as I say."
"Oh… I understand."
Over ten minutes later — Space Station, Base Zone
Because a group of Antimatter Legion troops had recently been dealt with nearby, the rest zone was now full of crew members. Fortunately, under Asta's leadership, the Herta Space Station had ample space—even with so many people, it didn't feel crowded.
"The director is here!"
Someone shouted, and instantly, every gaze turned toward the source of the voice then fell silent.
Because everyone saw the same thing.
Asta was walking toward them… hand in hand with a girl noticeably taller than her.
But that wasn't what shocked them.
After all, even on the space station, beautiful women weren't in short supply.
The real point of focus was their interlocked hands.
That's right in plain view of nearly everyone, Asta was walking hand in hand with the woman beside her!
This was something that had never happened before. Not even with the enigmatic Lady Herta herself had such a scene ever occurred!
Feeling countless eyes on her, Asta's scalp tingled slightly. She knew exactly why everyone was staring.
Indeed, making an entrance like this made them the absolute center of attention.
She certainly hadn't wanted to reintroduce herself to the crew in such a dramatic fashion but to resolve the matter between March 7th and Bai Ming, she had no choice but to go all in.
Gritting her teeth, Asta whispered to Bai Ming beside her. "Come on, let's sit over there."
"Oh… okay, I understand."
After confirming their target location, Bai Ming—still holding Asta's hand—headed toward a nearby table.
Of course, that table wasn't chosen at random. It was the only spot in the entire rest zone completely unobstructed. Whether viewed from the same floor or from the higher platforms, it was perfectly visible.
If March 7th still cared about Bai Ming,
there was no way she wouldn't notice them sitting there together.
And once she did notice...
Asta took a deep breath.
She never imagined she'd be playing the role of the other woman and for two girls, no less!
This would definitely go down as one of the most scandalous events in her family's entire history.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
Her eyes scanned the crowd carefully.
Everything was proceeding exactly as predicted. Amid the bustling rest zone, a pair of pink-and-blue eyes were glaring darkly in their direction.
It was a distinctive look one glance, and you could tell it was March 7th.
Excellent.
Asta thought to herself, satisfied. As long as March 7th was looking, it meant her plan was working.
The next step was to make her come over.
But before that she had to stop Bai Ming, who was anxiously scanning the area, searching for March 7th.
Pulling Bai Ming's hand down gently, Asta ordered an afternoon tea cake.
Then she said calmly:
"Feed me."
"Eh?!"
Hearing Asta's request, Bai Ming froze, whispering in embarrassment: "C-Can I not? I haven't even done something like this with March yet…"
"Ahem." Asta coughed twice. "Just listen to me—it'll work."
"This…"
After a brief hesitation, Bai Ming finally nodded and went along with the plan.
She picked up the cake from the table and began cutting it carefully with the provided knife and fork.
It had to be said: even though she was just following instructions, Bai Ming was surprisingly meticulous. This was a side of her Asta had never seen before—she'd always thought Bai Ming was a bit ditzy.
"Phew—"
"All done!" Bai Ming said proudly.
She speared a small piece of the neatly cut cake with a fork and extended it toward Asta's mouth, smiling sweetly. " Say the Ah~~~"
"Ah…"
Asta had seen Bai Ming smile like that once before. Seeing it again now gave her a strange sense of familiarity.
After all, this person hadn't approached her just to ask for money this time.
Unconsciously, a faint blush crept onto Asta's cheeks. She felt like she was slipping into a role and quite a dangerous one at that.
Still… this feeling was strangely delicate.
Taking the perfectly sized bite of cake into her mouth, Asta chewed slowly.
"Is it good?"
"Mm… it's good."
Asta glanced sideways. She saw March 7th already pushing through the crowd, looking like she was about to explode with frustration.
She's getting impatient.
The plan's working.
Asta felt a small flicker of pride.
But what she didn't expect was that in the very next instant, a piercing alarm blared across the entire space station.
It was a system-wide alert.
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A/n: Hey over on my patreon there are currently two for the time being exclusive books which are
Life Simulator: Starting in Genshin Impact!
Zenless Zone Zero: Loving Daily Life Starting in New Eridu
patreon.com/deadlygoober