Just as Astro was staring at Asta's gloves, calculating various accidental contact scenarios in his head...
A commotion broke out at the entrance of the Master Control Zone.
He instinctively looked up and saw Arlan leading several people in at a brisk pace.
When he saw those people, Astro's eyes widened instantly.
His previous calculations regarding Asta were temporarily thrown to the back of his mind.
Leading them was the same Arlan who had just caused his social death; she was quickly reporting the situation along the way to Asta.
And the three people following behind her made Astro's heart skip a beat uncontrollably.
His gaze was first firmly fixed on the pink and blue figure, and his heart leaped.
Wait! Is that... March 7th?!
That signature gradient hair, that exquisite and cute face, those eyes as blue as a sea of stars... even that blue and white uniform was exactly the same as the girl March 7th in his memories!
In this world where everyone was inverted, was there actually one normal person who hadn't changed?
An inexplicable sense of familiarity and excitement welled up in his heart, as if he had suddenly met a fellow countryman in a foreign land.
He was almost in tears. This was great! Finally, someone familiar!
Following closely behind was a tall girl with a cold temperament.
She wore dark robes that fused traditional and modern styles.
Her ink-black long hair was tied in a neat low ponytail behind her head, and a few stray strands on her forehead complemented her snow-white skin and peerless beauty.
However, her cyan eyes were calm and indifferent, carrying a coldness that kept people at a distance.
Beside her, the familiar cloud-piercer spear floated quietly.
Dan Heng! It really is the girl version!
That quiet and taciturn boy had turned into a kuudere girl with an even colder temperament and higher beauty!
And the one walking at the very back made Astro freeze for a moment.
It was a girl with grey hair that was just long enough to hang down, her eyes carrying a hint of the dazed look of someone who had just woken up.
Stelle? Did she not change either?
Seeing them, Asta clearly breathed a sigh of relief and went to meet them:
"March, Dan Heng, and... this lady? It's great that you're all alright. What's the situation now?"
March 7th scratched his fluffy white-pink hair and gave a sunny smile:
"Don't worry, Station Master! With me—cough, with Sister Dan Heng and me here, plus our new friend Qiong,
all the Void Rangers along the way have been cleared out!"
Dan Heng merely nodded slightly, her cold gaze scanning the room, but she didn't say much.
The grey-haired girl called Qiong nodded somewhat stiffly, her eyes curiously taking in everything around her.
Astro hid in the corner of the safe zone, watching this gender-swapped Astral Express trio, feeling like a cat was scratching at his heart.
March 7th! Dan Heng (Girl Version)! Qiong (Girl version of Caelus)!
They were all new icons that hadn't been lit up yet!
And they were right in front of him!
But that really is Qiong; my poor Brother Qiong couldn't escape the fate of being gender-swapped after all!
However, these Physical features look exactly like the female protagonist Stelle from the game!
In this gender-swapped world, did Qiong directly become Stelle? Or rather, did he just use Stelle's image?
Astro couldn't help but complain internally:
Good grief, Qiong has turned into Stelle. Calling her Qiong feels a bit weird; it would be better to just call her Stelle!
His gaze swept back and forth between the sunny and cheerful March 7th, the cold and ethereal girl Dan Heng,
and the girl Qiong, who carried a hint of dazed handsomeness, as his brain began to work rapidly again.
How to touch them? How can I touch them naturally?
Pretend to welcome the new comrades and go up for a handshake? Would that be too obvious?
Take advantage of the chaos, like if Qiong curiously touched something and almost caused a small commotion, then go over to help and make contact in the process?
Or... wait until they come over to rest?
He saw Asta seem to arrange for them to also go to the safe zone to rest temporarily while waiting for further instructions.
Astro's heart pounded wildly; the opportunity was coming!
He took a deep breath, adjusted his sitting posture, and prepared to naturally create a contact opportunity at any moment.
Damn it, for the sake of character collecting—ptui, to survive in this dangerous gender-swapped world, I'll give it my all!
Seeing Asta gesture for March 7th and the others to rest in the safe zone, Astro knew it was now or never!
He took a deep breath and instantly put on an expression of admiration.
He suddenly sprang up from his seat in the corner and rushed in front of the three who had just walked over.
Before the three could react, Astro had already extended both hands, his movements so fast they almost left afterimages.
A look of incomparable sincerity and excitement appeared on his face as he reached out, his target being those hands that looked very soft:
"Hello, hello! You must be the famous Miss March 7th! I've admired you for a long time! I finally get to meet..."
His words were filled with the emotion of 'finding the group,' and he instinctively went to shake the other's hand.
However, after his extended hand was held.
"Huh?"
The other person let out a crisp sound of confusion.
Astro froze and looked up, meeting a pair of eyes that were still deep blue but written with 'What kind of weird things are you saying?'
"March 7th" blinked, and that exquisite face, which was no different from his girlhood version, showed a sunny and somewhat mischievous smile as he corrected in a clear voice:
"I am March 7th, that's right! But I'm not a 'Miss'—"
He deliberately dragged out his tone, his smile widening with a hint of pride as if a prank had succeeded.
"I'm a guy! Just call me March!"
A... a guy?!
Astro was completely stunned on the spot, forgetting to even pull back his extended hand.
His head was buzzing, leaving only a line of large text:
The appearance is exactly the same, but he's actually a guy?! Do you even hear yourself?!!!
[Ding! Contact successful! Character: 'March 7th (4-Star • Ice • Preservation)' icon activated!]
March 7th (Male version, appearance of a girl) seemed to find Astro's dazed look very interesting.
He was kind enough not to immediately withdraw his hand; instead, he shook it again before saying with a smile:
"This... um, how should I address you? You don't need to shake hands for this long, right?"
Astro instantly snapped back to his senses.
"I, I... Astro, my name is Astro!"
He was a bit incoherent, having forgotten all the scripts he had prepared earlier; his mind was filled with 'a guy, a guy, a guy...'
"Oh, Astro, hello!"
March 7th greeted him readily, his smile still bright and harmless.
He seemed completely unaware of what kind of mental blow he had just dealt the other person.
Beside them, Dan Heng (Girl Version), who had taken in the whole scene, shook her head almost imperceptibly.
Trailblazer (Stelle Version) remained dazed, looking at March 7th and then at the shell-shocked Astro.
Astro forcibly suppressed the alpacas stampeding in his heart and his collapsing worldview; he knew now was not the time to say 'WTF!'
There were still two more icons to light up!
He steeled himself, ignored the still-smiling March 7th, and turned to Dan Heng (Girl Version).
His movements were somewhat stiff and hurried due to his mental agitation:
"H-hello! Miss Dan Heng!"
[Ding! Contact successful! Character: 'Dan Heng (4-Star • Wind • The Hunt)' icon activated!]
After shaking hands, Astro immediately withdrew his hand as if Dan Heng had thorns on her.
Finally, he turned to Qiong almost clumsily, his voice still a bit shaky:
"H-hello! Miss... Qiong?"
This time he had learned his lesson and added an uncertain suffix while quickly and lightly touching the other's wrist.
Trailblazer (Stelle Version) nodded honestly: "Mm, hello. I'm Qiong."
[Ding! Contact successful! Character:'Stelle/Caelus (5-Star • Physical • Destruction)' icon activated!]
The icons were lit, but Astro didn't feel the slightest bit of joy.
He stood there, feeling like a part of his soul had drifted away with the realization that 'March 7th is a guy.'
March 7th leaned in closer, his pink and blue hair almost brushing Astro's chin, his overly beautiful face full of pure curiosity:
"Astro, why did you call me 'Miss' just now? Do I look that much like a girl?"
Astro: "..."
You look exactly like a girl, alright?!
No, you are one! Ah, that's not right either... he felt like his CPU had already fried.
Damn it, in this hellish world, even the last hope is a freaking trap!
Astro's heart was streaming with tears as he began to deeply doubt the road ahead for lighting up icons.
Just how many more of these mental blows would he have to endure?