Chapter 109: A Pair of Orange Fluffballs, Two Round Sharks
"By the way," Stelle began, rubbing her chin as she peered at the holographic star map projected on the table, "it looks like that star system called Talia is a bit closer, right?"
"Talia is a place teeming with interstellar pirates, rogue warlords, and local bandits they call Wastelanders," Rekka said, pulling up the system's data file. "Its nickname is the 'Starry Junkyard.' The whole place is saturated with radiation, crawling with mutated creatures. Though, I suppose you might find some cowboys and Wastelanders there...? Mostly just rats that chew on power cables and lizards that eat ore, probably."
"Wastelands, radiation, mutated animals, interstellar pirates!" Stelle's eyes practically sparkled. "Isn't that way more exciting than some boring plant planet? And most, it's a junkyard! Don't you think junkyards are the coolest?"
"It's a lawless land, Stelle. They're at war every single day. We could get dragged into a pirate firefight the moment we disembark," Rekka countered dryly. "Or are you saying you want to go to Talia and try your hand at being a cowboy?"
"Yes!" she nodded emphatically. "Preferably the kind of cowboy who rides a mutated lizard, wears a ragged cape, and keeps a revolver tucked into her belt."
"And eats irradiated rat meat and grilled lizard every day, while having to filter your drinking water multiple times just to make it safe? Can you handle that? People there basically live in dust masks because of the constant sandstorm tornadoes."
Stelle's boundless enthusiasm finally began to show a few cracks. "...Then what about Onnivak? What can we do if we go there?"
"Sunbathe, look at strange alien plants, and get chased by the fierce local wildlife."
"That sounds pretty good, too," she conceded.
"How about we flip a coin to decide?" Rekka suggested.
"Agreed!"
He produced a coin from his pocket, the metal glinting under the Express's lights. "Alright then. Heads for Onnivak, tails for Talia."
The coin spun through the air, a silver blur, before landing with a soft smack in Rekka's palm. He covered it, then lifted his hand.
"Onnivak," he announced.
"Alright, alright," Stelle sighed, resigning herself to her fate with a nod.
"It would be best to prepare a few more bottles of strong insect repellent," Dan Heng added, his voice calm and measured. "The mosquitoes there are probably at least the size of a fist—the kind that can drain half a pound of blood in one bite."
"Actually, we don't need to worry about bugs," Rekka said, planting his hands on his hips. "We have Dan Heng, or if I happen to be on the Path of The Propagation that day, I could just run wild and eat them all."
"Oh my god, the version-breaking Trailblazer," Stelle muttered under her breath.
"Hey, Captain," Delta said, tugging on the hem of Rekka's shirt.
"...So, what should we prepare?" Liliya finished, her eyes wide.
"We'll need a few sets of clothes suitable for a rainforest, and maybe some compressed rations... Let's head to the Luofu together and buy some supplies."
"I'm going too!" March 7th announced, hopping to her feet.
In the end, the entire younger crew decided to go. Only the two seasoned veterans of the Astral Express, Himeko and Welt, remained behind with Pom-Pom and Dan Heng.
Welt's gaze fell upon Dan Heng, who currently bore the draconic features of his Vidyadhara form. The newly grown horns lent him a certain majesty, yet his overall form still retained an endearing, almost clumsy quality. After a moment of observation, Welt decided it was actually a rather cool look.
"Hum, hum," Dan Heng chirped softly, crawling over to curl up near Himeko's feet.
The streets of the Xianzhou Luofu were a vibrant mix of commerce. Shops lined both sides of the bustling avenues, and the air was thick with the mingled sounds of merchants hawking their wares and customers haggling over prices.
Suddenly, March 7th locked eyes with an orange-haired girl across the way. Both of them gasped, their index fingers shooting out to point at each other in perfect synchrony.
"You're—!"
"You're—!"
Just because I took one extra look at you in the crowd... Rekka thought with amusement.
"You're—March 7th, what a coincidence!" the girl exclaimed.
"And you're that streamer, Guinaifen!" March 7th shouted back.
Truly, a pair of intellectual giants.
"Your demolition decompression stream at that abandoned space station was amazing!" Guinaifen gushed, rushing over. "I saw the replay! Where on earth did you find such a master of demolition? It's been listed as one of the top ten stress-relief videos online!"
"Oh, that's just a hobby of his," March 7th said, beaming. "I watch your streams all the time! I even send you small gifts sometimes."
The two of them chattered away like they were long-lost friends, their energy infectious.
"I think these two really are a pair of orange fluffballs, two round sharks," Rekka sighed quietly.
"What did you just say?" March 7th asked, turning back with a confused look.
"Nothing," Rekka said, waving a dismissive hand. "Just that you two were clearly fated to meet." Two peas in a pod, really.
Guinaifen's eyes lit up, and she immediately leaned in to size Rekka up from head to toe. "You must be the master from that demolition stream! The tough guy from March s stream who smashed the space station's main axis with a single punch! Wow, you're much more handsome in person than on camera! Nice to meet you!"
"Uh... thanks?" Rekka scratched his head, taken aback, as he accepted her offered hand.
Guinaifen pumped his hand up and down with vigor. "Master! When can you do a stream with me! It would definitely be super entertaining!"
"Sure, I guess?" he replied, a bit overwhelmed by her sheer enthusiasm. It was the first time he'd met someone quite this forward.
"How about this afternoon?"
"We have things to do this afternoon," Delta stated firmly from his left.
"Our Captain is quite busy, sorry," Liliya added from his right, her tone equally protective.
A mischievous idea suddenly sparked in Rekka's mind. "Yeah, we're actually a bit busy today," he said, playing along. "Let's talk about it next time."
"Oh, oh, okay! Master, let's add each other on comms then! I'll contact you when you're free!" Guinaifen deftly pulled out her phone, and in a flurry of taps, they exchanged contact information with her and March 7th.
"Done!" She put her phone away with a satisfied grin. "Are you guys here to shop? What do you need to buy? I know this area like the back of my hand—I know exactly which shops are cheap and which ones will rip you off!"
"No need, but thanks for the offer," Rekka said, politely declining.
After finally bidding farewell to the overly enthusiastic streamer, the group continued on their shopping trip.
Later, back on the Astral Express, Rekka made his way to the twins' room.
"What does the Captain want, coming to our room?" Delta asked, her eyes gleaming with expectation.
"Could it be," Liliya chimed in, her expression identical, "that the Captain wants to sleep with me and Rozaliya?"
"What kind of image do I even have in your eyes..." Rekka deadpanned.
"So you don't?" Delta's face fell in disappointment.
"It's because the Captain is too nice to us," Liliya sighed dramatically. "That's why we're disappointed."
"Don't be disappointed," Rekka said, a grin spreading across his face. "I have something interesting I want to ask you to do. Are you interested?"
The sisters exchanged a quick glance.
"We'll do it!"
"Captain, tell us what you want us to do!"
Rekka proceeded to explain his grand plan for an idol group: the "Vodka Girls."
"Captain, how did you know we wanted to be idols before we joined the army?" Delta asked, her head tilted.
"The Captain must have eavesdropped on us talking at night!" Liliya declared.
Rekka's mouth twitched as he looked at the two girls, whose faces now clearly read, 'We caught a pervert.'
"I did not."
"I knew it!" Liliya pointed an accusatory finger. "The Captain looks like a decent person on the outside, but he's actually a huge pervert on the inside!"
"That's right, that's right! Perverted Captain!" Delta nodded in agreement.
"Are you going to say something like, 'Actually, I've been watching you all along,'or'Your dreams touched me' next?" Liliya mocked, adopting a dramatic pose.
"An explanation is just a cover-up," Delta added sagely.
"And a cover-up means something's going on!"
The sisters' back-and-forth was seamless, their coordination flawless.
"Actually, it's okay," Liliya said, suddenly changing her tune. "The Captain can sleep with us and join our late-night chats."
Rekka sighed, deciding to steer the conversation back on track. "So, do you actually want to try being idols or not?"
Delta and Liliya looked at each other one last time, their shared grin bright and decisive.
"Of course we do!"
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