Chapter 126: March 7th is Also an Experienced Connoisseur
The Astral Express remained docked at Onnivak for a few days before charting a course back to Jarilo-VI—a necessary stopover on their way to Herta Space Station.
The Trailblaze mission on Onnivak hadn't exceeded the planned docking time, a fact that moved Pom-Pom to tears. They had actually managed to depart in just seven days. Before this, nearly every stop had stretched well past the one-week mark.
"Brother, brother! I heard you opened a tavern, so I came all the way to the Express to hang out and check it out!"
Sampo Koski materialized at the entrance, his usual grin plastered across his face.
"Beep boop. No mask detected. Passage permitted." A small, cabbage-headed automaton hopped up from its post by the door and slapped a white permit slip squarely onto Sampo's forehead.
He scratched his head, thoroughly confused. "What's this for?"
"Naturally, it's because this is a tavern where Masked Fools and followers of Aha are forbidden," a voice explained. "However, those not wearing masks are just ordinary Fools, so entry is permitted."
"That's... actually quite reasonable." Tapping the paper stuck to his brow, Sampo looked around with a sense of novelty and swaggered inside. "So, what kind of alcohol do you have in this fine establishment?"
"We don't sell alcohol." A single pink ahoge bobbed into view as Rekka appeared from behind the bar, carefully wiping a glass. "There are children on the Express, so drinking isn't allowed."
"Oh, reasonable. Then just give me whatever you've got."
"Sure thing. I'll get you a cup of Dual-Phase Paradise flavored coffee."
Hearing this, the color instantly drained from Sampo's face.
"What?!"
"Rozaliya, Liliya, hold him down!"
With a sharp wave of Rekka's hand, the two sisters materialized, instantly pinning Sampo's arms and cuffing him to his chair.
"I just came here for a drink! What are you doing?! Help! Help!" Sampo howled at the top of his lungs, his legs kicking wildly under the bar. "Is anyone going to do something?! The Trailblazers of the Astral Express are kidnapping a law-abiding citizen!"
"Heh heh heh... Scream all you want! No one is coming to save you!"
Rekka slammed the glass onto the bar, turned, and beckoned Himeko over. A moment later, a cup filled with a pitch-black, semi-solid substance was served in front of Sampo.
He was absolutely certain. This thing was the infamous Dual-Phase Paradise coffee. The mere thought of it sent a jolt straight to his skull, making his hands tremble.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid," Rekka said soothingly. "It's not made with local ingredients from Dual-Phase Paradise, just with the Dual-Phase Paradise technique."
That made him even more terrified. The technique was exactly what he was afraid of.
"Come, come, come. This is a rule of the new tavern. You must drink this cup of coffee so we can share in our joys and sorrows together."
In the end, Sampo was forced to drink the substance.
"...Eh? It's actually... quite delicious."
His expression shifted from the grim resolution of a man facing his doom, to confusion, and then from confusion to a craving for more. The coffee looked like bubbling asphalt, but it tasted surprisingly fragrant.
"Huh? It's nectar from the carnivorous Rafflesia on Onnivak," Rekka explained. "We found that mixing this into Sister Himeko's coffee gives it a high probability of actually tasting good. How is it? Got a bit of an aftertaste, doesn't it?"
"You're good," Sampo declared, slamming the empty glass on the bar. "Why didn't you say you had such good stuff earlier? Another one!"
After downing his second cup, Sampo pulled a small bag from his robe and began laying out its contents on the bar one by one. There were geomarrow samples of various colors, a small pouch of dried petals, a few smooth shells, and a neatly folded stack of stationery.
"What are these?" Rekka asked.
"Naturally, these are letters the children asked me to bring to you. I told them you were Trailblazers traveling the sea of stars, and they got so excited they insisted on writing."
The letters were stacked neatly, some of their edges still stained with a bit of paint. Rekka picked up the stack and flipped through a few pages.
"Mm-hmm... you know, there's really no need for such a glamorous filter," he mused. "Interstellar exploration is essentially just picking up trash in space."
Sampo eventually took his leave.
"Rekka!"
March 7th poked her head into the tavern car.
"What's up?"
"Come here, quickly!"
Strolling into the Parlor Car, Rekka's brain momentarily short-circuited at the sight before him. There were two Stelles.
"Whoa, are we doing a twin segment now?" he asked, his eyes wide. The two of them were identical in every way.
"Someone snuck on board and is pretending to be Stelle!" March cried.
"Are they that desperate for trouble?" Rekka scratched his head. He took a closer look. Who exactly was Stelle?
The two Stelles had identical faces, identical golden eyes, and even their deadpan expressions were indistinguishable. March 7th stood between them, looking left and then right, her head getting more confused by the second.
"I'm the real one!" one declared.
"Then I'm the fake one," the other replied calmly.
"That one is the real one," Rekka said, pointing at the second Stelle.
The other Stelle reacted instantly. With a flick of her wrist, she threw down a smoke bomb. Bang! After the smoke cleared, two March 7ths stood in her place.
Rekka rubbed his eyes. A March 7th on the left, a March 7th on the right, both looking at him innocently with those familiar pink-and-blue eyes.
"You're the real one," Rekka said, pointing at the one on the left.
The March 7th on the right huffed indignantly. "What kind of eyes do you have! You can't even recognize me?"
"What do you mean 'what kind of eyes'?" the March 7th on the left huffed back. "You're the imposter!"
"Oh no, they're huffing at each other. What do we do?" Stelle whispered, tugging at Rekka's sleeve.
"Easy," Rekka replied immediately, a wicked glint in his eyes. "Actually, I've prepared a gift for my most respected Senior March. You two should have a fight; whoever wins is the real one. Only the winner is worthy of being my respected Senior March 7th!"
March 7th:?
March 7th (Sparkle Version):?
To be honest, even Sparkle was a bit thrown off by the suggestion. Was it really going to get... this bloody?
In truth, Rekka knew he could just ask them to manifest a memory from the ice—whoever could would be the real follower of Fuli—but he was far too sly to pass up such a golden opportunity for chaos.
"Then," he purred, his voice dropping, "could the real Senior March do 'that'—you know, the thing Senior March did to me just two days ago?"
Sparkle's heart skipped a beat. 'That'? What 'that'? No, girl, she thought, you're not really doing 'that', are you? 'That' is happening right here?
The real March 7th, however, threw all caution to the wind.
Sparkle fell into deep thought.
With a determined look, March 7th lunged forward and took a big 'bite' out of Rekka's neck.
Wow, the narration in Rekka's head supplied, there's even an experienced connoisseur here. Now this is what you call knowing how to eat. He mentally noted that Long Night Moon had given him a hickey before; rounding it off, that counted as something March 7th had done.
March 7th let go, stepping back two paces with a face flushed crimson, her chest heaving. She pointed a trembling finger at the clear, dark mark on Rekka's neck and turned to the fake March 7th, her tone a mixture of pride and bashful annoyance.
"Can anyone else do something like this!"
Stelle, standing to the side, was lost in thought. So you can play like that.
The pink-and-blue hair of the March 7th who hadn't kissed him began to shift, melting into black-and-red gradient twin tails. Then... she became shorter.
"Hello there~ friends of the Astral Express!" the girl chirped, her entire demeanor changing. "I'm Sparkle~ a Masked Fool~ I heard you opened a tavern on the Astral Express, so I came to show some support."
"So short."
March 7th blinked, the words slipping out of her mouth before she could stop them.
Sparkle:?
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