March 7th seemed to realize she had seen something she shouldn't have.
Although she had already witnessed Daziel's various ways of pushing the boundaries, this scene—opening the door to find Daziel keeping a woman behind her back—was still too outrageous, shocking her senses.
"Aaaaaah!"
Her voice instantly jumped an octave, the shrill sound wave almost threatening to blow the roof off, making eardrums ache.
While screaming, March 7th scrambled to cover her eyes, yet couldn't resist peeking through the gaps between her fingers, as if wanting to hide but unwilling to miss the scene.
"March, keep your voice down."
Daziel frowned slightly, shooting March 7th a sideways glance, reminding her appropriately.
"The Express carriages have good soundproofing, but not that good."
March 7th was choked speechless by Daziel's matter-of-fact attitude. Her scream died abruptly, caught in her throat, causing an unnatural blush to rise on her pale cheeks.
"She... When did she get on the Express?"
"This... something this huge, aren't you planning to tell the others?"
Her chest heaved violently, and she finally managed to find her voice, stammering out the question.
After all, Daziel's actions weren't simply 'adding a sister for himself', it couldn't even be described as 'playing around and messing up'.
This was simply—
Moral degradation? A distortion of human nature?
Although she had helped Daziel tie up Sparkle, she never expected Daziel had already tied up a Jingliu...
Both involved tying someone up, but the nature was different. This was Daziel doing bad things behind her back!
However, Daziel didn't feel he had actually done anything against his principles.
"Tell them? Of course, I need to explain clearly."
Daziel walked to the table, picked up a kettle, and poured himself a glass of water. The sound of warm water filling the glass was exceptionally clear in the rather quiet storage room. His movements remained unhurried, as if performing a routine task.
Daziel lifted the glass and took a small sip. The calmer and more composed he appeared, the more anxious March 7th felt, restlessness coiling around her nerves like vines.
"Then Miss Jingliu... being tied up like this..."
March 7th's gaze drifted uncontrollably back to Jingliu, seeing her slender figure bound, curled up, looking fragile and helpless.
This sight filled March 7th's heart with mixed feelings. Various complex emotions tangled together, making her throat tighten, unsure how to express herself.
She tried to define Daziel's actions with words like "kidnapping" or "house arrest," but found them too difficult to say aloud. After all, Jingliu's situation and Sparkle's situation couldn't be lumped together.
"Jingliu? She's willing. You don't need to worry."
Daziel put down his water glass and turned around, looking calmly at March 7th, his tone as certain as if stating an insignificant fact.
"She's... willing?"
March 7th's eyes widened, wondering if she had misheard, or if Daziel was deliberately twisting the truth, speaking ironically to tease her.
"Eh? Really willing? Like this... it doesn't look like it at all, does it? This is different from the Sparkle situation!"
She stretched out a trembling finger, pointing at the securely bound Jingliu, then pointed at Sparkle, tossed carelessly on the floor and unconscious, her tone filled with doubt and confusion.
How does this look willing? Clearly, she was forced, abused, stripped of all dignity! And she was here before Sparkle...
Thinking about those nights when Daziel hadn't wanted to crawl into her room, March 7th felt a surge of jealousy welling up in her heart.
Daziel seemed to have anticipated March 7th's disbelief and jealousy. He shrugged helplessly.
"March, you don't believe me? No problem, I'll just prove it to you."
He strode towards Jingliu.
Daziel walked up to Jingliu and bent down, gently, affectionately patting Jingliu's cheek, the soft touch completely at odds with the scene before them.
"Jingliu, wake up!"
His voice suddenly dropped, becoming low and magnetic, like a lover's whisper, yet also holding a hint of seduction.
"You genuinely want to do this kind of thing with me, right?"
Jingliu weakly lifted her head. Although wearing a blindfold, her gaze seemed to land on Daziel's face. Her lips parted slightly, and a glistening thread of saliva trickled down.
Then, like a puppet, she nodded. The movement was small, but it was enough to make March 7th's heart sink to the depths.
"Daziel, you... I'll be damned if I believe you!"
March 7th felt like her entire worldview was shattering.
She would rather believe the sun would rise in the west tomorrow, that day and night would reverse, that stars would fall, than believe Jingliu would willingly accept such...
such unbearable treatment from Daziel.
It simply didn't fit logic, didn't fit common sense...
And it certainly didn't fit her image of Jingliu—cold, proud, like an exiled immortal!
"Miss Jingliu, you... If you're being coerced, just blink!"
March 7th urgently raised her voice, her tone trembling and slightly cracking, her eyes fixed intently on Jingliu's face, afraid of missing the slightest change in expression.
However, Jingliu's response was a slow, yet firm, shake of her head.
"See, March? I didn't lie to you. She's really willing."
Daziel spread his hands helplessly, wearing an "I can't help it" expression.
"Go get the others. It's a good time for me to explain this whole thing to them, and then we can talk about renovating my room."
"Get... get the others?"
March 7th was stunned for a moment. She hadn't expected Daziel to be so calm, even proactively asking to reveal the matter.
Was he really not afraid of being kicked off the Express Crew?
Or perhaps...
"Daziel, are you really okay?"
March 7th stared suspiciously at Daziel, trying to find any flaw, any hint of guilt on his face.
She still found this hard to believe...
There had to be something wrong, something she wasn't grasping!
"Even if... even if you really lost your head for a moment, did something bad, and forcibly tied Miss Jingliu up..."
March 7th bit her lip, after an intense internal struggle and turmoil, finally made up her mind. With a mix of compromise and helplessness, she whispered:
"I... I'll do my best to help you hide it from the rest of the Express Crew."
She gritted her teeth and finally said it, her tone laced with resignation and helplessness.
After all, in March 7th's heart, her companions on the Astral Express Crew were certainly important, like family.
But... Daziel, the husband she had finally settled on after so much trouble, his position among these family members...
seemed, perhaps, a little more important?
"March 7th, your little brain... what kind of nonsense do you fill it with every day?"
Daziel chuckled at March 7th's words, shaking his head, unsure whether to laugh or cry. He reached out and lightly tapped her forehead.
"Since I dared to ask you to get people, it means my conduct is upright, open and honorable, with nothing shameful to hide."
"Just go get them, stop letting your imagination run wild here."
Daziel's tone was firm and confident, his eyes clear and open, without the slightest hint of panic or evasion, which only confused March 7th further.
Could it be she had really just overthought everything?
Had Daziel truly done nothing wrong?
...
Was Jingliu really willing?
"..."
March 7th nodded hesitantly, the tangled mess of doubts in her heart wasn't completely gone, but it had at least calmed down a bit.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, then turned to leave the room to get the other Astral Express companions.
"Oh, right, Lady Herta."
Just as March 7th was about to step out the door, Daziel's voice came again from behind her.
"Later, you should also explain clearly to the Express Crew that this puppet of yours will be stationed permanently on the Astral Express from now on. Consider it a new member of the crew."
"Understood."
The Herta puppet standing in the corner nodded slightly, her voice calm, as if she had no interest or concern whatsoever about what had just happened.
After March 7th left, Daziel tapped his chin with his fingertips, thinking for a moment.
He decided to first remove Jingliu's gag and bindings, and then tie her up again after explaining the situation.
Inside the Express carriage, the atmosphere was like solidified amber, subtle and tense.
On either side of the long table, like the Chu River and Han Border, two distinct groups were clearly demarcated.
On one side were the members of the Express Crew: Welt, Himeko, Dan Heng, Pom-Pom. Their expressions varied, complex emotions mingling in their eyes.
Himeko sat elegantly at the head of the table, her red lips pressed lightly together, her gaze shifting between Daziel and Jingliu beside him, finally settling on Daziel's face.
"Daziel, is everything you've said true?"
Her red lips parted slightly, breaking the suffocating silence.
Hearing this, Daziel's expression was open and fearless as he met Himeko's gaze, his eyes clear, without a trace of evasion.
"Absolutely true, Himeko."
Daziel's voice was steady and clear, echoing in the somewhat empty carriage, resonant and leaving no room for doubt.
"Every word I spoke is true, without the slightest falsehood."
Hearing this, Himeko's eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze turning back to Jingliu.
"Miss Jingliu, may I ask—"
Himeko's tone softened, showing respect for the powerful, yet also holding a hint of subtle scrutiny.
"—your meaning is...?"
Her words were gentle, wanting a more definitive answer from Jingliu herself.
Jingliu slowly raised her head. The blindfold covered her eyes, yet seemed unable to block the piercing power of her gaze, which seemed ethereal and unfocused, landing somewhere in the void.
"Whether it's true or false is irrelevant for now."
Jingliu's voice was as cold as the water of a deep pool, carrying a distance that kept others a thousand li away, yet within the coldness, there was a hint of subtle easing.
"This boy and I are indeed in a cooperative relationship. For a period of time hereafter, I shall remain temporarily on this train."
Her tone was indifferent, yet it confirmed Daziel's statement.
Dan Heng sat quietly in the corner, his gaze fixed on Jingliu, his expression complex and hard to read, as if filled with the melancholy of reminiscing about the past, yet also the calm of accepting the present.
"Jingliu, I never thought our first meeting would be under such circumstances. Although, I truly am unfamiliar with you now."
Dan Heng's voice was low and slightly hoarse, breaking his long silence.
Hearing this, Jingliu turned her head slightly towards Dan Heng. Ripples seemed to flash in the depths of her eyes, like layers of ripples spreading across a calm lake surface when a stone is thrown in, but they quickly returned to tranquility.
"Matters of the past are already like smoke dispersing before the eyes. No need to mention them again."
Jingliu's tone was indifferent, as if narrating a story unrelated to herself, yet also holding a hint of decisiveness.
"You are no longer the you of the past, and I too have the path I wish to walk."
Only by cutting the bonds of the past can one welcome the unknown future.
"I understand."
Dan Heng nodded slightly, indicating his comprehension.
Welt's gaze was sharp as it swept over the blushing March 7th.
"That little March has fallen for Daziel... the Express Crew has heard rumors for a while, and we were mentally prepared..."
"Ehehe..."
Hearing this, March 7th scratched her head sheepishly, her pretty face instantly flushed crimson, giggling foolishly, looking rather bashful.
Welt paused, his tone deepening slightly, as his gaze fell on the indifferent Herta puppet, his voice tinged with confusion.
"But, why Lady Herta, are you also...?"
Hearing this, on the puppet's exquisite face, a slightly helpless smile appeared.
"It's all fate."
She shrugged, spreading her pale palms. "In the Simulated Universe, I saw the prophecy left by the Final King. I felt something was off back then. In the great unseen, there are fixed numbers, I suppose."
Herta offered an explanation for this absurd situation.
However, the explanation seemed more intended to convince herself.
Seeing this, Himeko's red lips curved slightly, revealing an interested smile.
"Why does it feel like more and more women are sitting on Daziel's side? Don't tell me I'll have to move over there one day too??"
Himeko deliberately drew out the end of her sentence, her tone teasing.
"Ah? Himeko, what are you saying?"
Hearing this, Daziel's expression changed drastically. He waved his hands repeatedly, shaking his head like a pellet drum, hastily denying it.
"No, no, that kind of thing, absolutely not!"
At this moment, Daziel couldn't help but suspect inwardly whether Himeko had also been infected by some strange meme.
Otherwise, how could she say such things?
Seeing his reaction, Himeko hummed softly, her smile deepening, her eyes shifting meaningfully, like a cat that had successfully played a prank, lazy and elegant.
"Mhm, as for the future, who knows?"
Himeko's tone was ambiguous, carrying an inscrutable meaning, inviting endless speculation, and making Daziel even more flustered.
"Don't! Himeko, please don't!"
Daziel was so anxious he was scratching his ears and cheeks, shaking his head repeatedly. "I absolutely didn't mean that! You're the matriarch of the Express Crew! How could we do something like that!"
His reaction drew light laughter from the others, and the previously tense atmosphere eased considerably.
Seeing this, Welt appropriately changed the subject, his gaze turning to Sparkle, who was collapsed on the sofa, still dazed.
"Speaking of which, that girl in red clothes, is she alright? Won't you introduce her to us?"
Welt asked gently, his tone carrying the concern of an elder, as well as curiosity about the newcomer.
"Her? She's called Sparkle! One of the Masked Fools, a purely bad little girl!"
Hearing the question, March 7th immediately jumped in, her clear voice holding a hint of smugness, as well as undisguised disdain.
"Daziel brought her onto the Express specifically to discipline her properly."
Hearing this, Welt and Himeko looked at each other, their eyes full of confusion and bewilderment.
"Discipline?"
Himeko repeated the word, a playful smile lingering on her red lips.
"What kind of discipline method?"
"Er, well..."
Hearing the question, March 7th hesitated slightly, blinked playfully, cleared her throat, and her tone suddenly became serious.
"This is a disciplinary plan jointly formulated by myself, Lady Herta, and Daziel."
March 7th said with a straight face, as if announcing an important decision.
"First, let's start by giving her the coffee Himeko gave me, the one with the 'labor inducer' added. It was that 'milk inducer' from last time. I see her development isn't great, she could really use it."
Jingliu, who had just lifted her coffee cup, about to take a sip, froze mid-motion upon hearing this, almost completely still.
As the coffee entered her mouth, a strange taste instantly spread across Jingliu's taste buds, as nauseating as drinking old Xianzhou Mung Bean Milk.
Her elegant eyebrows knitted slightly, her expression changing on her cold, beautiful face. Unable to bear the sickening taste any longer, she abruptly spat the coffee out.
"Pfft—"
The sprayed coffee landed like fine rain on the polished tabletop, making tiny sounds.
Jingliu covered her red lips, her dark brows tightly furrowed, her cold eyes holding a strange look.
"Could it be that this coffee also has... such filth added to it, making it taste so awful?"
Seeing this, Daziel quickly waved his hands, trying to explain, his tone awkward and helpless.
"Don't misunderstand, Jingliu."
Daziel quickly explained, "Himeko's coffee... whether that stuff is added or not, there might not be much difference..."
"Hey, Daziel, how can you talk about my coffee like that..."
Hearing this, Himeko frowned slightly, deliberately putting on a dissatisfied expression.
"Ahem! Alright! Very good, Pom!"
Seeing the situation, Pom-Pom quickly stood up, its chubby body nimbly weaving through the crowd, changing the subject.
"Suddenly having so many new passengers, the Conductor is very happy, Pom! So, Daziel, when are you planning to clean your room, Pom?"
Hearing this, Daziel thought for a moment, then gave a relatively specific time.
"Er, tomorrow, I guess."
Hearing this, Pom-Pom tilted its round head, its big eyes blinking curiously, looking eager to help.
"Does the Conductor need to help?"
"Thank you, Conductor, but there shouldn't be any need for you to trouble yourself. We can handle this kind of thing ourselves."
Daziel shook his head, declining Pom-Pom's kind offer.
"Besides having March 7th and Lady Herta help clean the room, Sparkle has to participate too. It's an indispensable part of labor reform."
Pom-Pom nodded, "Then you handle it yourselves, Pom..."
The Express Crew meeting ended, and night quietly fell.
The light of the galaxy scattered like crushed diamonds. It pierced through the train windows, cool moonlight pouring down, coating the room in a layer of cold silver.
In March 7th's room, Sparkle slowly regained consciousness, her awareness gradually returning.
She slowly opened her eyes. What greeted her was an unfamiliar starry ceiling and strange room furnishings.
Sparkle sat up abruptly, the large movement pulling at the soreness in her body, which felt like it had been disassembled and reassembled.
After all, two whole hours of torture... even a puppet body like Herta's wouldn't be able to stand it...
She looked around, trying to identify her location, but found the room's furnishings were full of a girly atmosphere, decorated mainly in blue and pink hues.
Realizing she was in an unfamiliar place, Sparkle's heart jumped, and a chill shot up from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.
She instinctively wanted to cry out, syllables of help rolling in her throat, but they were blocked as if by an invisible barrier, unable to make any sound.
Her throat, dry as a desert, rasped painfully. This instead disturbed the object in Sparkle's mouth, and an indescribable foul taste instantly exploded in her mouth.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
Sparkle's delicate brows furrowed in pain. She extended the tip of her tongue, carefully touching the object in her mouth.
The texture was soft and damp, the fabric's weave fine and smooth, strongly resembling some kind of intimate apparel.
A sense of foreboding rose in Sparkle's heart.
She forcefully spat out the object. Looking closely under the light, her pupils instantly constricted, and her face turned deathly pale.
It was clearly a sticky, triangular piece of cloth. The color, the style, were all incredibly familiar. Upon careful examination, it turned out to be her own...!
Humiliation, anger, instantly flooded her heart!
Sparkle's small body trembled all over. She wanted to get up and resist, but found her limbs weak, unable to move.
She looked down and only then discovered she was firmly tied to a chair with ropes. Her wrists and ankles were tightly bound, completely immobile.
Shame, fear, surged like a tide, completely drowning her.
Just then, a flippant voice pulled Sparkle out of this tide—
"Yo, little brat, you're awake?"
March 7th's voice, tinged with mockery and smugness, came from the corner of the room.
______
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