"How can she still keep pretending?" Seeing March 7th still tightly closing her eyes without any intention of opening them, Yun Fan shook his head in amusement. She was practically steaming from embarrassment, yet she still stubbornly acted composed—what an unstraightforward child.
But judging by Little March's reaction, she probably already held quite a bit of affection for him, didn't she? Even though she had just been completely drunk, she still clung tightly to his clothes and refused to let go even when Himeko arrived. If it had been anyone else, this girl would've long since slapped them silly.
"Ugh… is he going to kiss me or not…? Ah, no—March, shouldn't you be stopping him right now? But…" At this moment, March 7th's heart was in complete turmoil as she waited endlessly without any further movement from Yun Fan.
The constant secretion of adrenaline caused her body temperature to rise steadily, and her heartbeat pounded like a tightly wound clock, thumping loudly in her chest. Listening to the drum-like rhythm of her own heart, March 7th felt her head grow dizzy, as if she might "pass out" at any moment.
"Goodnight, Little March."
Yun Fan's magnetic voice reached March 7th's ears, followed by a faint wet sensation on her forehead as a warm touch surged through her mind.
Click.
The sound of Yun Fan's footsteps gradually faded away. Only after hearing the soft click of the door closing did March 7th finally dare to move slightly.
Cracking her eyes open just a slit, she confirmed that Yun Fan had truly left before suddenly sitting up from her pink princess bed, gasping for air as she greedily inhaled the room's atmosphere. It took her a while to calm down from the whirlwind of emotions.
Recalling what had just happened, March 7th subconsciously raised her hand to her forehead. When her fingers brushed over the spot Yun Fan had kissed, her barely settled heart fluttered once more.
"Could it be… I've fallen for him?" March 7th murmured to herself.
"Manifest!" After a moment of contemplation, March 7th summoned the "Trailblazing Arrow" Yun Fan had gifted her, her delicate fingers lightly tracing the bow's frame.
"Does he… like me too?"
——————————
"Himeko, is this the Astral Express' next destination?" March 7th took the documents from Himeko, her eyes shimmering with fascination as she gazed at the frozen, beautiful planet displayed on the screen.
"Mhm, that's right." Himeko nodded slightly before introducing the snow-covered planet to everyone.
"This is Jarilo-IV, the destination of this Trailblazing expedition." She sighed softly. "To think that after a thousand years, it's ended up in such a state…"
"Um, Himeko, are you sure there are still people alive on this planet?" Stelle raised her hand and asked quietly.
"There's no need to worry about that. According to the Express' scans, we can confirm that many lives still exist on this planet. However, given the current circumstances, I'm afraid they won't last much longer."
"It's that serious? Then it's time for us Trailblazers to step in! Right, Stelle, Dan Heng, Yun Fan?" March 7th clenched her fists, brimming with enthusiasm.
"Mhm!" Stelle also pumped her fist in agreement before, as if feeling it wasn't enough, pulling out her baseball bat from behind her back.
With March 7th and Stelle in agreement, the two turned their expectant gazes toward Yun Fan and Dan Heng.
Seeing this, Yun Fan shrugged.
"You guys decide. I don't really care either way."
"Huh? How can you not care?! This is a chance to save the world and become a great hero!" March 7th pouted.
"Pfft, if it's just about saving this planet, it's way too easy—we don't even need to go there ourselves." As he spoke, Yun Fan activated the Authority of Causality.
In an instant, vast imaginary energy surged within the Astral Express, an invisible pressure enveloping everyone. Running his fingers through the thick, nearly tangible Path of Causality energy around him, Yun Fan chuckled. "All I need to do is wield the Authority of Causality, and I can bring this planet back to life. Not only is it fast and convenient, but it also saves us a ton of time. How about it?"
"Good—good your head!" March 7th couldn't help but retort. "If we all acted like you, Yun Fan, what would even be the point of our Trailblazing journey?!"
Yun Fan raised an eyebrow. "Oh? My method saves time and effort while also rescuing countless lives. Can't that be considered the meaning of a Trailblazing journey?"
"I—I—" Stumped by Yun Fan's words, our dear March 7th found herself at a loss for a rebuttal. When it came to eloquence, she had already been dead last even before Stelle and Yun Fan boarded the Express. And after these two joined… well, she was still dead last.
Realizing she couldn't win the argument, March 7th could only turn to Himeko with pleading eyes, hoping for backup.
Seeing March 7th's pitiful expression, Himeko couldn't help but laugh before teasingly saying to Yun Fan, "Alright, Yun Fan, stop teasing our Little March. She's taking everything you say seriously, you know?"
"Eh? Taking it seriously?" March 7th blinked in confusion before noticing the suppressed laughter on Himeko's face—only then did she realize she'd been tricked again by this guy.
"You—you… I'll bite you to death!" March 7th "gnashed her teeth" as she pounced at Yun Fan, eyes gleaming with "murderous" intent.
"Playing for real?" In the blink of an eye, Yun Fan caught March 7th's wrist and, with a slight tug, pulled her into his arms.
"You—!" Instantly, March 7th's ferocious momentum deflated. Feeling the warmth radiating from Yun Fan, her face flushed red. Still, she ultimately managed to pry herself away with what little dignity she had left.
No one commented on their little exchange. Instead, they all exchanged knowing smiles, each seeing the same thought reflected in the others' eyes.
These two… there's definitely something going on.