"All passengers! The Express is about to begin its warp jump! Destination: Pier Point. Please be seated and prepare for departure!"
Pom-Pom's voice echoed from the train's broadcast system.
"…"
Stelle subconsciously glanced outside the window at the Luofu, a colossal warship the size of a planet… No matter how many times she saw it, the sight was still breathtaking.
This trip to the Xianzhou had been so eventful… It felt even more troublesome than her first Trailblazing journey…
Looking at Jingliu and Tingyun sitting beside Wende, Stelle felt a sour taste in her mouth. She was the one who used to sit next to Wende…
Damn it… What exactly happened? When did she and Wende become so distant?
No… wait… what is this strange feeling? Am I… jealous?
No… that's not right… Aaaah!
Overwhelmed with anxiety, Stelle flopped onto March's lap with a conflicted expression.
"Alright, alright, I was wrong just now. But thinking about it, it was pretty silly, wasn't it? We can see each other anytime just by using a Realm-Restricting Anchor, so why did we have to make the farewell so dramatic?"
March gently smoothed Stelle's hair, thinking she was still hurt by her earlier words.
"Mmm March~"
Stelle suddenly started acting like a spoiled brat, burying her face in March's smooth thighs and nuzzling against them.
"Ahhhhh! You idiot! What are you doing?! Not there!"
Bonk!
Stelle sat up, rubbing a large bump on her head, a look of utter satisfaction on her face.
"Ah~ March energy, filled!"
Gazing at Stelle's expression of having no regrets in this life, March shot her a look of disgust and moved to the opposite seat, next to Tingyun.
"Don't say things that make you sound like a pervert! Honestly, you've been normal for a while now, why are you having a relapse?" March muttered under her breath.
"Haha, it has been a while since I've seen our benefactor acting so straightforwardly," Tingyun said, covering her mouth with a light chuckle.
"See! Miss Tingyun knows how to give a compliment!"
Wende watched Stelle, who still seemed to be savoring the moment, and covered his face with his hand in exasperation.
What are the players in the real world doing now? Are they stirring up trouble? Writing smut? What is it? Why is Stelle acting weird again?
If the players in the real world could hear Wende's inner thoughts, they would surely get excited and bo— (crossed out), they would surely cry foul! They really weren't the ones acting crazy!
Stelle's current behavior was entirely her own doing; it had absolutely nothing to do with the players!
Snapping out of her reverie, Stelle saw March sitting across from her and Wende sighing with his face in his hands. She pouted and puffed her cheeks. Just as she stood up to pull March back, streaks of light flashed past the window…
The warp jump had begun.
A powerful inertia suddenly filled the carriage. Just as Stelle's body was about to tumble to the floor…
"Sigh!"
Opening her eyes, Stelle saw that she was being held in Wende's arms on the sofa, a look of helpless resignation on his face. A smile instantly bloomed across hers.
"Don't push your luck."
Wende gently stroked Stelle's hair. Seeing her nestled in his arms, he sighed but didn't say anything more.
"…"
To the side, Jingliu sat with her long legs crossed, her elbow resting on her thigh and her hand supporting her cheek. She quietly watched the heartwarming scene, a thoughtful glint in her eyes.
"Oh? So this is what he likes…"
Tingyun, on the other hand, appeared completely unfazed. After all… the old Stelle was capable of doing things like [REDACTED] in broad daylight. This was already quite normal.
"Ding dong~ The Express has begun its warp jump. Estimated time to arrival at the target star system is half a System Hour."
Pom-Pom's announcement came through the broadcast.
"…"
Silence fell over the Parlor Car. Dan Heng was playing a game with his headphones on, though from his expression, it seemed the game wasn't going well.
Stelle remained nestled in Wende's arms, quiet as if she had fallen asleep. Wende was exasperated but let her be, completely forgetting that this troublesome girl had dragged him away to serve as a workhorse for a month.
Jingliu simply watched them, a faint smile on her lips.
March and Tingyun were chatting about everything under the sun, the milk tea sisters having started another one of their long talks.
Himeko was drinking coffee. Welt was frowning at the cup of coffee in his hand. Jingliu's success seemed to have convinced Himeko that her coffee was now a normal "beverage"…
---o---
Belobog.
Within the suburban academy, a beautiful young woman holding a peculiar-looking Warp Trotter was walking slowly through the snow.
"Beep beep… beep beep…"
"Ahem~"
"Hello? This is Topaz. What instructions do the board members have for me?"
The young woman lightly tapped her earpiece, cleared her throat, and then answered the call, her voice taking on a professional, business-like tone.
"What? We're not collecting Belobog's debt? How can that be! Then… huh? The Punklorde Special Action Team? Me?"
"This… very well. Then, regarding Belobog… Yes, yes, understood. Since the board has decided, I can't very well refuse! Yes, ma'am!"
After ending the call with her superior, Topaz let out a long, deep breath of relief before glancing down at Numby at her feet.
"Heave!"
She scooped Numby up in one arm and took a deep sniff of it, letting out a sigh of satisfaction.
"Wuuu~"
Numby went limp, as if it had just been hit with a [Life Siphon].
"Honestly, to think that after traveling all this way to collect a bad debt, things would take such an unexpected turn and land me a huge deal! Not only did I not lose the Belobog assignment, but I might even get another promotion! Numby! We've hit the jackpot!"
"Puh-woo~"
Numby wiggled its plump body with great awareness, as if it were celebrating for Topaz.
"Alright, alright, let's go. Our survey ends here. The higher-ups said we can't even leave a footprint behind. If the Astral Express found out we were trying to collect debts on a planet they just saved, it would be impossible to explain!"
Topaz smiled and patted Numby, a confident grin on her face.
The upcoming asset assessment would be nothing like this one, which could have been resolved simply by bringing company employees and negotiating.
"Punklorde… It seems the Corporation has quite a few operations and assets there. Just me alone… might be a bit of a stretch… Oh well, that's a problem for the higher-ups to worry about, it has nothing to do with me!"
"Let's go! Time to clock out!"
The Interastral Peace Corporation arrived and departed with equal speed. The group of employees who had just disembarked from their ship to conduct the survey stared blankly at the returning Topaz. A team leader was about to step forward and ask what was going on when he received a new notification.
"The Belobog Asset Assessment Team is to return immediately. The two days spent on the journey will be considered paid vacation. Do not leave any trace of the Corporation on Belobog!"
"What! Paid vacation?! Hey, you over there! Stop carving on that tree! Do you want me to dock your performance review?!"
"What! Team Leader! You can dock anything but that!"