"How about... you call me 'Godmother'~"
As she said this, Herta winked at Himeko, a faint glint of mischief in her smile. Himeko's expression was momentarily stunned. It was clear that the relationship between these two women, Herta and Himeko, was good. After all, they were long-term partners, and a quiet but long-lasting friendship had formed between them. It was the kind of relationship that might not be dramatic, but you'd suddenly think of them after not seeing them for a while. Herta was still counting on Himeko to roam the stars and continuously bring her all sorts of fun and interesting curios.
Sāmu, hearing this, blinked his eyes in confusion. But Himeko, after a brief thought, had her eyes deepen. The woman lifted a hand to tuck a messy strand of hair behind her ear, then let it fall gently onto the boy's shoulder. A sense of preciousness and care was conveyed through the touch.
Himeko spoke softly. "Sāmu, go on, call her Godmother."
Herta: "Hmm?"
Sāmu: "Eh?"
Even though she was the one who started the joke, Herta showed a rare look of surprise. And Sāmu was even more at a loss.
Himeko urged the boy with a gentle gaze. In fact, having godparents was a popular custom on many planets. Usually, this relationship was established between close friends or family friends, and it was for the child's benefit. Parents would hope that besides themselves, there would be someone else to protect and care for their child. If the other party also had a certain social status, wealth, or connections to help their child, that was even better.
In exchange, the child would also be filial to their godparents in addition to their own parents. If the child was of good character and excellent in all aspects, taking them as a godchild was definitely a profitable venture. One just had to be careful not to raise an ungrateful wolf, or someone like Lü Bu who was unwilling to remain under others for long.
So, would Sāmu be that kind of child? Of course not!
Herta, being the genius she was, immediately understood Himeko's considerations. Himeko was wary of Ruan Mei's existence and wanted to find as much support for Sāmu as possible. And as a friend, an Emanator of Erudition, and a member of the Genius Society, she was undoubtedly the most suitable candidate. It just so happened that she had made a joke, and Himeko simply went along with it.
But Herta wasn't opposed to it either. So she squinted her eyes with a smile, quietly waiting for Sāmu's reaction.
The boy read the deep care and love in Mother Himeko's eyes and understood that this was an opportunity she had won for him. Plus, it was Ms. Herta who had saved him from that woman. So he no longer hesitated and called out in a clear voice, "Godmother..."
Herta had initially just found it interesting and wanted to try it out. But now, hearing it, even her ears felt a little tingle. The blood in her body raced for the first time in a long while, and her breathing quickened. The girl's pupils brightened several degrees, and she stared at the shy Sāmu with surprise and delight.
This was quite interesting! Herta was used to solitary research, being alone, so she had never experienced such a feeling before! It was as if Sāmu's existence had opened up a field Herta had never stepped into before, a new dimension of "interesting" for her to research and enjoy.
Faced with this brand new, unknown world, Herta was like a little squirrel that had stumbled into a granary, an explorer who had found a golden cave, a traveler who had discovered an oasis in the desert.
Interesting, this is really too interesting!
"Say it again~"
"Come on, look me in the eye, good boy."
There was a rising lilt in Herta's tone. Himeko heard it and knew the matter was settled. She was one of the few people who understood Herta very well and knew this was how Herta acted when she was interested.
This way, besides the Express crew, Sāmu now had another backer. If that woman Ruan Mei wanted to pester him again, she would have to think twice.
Sāmu's cheeks flushed, too shy to look Herta in the eye. But he obediently called out again in a low voice, "Godmother."
"!"
This was what Herta wanted! If no one else were around, Herta would probably be spinning in circles with excitement! Spin, spin, kurukuru!
Asta, watching this development, had her mouth wide open in an "O" shape! It had only been a short while, and Sāmu had gone from a lost child to Ms. Herta's godson? This was truly... wonderful!
This way, Sāmu's relationship with the Herta Space Station would become inseparable. This meant that Asta's opportunities to interact with Sāmu in the future would only increase. If she could use this to get even closer to Ms. Herta... Asta blushed at her own stray thoughts, telling herself she was thinking nonsense! Fortunately, no one was paying attention to her.
After calming down, Herta looked around herself. "I came out in a hurry this time and didn't prepare a proper meeting gift for you."
"How about... I give you this?" Herta offered the "Herta doll" she had been holding to Sāmu. (Imagine a Miku Fumo-style doll).
"What's this?" Sāmu looked curiously at the cute doll that looked like a chibi version of the girl Herta.
"I just made it. It's a smart doll, I guess." Herta suddenly averted her gaze slightly. Clearly, she was hiding some secret about this doll.
"Your godmother is giving it to you, just take it," Himeko also persuaded softly.
In that case, Sāmu respectfully accepted. But after taking the Herta doll from Herta's hands, the boy spoke sincerely, promising, "Next time I come back to the space station, I will definitely prepare a gift that Godmother will like."
It turned out he had hesitated because he didn't have a gift to exchange. The boy's attitude alone was enough to satisfy Herta. Of course, she was also looking forward to Sāmu's gift.
It was common knowledge that the Astral Express was about to depart. Although Herta was a little disappointed that she couldn't spend more time with her new godson, she had to respect the wishes of the Express crew. Therefore, this gathering was more like a farewell to the Express crew.
Guess who wasn't invited?
Herta finally patted Sāmu's hair and took a step back, giving Dr. Ratio, who had been waiting by the side, a chance to give his own parting words to Sāmu. But he was as blunt as ever.
"Sāmu, in my eyes, you have just barely passed."
"However—you are also the child who has the most potential to get a perfect score in my mind."
"I wish you well on your trailblazing journey, and may you finally encounter the truth."
"Thank you, Dr. Ratio. Really... thank you so much!" Sāmu's respect for Ratio was palpable, and he immediately bowed deeply to the man. Even Himeko, at this moment, bowed slightly to Ratio in a gesture of respect. Without his help, Sāmu wouldn't have been able to break free from that woman's grasp.
"Is it... my turn?" Asta, holding Peppy, was the Lead Researcher of the Herta Space Station, but in reality, she was more like Herta's warehouse manager. So before the important people finished talking, the girl didn't dare to interrupt.
"Sister Asta." Sāmu smiled at her. The boy's smile was healing, and Asta's heart pounded like a frantic deer. Seriously, do you have to be so unfairly charming...
Asta didn't consider herself the type of girl to be easily infatuated. But after meeting Sāmu, she was a little shaken. Even setting everything else aside, his pure beauty alone was captivating, not to mention he had a pure soul and heart to match.
Asta raised a hand to her ear, making an old-fashioned telephone gesture. "Sāmu, when you're out in the universe, don't forget to call me."
"Don't meet some new big sister out there and forget about me!"
"How could I!"
"Woof!"
"Pfft, I won't forget Peppy either."
Sāmu had promised Asta that he would play frisbee with her and Peppy on the space station. But because of... that woman's appearance, everything had been disrupted, and the Express had to depart earlier. But no matter what, for the current Sāmu, who had recovered his first set of memories, as long as he could get away from her, it was enough.
This was not a cowardly escape, but a brave act of letting go.
But at this harmonious moment, someone had to speak out of turn. Even Xipe, the Harmony, would frown upon hearing it.
"Can... can I say one more thing to Sāmu?"
"Let me just say one thing to him alone, just one—!"
Herta raised her hand, creating a vacuum layer where sound waves could not travel, thus cutting off the last possibility of communication between Ruan Mei and Sāmu. This was a godmother's favoritism for her child.
Admittedly, Herta and Ruan Mei had a cooperative relationship regarding the Simulated Universe. But the current Ruan Mei had truly disappointed her. It was better to take this opportunity to let her cool down.
Himeko also didn't dawdle. She took Sāmu's hand and returned to the Astral Express with the rest of the crew, leaving Ruan Mei shouting hoarsely.
From beginning to end, Sāmu never looked back.
"Click!" The door of the Astral Express closed tightly. Asta immediately contacted the person in charge of the platform's track control in the Master Control Zone, ordering them to open the interstellar route.
On the Astral Express, Himeko acted swiftly, giving orders with a wave of her hand. "Pom-Pom, leave the space station's safe zone immediately and prepare for a new interstellar warp jump!"
"As you command, Pom-Pom!" The train possessed some mysterious power that allowed it to travel between stars. And Pom-Pom was like the embodiment of the train's will, able to control the entire train with its thoughts. The little creature seemed to transform into Super Pom-Pom, squatting in a horse stance, clenching its fingerless little fists, its long, twin-tail-like ears flying up.
"Poooooom!!!"
With its effort, the Astral Express emitted a strong golden light. Amidst a piercing whistle, it roared towards the brilliant stars and the galaxy!
On the platform, Ruan Mei witnessed this scene, her heart feeling like it was being torn apart. Her body went limp, and she knelt on the ground. Her knees hurt... they were probably bruised. But the woman's pale face was numb. Because something... was far more heartbreaking than this.
— She had lost her child, again.
Ruan Mei's gaze dimmed, like a flickering candle flame. She muttered to herself vulnerably, "Was I... really wrong?"
But the next moment, that flame, fueled by hatred, burned brighter! The woman's voice turned into a grit of her teeth.
"No, I was not wrong!"
"The one who is wrong is...!"
"I will definitely get you back to my side, Sāmu."
"No matter what method I have to use."
"No matter how long it takes—"
-------
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