What Emiya was going to discuss with Himeko this time might reveal certain secrets that must not be noticed by outsiders.
To make sure the information would never be leaked, Emiya first chose Belobog, a place covered by the miracle of Preservation, so all unnecessary gazes would be blocked.
Then he had Zoe set up multiple layers of encryption in the lounge, fusing Emiya's magic into the barrier as a protective layer, in order to cut off any possible prying from the Aeon of Preservation.
"Mr. Emiya, you should already know why I'm here, so I'll be direct, what exactly is your relationship with the Astral Express?"
This question had been circling endlessly in Himeko's mind. Now that she finally had the chance to ask, she cut straight to the point.
"Actually, it's a long story. To put it simply, my dead old man once followed the Aeon of Trailblaze, so Pom-pom might have mistaken me for him."
Such a full-of-holes lie couldn't fool Himeko. When she saw Emiya refusing to tell the truth, her emotions instantly flared up. She took a step forward, eyes locked tightly onto his.
"As far as I know, the only one Pom-pom would treat that way is..."
"That's right. Actually, I'm the reincarnation of the Aeon of Trailblaze!" Emiya interrupted her seriously.
"Pfft!" Himeko's eyes went wide, and the soda in her mouth sprayed out like a rainbow. "What kind of bullshit is that? How could Lord Aeon of Trailblaze possibly be you…"
Her voice grew smaller and smaller. Scenes flashed through her mind, the Express accelerating on its own for the first time in history, moving under its own control, Pom-pom's strange attitude toward Emiya.
And from what she'd gathered, the Stellaron of Jarilo was like a toy ball in his hands. He'd just mentioned last night that he would deal with it, and the very next day, the Stellaron really was gone.
One had to know, even Herta's Stellaron, the relatively obedient one, had consumed vast amounts of time, manpower, and resources just to confine and contain.
"Could it be you really are…"
"Of course not, don't talk nonsense!" Emiya rolled his eyes.
"How can you even believe such obvious nonsense? I don't know if I should call you clever or dumb."
Seeing Himeko's face still full of disbelief, Emiya felt troubled. Not only was she smart, her imagination was boundless.
If he kept trying to weave lies, it wouldn't work well, and might even backfire unexpectedly.
After thinking it over, Emiya decided not to drag the topic out anymore, and simply threw out his final conclusion.
"Stop overthinking. Just remember this, our family, Pom-pom, and the Astral Express share a deep connection. That's all you need to know."
"Deep… how deep exactly?" Himeko still refused to let it go.
"Deeper than the darkness of the universe, of course!" Emiya smacked her on the head with a hand-chop, making her grimace in pain.
'The darkness of the universe…'
When she came back to her senses, Himeko couldn't help but chew over those words again and again. She felt they carried some special hidden meaning.
But before she could think deeper, Emiya raised his hand-chop again, ready to strike.
"Stop hitting me, it really hurts!"
"For everyone's sake, don't ask about what you shouldn't. All you need to remember is that we're comrades who can help each other and trust each other."
Emiya lowered his hand and turned Himeko's face to meet his eyes. "You'll naturally understand in the future. But if you learn too much now, the Astral Express will sink together with you!"
"Oh." Himeko nodded, not fully understanding but still impressed. She didn't press further on the matter.
She didn't really care who Emiya was. What she cared about most was only one thing, "Emiya, can you promise not to come onto the train, not to run off with Pom-pom?"
"Huh?" The topic jumped so fast that Emiya was dumbfounded.
Looking at Himeko in front of him, he ran through her life experiences in his mind and roughly guessed her thoughts.
Obviously, she was feeling insecure, afraid that the train she valued and its adorable conductor might be taken away by this wild man who appeared out of nowhere.
"Don't worry. Our journey's direction is different from the train's." At least on this point, Emiya could be sure.
"Once the matter with the Interastral Peace Corporation is over, we'll likely part ways for a while."
"Oh, that's good… No, I mean, that's such a pity." Himeko's cheeks flushed red, her excitement making her accidentally blurt out her true feelings.
"Haha, the train was repaired by you. Don't worry about me, this wild man, trying to steal it!"
Emiya understood her feelings well, it was probably like the fear of someone trying to steal away your own family. "Zoe has an even cooler ride at home. You'll see it soon."
"Oh, then I'll be waiting." Himeko nodded ambiguously. She wouldn't really feel at ease until they'd safely departed.
"Speaking of which, how do you want us to help Jarilo?"
Himeko brushed back her hair and lazily leaned against the sofa. At that moment, she once again returned to being the calculating, composed navigator of the Astral Express.
"The train's passengers do have decent combat ability, but they're just guests. The train has no right to let them risk their lives in battle."
"That's nothing you need to worry about. When the company comes, just stand behind us with the train."
When it came to business, Emiya's lips curled into his usual faint smile, his words carrying a slightly cheeky tone. "The train and the Nameless carry much more weight than your meager fighting power."
"Arrogant, aren't you? Want to fight?" Himeko's eyes gleamed with eagerness. If she could see Emiya make a move with her own eyes, analyzing his background later would be much easier.
"A fight isn't impossible, but my combat power is the weakest in my house. If I fight, people could get hurt. Why not let Vera handle it instead?"
Emiya always suspected the two men on the train had complicated backgrounds, especially that Walter. He seemed to carry the aura of a Herrscher's universe. Letting Vera test him out might not be a bad idea.
"Better not. Welt and Dan Heng don't like fighting girls." Himeko faintly sensed Emiya was laying a trap for her. Since the enemy was hidden and she was exposed, better not play into his hands.
Time passed day by day.
Even though news had spread across the universe that the Star Rail was repaired and the planet had regained new life, no travelers other than the Astral Express had stopped at Jarilo.
Even passersby, if they happened to come close, would flee as fast as they could, as if avoiding a plague.
Nobody knew when the Interastral Peace Corporation would arrive, or whether they even would. So, for the moment, the Astral Express's people put aside all their messy worries, and simply enjoyed their stay on Jarilo.
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