After a long day spent gaming with Silver Wolf, Felicity finally received word: the Astral Express was preparing to set sail once again.
Silver Wolf, for her part, had also earned a small victory—though not quite the one she'd hoped for. Her weekly gaming time had been adjusted from four hours per week to two hours per day. A modest improvement, perhaps, but enough to satisfy her for now.
Especially since she had a new cartridge to explore, she certainly wasn't short on games. At worst, she could always come back to bother Felicity once she'd grown bored.
And… she did want a reason to come back.
Playing alone was fun, yes—but playing with someone else was different. It was a feeling Silver Wolf couldn't quite put into words, but she didn't dislike it. In fact, she found herself looking forward to it, wondering, When will we play together again?
Without a word, she left.
Felicity leaned back in her chair, sighing, and stretched lazily. As she switched off the computer, she murmured under her breath, "I thought she was a ghost girl at first... turns out she's just a weirdo kid."
The memory of gaming with Silver Wolf lingered in her mind, and she couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle. Shaking her head, she rose to her feet, leaving her room behind.
The moment she stepped out, a voice called out—
"Sister Felicity!"
Stelle stood proudly in the center of the observation car, beaming like a child showing off a new toy. She held a baseball bat aloft with both hands, waving it high above her head.
"Look at me! Look at this!"
Felicity blinked, caught off guard. "What's going on...?"
Before she could finish, Stelle twirled the bat in a flourish. The wooden bat shimmered, its form twisting and reshaping in her hands, finally freezing into the form of a spear wreathed in amber flames.
"Flame Spear!" Stelle announced triumphantly.
A sharp voice rang out behind her.
"Children shouldn't play with fire indoors."
Himeko's voice was calm, but laced with warning. Stelle froze like a scolded puppy, turning her head slowly. Her eyes met Himeko's—a gentle, smiling gaze that carried a dangerous glint beneath the surface.
"I was wrong! QAQ!" Stelle surrendered immediately, the flames flickering out in an instant. Even the flame-shaped spear seemed to droop in defeat.
Felicity couldn't help but laugh softly. "It's fine. It's normal to want to show off when you've learned a new skill."
She reached out, gently patting Stelle's head in encouragement, though her voice remained serious. "But seriously—be careful with fire indoors, alright?"
Himeko took a sip of her coffee, eyes warm with approval. She was glad to see someone else stepping up to guide the younger generation. Of course, in the back of her mind, she remembered Herta's snarky comment—Didn't Herta say Felicity's mental age wasn't much different from a little girl's?
Still, it was nice to have someone around who could help keep the others in check.
Suddenly, Felicity seemed to remember something. "By the way, we're departing soon, aren't we? Where's our next destination?"
Himeko smiled, shaking her head with a teasing glint in her eyes. "Hehe... why don't we leave that up to Pom-Pom? Let's keep it a surprise for now."
Off to the side, Stelle frowned and glanced toward March 7th, who was fiddling absentmindedly with her camera. "Where's Dan Heng?"
March 7th looked up, her face lighting up with a mischievous grin. "He's probably oversleeping again, isn't he?"
"Does Dan Heng... really sleep in?" Stelle asked, shocked.
March 7th's grin widened, the chance to tease their usually reliable teammate too good to resist. "He does! Let's make a bet. If he is oversleeping, you'll have to wash the coffee cups for a week!"
Stelle hesitated for only a moment before nodding, convinced. "Alright! Let's do it!"
Though she couldn't help but wonder—Do you even need to wash coffee cups before getting on the train...?
Before they could set off to check on Dan Heng, a sudden electronic chime filled the room. A blue, translucent projection flickered into existence at the far end of the carriage.
The figure that appeared was instantly recognizable, even with her face obscured by an umbrella.
Stellaron Hunter—Kafka.
"Long time no see, everyone aboard the Astral Express." Her voice was smooth, almost melodic. "I'm Kafka."
Himeko's eyes narrowed, arms crossing in a practiced, defensive posture. Welt, standing beside her, tightened his grip on his cane, every inch of him radiating quiet vigilance.
Felicity could feel the air shift, an undercurrent of tension crackling like static.
Kafka's gaze landed first on Felicity, her expression softening into something almost gentle. "Felicity, isn't it? Our Silver Wolf has received a lot of care from you."
Himeko let out a derisive snort, her tone biting. "Save the pleasantries, 'Stellaron Hunter.' We've seen your face before—on the IPC's bounty list. The reward for your head is... astronomical, dead or alive. Do you know how much you're worth?"
Her words dripped with warning, a subtle edge that dared Kafka to make a wrong move.
Felicity raised her hand, cutting through the tension with a calm but firm voice. "Let's not waste time. You didn't drop in to exchange pleasantries, did you? What do you want?"
Kafka's smile didn't waver. "Impatient, aren't we?" Her gaze lingered on Felicity for a heartbeat before she continued, her tone light, almost teasing.
"Tell me, have you heard of the 'Luofu'?"
"...The Xianzhou Luofu. One of the six flagships of the Xianzhou Alliance," Welt supplied, his voice grave as his gaze flickered toward Felicity.
Kafka's lips curled into a faint smile. "Simple enough, isn't it? A Stellaron has appeared on the Luofu. It's not our doing, but the Cloud Knights have pinned the blame on the Stellaron Hunters."
She snapped her fingers, and her appearance shimmered—her umbrella vanished, replaced by a casual shirt, her hair now cropped short.
"My companion, Blade, has been taken by the Cloud Knights. I intend to retrieve him—and in doing so, resolve the Stellaron crisis, clearing our name in the process."
March 7th, who had been holding back, burst out. "Oh, come on! Who would believe that? You just happen to show up every time a Stellaron explodes—how convenient!"
Her sharp voice snapped through the air, and she grabbed Felicity's arm tightly, as if shielding her from Kafka's presence. Like a kitten puffing up its fur, ready to pounce.
Felicity let out a small sigh, her expression cool and unbothered. "To be honest... she's telling the truth."
Her voice was quiet but resolute. After all, she had no reason to shield a stranger like Kafka—Silver Wolf, maybe. Kafka? Not so much.
Kafka ignored the flare of tension, her gaze steady. "Of course, you can choose not to get involved. But if you don't go to Luofu... this star rail will eventually collapse. The Stellaron's contamination will spread throughout the ship, and half of the passengers will die."
Her voice was light, almost casual, but the weight of her words hung heavy in the air.
"The brave and fearless, the ones who fight for the good of others... you won't just sit idly by, will you?"
With a snap of her fingers, a data packet appeared in the air—a string of coordinates glinting in blue light.
"The choice is yours. Though we may walk different paths, the orbits of the stars will always cross again."
Before anyone could respond, Felicity pointed sharply, her voice cool and laced with a warning. "Next time, spare us the cryptic riddles. If you keep this up, I won't play with your Silver Wolf anymore."
Kafka hesitated for a moment, her breath catching, but in the end, she simply exhaled softly and smiled. "Understood. Until we meet again."
And just like that, her projection faded, vanishing into the static.
--+--
T/N: I am looking forward to translating the Xianzhou Luofu arc.