"Wasn't it given to you by your mom?"
"Then you and my mom can each have half."
Caelus changed his tune. He still held some resentment toward Kafka. She had given birth to him and then run off. When the Anti-Matter Legion had hunted him down, if Acheron had not protected him, he would probably have been reduced to ashes. So what he said was not wrong at all.
Acheron smiled faintly at the attitude Caelus revealed. She leaned back against the sofa and closed her eyes. Seeing that she was about to sleep, Caelus took out his phone and found Silver Wolf to chat with.
Tanking the Damage and Taking the Beating
Galaxy Youth: Auntie, I was just dragged out to watch octopus reproduction. Keep playing.
Silver Wolf: ( )
Galaxy Youth: That emoticon is so cute.
Silver Wolf: I can't even be bothered to roast you. Log in, log in.
Caelus opened that hunting game again. After teaming up with Silver Wolf, they slaughtered their way through the game until the sky went dark and the earth went dim, nearly crashing the server. Silver Wolf had a blast playing, while Samo, the third member of their party, kept gaming with the two of them. Just like before, she only communicated through preset voice lines and cute girl stickers. This made Caelus feel that, aside from being somewhat effeminate, this guy was great in every way.
"Caelus, why are you staring blankly at your phone again? It's time for dinner."
March 7th's voice pulled Caelus out of the gaming world. This time, however, he had logged off on his own. Silver Wolf had gone off to carry out some mission, and when he played alone, everyone looked like a noob to him.
"Already? I was playing a game in there."
Caelus felt like barely any time had passed, but March 7th would not lie to him. So he told her about playing games on his phone.
"I've only heard of this kind of game. I've never played it myself. Doesn't it require some kind of helmet? You can play it on a phone?"
When March 7th heard that Caelus could personally enter the game world to play, she became intrigued. Her usual entertainment was reading and listening to music, so she had not had much exposure to games.
"That's all thanks to my invincible auntie. There's nothing she can't do," Caelus said proudly.
"What? You got in touch with those two thieves?"
March 7th froze for a moment, her expression gradually turning shocked. She only knew that the two thieves had stolen Herta's Space Station. Although the stolen Stellaron was still there, it no longer looked the same as before. Those two should still have been criminals, yet Caelus had secretly contacted them. How big was his heart?
"They're not thieves," Caelus corrected.
"Fine, fine. Keep this to yourself. I won't sell you out, but I won't help you either."
March 7th waved her hand. She did not want to get involved in these strange conspiracies. She only wanted to be an adorable young beauty. If she came into contact with too many plots and schemes, she would become unclean too.
"Little March, you're so nice."
"You know that, yet you still make me mad, you bad guy."
March 7th rolled her eyes at Caelus. Of course she was nice. Only this ungrateful guy in front of her completely ignored the favor of her finding him. Every time something happened, his first reaction was to laugh at her.
"Acheron, let's go. There's food."
As Caelus stood up, he grabbed Acheron's hand and pulled her to her feet. She was still sleeping with her back against the sofa and her head tilted upward like a middle-aged uncle. Dazed, she let Caelus pull her into the Parlor Car.
A rectangular dining table had appeared in the middle of the Parlor Car. Exactly enough chairs had been placed around it, while platters of food steamed atop the table. There was none of the feeling of a home-cooked meal; it was as if they had come to enjoy a meal at a grand hotel. Caelus could not help sighing over the conditions on the train again. Coming here had not been a waste.
"What a nice setting. Fine food, fine wine, and octopus reproduction outside the window."
After finding a seat, Caelus picked up a glass of orange juice and swirled it in front of himself. His tone was like that of a playboy who frequented upscale venues, making him seem extremely proud.
"You seriously can't let that topic go, can you?!"
March 7th had just been about to pick up her knife and fork when Caelus's words made her expression stiffen. In an instant, she felt all her appetite had been ruined. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She quickly rose from her chair, came up behind Caelus, and put him in a choking hold. At the same time, she kept this guy away from Himeko. He had not even been on the train for a day and already dared to take liberties like this. She did not dare imagine what he would do later.
"Help, help... forget it, don't save me."
Although Caelus had the ability to break free from March 7th's hold, he gave up after thinking about it. You could not tell that March 7th was the kind who looked slim in clothes. The girl was actually quite well-endowed, and the sensation pressing against his back pleased him.
"What?"
March 7th did not understand why Caelus had stopped halfway through calling for help. She lowered her head and looked at herself, and her cheeks instantly flushed bright red. Furious from embarrassment, she pressed both hands against his head and wrenched it hard to the side. A crisp sound of bones shifting rang out, and Caelus's view was suddenly facing the side of his body.
After March 7th let go, Caelus slowly fell onto the carpet. Pom-Pom walked over and poked him with a hand. Caelus immediately raised his hand and slapped away Pom-Pom's round little palm. He still wanted to savor the lingering soft memory on his back for a while longer.
"He's fine. Everyone, please continue eating," Pom-Pom said.
"A body capable of carrying a Stellaron can't possibly be weak."
Dan Heng gave his assessment, while March 7th huffed angrily. No wonder Caelus kept dancing on the edge of death. It turned out he had built tanky. Now he could truly take the harshest beatings.
A moment later, Caelus returned to the dining table at full health. After devouring all the delicious food, he went back to his room. Once a person had nothing to do, their mind began wandering. He took out his phone and checked the chat app, only to discover that no one was talking to him.
Galaxy Youth: Asta, are you there?
After waiting for a while, the chat app remained completely silent. Caelus scratched his head, wanting to send another message, but then remembered that Asta was a very busy person who probably had no time to chat. He could only toss his phone aside and wander around the room.
Caelus soon found the train residence manual in his room. After flipping through it for a while, he found the location of the public baths. This piqued his interest, and following the navigation route in the manual, he successfully found the baths in the car ahead.
Caelus had previously been curious about where the train could possibly have enough space to build public baths. After entering the men's bath, he discovered that spatial compression technology was being used here. It looked absurd, but considering March 7th had introduced this place as the former vehicle of the Trailblaze Aeon, it was no longer strange. Aeons were supposed to do things ordinary people could not. It was perfectly reasonable.
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The Hunter Became the Prey
After leaving the baths, Caelus swaggered toward the rear cars. Along the way, he found a pantry in the car where he lived. It had every kind of beverage inside. He casually got some tea leaves and made himself a cup of green tea, then swaggered back to his room like an old master.
After setting the teacup on the bedside table, Caelus stretched lazily. He had fought all day, so naturally he was tired. Resting now had also been Pom-Pom's suggestion. Though the train's warp appeared easy, it still had some effect on the body. Besides, they had gone through the defense of the Space Station earlier, so naturally they should rest well before going to Jarilo-VI for Trailblaze.
"It's time for this baby to sleep."
Caelus said cheerfully. The moment his words fell, the blanket in front of him suddenly moved, frightening him badly.
"Holy shit, my blanket moved. I'm not sleeping!"
Though Caelus said that, he immediately threw back the blanket. The sight on the bed could be described as incredibly alluring. Acheron lay on his bed with her legs curled up like a shrimp, looking at Caelus with bright eyes.
Acheron had clearly changed clothes. She was now wearing an oversized white shirt. Her lovely figure was concealed beneath the loose garment and looked somewhat ordinary, but her long bare legs below gave off an enticing charm. From the look of it, she was dressed in the classic lazy combination of a shirt and underwear.
"What are you doing in my room?"
Acheron's opening line was as calm as ever, while a huge question mark appeared in Caelus's mind. That was what he should have asked. Since Acheron had asked it first, what was he supposed to say?
"Is it possible that this is still my room?" Caelus pointed out.
"Is that so? Perhaps the decorations were the same, so I went into the wrong room again."
Acheron nodded and did not argue with Caelus. That was simply her nature. No matter what Caelus said, she would not refute him. She even prepared to see for herself whether she had entered the wrong room.
"Wait. Since you're already here, don't leave. You can be my body pillow."
Seeing Acheron prepare to get up and leave, Caelus reached out to stop her. There was no special reason. He just felt Acheron was suitable to hold while sleeping.
"Why?" Acheron asked in confusion.
"I want to experience what it's like to sleep beside a woman in advance, so I can gain experience for the future."
Caelus casually made up an excuse. It was really just nonsense, and he had not expected it to persuade Acheron.
"Alright."
Acheron thought for a moment before lying back down. Caelus thought, This actually worked? I can trick a girl with that? I need to sincerely apologize to all those predecessors who died on the road to chasing girls.
"No, Acheron. How can you be fooled so easily? When you're out by yourself, you need to protect yourself."
Caelus raised a finger and warned Acheron. Though he himself benefited from it, what he needed to do now was block everyone else's path to taking advantage of her. Kicking away the bridge after crossing the river was the normal selfish thing to do.
"Are you saying someone might harbor improper intentions toward this body?"
Acheron looked at Caelus with some confusion and tugged at the white shirt she wore. It was not that she did not understand matters between men and women; she simply did not believe anyone would be interested in her. Or rather, no one would dare entertain such thoughts.
"That's not exactly what I mean. You are very charming, of course, but even if someone with no improper intentions invites you to sleep together, you should refuse. It's a form of self-protection."
Caelus continued offering his advice. Naturally, people with malicious intentions could not sleep with Acheron, but did that mean those without malicious intentions could? Of course not. Caelus knew some people relied on having the face of a male protagonist to do excessive things to girls. He had to prevent that from happening to Acheron.
"But you were the one who asked."
"If I ask, you'll agree?"
"I just find it strange. We only met on our first day, so why do you care so much about my safety?"
Acheron felt that Caelus's words made sense. She really was not very good at refusing his requests, and she would probably change that in the future. Still, it was not as if she could not refuse everyone's requests. It was only because Caelus was special that she seemed so accommodating. As for the reason, the initial reason was likely that Caelus had drawn that black blade.
"Because you saved me. Don't look at how useless I am now. Even if I become emperor of the universe in the future, I'll always remember that you saved my life. I'll treat you well for the rest of my life."
Caelus spoke with great seriousness. It was a kindness he would remember for a lifetime. Of course he would treat Acheron well. It might have been a simple gesture to her, but he did not see it that way.
"Mm. I believe you."
Acheron nodded. She had always taken Caelus's words to heart. Some intuition told her that he would not deceive her.
"You've wandered alone for so long. Haven't any shady people ever tried anything with you? Even if there was just one, you should have become more cautious, right?"
Caelus asked curiously. He did not believe a beauty like Acheron could go unnoticed, unless all the males in the galaxy had died out.
"I think... there was once. I fell asleep on a small planet and encountered a group of pirate robbers."
Acheron thought hard before finally finding a few unremarkable fragments from the corner of her memories.
"Mm-hm, and then?"
As Caelus spoke, he lifted the blanket and prepared to move into the fragrant bed. Acheron had even warmed it for him. What a touching thing.
"When I woke up, they were all dead. You know I'm rather forgetful. I completely forgot what I did while asleep."
Acheron's words made Caelus's ass clench. He revealed a polite yet awkward smile, slowly moving his body as he tried to get off the bed.
"Men and women shouldn't touch. I'll sleep on the sofa. No, I'll sleep in the hallway. No, no, I should sleep with March 7th. Her shield will give me some sense of security."
"Since you're already here, don't leave."
Acheron pressed one finger against Caelus's shoulder, and he was instantly pinned to the bed, unable to move. This woman was terrifyingly strong. Caelus discovered that he was the one being taken advantage of.
"Using my own words against me! What a despicable method. I never expected the finest hunter to appear in the form of prey. Mom, I'm about to be defiled."
A tear slid from the corner of Caelus's eye. Acheron lowered her head and rested it against his chest, carefully listening to the heartbeat within. She wanted to know whether it was his heart beating, or the Stellaron.
Caelus discovered that Acheron smelled nice and felt soft after her bath. If this continued, his little Stellaron was going to stir. To avoid awkwardness, he decided to make a loud sound to cover it up.
"Hmm hmm hmm, aaahhhhhh!"
Hearing Caelus's strange cry, Acheron thought she had pressed down too hard and hurt him. So she moved away and lay on the same bed with some distance between them.
After shouting, Caelus fell asleep peacefully. Still, he felt that his relationship with Acheron was not merely like this. It was more intimate than he had imagined. So before falling asleep, he reached over and held Acheron's hand. She did not refuse the contact and accepted it peacefully.
Is It Wrong to Dream of Peaches?
The next day.
Caelus was awakened by Pom-Pom's broadcast. He had not heard exactly what it said, but the general meaning seemed to be that during their rest, the Astral Express crew's time difference had been adjusted to match the residents of Jarilo-VI. It was now time for them to get up as well.
Caelus sat up in bed and had only yawned halfway when a hand landed on his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw Acheron's cold gaze.
"Who are you?"
Acheron asked calmly, but Caelus was so frightened that the hairs on his back stood up. He retreated again and again until his back pressed against the viewing window.
"Acheron, don't scare me like that. You didn't forget me, did you?"
Caelus felt that his life might end here. Acheron had said she suffered from memory loss, so here was the problem: if a beauty woke up and found herself sleeping beside a man, would she believe that he had done nothing? She would probably cut him into dozens of pieces with her blade before asking questions. She had experience killing people in her sleep.
"Oh, it's you. I didn't forget."
Acheron's gaze gradually cleared, as though she had been groggy from sleep earlier. Caelus felt like his mood had gone through an exhilarating roller coaster first thing in the morning. He cursed furiously in his heart. I can't live like this. If this happens every morning, Acheron will scare me to death before I become emperor of the universe.
"Get up. Don't do that again next time."
Caelus secretly resolved never to sleep with Acheron again. No matter how beautiful she was, he would not sleep with her. He was a man of principles. From today onward, he would abstain from women—no, this was day one of abstaining from Acheron.
"Wait. I remembered something. You know my name, right?"
Acheron's hand did not leave Caelus's shoulder. Instead, she moved even closer and asked at a distance where they were practically face-to-face.
"I..."
Caelus had wanted to say that Acheron was simply called Acheron, but after thinking back, he realized their relationship truly was not simple. Perhaps he had caught her forgetfulness, but now he remembered.
"Raiden Mei."
Caelus removed Acheron's hand from his shoulder, wrapped it in his own palm, and spoke very seriously.
Acheron did not say much. She had merely wanted to confirm whether she had become forgetful. Even though their relationship had undergone a subtle change, she maintained her original rationality. They were simply as close as lovers, and there was nothing that needed particular concern.
The two washed up in the bathroom. When Caelus went in, Acheron had already changed clothes, and the reverse was true as well. Then they left the room together. Once outside, Caelus felt that something was wrong. If he remembered correctly, his room should have been the first one in the car, closest to the door. Yet the room they had just exited seemed to be the second one.
Acheron raised her head and looked at the room number above the door. It clearly displayed a 6. No matter how he looked at it, it was a 6 rather than a 9. Caelus's room number was 5.
A drop of cold sweat slid down Caelus's temple. It felt as though tens of thousands of Peppys had trampled over his heart. He had entered the wrong room! It was not Acheron who had gone into the wrong room—it was him. Who could he even reason with? Would she listen to his explanation? No matter how he looked at it, he seemed like a hooligan who had tricked an innocent girl because he wanted to sleep with her.
"Let's go."
Before you continue