"Everyone, the warp drive is calibrated! Get some rest tonight, and tomorrow we'll make the jump!"
Pom-Pom looked around at everyone in the Parlor Car.
"And certain people had better not stay up all night playing games! We still have our usual crew meeting before the jump tomorrow!"
"Anyone who skips the meeting can forget about getting an invitation to a Penacony hotel!"
Early the next morning.
Dan Heng, Welt, Himeko, and March 7th were already waiting in the Parlor Car.
Only Yan Huan and Pom-Pom were missing.
A few minutes later, Pom-Pom emerged from the Train Conductor's room and addressed the group.
"Ahem. Sorry to keep you waiting, passengers. This is important, so I took a little time to prepare."
March 7th asked curiously,
"What's so important? Don't tell me we're changing course again."
"No, no, of course not!" Pom-Pom said confidently.
"The same misfortune won't happen twice!"
"As you all know, our destination is Penacony, the Planet of Festivities."
"I know everyone's been looking forward to its starry hotel, but before we depart, there are three things I need to remind you of."
"Roll call!"
Pom-Pom shouted,
"Passenger Himeko!"
"Here." Himeko smiled.
"Passenger Welt!"
"Here." Welt nodded.
"Passenger Dan Heng!"
"Present," Dan Heng said quietly.
"Passenger March 7th!"
"Why not just say Yan Huan isn't here?" March 7th said with a scornful look.
Everyone else had arrived. It was obvious who was missing.
"Argh! What is Passenger Yan Huan doing?!" Pom-Pom stamped in frustration.
"Go bring him here! I have something very important to announce!"
Dan Heng and Welt exchanged a glance, then hurried to Yan Huan's room.
Soon they carried a corpse with deep, dark circles under its eyes into the Parlor Car.
Pom-Pom studied the strangely familiar-looking corpse.
"You look awfully familiar!"
"...Um."
Yan Huan