The Female Lord Scolds a White-Haired Girl, and the Astral Express Crew Barely Dares to Breathe

Against the metal wall on the other side of the corridor.

The entire Astral Express Crew stood in a neat row, backs pressed to the wall.

They looked like schoolchildren caught skipping class by the principal.

Welt gripped his black cane at his side.

The heels of his dress shoes were jammed against the baseboard.

Cold sweat had soaked through the back of his suit, leaving it clinging damply to his spine.

March 7th clamped both hands over her mouth.

She kept her breathing as quiet as possible, letting only the faintest trickle of air escape between her fingers.

Her camera usually swung freely at her waist. Now she pinned it against her ribs with her elbow, terrified it might make the slightest noise.

Xingbao simply crouched on the floor.

She hugged her knees and buried her head deep in her arms.

She wished she could shrink into a seam in the metal floor.

The air reeked of ozone and burned plastic, mingled with a cold draft from space.

No one dared break the oppressive silence.

A vein throbbed twice on Su Chen's forehead.

The strain of controlling both avatars at once was too much.

His mind felt as though it had been thrown into a centrifuge and violently torn in two.

One half had to maintain the Female Lord's cold divinity.

The other had to play Little Satoru Gojo's defiant spirit.

He had to wrap this up fast. Any longer, and he might have a brain hemorrhage on the spot.

The Female Lord slowly turned around.

The hem of her dark-gold robe brushed across the glass-strewn floor with a faint rustle.

Her clear amber-gold eyes swept calmly over the wreckage and the people standing against the wall.

At last, her gaze settled on Himeko.

Himeko's back stiffened.

Her fingers tightened around the handle of the Mechanical Saw, her nails scraping faintly against the hard plastic.

Her palms were slick with cold sweat.

The Female Lord dipped her chin.

It was a small gesture, but it carried an ancient, solemn courtesy.

"The Divine Court has failed to discipline its own."

Her cool voice rang through the corridor.

The chill of her earlier reprimand had faded, and the pressure eased slightly.

"This child is unruly by nature. She has caused you all trouble."

Himeko froze for half a second.

She hurriedly leaned the heavy Mechanical Saw against the metal wall.

She took half a step forward in her heels, then stopped awkwardly.

She waved her hands, her movements a little frantic.

"Not at all. Not at all."

Himeko's voice sounded dry.

She forced her lips into something resembling a gentle smile.

"She... the Seventh Seat helped us clear out the Antimatter Legion. The Astral Express Crew can't thank her enough."

Beside her, Welt held his breath.

He knew that when someone this powerful chose to show humility, ordinary people were best off accepting it at once.

Try to press the point, and they might die without knowing what hit them.

The Female Lord regarded Himeko impassively.

Not a ripple showed in her golden eyes.

"Wrong is wrong."

Her voice was even, but it left no room for argument.

"The Divine Court's rules do not permit such behavior."

She turned her head.

Her gaze struck the white-haired girl sitting on the supply crate like two heavy hammers.

"As punishment."

The Female Lord spoke again, her voice echoing through the empty corridor.

"Gojo, you will travel with this Astral Express and gain some experience."

"See the world of ordinary people and learn what 'rules' mean."

The moment she finished speaking.

Little Satoru Gojo sprang off the metal supply crate.

Her little leather shoes struck the floor with a sharp thud.

"Huh?"

She shoved her little round sunglasses up onto her forehead.

Her wide, azure eyes brimmed with resentment and defiance.

Her cheeks puffed out in anger.

"Ride around on this junk heap?"

She pointed at the people huddled by the wall, her face full of disdain.

"No way! I'd be bored to death stuck with a bunch of weaklings!"

The Female Lord said nothing.

She merely stood still and watched Little Satoru Gojo.

The pressure in the corridor plunged to freezing point.

The air seemed to turn to thick glue.

A shard of glass suspended in midair suddenly plunged to the floor under that invisible gravity.

Crack.

The glass struck the alloy plating and shattered into powder.

The dark-gold Star-Piercing Spear flickered in and out of sight beside the Female Lord.

Little Satoru Gojo drew her neck in.

Most of the defiance drained from her face at once.

She raked her fingers irritably through her white hair, leaving it a mess.

She gave the floor a hard kick with one little leather shoe.

"Fine, I'll go. Stop glaring."

She lowered her head and muttered under her breath.

Then she pulled her sunglasses back down over her eyes, hiding her frustration.

Su Chen gave himself a storm of mental thumbs-ups.

That had gone perfectly.

He had not only placed his most troublemaking, outrageously powerful Avatar aboard the Astral Express.

He had also convinced the Astral Express Crew that it was a "punishment" handed down by the Divine Court's leadership.

No need to overcome their suspicion or wariness. His undercover role was officially sanctioned.

Himeko stood frozen.

Let the Seventh Seat, who could conjure black holes on a whim, board the train?

Her temples throbbed, her nerves stretched painfully taut.

How was taking a monster who could erase stars with her bare hands aboard any different from carrying a Stellaron that might explode at any moment?

But did she dare refuse?

The person before her was the Fourth Seat, who thought nothing of an Emanator of Erudition.

"The Astral Express... welcomes honored guests from the Divine Court at any time."

Himeko took a deep breath.

She swallowed the bitter taste in her mouth.

She placed her right hand over her chest, bent at the waist, and offered the most formal salute in interstellar etiquette.

The Female Lord nodded.

"Sorry for the trouble."

She said nothing more.

An intricate ring of golden light appeared on the metal floor beneath her feet.

Dense Geo energy traced an ancient geometric formation across the tiles.

A pillar of golden light rose and enveloped her tall figure.

A gale whipped up the hem of her dark-gold robe.

The light flashed.

Then it vanished completely.

The corridor stood empty. The figure whose divine presence had weighed on them was gone.

Only wreckage remained, along with the howl of cold wind through the breach.

Su Chen immediately ended the split-control mode.

His consciousness flowed back into Little Satoru Gojo's body.

The tearing sensation in his mind vanished at once.

He let out a long breath and felt alive again.

Her little legs bounced lightly against the floor twice.

With the Female Lord gone.

The invisible mountain weighing on the Astral Express Crew finally lifted.

Welt exhaled deeply in relief.

He leaned against the wall, pulled out a checkered handkerchief, and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and neck.

March 7th collapsed onto the floor.

Her chest heaved as she gulped down fresh air like a fish hauled onto shore.

Xingbao got up too and brushed the dust from her pant legs.

She stole a sidelong glance at the white-haired girl kicking a soda can, but did not dare speak.

The communicator at Himeko's waist suddenly rang.

"Beep, beep—"

Its red indicator flashed wildly.

Himeko answered.

Conductor Pom-Pom's heavily nasal voice came through the speaker.

"Passenger Himeko! The radar outside the space station is working again, pom!"

"All those scary warships have disappeared! The train can make the jump whenever you're ready, pom!"

Himeko surveyed the wrecked corridor.

Then she looked at the Seventh Seat, who was crouched on the floor poking a ruined device with one finger.

She raised a hand and rubbed her tense brow hard.

"Got it, Pom-Pom. Get ready to depart."

The crisis at Herta Space Station had ended in an absurd fashion.

Asta, the station chief, hurried over with several officers from the Security Department.

At the sight of the clear space outside and the white-haired girl in the corridor, Asta's eyes lit up.

Himeko exchanged a few brief words with her and politely declined her earnest invitation to stay.

The place was too chaotic right now.

Herta was still huddled in a corner, clutching the ruined puppet body and muttering to herself in a near-frenzy.

The safest course was to get this "ticking time bomb" back to the train as quickly as possible.

Half an hour later.

Inside the Astral Express observation car.

The red velvet carpet felt soft and thick underfoot.

A phonograph in the corner played soothing classical music.

The bitter aroma of freshly ground coffee drifted through the air.

"Woooo—"

A long whistle sounded from the front of the car.

Dressed in her red-and-white Conductor's uniform, Pom-Pom came out of the driver's cab on her short legs.

Her long, furry ears swayed with each step.

"Jump preparations are complete! Coordinates for the next stop are locked in, pom!"

Pom-Pom raised her ticket punch and announced loudly.

"Passengers, please sit tight and hold on! The train is about to depart, pom!"

Outside the windows, the sea of stars began to stretch.

Stars became dazzling streams of light, hurtling past the window.

Little Satoru Gojo did not sit in an ordinary passenger seat.

She swaggered to the center of the car.

With a flick of both feet, she kicked off her little leather shoes.

Then she sank without ceremony into the widest black leather sofa.

It was the prime spot where Himeko usually read and Welt drank tea.

Now she had claimed it for herself.

Her short, pale legs rested on the armrest, swinging back and forth.

Her black high-collared uniform rubbed against the soft leather.

Dan Heng stood by the Data Bank door at the far end of the car.

Data pad in hand, he watched the scene coldly.

He did not take a single step closer. His instincts told him to stay as far away from this little girl as possible.

March 7th stood nearby with a freshly poured glass of juice.

She saw someone occupying her favorite sofa and wanted to say something.

But one look at the little girl's defiantly tousled white hair made her swallow her words. She slipped over to another armchair instead.

Su Chen pulled a freshly unwrapped lollipop from his pocket and popped it into his mouth.

The candy clicked softly against his teeth.

He rolled over onto his stomach and leaned across the back of the sofa.

His small face pressed against the cool window.

Outside, he watched the brilliant river of stars race by.

"Next stop, Jarilo-VI?"

Little Satoru Gojo turned her head.

Her sunglasses slid partway down her nose.

Her azure eyes gleamed with excitement, without a trace of a newcomer's reserve.

She broke into a grin.

It was the grin of someone itching to stir up trouble.

Her little canine teeth flashed under the car's soft lights.

"Sounds like there'll be lots of fun punching bags~"