Jiang Yu and Stelle stepped onto the Space Bridge together, then headed toward the Astral Express docked at the Platform.
The battle with the Doomsday Beast had caused considerable damage here, but as vital hubs for contact with the outside, the Platform and Space Bridge had been repaired as quickly as possible.
Though the Space Bridge and Platform were no longer as pristine or magnificent as before, they were perfectly usable.
Beside the Space Bridge, the two met Dan Heng, who was waiting quietly with his eyes closed.
"How did it go? You didn't eat the Warp Trotter, did you?" Dan Heng asked them.
"You told me not to eat it, so of course I didn't!" Jiang Yu spread his hands.
"Good." Dan Heng nodded, then looked at Stelle. "Let's go. Himeko is waiting for you over at the Platform."
The three walked ahead together and spotted March 7th stargazing at the edge of the Platform.
The pretty girl turned and greeted them, then raised her camera to take a picture of the three against the Sea of Stars.
The Astral Express sat docked at the Platform, its headlights shining. The enormous, legendary train that could travel among the stars was impossible to miss here. Himeko stood beside its engine.
Stelle walked up to her.
After they chatted for a little while, Himeko asked Stelle, "Well? Have you made up your mind?"
Kafka's words from when Stelle had first awakened echoed in her mind. She had to make her own choice and do nothing she would regret.
Stelle also thought of the numb expressions on the faces of most of the space station's staff, which stood in stark contrast to the Astral Express Crew and Jiang Yu.
Whether it was fighting the Doomsday Beast together or retrieving the Horrific Maze with Jiang Yu, both had been fascinating adventures. She loved that feeling.
Looking into Himeko's eyes, Stelle nodded and said earnestly, "I want to get on board!"
Himeko smiled. "All right."
"Me too, me too!"
Jiang Yu ran up and waved.
"I want to get on board too! My Flying Sword burned out on the way here. Can the Astral Express take me back to the Xianzhou?"
"Of course." Himeko nodded gently. "The Express won't turn away a companion. But our next stop has already been decided. Would you mind traveling with us for a while? If you're in a hurry to return to the Xianzhou, I can ask Herta..."
"No need!" Before Himeko could finish, Jiang Yu cut in. "I'll come have fun with you!"
Himeko blinked, then smiled softly. "In that case, I'll leave guarding the Express to you. Both of you, come with me."
Dan Heng had already boarded ahead of them, and March 7th now walked past the three.
The pretty girl stretched, then grabbed Jiang Yu's hand and pulled him toward the train. "Come on, come on! Adventuring on different planets is so much fun!"
Himeko brought Stelle aboard as well.
Once everyone was there, the train slowly pulled away, gradually picking up speed. The scenery on Herta Space Station's Platform and the distant stars began sliding past before their eyes.
Old Yang had been aboard the whole time. The two adults got together and began discussing the Express's next course of action.
Stelle, March 7th, and Jiang Yu stood by the train's window and waved. Then they spotted Asta, Arlan, and a Herta Puppet, who had come to see them off.
Herta did not linger on the Platform. After just one glance, the puppet walked back on its own to enter standby.
Asta and Arlan also turned and left after nodding in farewell.
At some point, the phonograph inside the carriage had started playing. Melodious singing drifted from it, curling around everyone's ears like a breeze, carrying a touch of wistfulness and a wanderer's carefree spirit.
Soon, the Express left Herta Space Station's orbit, pulled away from its Platform, and plunged into the vast, boundless expanse of stars.
Just then, a short, furry figure approached Jiang Yu and Stelle.
This was a gray-and-white creature with long ears, dressed in a uniform and looking rather like a plush toy.
"Hey! I'm talking to you! Hey!"
The little creature, whatever it was, called out twice and successfully caught Jiang Yu's and Stelle's attention.
Stelle looked at the creature in confusion, first turning to glance at Jiang Yu, then pointing at herself.
"Yes! That's right, I'm talking to you two! You look a little clueless..."
Jiang Yu crouched down, his eyes shining as he looked at Pom-Pom.
He had never expected that, even here in the world of Honkai: Star Rail, Pom-Pom would still look just like a plush toy.
He rather wanted to give Pom-Pom a poke and see whether Pom-Pom felt more like a stuffed toy or an ordinary living creature.
Jiang Yu held up a finger in front of Pom-Pom and said seriously, "First of all, my name isn't 'hey.' It's Jiang Yu."
Pom-Pom shifted focus to Jiang Yu, eyes widening a little.
The white-haired boy smiled, his clear gray eyes filled with earnestness and curiosity. With the light of the cosmos behind him, he shone as brilliantly as a blazing star!
Even in Pom-Pom's long, long life, this was the first time Pom-Pom had ever seen a person... a creature like Jiang Yu!
-From his appearance to his personality, he seemed utterly flawless, beyond reproach! (While they were capturing the Horrific Maze, Pom-Pom had already heard Stelle's and Jiang Yu's story from Himeko and Old Yang.)
Almost without thinking, Pom-Pom blurted out, "Holy Idrila, are you related to her?"
Jiang Yu blinked, a little surprised by Pom-Pom's words.
He had not expected Pom-Pom to think quite so highly of this body, though he was admittedly rather pleased with it himself by now.
After all, Mengming had come straight over the moment she first saw him and invited him to be the face of the Evernight Marquis.
Mr. Xiyan had also said upon first seeing him that he could make a fortune with his face, even more easily than Xiyan could with his tongue!
But Idrila was the Aeon of Beauty, after all. Jiang Yu had never imagined that one day his looks might earn him a place alongside her.
Whether or not the mysterious Conductor Pom-Pom had ever seen Idrila, that exclamation alone carried considerable weight.
After another two seconds of stunned silence, Pom-Pom came back to the present, cleared their throat to ease the awkwardness, and said, "I'm Pom-Pom, Conductor of the Astral Express, pom!"
A spark lit up Stelle's puzzled eyes at that moment. She finally realized they had somehow reached the introductions.
"I'm Stelle." She told the Conductor her name.
Pom-Pom nodded, then continued, "If you run into any problems aboard the Express, just come to me, pom!"
"Really?" Jiang Yu looked at Pom-Pom with a cheerful smile.
"Of course, pom!" Pom-Pom proudly lifted their head. As Conductor, Pom-Pom had always diligently taken care of everything aboard the Express and took considerable pride in doing the job well.
"In that case, I have a question right now!"
"Hmm? Passenger Jiang Yu, what's your question? Go ahead, pom!"
"My question is... hehehe..."
Looking at Pom-Pom's long ears and plush-toy-like body, Jiang Yu let out a giddy chuckle.
Without another word, he reached straight for Pom-Pom's ears.
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