March, There's a Ghost Behind You

Chapter 10:

Outside the window, in the empty, dark corridor.

The intermittent, mournful singing still had not stopped.

Lin Chen was just about to walk over and open the door for March 7th.

When that eerie splash of crimson appeared in his field of vision again.

And it was right behind March 7th!

Long black hair completely obscured the humanoid figure's face.

Its blood-red skirt fluttered despite the absence of any wind.

Lin Chen's pupils abruptly contracted as he noticed.

A pair of excessively pale hands spreading open.

From behind her, they slowly descended toward March 7th's neck.

"March! Behind you..."

Lin Chen felt his scalp prickle.

He hurriedly waved at March 7th to warn her.

"What? What's behind me?"

"Speak up! I can't hear you!"

A hint of puzzlement appeared on her cute, jade-white face.

Clearly, March 7th had not noticed the eerie presence behind her.

In his urgency, Lin Chen wasted no time.

He grabbed his phone and typed out a message at lightning speed.

[Invincible Bro Chen: March, there's a ghost behind you!]

Her phone chimed, and the increasingly impatient girl picked it up.

When she saw Lin Chen's message, March 7th froze for a moment.

Then the irritation on her pretty face deepened.

Clearly, being sent a message when they were only a few steps apart.

Prompted March 7th to respond.

[Cuteness Is Justice: A ghost? What's a ghost?]

[Cuteness Is Justice: You idiot, Lin Chen! Are you trying to mess with me?]

[Invincible Bro Chen: Are you stupid? A spirit! Do you understand that?]

[Cuteness Is Justice: fsdfisdfhfh37564321!!!]

In the chat window on his phone, March 7th's reply turned into a string of gibberish.

Through the cabin window, Lin Chen clearly saw.

March 7th's face fill with terror as her phone slipped from her grasp and fell to the floor.

She instantly turned to look at the empty corridor behind her.

The girl's slender, shapely body trembled uncontrollably.

But from his vantage point, Lin Chen had clearly seen.

The instant March 7th turned around, that eerie crimson figure.

Darted away at an unbelievable speed, leaving only an afterimage.

"Huh? Is she that scared of ghosts?"

"That girl March... turns out she's a real scaredy-cat!"

Looking at a certain trembling warrior of the Astral Express outside his window, Lin Chen was utterly speechless.

All of a sudden, Lin Chen had a feeling.

Relying on March 7th for protection was definitely the most dangerous decision in history.

"Waaah! Open the door!"

"You idiot, Lin Chen! Let me in!"

A long, snow-white leg swung up.

March 7th, the beautiful girl who called herself a warrior, kicked the cabin door.

Thud!

The dull, thunderous crash sounded like an immense hammer striking an iron anvil.

A dent instantly appeared in the residential cabin's alloy door.

The ceiling shook along with it.

Lin Chen felt as though this poor little cabin was about to collapse.

"March is kind of terrifying when she's angry..."

After a moment of stunned silence, Lin Chen hurriedly unlocked the door from inside.

Faced with the girl's anger, Lin Chen felt that if he did not hurry.

March 7th would destroy the door made of alloy armor plating.

"Lin Chen, you jerk! What exactly are you trying to do?"

"A ghost? Where's the ghost?"

March 7th strode into the room, her sweet, innocent face full of resentment.

"Oh, that? Wasn't it right behind you just now?"

"By the way, March, are you really scared of ghosts?"

"Don't tell me a warrior of the Astral Express can't even handle a little ghost?"

Looking at the adorably dazed girl before him, Lin Chen's lips curled slightly upward.

Now that he had joined up with March 7th, he was no longer panicking.

She might not be terribly reliable, but March 7th did have strength.

Leaving everything else aside, the terrifying force of her kick against the door had been astonishing.

"Wh-who's scared of ghosts?!"

"Even if the ghost king showed up, I'd beat its teeth out!"

She crossed her arms over her chest, making the full curves beneath her white blouse quiver slightly.

The beautiful, pink-haired girl turned her face aside, her cheeks puffed up in indignation.

Seeing March 7th like this, Lin Chen could not help finding it funny.

After spending time with her aboard the Astral Express, Lin Chen had already figured out some of her habits.

Whenever she lied or boasted, March 7th's eyes darted away and she turned her face aside.

"In that case... Warrior March, let's get moving!"

"D-do what?"

"Rather than sit back and watch, we should take the initiative. That's right... late at night is the best time to catch ghosts!"

"It'd be even better if we could find the source of these eerie phenomena and deal with it too."

"Ah... w-w-well..."

Panic surfaced in March 7th's pink-and-blue eyes, set in her lovely, jade-like face.

Even her right hand, gripping her ice-blue bow, began to tremble slightly.

"What? Scared?"

"Of course not... How about we just wait and see, Lin Chen?"

"Come on, let's go! Tonight, let me witness your heroic prowess, Miss March!"

Seeing March 7th still wavering, Lin Chen decided to take matters into his own hands.

Taking her soft, cool hand, Lin Chen pulled her toward the door.

"Ah... you!"

Caught off guard by Lin Chen's sudden move, March 7th looked startled.

A faint blush seemed to spread across her jade-white face.

She had never held hands with a boy before!

Although she was usually impulsive and energetic, March 7th had always been exceptionally cautious about romance.

Having lost her memories of the past, she was willing to follow Himeko's advice.

Keeping her distance from the opposite sex during her Trailblaze journey was an essential part of a young female Trailblazer's conduct.

"Let go! I can walk by myself!"

After a moment of stunned silence, March 7th, who was already outside the cabin, forcefully shook off Lin Chen's hand.

"March... you heard that singing echoing through the space station all this time too, right?"

Standing in the empty, dim corridor, Lin Chen raised his sharp brows slightly, his expression serious.

"Obviously! Of course I heard it!"

Tightening her grip on her compound bow, March 7th snapped back irritably.

"Huh? Then weren't you scared at all when you were outside the door earlier?"

Lin Chen furrowed his brows, feeling puzzled.

Judging by what had just happened, March 7th was a complete scaredy-cat.

And yet, with that mournful singing echoing endlessly, she had somehow remained perfectly calm.

No matter how he thought about it, it seemed unbelievable.

"What's there to be scared of?"

"It's just the space station's broadcast!"

"It's probably a lullaby, right? I was getting really sleepy earlier. I almost fell asleep..."

March 7th shrugged and gave Lin Chen a rather strange look.