The heavy alloy door of the living quarters closed.
Inside the rather cramped room.
Lin Chen and March 7th stood face-to-face, silently looking at each other.
The atmosphere was strangely delicate and awkward.
The cherry-pink strands over her forehead were damp with sweat, and faint tear tracks still lingered at the corners of her eyes.
Her delicate, adorable face looked pale and somewhat haggard.
Lin Chen had no idea.
Whether March 7th had exhausted her supernatural powers during the battle.
Or was simply still shaken after being frightened by the [Bloodstained White Dress].
"Lin Chen... don't get the wrong idea."
"Tonight is a sp... special circumstance."
"It... it's not like we're living together or anything."
Her long, slender fingers clenched the hem of her aqua-blue pleated skirt.
March 7th's pink-and-blue eyes were nervous and evasive.
March 7th, who had never even held hands with a boy.
Had never imagined.
That she would not only spend the night away from home, but also share a room with Lin Chen.
And worse... she had been the one to suggest it.
"Ahem... of course I understand!"
His heartbeat quickened a little, and Lin Chen hurried to answer.
The young Trailblazer before him might look a little airheaded at times.
But her looks and demeanor alone.
Were enough to make it impossible to look away, inviting him to admire her more closely.
He recalled what had happened in the Space Station corridor.
That fragrance that had seeped straight into his heart, and that full, springy, marshmallow-like softness.
Looking at March 7th now.
Lin Chen felt a strange flicker of anticipation.
"Good, as long as you understand."
"So... the big bed is mine tonight."
"There... you sleep over there."
March 7th nodded silently, then took a deep breath.
She extended a slender finger and pointed to the floor beside the bed.
It might seem a little heartless, but March 7th still had her wits about her.
She remembered Himeko's past advice.
"That space is way too narrow. I can't even lie down there."
Looking at the narrow patch of metal floor beside the snow-white bed.
Lin Chen felt rather embarrassed.
The living quarters on Herta Space Station were nothing like hotel rooms.
The room was cramped to begin with, and after the essential furniture had been fitted in.
There really wasn't much space left.
"I... I guess it really is a little too small."
"I... I don't care! You have to keep your distance from me anyway!"
At Lin Chen's protest, March 7th first nodded, then shook her head vigorously.
A rarely seen serious expression appeared on her lovely, porcelain-white face.
Lin Chen, you scoundrel. You're not nearly as well-behaved as you seem.
Her guard rising instantly, March 7th instinctively took two steps back.
"Ring, ring, ring... ring, ring, ring..."
Just then, March 7th's phone rang.
When she saw the incoming call and profile picture on the screen.
The girl, who had only just managed to put on a serious front.
Had that composure shattered by the unexpected interruption before she could hold it for even ten seconds.
"Oh no! Himeko's video calling me!"
"Lin Chen, hurry and find somewhere to h... hide!"
"If Himeko finds out we're staying together, we're in big trouble!"
Panic shook her clear pink-and-blue eyes.
This time, March 7th truly lost her cool.
Lin Chen had dragged her out to catch a "ghost" earlier.
And she had actually forgotten something this important.
Besides, March 7th remembered that Lin Chen and Himeko.
Seemed to have that sort of improper relationship.
If Himeko got the wrong idea.
Would she still be able to stay aboard the Astral Express?
Even if she could, Himeko would probably single her out.
Her pay next month might even get cut!
"Got it!"
He gave March 7th a hand signal.
Lin Chen hurried off and hid in the bathroom.
A moment later, March 7th tapped her phone screen, connecting the video call.
On the other end, the mature red-haired beauty looked particularly stern.
Behind her was the central lounge of the Astral Express.
Steam still curled from the white porcelain coffee cup on the table.
Beyond the enormous, mirror-like window lay a dazzling sea of stars.
Himeko: March 7th... where are you? Your assignment should have been finished ages ago.
March 7th: Something unexpected came up, so... I'm staying at the Space Station tonight.
Himeko: Oh? Something unexpected?
March 7th: Yeah, yeah! Something really terrifying happened on Herta Space Station!
Himeko: What exactly happened?
March 7th: Oh, it's hard to explain in a few words.
March 7th: Anyway... Himeko, I'm not coming back to the Express tonight.
March 7th: If there's nothing else, I'll hang up now. I've still got something important to deal with!
Himeko: You haven't gone and caused trouble again, have you?
Himeko: Turn your camera around. Let me see where you are.
March 7th: It's just the Space Station's staff quarters. Asta arranged it for me!
She swept her phone camera around the living quarters.
A hint of apprehension appeared on March 7th's porcelain-white face.
Himeko: I see...
Himeko: All right, then. Come back to the Express tomorrow.
On the video screen, Himeko raised an elegant eyebrow.
A fleeting trace of surprise appeared in her amber eyes.
Then Himeko ended the call herself...
March 7th tossed her phone aside and sat on the edge of the soft, snow-white bed.
She let out a long breath, her lovely face full of lingering unease.
"That's all it took to explain things?"
Lin Chen emerged from his hiding place, his expression calm.
March 7th had acted like they were sneaking around committing a crime.
"Yeah... what else?"
"Honestly, Himeko worries way too much!"
"Oh, right, Lin Chen. About tonight."
"You absolutely... absolutely cannot let Himeko find out. Understand?"
"Otherwise, I might have to go wandering around Azure Star with you..."
March 7th turned to Lin Chen, her face utterly solemn.
"That sounds great. I was just worrying about not having any company."
Lin Chen grinned, a teasing smile spreading across his face.
Going to Azure Star? It seemed full of uncertainty and unknowns.
But with March 7th along, it might not be so bad.
March 7th might have an odd way of thinking sometimes, and she could be adorably clueless.
But to Lin Chen, who knew how to appreciate beauty.
Wasn't that a different kind of charm and cuteness?
"Tch... you! Enough with the jokes!"
March 7th rolled her eyes at Lin Chen, looking thoroughly disgruntled.
Her gaze swept around the room in Cabin 0276.
As March 7th tried to familiarize herself with her surroundings.
She spotted an old-fashioned book on the desk that looked rather familiar.
She walked over to the desk, opened it, and read through its contents.
Her slender, willow-leaf brows furrowed.
"A ship returning to port, laden with gold and jewels..."
"Huh? This tired old story actually has a perfect ending?"
Murmuring to herself, March 7th looked somewhat surprised.
Before you continue