Drugging Asta

It was noon.

The Supply Zone of Herta Space Station.

Inside an elegant café called Stellar Rest.

Lin Chen and March 7th waited quietly in a booth by the window.

Herta Space Station was comparable in size to a small city.

Hundreds of thousands of researchers gathered here.

There were plenty of facilities for everyday life and entertainment, too.

Watching the steady stream of people coming and going in the café,

Lin Chen grew even more certain of his earlier judgment.

Although everything around them still looked fairly normal,

Lin Chen had noticed something.

Whether they were café employees or the endless stream of customers,

they all wore mechanical, vacant expressions.

Like marionettes, they acted out the routines of days gone by.

"I have no idea how long the midnight singing has been going on."

"But... these Space Station personnel have probably had their sanity severely eroded."

Looking at March 7th across from him, Lin Chen spoke softly.

"I'm a little worried about Asta..."

At his words, worry crept onto March 7th's pretty face.

Within her limited memories, aside from her family aboard the Astral Express,

Asta was March 7th's closest friend.

"Don't worry. Isn't saving her exactly what we came here to do?"

"March, Asta's coffee is here. Get ready to add the pills!"

He watched the employee beside them move like a puppet.

The employee served two cups of premium coffee rich with the aroma of milk.

Lin Chen nudged the beautiful girl's arm and quietly reminded her.

"How many pills' worth?"

"Three! Any fewer, and I'm afraid they won't be strong enough!"

"Okay! I'll do as you say!"

Nodding lightly, March 7th reached into the pouch at her waist.

She took out the medicinal powder they had prepared beforehand and added it to the coffee cup opposite them.

To make the operation easier, Lin Chen had thought everything through.

The point was to make it difficult for Asta to notice.

A few minutes later.

A girl with long pink hair, wearing an astronomer's uniform with a short skirt,

walked slowly into the café and approached Lin Chen's booth.

"March... why is this guy here too?"

As her gaze fell on Lin Chen, a hint of anger surfaced in Asta's beautiful, lake-blue eyes.

Clearly, after what had happened last night,

the Asta before them disliked Lin Chen even more.

"Never mind him. Try the special coffee I ordered for you."

"It should be the flavor you like, just like back then."

Her rosy lips parted, and March 7th smiled faintly as she got straight to the point.

Getting Asta to drink the special coffee came first.

Casting Lin Chen a somewhat contemptuous glance,

the beautiful girl with long pink hair lifted the white porcelain coffee cup and parted her rosy lips.

After a small sip, an odd expression appeared on Asta's beautiful face.

"March... this coffee tastes a little off..."

"Well... I added a few extra spoonfuls of Three-Flower Evaporated Milk to improve the flavor."

"Drink it while it's hot. It won't taste as good once it cools."

Faced with Asta's reaction, March 7th thought quickly and hurriedly answered.

Back in their cabin,

March 7th had rehearsed with Lin Chen several times, so she had come prepared.

"All right..."

After hesitating for a moment, Asta nodded silently.

She drained the special coffee from the white porcelain cup.

Only a few seconds later, the coffee cup tipped over.

An extraordinarily complex look surfaced in Asta's lake-blue eyes.

"The coffee is poisoned!"

"March, you..."

Before she could finish, Asta collapsed onto the café table.

"Huh? Are the pills really that potent?"

"Was three a little too many?"

Seeing Asta's reaction, Lin Chen felt a little uneasy.

Although he had little fondness for this young heiress,

if he actually got her killed, March 7th would probably never forgive him.

"Lin Chen, what do we do now?"

The worry on her pretty face deepened, and March 7th looked extremely nervous.

"Let's help Asta back to her cabin!"

"If she wakes up normally, that'll be a better place to talk."

"We should be able to find her cabin's access key on her."

Putting on a calm, composed expression, Lin Chen gave his answer.

Though he was actually panicking, too.

Still, he had to keep up appearances in front of March 7th.

Some time later.

Lin Chen and March 7th supported Asta, who seemed completely unconscious.

They returned to her private cabin.

March 7th stayed by the bed to care for her unconscious best friend.

Meanwhile, Lin Chen wandered around the spacious cabin.

"Wow, so this is how Lady Asta lives?"

"How many times bigger is this than Cabin 0276?"

After walking through the entire cabin, Lin Chen couldn't help marveling inwardly.

The somewhat girlish décor was lavish to the extreme.

The whole cabin had a duplex layout.

The first floor was the living area, with an especially soft and comfortable snow-white bed.

To one side were a huge dressing room and a private library.

On the second floor, beneath the curved glass ceiling, was a courtyard-style arrangement.

At the center of a separate garden area stood an intricately constructed astronomical telescope.

"Ugh... my head hurts!"

"Why am I here?"

Accompanied by her somewhat confused voice,

Asta sat up in the snow-white bed.

Her previously tied-up pink hair now hung loose and disheveled.

Her face was slightly pale, and a hint of pain lingered in her beautiful eyes.

"Asta, you're finally awake! Thank goodness!"

Her face filled with joy, March 7th, who had been waiting by the bed all this time,

welcomed Asta back with a hug.

"March..."

Asta extended her slender, delicate hand and gently rested it on March 7th's back.

Her rosy lips pressed together slightly, and a gentle smile appeared on her beautiful face.

Watching the two beautiful girls embrace, Lin Chen couldn't help raising an eyebrow.

Sure enough, Asta and March 7th were exceptionally close.

No wonder March 7th had been so wary and worried back in Cabin 0276.

She had been terrified that his Sanity Pills would harm Asta.

"Now... can I confirm that you really are Asta?"

Stepping out from a corner of the room, he looked at the girl lying in bed, still looking a little tired.

Lin Chen spoke with a calm expression.

"Lin... Lin Chen?"

Her pupils abruptly contracted within her lake-blue eyes.

Asta looked at Lin Chen with a hint of astonishment.

But the coldness and contempt from before were gone.

After nodding silently, Lin Chen confirmed one thing.

It seemed that even after the uncanny disaster's influence and assault on her sanity,

Asta's memories remained fully intact.

Was it because of a Pathstrider's unique constitution? That seemed very likely.

"You were the one who told March to drug my coffee, weren't you?"

"Oh? You figured that out, too?"

Walking closer to the bed, he met Asta's gaze.

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow slightly, showing a little surprise.

"Of course. I know March's personality very well."

"Without you egging her on, she would never do something like that to me."

Pressing her rosy lips together slightly, Asta gave a rather peaceful smile.