It's Just the Two of Us Now

Late at night aboard Herta Space Station.

The alloy corridors stood empty.

Only the automated high-tech equipment still gave off a faint hum.

Aside from that, there were only Lin Chen and March 7th's footsteps.

Clear and jarringly loud.

Remembering the system's warning, Lin Chen was already on edge.

He went over every detail of their earlier encounter with "Asta" in his mind.

But... he really couldn't make much sense of it yet.

Had Asta's mind been corrupted by the power of The Uncanny?

Or perhaps...

That girl wasn't Asta at all, or even human?

Forget it... I'll stop worrying about all that for now.

At least March 7th is still beside me...

His gaze settled on March 7th walking ahead of him, and Lin Chen paused, coming to a stop.

Her aqua-blue miniskirt swayed with her gentle steps.

The soft, close-fitting fabric outlined the pert, rounded curves of her bottom.

On her long, jade-white thigh...

A leather garter tied with a bow pressed slightly into her skin, accentuating its soft, supple flesh.

Stockings might show off a perfect pair of legs.

But a beauty like March 7th still shone without that embellishment.

Aboard the Astral Express, March 7th was the liveliest and most restless of them all.

From being stunned by her beauty when they first met to gradually getting used to it...

Lin Chen had never really made a point of examining March 7th's charms.

Now, late at night aboard Herta Space Station, only the two of them remained.

As Lin Chen quietly admired her...

He felt a faint spark ignite inside him.

"Hmm? Lin Chen?"

"Dummy... keep up!"

"If some monster suddenly shows up and snatches you away, don't expect me to help!"

Noticing something odd about Lin Chen...

The girl turned back, a hint of complaint on her pretty face.

Remembering Lin Chen's earlier cryptic remarks, along with Asta's strange behavior...

March 7th was actually feeling a little creeped out herself.

"Ahem... got it!"

"I was just examining where the anomalies occurred and considering a very important question."

Lin Chen hurried to catch up with March 7th, spouting nonsense with a perfectly straight face.

A very important question?

If the color of March 7th's panties today counted as a question.

"Where the anomalies occurred?"

"I never realized you had the makings of a detective."

"So... Mr. Great Detective Lin Chen, have you actually discovered anything?"

Her slender brows rose slightly, her long lashes fluttering.

March 7th narrowed her beautiful eyes a little, looking at Lin Chen more seriously.

On their previous Trailblaze journeys, Himeko had always been there to mastermind everything.

Even when something unexpected happened, that guy Dan Heng would come up with a plan.

As for everything else, aside from sightseeing, shopping, and sampling local delicacies...

All that seemed to remain was fighting monsters.

That's right. Fight, fight, fight. Smash everything.

As for the final result, their Trailblaze journeys always ended smoothly, without mishap.

Faced with the situation aboard Herta Space Station tonight...

She really wasn't used to having to confront a crisis on her own.

"I've formed a preliminary assessment, but I can't pinpoint the source of the danger yet."

"If we wait and watch, the truth will eventually come to light..."

With a serious expression, Lin Chen seized on a sudden inspiration and rattled off whatever came to mind.

He didn't know a damn thing.

All Lin Chen really cared about was getting through the night safely.

"Right, right... that's exactly what I think too!"

March 7th nodded vigorously, then felt that something wasn't quite right.

Wasn't everything Lin Chen had said just empty talk? He might as well have said nothing.

But since she'd already agreed with him...

March 7th didn't want to lose her nerve and make herself look ignorant.

"By the way, what was the number on the cabin key Asta gave you?"

He moved up beside March 7th.

Then Lin Chen asked with a serious expression.

Although there seemed to be something off about that Asta...

She had at least given them the keys to Herta Space Station's living quarters.

The one in his hand was numbered 0018.

"Hmph... that's a secret!"

"You might be a fellow member of the Express..."

"But let me make this clear: don't get any ideas about me!"

She shuffled two steps away from him.

March 7th deliberately kept her distance from Lin Chen.

A wary look appeared on her sweet, innocent face.

Himeko had told her time and again...

A girl out in the world had to make sure she protected herself.

She mustn't fall into the traps of men with bad intentions.

After discovering Himeko's secret...

March 7th's attitude toward Lin Chen had changed.

This guy wasn't nearly as harmless as he looked.

"What weird stuff do you have in that head of yours?"

"Tonight probably won't be peaceful."

"I just wanted to confirm your location so I could get to you quickly if you needed help."

Hearing March 7th's reply, Lin Chen felt a little embarrassed.

What was this all about?

March 7th was so innocent. She should have been easy to fool.

Why was she guarding against him like he was a thief this time?

Did he really look that much like a villain with ulterior motives?

"O-oh... so that's what you meant!"

"0276. That's the number on my cabin key."

She took a small, dark-gold card out of the pouch at her waist.

March 7th scratched her head awkwardly, feeling her cheeks grow warm.

"Then... let's swap our cabin key cards."

"Disrupting Asta's plan might give us a new opening."

"Let's do the opposite of what she expects and muddy the waters first..."

Lin Chen took out the key card numbered 0018 and spoke calmly.

Plans weren't important.

He simply wanted to stay alive.

If something strange really was lurking in the shadows, preparing to ambush him...

Then Little March could bear the brunt of it.

After all, March 7th was a Trailblazer, a warrior of the Astral Express.

She was the strongest fighter he could currently rely on.

"That... does sound like it makes some sense."

"Here, take it!"

After nodding quietly, March 7th didn't hesitate.

She handed the 0276 key card straight to Lin Chen.

About ten minutes later, Lin Chen and March 7th...

Arrived at the center of Herta Space Station's Base Zone.

Corridors stretched out in multiple directions like passages through a honeycomb.

This was Herta Space Station's dormitory area.

Looking at the signs on the walls, Lin Chen discovered...

Cabins 0018 and 0276 weren't along the same corridor.

The distance between them seemed quite considerable, too.

"Let's split up here..."

"March 7th... keep your phone available."

"If anything unexpected happens, I might contact you at any time."

Standing at the junction, Lin Chen reminded her again.

If he wanted to play it safe, sharing a room with March 7th seemed like the most reliable strategy.

But judging by her earlier reaction...

There was no way she would agree.