Luo Fu's Stroll

Stelle always felt like she'd had sleep paralysis.

It was only natural. Before she fell asleep, Aha's noisy voice filled her ears; after she fell asleep, it was still Their clamorous voice, loudly singing the praises of Their own script. How could anyone possibly sleep well like that?

When she opened her eyes, daylight was already blazing bright.

Though she felt as if she hadn't slept very deeply, when she opened her eyes, she found that her stamina had recovered far more fully than expected.

She sat up in bed, stretched lazily, and blanked out her mind, looking as though she had drifted off into a daze.

But in truth, she was reviewing everything that had happened recently in her head.

Becoming an Emanator of Elation against her will.

Then going to Belobog and taking down Sampo and Gepard.

Then dusting herself off and leaving.

Now, at this very moment, what was she supposed to do again?

Oh, right. She remembered.

Stelle rubbed her eyes, rolled out of bed, got dressed and washed up, pushed open the door, went downstairs, and headed for the observation car.

She was going to Xianzhou Luofu with Dan Heng. She was going to Luofu to look for the next unlucky person she might take into her collection, while Dan Heng probably wanted to revisit his old homeland.

With that thought, Stelle pushed open the observation car's doors.

The parental figures of the Express Crew were nowhere to be seen. When Stelle passed March 7th's room earlier, she could still hear video game sounds coming from inside. Everyone had their own things to do, so apart from Pom-Pom sweeping the floor with a little broom, the only person in this car was Dan Heng, who usually stayed shut away in the archives.

The young man seemed not to have noticed the Trailblazer's arrival. Sitting on the sofa, he flipped through the notes before him with one hand while holding a pen in the other, making revisions to the contents on the page.

Needless to say, the archives manager seemed to be updating the archives again.

Stelle couldn't bear to disturb Dan Heng. She had originally intended to quietly walk over and sit beside him, waiting for him to finish before they left together. But Dan Heng seemed to share some sort of telepathy with her; the moment Stelle closed the door and came to a stop, he suddenly looked up.

Seeing that Stelle was already dressed and ready to depart, Dan Heng put away his notebook and stood. A cool scent of snow cedar seemed to flow around him, while the faint red at the corners of his eyes was thick as ink.

"Up so early."

Hehe, listen to that.

"Not really. I've always maintained a perfectly normal schedule of going to bed early and getting up early."

Stelle scratched her head and gave a modest smile. She casually checked the time on her phone, only to discover that this supposedly poor night's sleep had somehow lasted until noon.

Aha: If I believe you again when you say you "slept badly," then I'm the fool.

Stelle blinked speechlessly, waved goodbye to Pom-Pom, grabbed Dan Heng's sleeve, and set off for Xianzhou Luofu!

When had she last come to Luofu?

She couldn't quite remember. Stelle tried to catch the mist drifting beside her as the star skiff sailed steadily through the clouds. Dan Heng stood with his arms folded, as silent and taciturn as ever.

Hmm... without March 7th around to play along with her jokes, it felt a little boring.

Stelle copied Dan Heng's pose and folded her arms, putting on a cool, sour expression.

Dan Heng silently glanced at Stelle. He seemed to realize she was imitating him, and he slowly let out a soft chuckle of surrender. The curve of his lips rose by about two pixels.

Stelle: ...

They reached their destination, and the star skiff came to a stop. Xianzhou Luofu was as bustling and springlike as it had been during her last visit.

It was entirely different from Belobog, so cold that even the air seemed nearly frozen solid.

Stelle jumped off the star skiff first. They were currently at a dock in Starcruiser Navalia, where pedestrians came and went in a lively stream.

Where should they go?

Stelle did not actually have a destination in mind. On the way over, she had quietly asked Aha in her heart who the people on Luofu that needed to be pursued were.

But Aha had put on a mysterious air and said: We'll talk after you meet them. Just wander around Luofu. Whether the people you encounter can be pursued or not, Aha will decide freely.

That was way too dependent on fate, wasn't it? What was with this pure try-your-luck, willing-fish-take-the-bait attitude?!

Though she complained inwardly, Stelle silently lifted her head to look at the sky, then at the busy streets of Starcruiser Navalia. In the end, she unobtrusively moved a little closer to Dan Heng.

Hmm... following a local somehow made her feel much safer. At least she would not be treated like some clueless out-of-towner and ripped off.

Though Dan Heng was not technically a "local."

Dan Heng sensed the distance between himself and the girl closing. He turned his head and lightly glanced at Stelle, then accurately reached out and grabbed her wrist.

Being held so firmly amid the crowd, why did it feel as though the two of them were on a date?

Stelle lowered her head and secretly glanced at the wrist Dan Heng was holding. She quickened her pace by two steps to walk beside him, her voice probing. "Dan Heng, did you come to Luofu for something? Should we take care of your business first?"

"I don't know. I've just been cooped up on the train for too long and wanted to get out for some air."

The young man's footsteps did not hesitate in the slightest, making it seem as though he had a destination in mind. But in reality, he had no idea where he was going at all.

Stelle abruptly stopped.

Dan Heng had been leading her down the street. He had not expected her to suddenly stop, and after taking two more steps forward, he found that he could not pull along the Trailblazer, who was as stubborn as a donkey and refused to move.

Wait, so Dan Heng had just come here to stroll around?!

She really had important things to do that couldn't be delayed. She didn't want to waste time with Dan Heng!

Thinking this, Stelle shook the hand Dan Heng was holding and flashed him a smile, signaling for him to let go already.

"Dan Heng, how about we split up? You can keep wandering the streets... no, I mean, keep shopping. I have things to do."

Dan Heng showed no awareness whatsoever that he should let go of the Trailblazer's hand. If anything, he seemed to grip it even tighter.

"It's fine. Whatever you need to do, I'll go with you."

No, that wouldn't be good.

Several black lines seemed to materialize across the Trailblazer's forehead. This wasn't right. How could she do those things in front of her companions from the Express Crew? She, she, she, she'd be embarrassed!

Images from her time in Belobog seemed to resurface in her mind. Thinking of Sampo and Gepard, whom she had pinned down and kissed, Stelle felt a belated sense of embarrassment.

Although she had indeed been the one in control when pursuing those two Belobog beauties, afterward, she would suddenly think, "So embarrassing... how could I have been so bold back then..."

Aha: Stelle, your boldest moments are yet to come.

Stelle: I've learned my lesson. Please spare me.

"What's wrong? Why do you look so troubled?"

Seeing Stelle standing there as though lost in thought, Dan Heng released her wrist and waved a hand in front of her face.

The Trailblazer, whose thoughts had been interrupted, finally came back to herself. She blinked, unsure how to keep making things up.

Should she take Dan Heng with her to hunt for beauties? Wouldn't that be a little inappropriate? But if she didn't take him along, would he really be willing to let her leave his sight alone...?

Stelle pursed her lips, struggling over what to do.

Just then, a bright voice suddenly rang out from behind them.

"Long time no see. How have you all been lately?"