She really did live in the moment.
Himeko opened Shut Up's chip slot and inserted the secondhand chip from the junkyard.
A control panel projected in front of Shut Up, and a notification popped up on Himeko's phone.
[Successfully connected to a new network. You can connect to other users through the Astral Express as a hub.]
She took out her phone and posted a meme in A Loving Family.
Pom-Pom replied with a question mark.
Dan Heng replied with a period.
Sure enough, there was no one else... wait, Dan Heng?
Himeko immediately tagged Dan Heng and asked about his situation.
Dan Heng: It's a bit complicated. When I woke up, I found myself in the wasteland. It took me a few days to reach the city.
Dan Heng: I couldn't contact the Express, so I thought I'd find a job first and ask around for news of you. But this world... is very strange.
Himeko: Where are you now?
Dan Heng: [Location]-location function unavailable.
Dan Heng: At least the signal hasn't been blocked. We can still contact each other.
The Astral Express Crew had long since grown used to their means of communication failing. They would only find it strange if communications worked perfectly.
Dan Heng: March 7th might have come here a couple of days ago too... she didn't notice me.
Dan Heng: I tried calling out to her, and she drove into me and knocked me into a wall.
Dan Heng: Incidentally, she doesn't have a driver's license for this world. She was also driving with her eyes closed, yelling so loudly that she drowned me out.
Even through the screen, Himeko could feel just how resentful Dan Heng was toward March 7th.
Himeko couldn't help laughing.
With the chip inserted, Shut Up could