Asta and Arlan stared at the sudden appearance of Tom, exchanging baffled looks.
Asta's brows knit slightly. She pressed her soft pink lips together, murmuring to herself.
"Is this…"
"A pet kept on the Astral Express? But Miss Himeko never mentioned anything like that. I was told there'd be no change in the number of passengers."
All visitors to the space station had to go through a review process. Unvetted personnel obviously couldn't be allowed to enter Herta Space Station freely.
After all, it housed numerous research projects—and all of Madam Herta's personal assets.
But the cat had disembarked from the Astral Express. Maybe…
Maybe Miss Himeko and the others don't consider pets subject to the clearance process?
Still, the way this cat walked upright was strange. Maybe it wasn't a pet at all, but a sapient being from some unknown planet?
Even with Asta's broad knowledge, she'd never heard of a species like this.
Her thoughts were swirling more chaotically than when juggling the space station's daily logistics.
She couldn't afford a misstep during official contact with the Astral Express crew. And yet, her mind kept spiraling down increasingly convoluted tangents.
Arlan noticed her gaze locked on the blue-gray cat without any reaction. Realizing she was lost in thought, and knowing how rude it would be to ignore a guest for too long, he spoke up softly.
"Station Master Asta."
At the sound of her name, Asta's unfocused eyes snapped back into focus. She immediately understood what Arlan meant and offered an apologetic smile.
"Sorry about that, little guest. My mind wandered just now."
"In any case—welcome to Herta Space Station. I'm the acting station master here."
She accepted the flower from Tom with a faint smile and continued.
"Thank you for the gift. It may look quite ordinary, but I've never seen a flower like this before. Is it a rare species from another planet?"
"Arlan, take it to my quarters, would you?"
"Oh, and go to my personal inventory and prepare a Type-III Starbreaker-Class battleship as a return gift."
Arlan: "…"
Arlan sighed, clearly exasperated. He turned to Asta and said,
"Miss, no matter how rare this flower might be, a battleship is a bit much for a thank-you gift. Personally, I think our freshest bluefin tuna would be a far more suitable offering—for a cat."
"What do you think?" he asked, looking at Tom.
The moment Tom heard tuna—and not just any tuna, but bluefin tuna—his mind filled with images of the fish.
He'd seen them on TV. He'd even fought one once in the ocean. He knew exactly how delicious they were.
At that thought, tears spilled uncontrollably—not from his eyes, but from his mouth—dripping to the floor and forming a tiny puddle. Then he stretched his neck out and gulped the drool back down.
His little head bobbed up and down like a chick pecking grain.
As for Asta's mention of a "battleship," what even was that? Probably just some kind of boat. And boats? He could slap one together in minutes.
No way was that more important than food.
Seeing Tom agree, Asta nodded.
Then a thought struck her. She turned toward the train doors and spoke softly.
"How odd… other than this cat, no one else has gotten off?"
She still planned to ask Miss Himeko who this cat actually was.
Just as that thought crossed her mind—
Another figure stepped off the train, coming to stand behind the cat. He had dark hair and dark eyes, bright and intelligent, with a tall frame and strikingly handsome features. His clothes were simple and casual.
At first glance, Asta almost mistook him for Dan Heng. But with just a bit more attention—
It was clear they only shared hair and eye color, and a similar build. The details of his face were completely different—not to mention his entire aura.
Asta distinctly remembered Dan Heng carried a chill in his presence. But this man… he seemed warm, approachable—someone easy to talk to.
But still—he wasn't on the clearance list either.
If this was a mistake on Miss Himeko's part, it was an unusually glaring one. Or could it be… that something happened to the Astral Express?
That possibility seemed far-fetched. After all, Miss Himeko and the rest of the crew were incredibly capable fighters.
Still, unlikely as it was—
The moment Yevenko stepped off the train, both Asta and Arlan realized: this man hadn't been cleared for entry.
Asta remained motionless. But Arlan, who had been standing half a step behind her, quietly moved forward so that he now stood half a step ahead. His right hand subtly reached toward his waist, gripping the hilt of a concealed dagger.
At the same time, Yevenko didn't immediately look at Asta or Arlan. Instead, he threw his arms around Tom and muttered under his breath,
"Tom, didn't I tell you to wait before getting off the train?"
"Why'd you rush out like that?"
He'd intended to stay in the observation car a bit longer, to get a clearer look at Herta Space Station and get his bearings before disembarking.
But Tom had darted out in an instant.
Of course, Tom had his reasons. He knew he'd messed up earlier and wanted to make up for it. As a perceptive and loyal cat, he'd sensed the unease in Yevenko's heart.
So, he'd decided to scope things out himself—and ended up being greeted by someone offering him fish.
Clearly, this place was very safe.
Tom climbed up onto Yevenko's shoulders, settling down like a proud figurehead.
Tom Mecha — Engaged!
From this moment on, Yevenko was invincible.
After all, this was his first warp destination in Star Rail. It was only natural to feel nervous. But with Tom fused to him, that anxiety faded.
Meanwhile, Asta's doubts only grew.
To her, Tom looked like nothing more than a slightly oversized upright-walking cat. She sensed no danger from him. And this dark-haired young man? Even less.
He didn't feel even half as threatening as a random researcher from the space station.
No matter how she looked at it, there was no way these two could have taken over the Astral Express.
Then again… the universe was a strange place.
She took a cautious step backward and asked,
"Who are you?"
"What happened to Miss Himeko and the others? What did you do to the Astral Express?"
Hearing that, and now somewhat reassured, Yevenko glanced around at the combat personnel slowly surrounding him. But instead of showing fear, his lips curled into a mild, friendly smile. He didn't want to escalate the situation.
Even with Tom by his side, the pain of a serious injury—or dying—would still suck.
He replied gently.
"Miss Asta, my name is Yevenko."
"I didn't do anything to Miss Himeko or the others. If I told you this Astral Express has always belonged to me… would you believe me?"
Asta looked at him like he was an idiot.
"Are you trying to take me for a fool, or are you just playing one?"
"The Astral Express has always belonged to the Trailblazers. And when it resumed operations, the first Trailblazers to board was Miss Himeko. Your story falls apart with one poke."
"There can't possibly be two Astral Expresses."
But the very next second—
VMMMMMMMMMMM—!!
A low, resonant hum echoed from the other end of the platform.
Another Astral Express slowly pulled in, coming to a stop directly behind Yevenko's.
Asta: "…"