As the Astral Express once again set off into the boundless sea of stars, moving further and further away from the Herta Space Station, everyone's mood was different, but they all let out a long sigh of relief in unison. Pom-Pom, however, was probably panting heavily.
"Phew... phew, so tired, Pom-Pom..." The fluffy little creature stuck out its tongue, lifting a hand to wipe the sweat from its cheeks. As the conductor of the Astral Express, Pom-Pom seemed to have some ability to resonate with the train. It was under its control that the train was able to accelerate and leave the space station.
"Thank you for your hard work, Pom-Pom," Himeko said gently, having returned to her usual elegance.
"Hehe, it's nothing, Pom-Pom~" Pom-Pom waddled on its short legs, lifting its round face expectantly towards Himeko, its body swaying slightly, clearly wanting more praise.
However, Himeko just brushed past it and quickly walked towards Sāmu, who was still standing by the window, gazing at the distant Herta Space Station.
Feeling ignored, Pom-Pom let out a jealous sound. "Was your concern for Pom-Pom just an afterthought! Waaah!" A great sense of crisis instantly arose in it. Could it be that after Sāmu came on board, it would go from being the most popular member of the train to the second most popular?
That kind of thing, no way!
Hearing this, Himeko paused slightly, then turned around with a smile and looked at the cute conductor. "How could that be? In that case... how about you have this cup of coffee first, Pom-Pom?"
Only then did Pom-Pom notice that Himeko was not empty-handed. She was holding a cup of instant coffee that exuded a strange, dark aura!
Pom-Pom: !?
Pom-Pom: The coffee, when did she make it!
Sweat immediately dripped from Pom-Pom's round little face. It took a few steps back, flustered. "N-no thanks, Pom-Pom. Please let passenger Sāmu try it..."
Speaking of which, was this some kind of unique boarding ceremony on the Astral Express? Or would it be more accurate to call it a "trial"? Previously, both passenger March 7th and passenger Dan Heng had gone through the same experience. Pom-Pom still remembered how passenger March 7th, after drinking it, almost wanted to seal herself in Six-Phased Ice again... Even the usually deadpan passenger Dan Heng had a very strange expression after drinking Miss Himeko's coffee.
I wonder what Sāmu's reaction will be? In fact, it wasn't just Pom-Pom who was curious. The other passengers in the carriage also turned their gazes towards Himeko and Sāmu.
March 7th anxiously clenched her fists behind her back. "This is bad! Sister Himeko probably hasn't realized yet..."
"The gap between her and Kafka might start to widen from this one cup of coffee!"
Kafka probably never dreamed she could score points even while being sidelined!
Even the usually fearless Stelle swallowed nervously after seeing the cup of coffee emitting a strange black aura. Welt recalled the terrible memory of forcing it down and ending up with an injured esophagus.
Himeko was oblivious to all of this. From a mother's perspective, she was just eager for her child to taste her special recipe.
Sāmu smelled a peculiar fragrance. The boy looked back in a daze, and his eyes lit up when he saw it was Himeko. "Mother Himeko... what's this?"
"This is coffee that Mom made for you. It has a calming and tranquilizing effect. You must have been scared just now." Himeko's eyes were incredibly gentle.
She was telling the truth. Even now, Sāmu's heart was still palpitating. He couldn't imagine what kind of life he would lead if he had really returned to that woman's side. Would his memories be stripped away? Would he live in a petri dish? Would there still be endless experiments waiting for him...
Seeing the unease and lingering fear in Sāmu's eyes, Himeko's heart ached. She gently placed the coffee on the windowsill, bent down slightly, and pulled Sāmu into her embrace. The sudden rush of snowy white softness made Sāmu blush. The beauty mark on the woman's chest was the perfect finishing touch. Even the incredibly pure-minded Sāmu couldn't help but be drawn to it for a long moment.
"There, there. It's alright, you're safe now~" It seemed to be a dialect from some planet that Himeko had suddenly remembered and used. It meant that by stroking a child's head, you could help them recover from a scare.
Although Sāmu didn't quite understand it, he could feel Mother Himeko's care and love for him, and his heart was instantly filled with a warm feeling. Perhaps most children didn't understand the meaning of the words. They recovered from fear and fright simply because they felt the care and warmth from their loved ones.
"I... I'm fine now. Thank you, Mother Himeko."
"Coffee, is that what it's called?"
"Mhm, it's a drink I love. It might be a little bitter, but once you get used to it, you can taste its fragrance and richness."
Sāmu's eyes filled with anticipation.
"Here, let me feed you~" Himeko showed a level of care far beyond what she showed the other crew members. Although... March 7th and the others were probably not very envious of this particular care.
"Hoo... hoo..." Himeko very considerately blew on the spoonful of coffee after scooping it up. When there was no visible steam, she brought it to Sāmu's lips. The boy opened his mouth slightly and accepted the spoon.
March 7th and the others watched this scene nervously. Stelle even asked curiously, "How is it? What does it taste like?"
Sāmu blinked several times in a row, as if savoring the taste in his mouth and on his tongue. Then he closed his eyes slightly and made a clear swallowing motion. For some reason, seeing the boy like this made March 7th's little heart thump.
"The taste... is a bit bitter, but it's delicious," Sāmu smiled slightly.
Just the phrase "a bit bitter" was enough to make the crew members' jaws drop. Was it just "a bit"? Not to mention Sāmu later added "it's delicious!"
Had the world gone mad, or was there something wrong with Sāmu's sense of taste?
Hearing this, Himeko's face lit up with a smile. "That's my child!"
"I knew it wasn't my coffee that was the problem. In this world, it's hard to find a kindred spirit, and it's just as hard to find a kindred palate~"
And just from the fact that Sāmu didn't dislike coffee, his compatibility with her was definitely infinitely better than his compatibility with Kafka! Himeko wins!
"Come, Mom will feed you."
"If you like it, Mom will make it for you every day~"
Sāmu nodded lightly.
At this moment, a flash of inspiration struck March 7th! She understood! She understood why Sāmu wasn't afraid of Sister Himeko's coffee! It must have been that woman, Ruan Mei!
From what Ruan Mei had revealed earlier, Sāmu was an artificial life form she had created. But not as a child, but as something like a "lab rat"! It was because Sāmu had suffered endlessly at Ruan Mei's hands, subjected to inhuman torture and abuse, that in comparison, even Miss Himeko's coffee was probably nothing.
Thinking of this, March 7th was filled with rage. That despicable Ruan Mei! And to think she used to admire geniuses like you! She thought that by reading your stories, she could become a little smarter... But in reality, being a genius doesn't mean being perfect. Intelligence and character can never be equated! Beneath Ruan Mei's elegant and gentle exterior hid a soul like a demon.
If the price of becoming smarter was to sell one's humanity, then March 7th would rather be a fool, a big fool, for the rest of her life! Of course, this didn't mean March 7th thought she was a fool! She was as sharp as ice!
After Himeko finished feeding him the coffee, the Astral Express had just left the safe zone of the Herta Space Station, the range where a warp jump wouldn't affect the station. Pom-Pom then faced the crowd and, trying to sound serious, announced its duty as the conductor. "The train is scheduled to begin its warp jump in ten minutes!"
"All passengers, please be seated and hold on tight. Beware of vibrations, Pom-Pom!"
As soon as Pom-Pom's voice fell, Himeko led Sāmu to a nearby VIP sofa and patted her snow-white thigh. "Come, Sāmu."
"Sit in my lap, then you won't be scared."
"Ahem!" Welt coughed lightly, as if trying to give a hint. But it was obviously of little effect. It was perfectly normal for a student to grow up and become uncontrollable.
Sāmu, hearing this, obediently did as he was told. He gently placed his knees on the sofa next to the woman's closed legs, then knelt up, one leg after the other. Finally, he lowered himself and sat on Himeko's lap.
Not only did the somewhat old-fashioned Welt's glasses nearly fall off at this sight, but even the more open-minded Himeko was slightly surprised. It seemed Sāmu... still needed to be properly taught many aspects of life. And that was Himeko's responsibility as a mother.
Sāmu felt a little embarrassed and confused by everyone's stares. "D-did I do something wrong..."
Himeko shook her head and placed her hands on the boy's slender waist. The excessive sensitivity made Sāmu's body tremble violently. "No, you did very well, Sāmu."
"When the warp jump starts in a moment, remember to hold on tight to Mom and close your eyes. It will be over quickly~"
"Mmm..." Sāmu replied in a soft voice.
Seeing this, Stelle sighed in admiration. "I wonder if I can get Kafk... mmph!"
March 7th, with her sharp ears and quick hands, covered Stelle's mouth. She then gave Dan Heng a look. The traditional trio thus briefly left the main carriage and quietly went to the passenger car area.
Only then did March 7th release her hand from Stelle's mouth.
"March? What was that all about!?"
"I was saving you! If you don't want to be poisoned to silence by Miss Himeko's coffee... don't mention that woman's name on the train!"
Stelle's pupils trembled violently. "Miss Himeko wouldn't be that cruel!"
March 7th scratched her cheek and thought that was probably true. She had exaggerated a bit. But mentioning Kafka in front of Himeko was indeed a suicidal move.
She shook her head and returned to the topic she really wanted to discuss. "Anyway, Sāmu is back now."
"This means that our Astral Quintet finally has a chance to reunite."
Dan Heng's eyelid twitched. He had the urge to tell March 7th to stop mentioning that title.
"But the problem now is... the Express and the Stellaron Hunters are mortal enemies."
"Under such circumstances..."
"Should we tell Miss Silver Wolf?"
-------
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