Qingque couldn't help but grab Leon's hands, her eyes sparkling with little stars.
Meeting a kindred spirit in a foreign land… no, in her hometown!
What a wonderful thing~~
Leon's mood, however, was increasingly hard to describe.
That Purple Moonseason—did they send a cute, naive girl to mess with him?
No… "naive" wasn't quite right.
She was sharp, just not outwardly, and she didn't like showing her clever side to strangers.
Leon froze suddenly.
Wasn't that the core of the work attitude he just described?
Hold on, sister.
You joined the Medicine King's Secret Transmission but slack off—what's the point? Unless—
A possibility struck him, and Leon's gaze at Qingque grew stranger.
So you too…
A double agent?
…
While Leon battled wits with thin air, overthinking everything, Stelle's group was on their way to find their "mom."
From the players' perspective, they chased for half a day before cornering Kafka.
"Hmm~ Everyone from the Astral Express, welcome. You've finally caught me."
Kafka's eyes held a smile, her rosy lips curving into a charming arc.
Her gaze swept over the group, lingering on Stelle for a moment.
"Caught? I don't think so."
Stelle stepped forward, staring intently at Kafka.
"You controlled those Cloud Knights. You had plenty of chances to escape, but you didn't."
"You led us here before stopping. It's clearly intentional."
"Obviously, you're stalling. Why?"
Hearing Stelle's words, Kafka's smile deepened.
Though her current personality wasn't quite like her past self, this was nice too.
Seeing Kafka smile without answering, Welt said gravely:
"Kafka, since us coming here was all part of your plan, let's lay the cards on the table."
Kafka shook her head with a smile.
"Not entirely my plan. I'm just taking steps toward the best future, making it reality."
"No need to flatter the Stellaron Hunters, Welt. We're just slaves to fate."
March 7th: "The best future? For who? I don't believe you'd think of others."
"The whole universe—believe that?"
"I'd sooner believe you'll turn honest from now on."
"Hey, March, what's that supposed to mean? When have I ever not been honest?"
Stelle seized the rare chance to jab back at March.
"I'm just an obedient, sweet-or-spicy beautiful girl. I don't deserve this slander~~"
Streamer Old Bear glanced at the chat: "What's the male lead say?"
["A salty-or-sweet handsome guy."]
"That's pretty normal. Thought picking the male lead would make him act up and call himself a beautiful girl again."
[It's already pretty quirky. Guys don't usually describe themselves as "sweet"…]
Kafka's gaze at Stelle was tender as she smiled: "If you don't believe me, then: for myself."
Welt: "We'll take you to the Luofu General. If you claim innocence, explain it to him. The General will judge."
Kafka waved her hand:
"No way. I hate dancing to someone else's tune. Time's almost up—act fast, or it'll be too late."
① "I'll face you one-on-one!"
② "Don't blame us for ganging up on you."
"Yo?"
"Does this choice actually make a difference? Gotta go one-on-one! A chance to dive into Kafka's arms and relive Mom's warmth~~"
He picked option one.
Stelle's expression turned serious, one hand gripping a bat, the other an incendiary spear.
"Everyone, she's no ordinary Stellaron Hunter. She's cunning and the trickiest to deal with."
"No one's more suited to face her one-on-one than me!"
"You all keep watch and don't let her find another chance to run."
March 7th's eyes widened, staring at Stelle in disbelief.
The suspicion on her little face was impossible to hide.
"One-on-one? You? Against Kafka?"
"No, sister, can you handle it?"
Stelle, with a dragon-king smirk: "With me here, the General's worries are solved!"
With that, she charged at Kafka, weapons raised.
"…Heh heh~~"
Kafka gave a charming smile, gracefully dodging Stelle's attacks, occasionally parrying with her katana, looking effortlessly in control.
March 7th slapped her forehead.
"Uncle Yang, are we really not jumping in?"
Welt frowned slightly: "…Kafka's only defending, not attacking. She's not even using her Spirit Whisper…"
March 7th's gaze shifted to Tingyun.
Tingyun: "Oh my, why's Benefactor looking at me?"
"I said earlier, I can't help with anything. I can only cower in the corner, trembling and cheering you on~"
March 7th was speechless: "I just wanted to ask—never mind, forget I said anything."
Asking this slippery fox was pointless anyway.
Master of tai-chi deflections.
"Uncle Yang, Stelle was right. Kafka's clearly stalling. Could she be waiting for backup?"
"…Doesn't seem like it." Welt rejected the guess. "But maybe her target is someone else… Stelle, be careful!"
As Welt issued the warning, Stelle saw Kafka suddenly draw a submachine gun.
Stelle slammed her incendiary spear into the ground, blocking the incoming bullets.
Seeing this, March 7th couldn't hold back anymore. She moved to block Kafka's rear, raising her longbow to form a pincer attack.
Kafka's pupils darted left and right, lazily raising both guns, making the Astral Express trio even more alert.
"Hmm… they're finally here."
Finally?
Who?
Before Stelle could ask, Kafka suddenly pulled the trigger, firing upward.
"Hmph, petty tricks. Your every move is within my Lawful Eye's foresight."
A soft, sweet voice came from above as a petite figure wove through the bullet gaps, landing elegantly behind Kafka.
"Divination Commission, Fu Xuan. I'll take charge of this criminal now. Thank you all for stalling."
Kafka smiled, casually tossing her guns aside and giving a French military salute.
Looking ready to surrender without a fight.
Seeing Kafka comply, Fu Xuan gave a faint hum, cuffing her hands with restraints.
"Members of the Astral Express, our first meeting—or rather, I've already met you in my foresight."
"I am Fu Xuan, Master Diviner of the Divination Commission, one of the Xianzhou's Six Charioteers."
"With friends from afar, I'd normally offer fine wine, but with Heaven, Earth, and Man misaligned, we'll have to postpone the pleasantries. Let's get to business."
March 7th sidled up to Stelle, quietly poking her arm and whispering.
"Can you understand what she's saying…?"
"I get every word, but strung together, even the Synesthesia Beacon can't translate it…"
Fu Xuan's little face darkened, and she coughed dryly.
"If you have issues with my speech, say it outright. I can hear you."
Stelle gave an awkward smile, covering March 7th's mouth.
"Just a kid talking nonsense. Please don't mind, Master Diviner."
March 7th: "???"
Looks like you're asking for an elbow!