"Galactic Baseballer."
Stelle stood with her hands on her hips, head held high, exuding an imposing aura.
March 7th's mouth twitched as she glanced at Stelle. "Uh, come on, be serious… He doesn't seem like a bad guy."
Then, she smiled lightly at Argenti. "Hello, Argenti! I'm March 7th."
"A pleasure to meet you both! Pardon my earlier rudeness; I was just explaining the meaning of 'Beauty' to this potted plant." Argenti nodded promptly.
"Forgive my abruptness, but out of habit, I must ask you both: as beings of this universe, are you aware of the goddess of 'Beauty,' Idrila?"
"Idrila?" The name fell into Stelle's knowledge blind spot.
"The Knights of Beauty passionately traverse the stars, spreading the renown of 'Beauty' across the cosmos, ensuring all know of Her existence.
We hold ourselves to strict tenets of faith, tempering our bodies and defending honor."
"I just want to know, were you sincerely complimenting me earlier?"
"Why? Why would you ask such a thing? Please, don't doubt yourself, Stelle!"
"How do you know my name? Wait, I'm not doubting myself."
"My words and actions are utterly sincere. Your beauty is like a flower blooming fiercely under the morning sun!"
This exchange completely silenced Stelle, known for her abstract nature.
Though Stelle chose to stay quiet, Argenti didn't follow suit.
"Lady, I have now briefly introduced you to 'Beauty.' I am most curious—do you acknowledge this philosophy and believe in Idrila?"
"Uh… sure, let's say I believe."
Argenti bowed with gentlemanly grace. "You seem quite troubled, lady.
Forgive my presumption, but I understand you may be agreeing with my philosophy out of kindness, yet your heart holds little understanding of 'Beauty'… Such a beautiful act!
I respect differing beliefs, Trailblazer… but as it stands…
Since you are unaware of 'Beauty's' existence, I must make it manifest in the way of a knight—
I humbly request a duel in the way of chivalry. Should I have the honor of victory, I ask that you acknowledge—the goddess of Beauty, Idrila, is unparalleled in her splendor!"
[What kind of 'convincing with reason' is this?]
[Sorry, Argenti, I believe in Elysia.]
[Dear passerby, do you acknowledge that Elysia's beauty is unparalleled? (Insert comment section here)]
[If the goddess of Beauty is played by Elysia in the future, I'd agree she's unparalleled.]
[Exactly, Miss Pink Fairy, we're all looking forward to your performance.]
Elysia looked at the scrolling comments and smiled knowingly.
"What's with everyone today?♪
You're all so different from usual! Being this forward is just too unfair~♪"
But Elysia's tone shifted.
"I still hope Argenti can find Idrila~♪
I feel like Idrila must be an incredibly special existence to him~♪
It must be a special kind of love that drives him to pursue her so earnestly~♪"
"Huh? If I lose, I have to acknowledge her?" Stelle said, shaking her arms.
"Not quite. It's an unwritten rule before a knightly duel. My apologies. Combat in place of poetry is how the Knights of Beauty seek to persuade… Besides…"
Argenti shook his head. "Please forgive me; I am not a man of many words!"
With that, he drew his silver lance and began fighting Stelle.
"How did it come to this?!" Watching the two clash, March 7th stood to the side, unsure of what to do.
Pam jumped up. "No fighting on the train, pa!!!"
Fortunately, as the battle intensified, Welt Yang stepped between them to stop the fight.
"My apologies, I must interrupt your… enthusiasm. Forgive my buzzkill behavior. You two, I've just discussed with Himeko, and the situation may be more urgent than we thought."
"I'm gonna teach him a lesson today!" Stelle huffed through her nose.
Welt Yang replied earnestly, "Don't get upset. There's no need to rush into sparring; there'll be plenty of chances later."
Argenti then solemnly apologized and explained his purpose:
He had brought Velite, a man who swore to follow the goddess Idrila, to the train to collaborate in resolving the crisis.
Welt Yang nodded in gratitude. "Thank you for coming. This is the first time the Express has worked with a Knight of Beauty."
Stelle: "So, what do we do now?"
Argenti: "Embrace the moment."
"Huh? And then?"
"Continue to embrace the moment."
Stelle gave a thumbs-up. "Looks like you're really here to make friends."
"You misunderstand. I must focus on embracing the crimson night of the universe to detect discordant notes. They share a commonality, and once found, I shall act to eliminate them."
Welt Yang interrupted their conversation, pointing to a man in the corner of the car. "Could you please check on Mr. Velite's condition? He seems quite shaken. We should treat our guest with courtesy."
Stelle shrugged. With nothing else to do, she figured she was something of a host.
She adjusted her appearance, flashed a cheeky smile, and approached Velite.
Velite, seeing Stelle approach with an impish look, spoke up immediately.
"What? Here to give me a pep talk? Your little schemes might as well be written on your forehead!
Let me be clear: I'm just a small-time company worker dragged along by Argenti, a background character—I don't have any grand ideas, and I can't help you guys."
Stelle raised an eyebrow. "I heard you've sworn allegiance to the Beauty Star God?"
"That's what Argenti said, right?
Here's the truth: before he saved me, he told me, 'First, swear that you acknowledge the goddess of Beauty, Idrila, is unparalleled in her splendor.'
I said, 'I'll swear, but can you get me out of this pit first?'—He said no! Can you believe this guy?
No choice, my life was on the line, so I went along and said, 'P-Pure Beauty Goddess Idrila is unparalleled in her splendor!'
Then he corrected me: 'It's Idrila, not Deidrila.'
Who comes up with such a tongue-twister of a name? I'm just an ordinary office worker; how would I know about some 'Beauty' Star God?
Of course, to survive, I repeated it—'Pure Beauty Goddess Idrila is unparalleled in her splendor!!'"
After his passionate rant, Velite's tone suddenly turned cold.
"See?"
Stelle crossed her arms over her chest. "Can't you be a bit more positive?"
[Hahaha, this is killing me, it's so vivid.]
[I can totally picture it.]
[Why are you shouting so loud?]
[Elysia, why aren't you smiling? Don't you like it?]
"No way~♪
I just think Argenti really loves Idrila to do something like this~♪
I think if Idrila knew there was someone like Argenti, she'd surely be so happy~♪
She'd respond to his expectations, right~♪"