The Express continued its journey through the sea of stars.
This Stellaron-infused girl, Stelle, was quite eccentric. She possessed an incredible curiosity, interested in everything, even trash cans. She'd talk to inanimate objects and do things that normal people found hard to understand. As a fellow newcomer, her demeanor was a stark contrast to your steady temperament. Yet, she seemed to find you very interesting and often came to talk, asking all sorts of questions.
One day, looking at her clean, bright eyes, a mischievous thought sparked in your mind. You suddenly spoke, "Stelle, do you want to play a game?"
Stelle's eyes lit up immediately. "A game? Yes, yes! What game?"
"Let's play a game where we pretend to be a couple."
"I'll be your boyfriend, and you be my girlfriend."
Stelle paused, tilting her head to look at you. Your face appeared very handsome under the starlight. She then pondered the concepts of "boyfriend" and "girlfriend" and seemed to find it very interesting. Plus, you were so handsome; it didn't seem like a bad deal for you to be her boyfriend.
She nodded excitedly, "Okay, okay! How do we play?"
The smile in your eyes deepened a few shades.
"Since we're a couple, shouldn't we have a child?" You further threw out the bait.
Stelle became even more excited, vigorously waving her small fists. "A child? Good! Who should we find? Pom-Pom? Or March 7th?"
You smirked, having already locked onto your target in your mind. "Come with me, I have an even better candidate."
You led the expectant Stelle towards Dan Heng, who was reading in his room. When Dan Heng saw the mischievous expressions on both your faces, he instinctively felt that something was amiss and immediately tried to find an excuse to slip away.
However, Stelle didn't give him a chance to speak. Her first words, blurted out, struck Dan Heng like a bolt of lightning.
"Dan Heng, be our child!"
Dan Heng was holding a glass of water. Hearing this, he "pfft" and spat out all the water. He looked at Stelle in shock, then at you, wondering if he had misheard. "...What?"
Stelle was righteous, pointing at you, then at herself. "Orion and I are boyfriend and girlfriend! You're our child now!"
Dan Heng's mouth began to twitch wildly. He looked at you, his eyes filled with complex emotions of "Are you serious?" and "How could you play such a game with her?" You just stood by, an innocent smile on your face, but your heart was blooming with joy. It felt really good to see Dan Heng flustered.
Stelle didn't care about Dan Heng's reaction. She urged, "Quick, call us Dad and Mom!"
Dan Heng completely lost his composure. He felt that his image on the Express was utterly ruined today. After a struggle that was both tearful and laughable, you kindly gave Dan Heng a final ultimatum: "Dan Heng, just say it. Say it once, and we'll let you go."
Dan Heng finally gave up resisting. After struggling for a long time, finally under Stelle's expectant gaze and your mischievous look, he squeezed out a few words in a very low, very fast, muffled voice: "...Dad...Mom..."
Just then, March 7th happened to pass by in the corridor. Her ears were sharp, and she clearly heard Dan Heng's "Dad, Mom." Her expression went from confusion, to surprise, and finally to shock, looking at the three of you as if she had seen something incredible.
"Dan Heng?! You... you guys?!"
Dan Heng's face instantly turned a liver-red color. March 7th's curiosity was completely piqued, and she relentlessly questioned Dan Heng. Dan Heng was utterly unable to explain himself and could only feel like crying without tears amidst March 7th's interrogation and Stelle's affirmation of "We're boyfriend and girlfriend."
You and Stelle, meanwhile, were showing affection. You even cooperatively put your arm around Stelle's shoulder and said to March 7th, "Yes, we're together, and Dan Heng is our adopted child."
March 7th: "⁉️"
Stelle found the scene particularly amusing and laughed heartily.
After that, you and Stelle often played this "pretend couple" game on the Express. Stelle also enjoyed it immensely. You even habitually called each other "husband" and "wife," causing March 7th to occasionally show a "this isn't right" look. More often, it was Stelle shouting it loudly on the Express, her voice echoing through the carriage.
The other members of the Express crew, including Himeko and Welt Yang, gradually became accustomed to these terms, simply treating them as typical youthful antics. Only Dan Heng, every time he heard Stelle call you "husband" and then you both came over and called him "son," wished he could find a hole to crawl into.
And March 7th felt increasingly uneasy; her radar kept beeping. She always felt that the relationship between you and Stelle seemed to be developing in a strange direction.
Until one day, March 7th pulled Stelle aside and couldn't help but ask her privately.
"Stelle, do you... really like Orion? You're not actually dating, are you?"
When Stelle heard this question, the smile on her face froze. For the first time, she showed hesitation and confusion. She seemed to have never seriously considered this question, but March 7th's words, for the first time, made her think and stirred ripples within her.
Do I... like Orion?
Recalling the little moments spent with you recently, your gentle gaze, your occasional touches, your low voice calling her "wife"... She realized that she was actually starting to care about these things. Her heart truly seemed to beat faster because of you. She also unconsciously cared about your opinion, your emotions. She realized that she seemed to have developed a different kind of feeling for you, the one playing "boyfriend." This made her feel a surge of panic.
Stelle didn't answer March 7th, but simply found an excuse to leave in a hurry.
From that day on, Stelle began to deliberately avoid the "couple game." She no longer casually called you "husband" in public as she used to.
You keenly picked up on Stelle's changes. She became a bit evasive, uncomfortable when talking to you, but her eyes would often steal glances at you, then quickly look away. She no longer clung to you to play games without a care, and even her address reverted to the ordinary "Orion."
You were a little surprised, but only found it amusing. A simple game actually caused this Stelle to have an unexpected reaction? The budding of emotions? That would only make the prey more vibrant, making this game with the universe as its chessboard even more interesting.
Everything was under your control.
[Playing with Stelle's feelings, Villain Value +200!]