Astral Express.
In a pink, girly bedroom, March 7th was sprawled out on her bed, fast asleep. Her limbs were spread in a star shape, a trail of glistening drool running down her cheek, her face adorned with a silly smile as she slept peacefully and deeply.
Ding-a-ling—
The phone by her pillow suddenly lit up as an unfamiliar number called.
"…Zzz, zzz—"
Ding-a-ling—
"…Mmm."
Ding-a-ling—
"…Argh, zzz—"
Ding-a-ling—
March 7th, eyes still closed, fumbled around on the bed until she finally found the phone and answered groggily, "Zzz… Hello?"
"Is this Miss March 7th of the Astral Express? You have a delivery. Please come sign for it."
March 7th forced one eye open, but it quickly drooped shut again. "Oh, got it, I'll be right there… Mmm—"
Struggling to stay awake, she dialed another number on her phone.
Meanwhile, in Stelle's room.
Compared to March 7th, Stelle's sleeping posture was far less graceful. Half her pajamas were bunched up to her chest, revealing a smooth, fair midriff with a slight curve… More importantly, half her body was hanging off the bed, teetering on the edge of falling.
Buzz—
Thud!
The delicate balance was broken by the phone's vibration. Stelle jolted awake, crashing heavily onto the floor.
"…Ow, ow, ow… Who's calling this early in the morning?"
Stelle groggily reached out, fumbling along the bed's edge until she found the culprit. Seeing "9:06 AM" on the screen, she answered with a resentful tone, "March, if this isn't something super important, I'm treating you to Himeko's coffee."
"Zzz—" (The steady sound of breathing came from the other end, as if the caller had already fallen back asleep.)
Stelle, lying on the floor, pulled the blanket down to wrap herself up, not even bothering to hang up, and fell back asleep while waiting for a response.
…
11:13 AM.
Freshly washed up, Stelle arrived at the observation car and spotted March 7th. She walked over with a grin, sharing, "March, guess what? I had a super interesting dream."
March 7th's face lit up with curiosity. "Oh? What was it?"
"I dreamed you called me this morning, and I was going to treat you to Himeko's coffee."
"Eww—that's definitely a nightmare." March 7th shrank back. "I'm not drinking that stuff."
"But speaking of which… I think I had a dream this morning too." March 7th's slender fingers unconsciously twirled her hair. "I dreamed… someone called me saying my delivery arrived, but I was so sleepy that I tried calling you for help, and then… I don't remember anything else."
"So our dreams are kinda similar… like they're connected?" Stelle rubbed her chin. "What a coincidence."
"Yeah, yeah!"
"Could it be… they weren't dreams?"
A calm voice cut into their conversation. Dan Heng walked over carrying a cardboard box, saying flatly, "This morning, a delivery person stood at the train's entrance for half a system hour with no one answering. Guess why?"
"Uh…"
The two scratched their heads sheepishly. "So it wasn't a dream…"
Dan Heng shook his head helplessly and offered a pair of scissors. "Want to open it now, or take it back to your room to open in secret?"
"Open it now! This girl's got nothing to hide!" March 7th grabbed the scissors from Dan Heng and eagerly sliced through the tape on the package.
Under the trio's watchful eyes, March 7th opened the box in a few swift motions, revealing a small, exquisite holographic projector inside.
On top of the projector was a small card with neat handwriting:
A gift for the entire Astral Express crew. Thank you for watching. —Teacher XXX
"Huh? Who's this? They didn't even write their full name?"
March 7th scratched her head and looked at the other two. "Do you guys know?"
Dan Heng: "No idea."
Stelle: "Don't know them."
"Ugh, you two… What would you do without me as your external brain?" March 7th shook her head helplessly. "Based on my analysis, this person must be—"
"—one of our fans!"
Stelle: "That's the same as saying nothing!"
"Hey, it's totally different, okay!"
—"Yo, you're all here?"
At that moment, a gentle voice sounded. Himeko walked into the car holding a coffee cup, smiling. "What are you all studying now?"
"Himeko, look! A fan sent a gift to our train!"
March 7th held up the projector proudly. "Check it out!"
"Oh? That's rare." Himeko, surprised for once, leaned in to inspect the projector. "It's just a standard projector. I'm guessing the real gift is whatever's stored inside."
"Let me see—" Stelle reached for the projector, but March 7th dodged her.
"No way! It says it's a gift for the whole train, and Uncle Yang isn't here yet!" March 7th puffed out her cheeks. "Wait a sec, I'm messaging Uncle Yang now."
Five minutes later.
"A gift for the train? That's unusual," Welt said, stroking his chin. He glanced at the other four, including Pom-Pom, who had just passed by after cleaning. "Well then, shall we open it and take a look?"
"I've been dying to! Let's do this!"
At Welt's words, Stelle eagerly pressed the projector's switch. Under everyone's gaze, the projector flickered and displayed a selection interface:
[Current Playlist: 1. Preview PV.]
[2. Herta Space Station Arc.]
[3. Belobog Arc.]
[4. Xianzhou Luofu Arc.]
"These places… they're all worlds we've visited? Even the order matches?"
Dan Heng pondered for a moment, sharply noticing the pattern.
"Huh? Now that you mention it, that's true. Could it be a coincidence?" March 7th said curiously.
"I say we find out through action." Stelle pointed at the "Preview PV" on the playlist. "There's a preview, right? Let's watch it and see what's up. Maybe this fan is a Remembrance from the Garden of Recollection, secretly recording our past adventures."
Stelle, of all people, had the most authority to speak about Remembrances, just like that "Garden of Recollection" only she knew about on the train.
"That makes sense. Let's take a look," Welt nodded in agreement. "It's just some footage, so it shouldn't be a problem."
"Then—I'm starting the playback?" March 7th confirmed with everyone one last time before pressing the "Preview PV" button.
["Her breathing and pulse are weak. March, prepare for CPR."]
["Got it."]
In the footage, March 7th's face drew closer, zooming in. Just as she was about to make contact, Dan Heng pushed her aside, saying:
["Wait, she's awake."]
March 7th: "Wow! This is from Stelle's perspective? It's really a record of our past adventures!"
Dan Heng fell silent for a moment. "Why do I feel like this scene isn't quite right? Back then… was it really March doing the CPR?"
March 7th: "Huh? I forgot."
Stelle: "Tch—something's off. I remember waking up and seeing Dan Heng first."
March 7th: "What? Wait, now that you mention it, I think I remember too. It was Dan Heng doing the CPR, and I pushed him away… So this clip is really off…"
Dan Heng: "Let's keep watching. I have a feeling there'll be more issues like this."
As he spoke, the projection shifted. The trio, newly acquainted, was surrounded by layers of Voidrangers, in dire straits.
["Get behind me!"]
In the footage, "March 7th" narrowed her eyes, pulling out her Six-Phase Ice to shield Stelle and Dan Heng. Then, raising her weapon high, she struck down with thunderous force!
["Hya!"]
[Bang!]
With a muffled sound, a Voidranger let out a scream, its health bar instantly dropping to zero, collapsing into nothingness. The other Voidrangers seemed stunned by the scene, falling silent.
And, along with them, the five people and one Pom-Pom watching the projection fell silent too.