"Over there!" March's voice rang out, sharp and urgent. She sprinted ahead of Simon and Dan Heng.
At the far end of the corridor lay a girl with silvery-gray hair, sprawled motionless amidst the emergency lights.
March dropped to her knees beside her and gently lifted the girl's head, resting it against a slanted piece of debris to keep her from lying flat.
Her hands were surprisingly steady for how fast her heart was racing.
"Hey… hey, are you okay?" She patted the girl's cheeks lightly, her voice rising with concern. "Can you hear me?"
The only response she got was a soft grimace.
The girl's brows twitched faintly, her lips parting in a shallow breath, but she didn't wake up.
"Simon, Dan Heng…" March called out, glancing back anxiously. "What should we do? She's not responding!"
Simon knelt down beside her, but it was Dan Heng who leaned forward first as he checked the girl's pulse and her breathing.
A quiet hum left him before he set her hand gently back at her side.
"She's weak," he said at last, his voice low. "Her pulse is steady, but faint. She might need CPR."
"Uh, um..." March hesitated, suddenly realizing what that meant. Her gaze darted to Simon, who merely raised an eyebrow at her.
She forced out a nervous laugh as she tried to hide her awkwardness and pushed Dan Heng forward. "I already did it once, so you do it this time..."
"What are you thinking about at a time like this...?" Dan Heng sighed. "Mouth to mouth isn't always necessary."
"O-of course I know that!" March waved her hands frantically, her face red as a ruby. "I was just saying, you know—just in case!"
Before she could dig her hole any deeper, Simon moved past both of them. His expression softened as he crouched beside the unconscious girl.
Carefully, he tilted her head up, his fingers brushing aside a lock of silver hair that shimmered faintly.
"If neither of you want to take responsibility," he said in a tone far too calm for what came next, "then leave it to me. If sacrificing my purity is what it takes to save a life… then so be it."
"Wait, Simon—don't you dare—!" March started, but her protest died on her tongue.
Too late.
Simon leaned in and pressed his lips against the girl's.
The quiet hum of the station's systems seemed to fade away
Dan Heng just pinched the bridge of his nose as he watched the light fade away from March's eyes, her guilt and shyness visibly evaporating with each passing second as she stared blankly at the scene.
By the time Simon pulled away, March's embarrassment had melted into a quiet, defeated pout.
"…Your purity was already stolen by me," she mumbled softly.
Simon turned back, confused. "Did you say something?"
Her head snapped up, cheeks burning red again.
"N-no! Nothing!" she stammered, waving her hands rapidly and turning away as she mentally scolded herself.
What the hell am I even saying right now?!
Luckily for her, her eyes brightened as she found the perfect excuse to change the topic.
"L-look!" she said quickly, pointing. "She's waking up!"
They all shifted their attention onto the now conscious girl.
...
A faint sound escaped her lips as she stirred.
Her eyelids fluttered open, revealing a pair of soft golden eyes that reflected the faces of three strangers and a strange machine looming behind them.
For a moment, she wondered if she was still dreaming. Her gaze drifted from one to the next, confusion blooming behind her sleepy eyes.
She frowned, trying to remember who they were… who she was. But her thoughts were blank, completely blank.
Not even an echo of memory remained.
A quiet panic began to rise in her chest. She clutched at her head, breathing quickening.
Then, a warm hand rested on her head, ruffling her hair.
"Easy," said the blue-haired man with the cool sunglasses. His tone was calm and reassuring, grounding her. "You're safe now. Take it slow."
She blinked up at him, her breathing steadying almost without her realizing it.
His smile carried a strange familiarity, like something from a dream she couldn't quite recall.
He tilted his head slightly. "Can you remember how you ended up here?"
Her lips parted, but no sound came. She searched her thoughts again and again, but there was nothing to find.
Finally, she whispered, "No… I can't remember anything."
Her voice trembled as she lowered her eyes, expecting frustration or pity.
But instead of either, she felt a sudden flick on her nose.
"Ah—!" she gasped, eyes snapping open.
The man only smiled at her playfully.
"Chin up," he said. "Can you at least remember your name?"
She blinked at him, about to shake her head, when something caught her eye. The small drill pendant hanging from his neck glowed faintly.
And in that moment, a surge of fragmented memories flooded her mind. Visions, voices, and stars she couldn't name.
But amid the chaos, one word surfaced clearly, resonating in her chest.
"My name is… Stelle," she murmured, almost to herself. Her eyes met his again. "Who… are you?"
"Stelle, huh?" The man smiled gently and offered her his hand. "I'm Simon Teppelin. Your husband."
"Simon…" she repeated softly, the name lingering on her tongue. She seemed to turn it over in her mind, as if wanting to memorize every syllable.
Her calm reflection shattered instantly when the pink-haired girl in the back suddenly stormed forward
"Husband?! The hell you are!" She said, grabbing Stelle's hands and putting herself between them like a protective wall.
Only then did Stelle process what he'd said.
"Is that… true?" she asked, her ears turning a faint shade of pink.
Simon met her gaze without hesitation.
"Why else would I have kissed you?"
For a second, Stelle seemed to consider that.
She even nodded lightly, as if the explanation made sense....she could faintly feel the imprint of something on her lips, after all.
And with that deluge of memories also came the sensation...
"No, no, no! Ignore him!" March shook her frantically, glaring daggers at Simon. "He's just being an idiot again! Ugh, seriously?! If I'd known you were this much of a clown, I'd have let you drift in space!"
Simon calmly shrugged.
March groaned, choosing to ignore him entirely. She turned to Stelle instead, putting on her brightest smile.
"Anyway," she said with forced cheer, "I'm March 7th! And the quiet guy over there is Dan Heng. Nice to meet you, Stelle!"
Dan Heng gave a curt nod, which Stelle returned politely.
Still, she couldn't help but glance back at Simon with a tiny flicker of disappointment in her eyes...
"We should report to Himeko," Dan Heng said after a brief silence.
His tone carried finality and he turned to leave without waiting for a response.
"Right!" March chirped, spinning on her heel. "Himeko's gonna have a field day with another case...but come on, Stelle! Amnesia or not, let's get you somewhere safe before we talk about the details~"
She stepped forward, about to grab the clueless girl's hand when—
"She's right," Simon said, taking Stelle's hand instead and leading her toward the robot waiting nearby.
He climbed inside and settled into the seat, gesturing for her to join him. Stelle hesitated only for a moment before stepping in.
Behind them, March made a small, indignant sound somewhere between a "hmph" and a "tch," already walking away by the time Stelle looked back.
"…Did I say something wrong?" Stelle asked quietly.
Simon just chuckled under his breath, shaking his head with amusement.
...
Lagann's engines flared back to life as Simon steered it up to the others.
Dan Heng stood calmly nearby, studying a few strange curios, while March sat sulking on a crate.
When she noticed them arrive, her eyes flicked to a baseball bat lying conspicuously on the floor… then to Stelle and Simon, sitting a little too close for her liking.
A spark lit up behind her eyes, mischievous and a little desperate.
"Hey, Stelle!" she called out brightly, snatching up the bat and holding it like a prize. "It's dangerous here! You'd better arm yourself!"
Her grin was too wide and sudden, making Stelle hesitate and glance instinctively at Simon for guidance.
But that single, innocent gesture hit March like a critical blow to the heart.
She froze, her triumphant energy crumbling into defeat as she realized that she had overlooked something very important.
"B-but if you can't fight…" she stammered, fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve, "then it's fine to ride with that scoundrel, I—I guess…"
The words came out half-heartedly.
She didn't even know why she felt so bothered, only that guilt began to settle heavy in her chest.
The last thing she wanted was to endanger someone who'd already been through so much.
Her shoulders slumped, and she looked away in embarrassment.
On the other hand, after receiving a nod of approval from Simon, Stelle jumped down and accepted the bat from March's hands.
The moment her fingers wrapped around the handle, an unprecedented amount of confidence flooded in, as though her body remembered movements her mind had forgotten.
"I think...I can fight." She said resolutely, testing the bat with a graceful swing that felt natural.
This also served as a small glimmer of hope, essentially telling her that her missing memories weren't entirely gone and she could still recover them by coming into contact with objects or people associated with her past.
Hearing her declaration, March blinked, surprise melting into relief.
"Oh, Stelle! You're an angel!" She squealed, throwing her arms around the startled girl.
Stelle stiffened, bat still clutched awkwardly in one hand, before letting out a tiny, bewildered smile and returning the hug with the other.
March pulled back slightly from the hug, still holding onto Stelle, but her eyes softened as she studied the girl's face.
There was something in the way Stelle held the bat, so tentative yet so full of resolve, that made the pink-haired girl's earlier flare of unreasonable irritation dissolve completely.
Her lips curved into a small, genuine smile.
Stelle blinked at her, tilting her head, but didn't speak.
She was still learning how to navigate the strange mix of emotions she hadn't remembered, and the moment was already overwhelming.
March let her go, stepping back with a gentle nod and giving the girl space to settle into herself.
"Alright," Simon said finally, clapping his hands together lightly. "We can't just stand here forever. There's still a few voidrangers roaming around."
Stelle's eyes flickered at the word. The name stirred a faint, restless memory somewhere deep inside her mind.
But she didn't shrink back.
She simply straightened her back and adjusted her grip on the bat, her knuckles whitening slightly.
The faintest glimmer of excitement danced behind her calm, reserved gaze.
March watched her for a moment and then gave a small, approving grin. "Yeah, that's the spirit. But don't look so stiff, Stelle! You're not about to face off against a doomsday beast or anything. All we have to do is sit tight and look fabulous while Simon does the heavy lifting~"
The grey-haired girl gave her a puzzled look, unsure whether March was serious or teasing.
Probably both.
But before Stelle could ask, March had already hopped into Lagann, humming to herself as she motioned for the girl to follow.
"Come on, hop in! You've got the best seat in the house," she said, leaning forward to take Stelle's hand and guide her into the cockpit.
Once the girl was seat, March leaned closer, her tone lowering to a whisper. "Bet you didn't expect it, but this little one, Lagann, can actually fight."
Stelle blinked, caught off guard by her enthusiasm. "…Lagann?"
March nodded proudly, eyes gleaming. "Yup. Simon's crazy little mech packs a punch, trust me."
Stelle offered her a small smile and scratched her cheek, unsure what to say at their close proximity.
Simon cleared his throat loudly. "Ahem. Glad to see you two bonding, but..."
Both girls turned their heads just in time to see Simon wedging himself awkwardly between them, hands planted on their shoulders as he separated them with a strained smile.
It wasn't that he disliked the moment. In truth, watching the two get along made him weirdly happy. But he wasn't about to ignore the pointed look Dan Heng was shooting him from across the room, the very picture of silent judgment.
The Astral Express's guard had been waiting quietly by the platform, observing the scene unfold like a teacher enduring a particularly rowdy class.
March turned her head toward him, startled.
"Wait, Dan Heng? You're still here? I thought you already went ahead!"
He exhaled softly, lowering his gaze. "No. I was waiting for you to finish… whatever this is."
March scratched the back of her head, laughing nervously. "Hehe… right. Uh, question, though, where are you going to sit?"
Her eyes darted around the interior of Lagann.
Between the control consoles, Simon's pilot seat, and the cramped space March and Stelle already occupied, there wasn't much room left.
She looked back at Dan Heng, then at Simon, then at the only remaining space with growing realization.
Simon's grin spread slowly across his face, taking this as his cue to butt in.
"My lap!" he declared with exaggerated righteousness. "No bro gets left behind!"
There was a long, silent pause.
Dan Heng's expression didn't change.
"No."
Simon's eyelashes fluttered innocently.
"No?"
"No," Dan Heng repeated flatly. "I'll walk."
March burst into laughter, clutching her stomach. "Pfft—! What the hell was that?!"
Simon shrugged, feigning offense. "What? It's called camaraderie! You can't spell 'team' without 'me' sitting with another guy for the greater good!"
"Pretty sure that's not how spelling works," March teased, still laughing.
Dan Heng didn't bother replying. He turned away, his coat swaying lightly as he started walking toward the corridor.
"Just don't crash into anything before I catch up...and please don't drill through the station again."
Simon leaned out of Lagann's cockpit, cupping a hand around his mouth. "No promises!"
March was still giggling when she turned to Stelle, who looked halfway between amused and curious.
"Simon's what we call… 'functionally insane.'" She said with a wink.
"I can hear you," Simon said dryly as he started powering up Lagann's systems.
The cockpit lights flickered to life, bathing them all in the soft green glow of the interface.
March's teasing faded into a grin, excitement bubbling just beneath the surface. "Okay, jokes aside… time to move. We've got a job to finish."
Simon adjusted his goggles and cracked a smile. "Right. Lagann's ready. Hold on tight."
The thrusters came alive with a roar that rattled the floor beneath them.
Stelle instinctively grabbed the edge of her seat, her heart quickening. She wasn't afraid, just…exhilarated.
As Lagann rose, the whole chamber seemed to come alive around them.
Stelle glanced at March, who was practically glowing with excitement, and then at Simon, whose confident grin somehow made the chaos feel safe.
And for the first time since she woke up, Stelle allowed herself to relax just a little.