March 7th immediately backed down. "No no no, Little March was just kidding around!"
[Hahaha, such wholesome daily life.]
[I still prefer this kind of thing—killing and slashing, all the edge-lord stuff isn't for me.]
"No need to rush your answer." Dan Heng looked at Stelle calmly. "Becoming a Nameless means you no longer cling to the past, but choose to Trailblaze toward the future."
March 7th chimed in agreement. "Rather than tending to yourself, you love exploring the world more."
Welt Yang: "To temporarily part from familiar life and venture into the unknown."
Himeko: "No longer yearning for the ground beneath your feet, but treating the distant stars as your homeland."
Finally, Pom-Pom summed it up. "And most importantly—becoming a Nameless means the responsibilities you shoulder from now on far outweigh the rewards. Passenger, even so… do you still wish to become a Nameless?"
Stelle furrowed her brow, thought for a moment, then spoke seriously. "I won't become a Nameless."
Pom-Pom nodded earnestly. "Mm-hmm, since you've decided to become… what?! You actually refused! Alright then… Stelle passenger, if not a Nameless, what do you want to be?"
Stelle's eyes widened. "To craft the most ontologically post-contemporary stainless-steel hamburger, one that accommodates discrete variables of the base matrix while applying active earth pressure to perform signifier stripping on acrylic coatings.
When filling out the divorce application for adjacent buildings, one must adhere to the electronic line folding of set-theoretic symbolic construction, align granularity, then fuse the self."
"Stop stop stop, stop daydreaming! Please choose properly!" March 7th's off-screen voice rang out from the screen.
[Hahaha, I'm actually gonna puke.]
[So the Trailblazer was this abstract right from boarding.]
[Can't even describe her as human anymore.]
[I can only say: this world is utterly full of Joy.]
[Aha can actually hold back? Doesn't he need to peek a couple hundred times?]
[Hahaha, the comments are peak abstract too.]
—
Stelle nodded. "I'll become a Nameless!"
"Yay!" March 7th raised her arms in celebration. "We're definitely gonna be the best Trailblazing partners from now on!"
"Since the Trailblazer has made her decision, everyone please form a circle and prepare for the new-member-joining-the-Astral-Express ceremony, Pom! Passenger, are you ready to accept the Nameless initiation ritual?"
Facing Pom-Pom's question, Stelle asked with some concern. "It won't involve making a blood oath or something, right?"
March 7th nodded seriously. "Exactly—I had to personally crush one back then… as if! We're not a crime syndicate!"
Pom-Pom cleared his throat lightly. "Passenger, please recite the Trailblazer's creed together with me."
Stelle glanced at the oath and shook her head vigorously. "This is way too embarrassing, I refuse…"
"Where's the embarrassment?! Rituals are important, Pom!"
March 7th shrugged. "See? I told you everyone would find it cringe!"
Dan Heng nodded in agreement. "Let's just cancel this part from now on."
Pom-Pom stomped his feet in frustration. "H-How can you do this?! This is an old Trailblazer tradition—the ancestral law cannot be changed, Pom!"
Himeko said calmly, "Mm, cancel it."
"Sigh." Welt Yang let out a breath. "Sorry, Conductor—it looks like we're the minority."
[Pfft hahaha, Old Yang's last line actually broke me.]
[I'm dying—this is too much fun.]
[Ancestors, I have reason to believe this was cooked up by Aha and Akivili together.]
[Very possible!]
—
Under everyone's vote, Pom-Pom had no choice but to concede to the majority. "Alright, the conductor can only respect the vote's result, Pom… But no matter what! Trailblazer passenger, welcome—you are now a 'Nameless'!"
However, the video still included a flashback segment to present the Trailblazer's creed.
Its contents were as follows:
"One: Even as Paths rise and fall, the Trailblazer must hold their own convictions.
Two: Even facing raging storms and waves, the Express crew must face the same direction together.
Three: Even at the brink of survival or ruin, one must still resist injustice.
Four: Even if forgotten by the world, one must not count the cost afterward.
Five: Even as the galaxy darkens into twilight, one must still light up the long night.
Six: Even amid utter chaos and disorder, one must look forward and crush the turmoil."
The final line appeared on screen: "May this journey ultimately reach the stars."
[May this journey ultimately reach the stars.]
[May this journey ultimately reach the stars.]
[May this journey ultimately reach the stars.]
[May this journey ultimately reach the stars.]
[…]
—
Welt Yang brought the topic back. "Now, returning to the original subject… Trailblazer, as a Nameless of the Astral Express, you should have your own room."
Pom-Pom: "That's right! Stelle passenger finally won't be homeless anymore—Pom-Pom is so relieved!"
"However, the Express today has far fewer cars than in the past. The 'Guest Car' only has four rooms. Strictly speaking, three—Dan Heng even sleeps in the archive room."
Dan Heng: "I don't mind."
Stelle looked at March 7th and raised an eyebrow. "I'll just squeeze in with someone!"
Pom-Pom nodded solemnly. "Alright, then you'll squeeze in with the train engine, Pom~"
[Hahaha, Pom-Pom interrupted the casting.]
[This segment is so meme-worthy.]
Welt Yang seemed to recall something. "But the 'Trailblazer's room' doesn't necessarily have to be in the Guest Car."
"Exactly! There's an unused room on the second floor of the 'Party Car'—it can serve as Stelle's room~ Come on, let's go check it out!"
The whole Express crew poured into the Party Car.
Shut Up the robot reappeared. "Welcome, dear Nameless guests. Hm? You all look so cheerful—has something good happened? Could it be… 'party time' has finally arrived?"
At that moment, he suggested, "Perhaps you'll need a joke as an opening line for the party? Listen to this one—'The Knights of Beauty' are being discriminated against by 'Beauty'! 'Discrimination' and 'knight' sound similar—quite amusing, no?"
[Now I get it.]
[Middle of summer—why do I feel so cold?]
[Who turned the AC to 16°C?]
[I feel like I've arrived in Antarctica.]
—
"Shut up, thank you." Himeko paused. "Perhaps we should format it before letting it manage this car."
Shut Up immediately behaved. "Please note: formatting the device will erase all user dining habits, calorie planning, metabolic efficiency, and other data!
Improper operation during formatting may cause serious consequences! Including but not limited to life-support system disorder and train derailment. Lost 'dining data' may even trigger a new 'Fruit Core Disaster.'
Of course, these are merely small jokes before the party."
"See? It's at it again." Himeko could only shake her head helplessly.
Stelle smiled shyly. "Actually, I still want to hear its jokes."
March 7th covered her mouth and giggled. "Pfft, tell a few more dad jokes~"
Welt Yang quickly cut in. "Save them for when you're alone. I really can't take this."
[Even Old Yang can't handle it?]
[Old Yang is chuunibyou—not into dad jokes.]
[Maybe the voice causes him physical discomfort.]
[That's the most likely.]
—
"All this noise reminds Pom-Pom of the old days. Back when this car was still called the 'Conference Car,' passengers would gather here, rowdy and loud, voting on the next destination."
Pom-Pom watched the scene, countless thoughts flashing through his mind.
"There's a very large storage room upstairs in this car—it's basically unused now. It would make quite a suitable room."
Stelle propped her chin with one hand. "Will an owl deliver my IPC acceptance letter?"
"Pom-Pom delivered your Astral Express ticket—aren't you satisfied? Stop complaining! Your room is the biggest on the whole train!" March 7th patted Stelle on the shoulder.
At that moment, Himeko spoke up. "With so many people going up, there won't be anywhere to stand. March, why don't you and the conductor accompany the Trailblazer to see her new room?"
March 7th brimmed with energy, grabbed Stelle's hand, and headed upstairs. "Let's go! I'll show you!"
Not long after.
The three stood inside the enormous room.
"Knock knock… this is it, Pom!" Pom-Pom proudly displayed the surroundings.
March 7th nodded repeatedly. "I told you this is the biggest room—it could even fit an Apocalypse Beast inside!"
[Could fit an Apocalypse Beast, but no place to stand.]
["No place to stand"!]
—
"How can an Apocalypse Beast be allowed to snore beside one's bed?" Stelle put her hands on her hips, speaking righteously.
"No worries—even an Apocalypse Beast would only get a cardboard box these days."
Pom-Pom earnestly reminded them, "I hope you two don't get any weird ideas about keeping such pets."
March 7th glanced around. "Although the room is indeed… uh… a bit cluttered right now, everyone's room looked pretty much like this when they first arrived~ Don't look at how nice mine is now—that's all because I put so much effort into designing it!"
"Because of certain 'daily necessities,' March 7th passenger's 'Express Fund' has severely overdrawn, Pom."
"Hehe—carpet, rocking chair, throw pillows, giant Pom-Pom plush… how could those not count as daily necessities?"
Pom-Pom couldn't help roasting. "Twenty-plus pillows are daily necessities too?"
"Of course! How else are we supposed to have pillow fights?"
Pom-Pom cleared his throat lightly and changed the subject. "In any case, to avoid repeating past mistakes, I must reiterate the rules for using the 'Express Fund'!
First, the conductor is responsible for uniformly allocating resources on the train. If you need renovations, come to me, Pom.
Second, now that you've become an official passenger of the Astral Express, you must fulfill corresponding duties. Perform daily chores to earn the corresponding amount of 'Express Fund' and exchange it with me for supplies."
"If you don't want to sleep in a cardboard box, let's set 'building a bedroom' as the temporary goal!" March 7th seemed to realize something. "Eh? Wait—Pom-Pom gives Stelle renovation funds, then Stelle pays Pom-Pom to renovate the room… that's so roundabout! Why doesn't the conductor just renovate it for her directly?"
"That's procedural justice, Pom!"
Stelle put her hands on her hips. "In any case, I'm now a member of the Astral Express—and I finally have my own room.
I'll make do for today. Tomorrow I'll definitely tidy up properly and build myself a warm bedroom…"
Not long ago… or perhaps a very long time later.
At this moment, in the still-cluttered bare room.
Time returned to the present.
Stelle gave an awkward smile. "I actually planned to clean it up tomorrow…"
"How many 'tomorrows' has it been already!" Pom-Pom said earnestly. "The conductor understands—starting anything is always the hardest part."
[So where does Stelle usually sleep?]
[Whoever's in this room just put a cardboard box on the floor and slept there for two years.]
[That's unmatched.]
—
Finally, under Pom-Pom and March 7th's supervision, Stelle no longer postponed the renovation.
Today's goal was simple: set up a bed first.
After clearing away the clutter, with everyone's help, Stelle successfully assembled a large bed.
Pom-Pom wiped the sweat from his brow. "Phew, mission accomplished! The Trailblazer passenger's room construction has finally taken its first step! I'm so touched, Pom… The conductor thought there'd never be a chance to see this room finished…"
As he spoke, tears began to flow uncontrollably.
"Hahaha, this is one small step for the Trailblazer, but one giant leap for humanity in conquering procrastination!" March 7th looked at the bed. "Mm… seems like it's missing a pillow? Though someone who can sleep in a cardboard box probably doesn't need one…"
"Uh… maybe just make do for tonight and buy one tomorrow?"
"That won't do! Once it gets pushed to tomorrow, it'll be delayed indefinitely! Wait here a sec~" March 7th dashed off.
A few minutes later, she returned holding a pillow and knocked on the door.
"Use this pillow to sleep for now~ Good thing my room has tons of them! I told you they're daily necessities~"
[Sharing a pillow with March 7th—rounding up, that's basically sleeping in the same bed as March 7th. In four or five days, she's my wife!]
[Heh.]
[Please release merch—of course I'm asking for my friend.]
[Summoning friends from thin air.]
—
After arranging the pillow, Pom-Pom suggested, "Good work, passenger. Rest early today!"
March 7th gave a playful smile. "There's still a ton of daily chores tomorrow! Hehe, this time you can't escape~"
"It's getting late—we'll take our leave now, Pom!"
March 7th waved at Stelle. "Good night, sweet dreams~"
Stelle looked at the bed, relaxed her body, and lay down.
She gazed at the unfamiliar ceiling.
Yet Stelle vaguely felt that it would soon become the most familiar ceiling of all.
Tomorrow morning she would wake up looking at it, tomorrow night she would fall asleep looking at it… It truly felt unbelievable.
Sleepiness gradually overtook her.
Stelle slowly spoke. "Good night, Astral Express."
[Good night, Astral Express!]
[Good night, Astral Express!]
—
The next day.
Stelle felt full of energy. "Slept great~ Today I think it's time to start chores… so lazy, just wanna lie flat… but if I skip chores again, Pom-Pom's gonna lose it. Better behave and do them.
Hm? What's this on the desk?"
She walked over and looked. "On my desk… is this the 'Astral Express Chore Schedule'?"
"Morning, passenger—sleep well last night?" Pom-Pom suddenly appeared behind Stelle.
Stelle wasn't even surprised anymore. "Conductor coming to my room so early in the morning—must be bringing me breakfast, right!"
Pom-Pom replied, "In your dreams! It's already afternoon, Pom!
Take your copy of the 'Astral Express Chore Schedule' from the desk~ From now on, Trailblazer passenger, you must carefully check the schedule and diligently perform your chores.
Pom-Pom will issue Express Fund based on your chore performance—then use that fund to turn this room into whatever you want!
Passenger, are you ready to participate in daily chores?"
"I love chores the most!"
"Good! Very spirited!"