[On the Express, March 7th and Stelle, who were preparing to head to Penacony, suddenly received a message from Bronya. It said that Belobog was currently preparing for the Eternal Freeze Festival and wanted to invite them and Dan Heng to participate.]
[March 7th and Stelle naturally agreed happily, but Dan Heng, due to some old matters from the Xianzhou that he needed to reflect on and think about, decided to stay on the Express for a while to adjust. March and Stelle expressed their understanding about this.]
[It was rare to attend a national-level celebration as a distinguished guest, so Little March specially took out the dress she had always treasured and kept in her cabinet.]
[That beautiful dress seemed almost alive, light and magnificent—the thin gauze at the sleeves was as delicate as wings, and the small trailing skirt at the back waist fluttered like a comet streaking across the night sky. The porcelain-white gradient from skirt hem to bodice looked as though a piece of Belobog's aurora had been cut out and sewn in, drawing graceful, lively arcs as she spun excitedly.]
[Finally having the chance to attend such an occasion, Little March had to dress up properly. Unfortunately, Stelle had only this one set of clothes from beginning to end, so she scratched her head somewhat embarrassedly.]
——
Chainsaw Man.
"Ah, ah…"
The instant he saw March 7th turn around, Denji's eyes widened dramatically. His pupils shrank into tiny black dots, and the whites of his eyes were practically overtaken by sparkling stars. His throat could only force out hoarse sounds, like a broken radio, until after a long moment they finally strung together into a coherent sentence—
"So cute! Please marry me!"
"This has to be an angel, right! Please go out with me!"
Beside him, Power watched his completely captivated, stupid expression and rolled her eyes in exasperation, sneering: "Denji, stop going into heat. You and March 7th are separated by a whole light screen! Even if you're in heat, direct it toward someone you can actually see and touch, like Makima."
"Besides, even if March 7th really appeared, there's no way she'd be interested in you, Denji."
"That guy named Dan Heng is at least ten times more handsome than you, right? With someone so strong, handsome, and reliable by her side, March 7th didn't even fall for him, so there's no way she'd fall for a guy like you."
"And even if she did take a liking to you, are you planning to leave Earth and go to the Astral Express, or bring her to live in Aki Hayakawa's house together with this great one?"
"The first option might get you killed—battles between Messengers aren't something you can participate in. The second option… you're not planning to make March 7th eat boring buttered bread with you every day, are you?"
Power's few light words stabbed into Denji's heart like sharp knives. Especially when she said that in her eyes, Dan Heng was ten times more handsome than him… it was a direct critical hit.
He could recover from physical damage, but the psychological damage…
Denji simply covered his ears and shook his head like a rattle.
"Aaaaah stop talking! Power, you liar! I don't wanna hear it, I don't wanna hear it!"
——
[At the same time, on the snowy plains of Jarilo-VI, a little Trotter climbed up a tall snow mound. It sniffed around curiously in every direction like a puppy, seemingly very interested in the world of ice and snow.]
[Blizzard winds howled. A white-haired woman dressed in a tight black uniform stood alone. With a light flick of her fingertips, she tossed a gold coin high into the air. It drew a cold, sharp arc across the lake-blue sky before being caught steadily by her again.]
["Jarilo-VI, Belobog…"]
[The wind was biting, the snow flew wildly, yet no amount of snowfall could hide the confident, leisurely smile at the corner of her mouth.]
["Paying debts with money—seven hundred years is not too late."]
——
A Certain Scientific Railgun.
"Huh?" Misaka Mikoto didn't react for a moment. "In this kind of weather, in this kind of place, a debt collector girl suddenly shows up? But the problem is Belobog has been completely sealed off by blizzards for hundreds of years and has been totally cut off from interstellar contact."
"Looking at the emblem on that gold coin… it's someone from the Interastral Peace Corporation." Kamijou Touma thought for a moment. "The loan must have happened before Belobog was swallowed by the snowstorm, right? That transaction was probably completed by the first city builders before the blizzard arrived."
"So now… Bronya and the others have to repay it?" Misaka Mikoto's eyes widened. It felt like an arrow shot by their ancestors had flown around Earth for seven hundred years and finally hit their own butts with perfect accuracy.
"If we compare Belobog to a person, then in the Corporation's eyes, it's like someone borrowed money and immediately died. Normally the debt would be canceled upon death, and the Corporation wouldn't pursue it. The problem is that this person suddenly… uh, came back to life after being dead for seven hundred years."
Looking at Belobog, which was still an isolated city in the snow, Kamijou Touma couldn't help feeling worried.
"The issue is that Belobog has only just resolved the Stellaron crisis. It's in a state where everything needs rebuilding. Can Bronya and the others really afford to pay back a sum of money to the Corporation?"
——
[March 7th and Stelle arrived on the snowy plains, excitedly discussing along the way what kind of food and activities would be at the festival. But as they approached the gates of Belobog's urban area, March 7th suddenly noticed someone in a Corporation uniform standing there blocking the way, holding a weapon.]
[Just as the two were wondering why someone from the Corporation would appear in Belobog, the other party also noticed them and spoke into her earpiece: "Boss, I've found two strangers here. Should I silence them?"]
["S-Silence?!" Hearing this, Stelle and March 7th immediately stepped back a few paces, preparing for combat.]
[But the person on the other end of the earpiece quickly responded: "…Silence your head! Don't move! I'll be right there."]
[Stelle and March didn't have to wait long before Topaz hurried over. She introduced herself in a gentle tone: "Hello to both of you. Nice to meet you! My name is Topaz, and I'm an investment specialist from the Interastral Peace Corporation. I'm here on Jarilo-VI this time to discuss special business."]
["My colleague here… isn't very good at communicating. Please don't take it to heart."]
[Seeing Topaz's friendly attitude, March 7th also gave a brief self-introduction. After learning that March 7th and Stelle were Nameless from the Astral Express, Topaz's eyes immediately lit up.]
["I heard that the reason Jarilo-VI was able to escape the Stellaron's influence was thanks to assistance from the Trailblaze faction. Could it be that the two of you are…"]
[Stelle shook her head with a mysterious expression: "We just contributed a little bit of strength."]
["Wow, I didn't expect to meet two legendary figures here. How lucky! Right, Numby?" Topaz looked down at the Trotter by her feet, who seemed to understand perfectly and happily hopped once.]