『 "If I were really the murderer, why would you be so secretive? Ah, I forgot, you also have a master who's hard to please — they told you to ignore whatever bullshit murder case and focus on that 'Charmony Festival'…"
"…Isn't that right, gentle elder brother?"
Gallagher looked at Sunday with a playful expression. 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: Killing… and still wanting to destroy the heart?
....
『 Sunday sneered, "…It seems your disguise has already helped you fully understand every detail of the Family."
"Disguise? Which of your eyes saw that I was a fake? Open your eyes wide and look, halo-wearer —" 』
『 ....』
〘Hanabi〙: Nickname plus one.
....
『 "True, every part of you is real. Brown hair, soft and curly like Benny's; orange eyes, making me miss Sir Whittaker's gaze; a strange scar, Woolsey's medal of honor…"
"And the gray vest, the tie, the Hound bloodhound badge, the canteen, the tuning technique, the identity of an officer… they are all real —"
"—from fifty-two loyal Family members." 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: If Gallagher got into a car accident…
〘Hanabi〙: Sunday: After all that, you still have to piece him together yourself.
〘March 7th〙: Wait, if he was fictionalized, does that mean he might really only be thirteen years old?
〘Gallagher〙: Genuine and true.
〘Boothill〙: Holy baby, he really is thirteen.
....
『 "When they converge in one place, countless tiny truths weave into a lie — you gathered a thread of perception from everyone, took them as your own, and fictionalized a complete 'Gallagher' in the dreamscape…"
"…Am I right, minion of 'Enigmata'?"
Gallagher was amused after hearing this, and the more he laughed, the happier he got.
"Haha… Hahahahaha! You've got guts, impressive! Not bad, I underestimated you…"
He walked up to Sunday and said expressionlessly, "I admire you."
Then he changed the subject, "But so what? Does that prove I killed your sister and that stowaway?"
Sunday looked at Gallagher, who was questioning him expressionlessly, his eyes filled with anger. He clenched his fists tightly, trying to calm himself down.
"This proves that you and the Memory Zone Meme 'Death' are linked — and that's enough."
Sunday's voice trembled with excitement, "Listen carefully, I don't care at all how you did it… I only care about one thing now, the answer to one question —"
He widened his eyes, gritted his teeth, and roared, "—You devil! You wretched, despicable dog, why did you kill her!?" 』
『 ....』
〘Robin〙: Brother…
〘Sunday〙: I'm fine, sister, don't worry.
〘Stelle〙: But I always feel like the you up there is about to have trouble.
....
『 "Hmph…" Gallagher let out a low laugh while gently stroking his forehead, slowly walking towards the dim corner of the room.
Sunday's gaze followed him closely, his eyes filled with vigilance.
After walking to the corner, Gallagher stopped and sat down directly facing Sunday.
He took out a lighter, playing with it skillfully, the flame swaying continuously under his control.
"You know, in the thick of things, people are blind to the grit in their eyes... yet they can always feel its scratch."
The firelight illuminated Gallagher in the corner. Sunday squinted at Gallagher. Gallagher's strange behavior made him a little uneasy, but he didn't know where this uneasiness came from.
"Want an answer?"
"I can give it to you."
Gallagher pointed the lighter in Sunday's direction.
"The whole thing is just fate playing a cruel joke on us."
Snap—
The sound of the lighter closing rang out. Before the sound faded, a dark shadow suddenly flashed out from the air, extremely fast, penetrating Sunday's body in the blink of an eye. Sunday's expression froze, his body lost support, and he fell weakly to the ground.
The same Memoria that was left when Hotaru was stabbed still remained on the ground. 』
『 ....』
〘Hanabi〙: Congratulations to the chicken-wing boy for joining the most suspense-free resurrection match in history.
〘Giovanni〙: The siblings are reunited, quite nice.
〘Sunday〙: Tell me, Hound, what on earth do you want to do?
〘Gallagher〙: Keep watching, halo-wearer.
{While the Express crew was fighting Aventurine, the Astral Express at this time also welcomed an uninvited guest, an interstellar cowboy calling himself a Galaxy Ranger}
{Now playing — The Great Train Robbery}
〘Boothill〙: Holy baby, I'm finally making my appearance.
〘Stelle〙: Holy baby, you hijacked the train?!
....
『 12 System Hours before the opening of the Charmony Festival, Astral Express
"Newsflash: Penacony's Charmony Festival has entered its countdown phase. Accompanied by Clockie's tick-tocks, after 12 system hours, this grand celebration will commence with much fanfare..."
Accompanied by the voice of the Interastral Peace broadcast, the screen gradually lit up, showing a cyber-style cowboy pointing a golden revolver at Dan Heng. 』
『 ....』
〘Hanabi〙: Opening lightning strike.
〘Stelle〙: Holy baby, you really hijacked the train?!
....
『 Pam hid behind Dan Heng, tightly hugging his legs, poking out their head and saying, "I told you! We can discuss anything nicely!"
The cowboy only lowered his head slightly after hearing this, replying in a somewhat arrogant tone, "Sorry, fluffy little guy, I really have some urgent business to attend to, so I had to use this method to ask you guys for a small favor."
"Since you know what you are doing, then I must also remind you of the risks of doing so," Dan Heng said coldly, crossing his arms.
Hearing this, the cowboy laughed, "Brother, why make it so tense? Pulling this thing out is just to say hello, isn't it?"
The cowboy nodded towards the gun in his hand. 』
『 ....』
〘Lynx〙: Say hello…
〘March 7th〙: Pam was so scared that they forgot to say 'Pam'.
〘Stelle〙: Looks like they were scared stiff.
〘Pam〙: What are you two saying 'Pam' for! The Conductor wasn't scared at all, Pam!
〘Pam〙: (Pam is angry.jpg)
....
『 "One last time, state your identity and purpose."
Looking at Dan Heng's resolute attitude, the cowboy smiled slightly, showing his shark teeth, and replied, "My name is Boothill, a Galaxy Ranger."
Hearing this name, Dan Heng's expression obviously froze, and he blurted out, "Galaxy Ranger?"
Seeing this, Boothill couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Is that necessary? You look like you've seen a ghost. Did you think we were all dead? Haha! True, being out of sight for too long has this disadvantage."
Dan Heng still maintained a cold expression; he did not believe Boothill's words.
"The chivalrous group of the Hunt would not hijack the Astral Express."
"I haven't even hijacked it yet. Is talking to someone with a gun considered 'hijacking'?"
Pam hid behind Dan Heng, rubbing their hands while whispering, "Probably counts…"
"With all due respect, many rumors in the galaxy about the current state of the Galaxy Rangers are not pleasant stories. It's hard for me to believe you," Dan Heng shook his head and said.
Boothill laughed out loud, a disdainful smile appearing on his face, saying, "Hmph, hilarious. The stories those forkers make up are getting more and more ridiculous, even saying that the Galaxy Rangers were all turned into gibbons by Dr. Primitive and are swinging from trees in some mountain gully." 』
『 ....』
〘Dr. Primitive〙: I like this theory, though it's not true.
〘Rappa〙: Simian Evil Ninja!
....
『 "Of course, I know you won't believe me. So likewise, I can't easily trust that you are real, Nameless."
"See the bullet in this gun? Nine millimeter, an eternal classic. Right now I need the Astral Express's help, but if you guys are a bunch of fakes like that guy… tsk, this bullet might end up in my forehead."
"I can't put myself in danger, right? So you guys have to prove yourselves first…" Hearing Boothill's words, Dan Heng silently turned around and walked towards the table.
"Hey, where are you going?" Boothill shouted at Dan Heng's back, but did not shoot.
Dan Heng pointed to an exquisitely carved jade piece on the table and said calmly, "Do you recognize this?"
Boothill looked over, and once he saw it clearly, his eyes widened instantly, and he shouted in disbelief.
"Hah? It's a... muddle-fudger... the Jade Abacus of Allying Oath!? The Xianzhou really gave this to you guys!?"
Pam on the side was stunned, murmuring, "M—Muddle-fudger?"
Dan Heng nodded and explained, "This is the jade abacus gifted to the Express by the Xianzhou Luofu's General Jing Yuan. Its presence onboard serves as the Xianzhou Alliance's official recognition of the Express."
"Is that enough?" 』
『 ....』
〘Boothill〙: Muddle-fudger!? You use this thing for identity certification?! Are you sure this isn't bragging?
〘March 7th〙: I've wanted to say this for a long time. Such a precious thing, Dan Heng, and you just leave it on the table? At least put it in a cabinet.
〘Stelle〙: Maybe he didn't expect anyone to actually hijack the train.
....
『 Boothill spun the revolver a few times before putting it back into the holster, "...Not bad, kiddo."
"And across these sprawlin' stars, a gentle squeeze is all it takes to rustle up a whole legion of Cloud Knights. Now I reckon that'd be one fudgin' sight to behold." Boothill said with his arms crossed, sighing with emotion.
"Now it's your turn." 』
『 ....』