Chapter 361: Stelle's True Colors
Paimon's attention was instantly captured by a mobile food truck parked a short distance down the pier. The golden, glistening fries sizzling in the fryer released an intoxicating, savory aroma into the salty sea breeze—an absolute, irresistible temptation for the little glutton.
"That... looks so good..." Paimon swallowed hard, her eyes sparkling like stars as she cast a longing, pitiful gaze toward Lumine.
Lumine offered a helpless, fond smile. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Paimon's patience snapped. The floating companion zipped through the air like a tiny rocket. "Boss! I want three—no, make it five large orders of fries!"
Wise raised a hand, intending to warn the fairy about the notoriously aggressive and elusive seagulls that haunted the pier. But before the words could even leave his lips, Paimon was already floating back with a triumphant grin, her small arms wrapped tightly around several grease-spotted paper bags overflowing with thick-cut fries.
She couldn't wait another second. Tearing open the top of the nearest bag, a rich, mouth-watering cloud of fried potato and salt swirled into the air. Paimon eagerly pinched a perfectly crisp fry between her fingers, opening her mouth wide.
Caw—caw—!
As if responding to a phantom bugle call, a dozen gray-and-white seagulls that had been circling the docks swooped down like feathered lightning. They moved with terrifying, coordinated precision. A flurry of wings and sharp beaks swept past Paimon's hands, instantly snatching every single fry from the opened package. A few stray potatoes tumbled toward the ground, only to be snatched up by diving reinforcements in mid-air.
The entire heist concluded in the blink of an eye.
Paimon felt the weight in her hands vanish. She blinked, slowly lowering her gaze to find absolutely nothing but a crumpled, empty paper bag, mocking her with a few translucent spots of grease.
She froze mid-air, a fry-holding posture still maintained by her empty fingers. Her small face twisted into a mask of pure, unadulterated shock and disbelief. A second later, the daze shattered, replaced by a volcanic surge of grievance and righteous fury.
She jabbed a tiny finger at the flock of seagulls now circling triumphantly above, their caws sounding suspiciously like mocking laughter. Paimon stomped her boots against the empty air. "You—you bad birds! So rude! How could you just steal someone else's food?! I'm so mad!"
Rolling up her invisible sleeves, she prepared to use her less-than-stellar flying speed to charge into the sky and settle the score with the feathered bandits.
Lumine reacted quickly, reaching out to grab Paimon by the cape and reeling her back in. The blonde Traveler suppressed a laugh, offering a comforting pat. "Alright, Paimon, let it go. Don't you still have plenty of bags left? Just keep a closer eye on them. We have serious business to attend to soon."
Paimon puffed out her cheeks like an angry blowfish. Though thoroughly unwilling to let the insult slide, she understood the gravity of their mission. With a heavy huff, she abandoned her quest for aerial vengeance.
However, the lesson was learned.
She hugged the surviving bags of fries tightly against her chest. Not taking any chances, she concentrated, summoning her Paimon Star. The muscular, ethereal stand manifested behind her—slightly scaled down in size for the moment, but still boasting an exaggerated, intimidatingly buff physique.
The muscular apparition floated by her side like a majestic guardian deity, crossing its massive arms and glaring vigilantly at the sky, strictly warding off any seagull bold enough to attempt a second run.
Despite her foul mood over the robbery, Paimon remained generous to her friends. She carefully distributed the remaining bags, sharing the golden treasure with Lumine, Wise, March 7th, and the rest of the group.
"Here, you guys have some too," she muttered, handing them out. "Just watch out for those annoying sky-rats... Hmph!"
The salvaged fries provided a welcome distraction, serving as a quick snack to pass the time. The group huddled together, munching quietly and conversing in low tones as they speculated on the exact location where Bringer might be hiding within the sprawling Epis Port.
Suddenly, twin beams of headlights tore through the coastal night. A sleek tactical vehicle bearing the insignia of Section 6 roared down the road. Carrying a clear sense of urgency, the driver executed a flawless drift, the tires screeching as the car parked precisely next to their designated rendezvous point.
The heavy doors swung open. Yanagi stepped out first, her posture rigid and professional. She was closely followed by Harumasa, and finally Soukaku, who stumbled out while rubbing her eyes, looking very much like she had just woken up from a mid-ride nap.
Yanagi's sharp gaze immediately locked onto Wise and Belle, who were standing at the forefront of the group. A flash of undisguised surprise and deep suspicion instantly broke through her usually composed, capable expression.
"Proxy?" Yanagi stepped forward quickly, her brows knitting together. Her eyes darted rapidly between Wise and the colorful assortment of unfamiliar faces gathered behind him.
"How did you... arrive so quickly?" she asked, her tone laced with confusion. "When we communicated just moments ago, didn't you explicitly state that you were in Officer Qingyi's patrol car and still needed at least half an hour to reach the port?"
It defied all logic. Rushing all the way from the video store on Sixth Street to Epis Port in such a short window was physically impossible., a quick scan of the area confirmed that Qingyi was nowhere to be seen.
"Where is Qingyi? And..." Yanagi paused, her gaze finally sweeping over Lumine, Paimon, Stelle, and the rest of the Astral Express crew. Their attire was wildly exotic, completely lacking the standard urban tech-wear of New Eridu. Each of them radiated a distinct, powerful aura that marked them as anything but ordinary citizens. "...who are these people?"
Wise knew he had to provide a fast, logical explanation before Section 6 escalated the situation. He stepped forward, gesturing to his current mechanical body.
"Yanagi, please don't misunderstand," Wise said smoothly. "What is standing in front of you right now are not our actual bodies. You can think of them as... highly advanced, remotely controlled avatars. Specifically, a Bangboo model named Eous. Belle and I are indeed still on our way here in Officer Qingyi's car. It will likely take us another twenty minutes to arrive in person."
He shifted to the side, fully revealing the eclectic group behind him to the Section 6 operatives. His tone carried the warm, relaxed ease of someone introducing their own family.
"As for the people behind me, these are the 'mysterious' friends from afar that Belle and I mentioned to you previously. They heard that we needed assistance with the current crisis and rushed over immediately to lend a hand."
Just as Wise finished speaking, before he could even attempt to introduce them one by one, Stelle's patience evaporated. Unable to suppress her chaotic excitement for another second, the tall, gray-haired Trailblazer vaulted out from the middle of the crowd in a single, dramatic stride.
She planted her hands firmly on her hips and tilted her chin up toward the heavens. Her face was plastered with an exaggerated expression of absolute pride and theatrical flair. Drawing in a deep breath, she unleashed her highly penetrating voice, projecting her self-introduction across the entire pier.
"I am Stelle of the Astral Express! The messenger of the Trailblaze! The incarnation of Deliverance! Remember my name, for I am the one who brings hope to this world!" Her right arm swung upward in a sweeping arc, her finger pointing dramatically toward the deep, starless night sky, posing as if she were channeling the will of the cosmos itself.
Stelle's declaration—dripping with terminal chuunibyou energy and overwhelming theatrical flair—acted like a universal mute button.
The entire pier instantly plunged into a strange, dead silence. The only sounds left were the gentle lapping of the ocean waves against the concrete pillars and the distant, rhythmic thrum of industrial machinery.
The three elite operatives of Section 6 were completely stunned.
Yanagi's perpetually calm and analytical expression shattered, replaced by a deep, blank stare. It was as if her highly trained brain had encountered a fatal error while trying to process data that fell so far outside the world of human logic.
Harumasa's mouth twitched violently. He desperately wanted to burst out laughing, but his professional instincts warned him it would be wildly inappropriate. He bit the inside of his cheek, forcibly holding it in as he averted his gaze to a nearby shipping container.
Even Soukaku, who had been half-asleep just seconds prior, was now wide awake. Her jaw dropped open, staring blankly at the posing Trailblazer. The little horns on her head seemed to tilt sideways in sheer, unadulterated confusion.
They had anticipated many things when Wise mentioned 'mysterious friends'. Highly trained mercenaries, perhaps. Covert operatives. They certainly hadn't expected someone with such a... violently unique style, radiating an aura of pure, unfiltered chaotic innocence.
Standing near the back of the group, Dan Heng helplessly raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. He let out a long, barely audible sigh. While the archivist was thoroughly accustomed to his companion's 'true colors' being put on display regardless of the time or place, it didn't stop the inevitable migraine from blooming behind his eyes.
March 7th slapped both hands over her face, her cheeks burning with intense secondhand embarrassment. "Ah, ah..." she muttered through her fingers. "Stelle is at it again... Why is she taking lessons from Nikador...?"
The sheer psychological impact of Stelle's imposing, delusionally grand self-introduction was roughly equivalent to detonating a flashbang in the middle of the group.
Fortunately, the toe-curling, agonizing silence didn't stretch on for too long. It was abruptly shattered by another, far more urgent and surprised voice calling out from the shadows of the port.
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