Chapter 9: The Conductor's New Pet
"Passenger Rekka! You've turned back into a human! A living, breathing human! Not a giant bug! Oh, that's wonderful!"
The moment Rekka stepped foot back inside the Astral Express, Pom-Pom rushed over, long floppy ears bouncing with every step. The furry Conductor stared up at him, a massive, visible wave of relief washing over their expressive face.
But that relief lasted exactly three seconds before righteous indignation took over. Pom-Pom planted both paws on their hips, puffing out their cheeks. What was all that nonsense yesterday?!
"Passenger Rekka! Do you have any idea how worried the Conductor was yesterday, pom?!" Pom-Pom scolded, stomping a soft foot against the carpet. "Such a huge, terrifying bug sprawled out right in the middle of the passenger cabin! The Conductor thought you were going to turn my beautiful Express into a sticky bug nest, pom!"
"I apologize." Rekka crouched down, bringing himself to eye level with the furious little Conductor. His tone was gentle, carrying a hint of dry amusement. "I didn't mean to make the Conductor worry."
"Hmph!" Pom-Pom crossed their arms and turned away with a dramatic huff. Less than two seconds later, they spun right back around, large eyes brimming with genuine concern. "Is your body feeling alright now? Are you hungry? Do you want the Conductor to heat up a nice, warm portion of curry rice for you, pom?"
"Curry sounds perfect. But before that, Conductor..." Rekka tilted his head slightly. "Can I bring a little fellow on board?"
Pom-Pom's ears immediately perked up, twitching with suspicion. "A little fellow? It's not a messy Proboscis Beast, is it?"
"Of course not."
Rekka extended his right hand, uncurling his fingers. Resting peacefully in the center of his palm sat a beautiful, translucent blue bug. It remained perfectly still, looking incredibly well-behaved.
Pom-Pom leaned in close, sniffing at it cautiously. "It looks an awful lot like how you looked yesterday, pom..."
"To be precise, it's the rebirth of an Emanator of Destruction."
It wasn't a mere simulation. This was a genuine Emanator of Destruction he had brought into existence. However, its connection to its Path had been forcibly severed and locked away by his own hands during yesterday's chaotic phase. Stripped of its cosmic authority, this beautiful blue creature was now nothing more than an exceptionally durable, ordinary bug.
Pom-Pom's short, fuzzy little hands froze dead in mid-air. Those massive, round eyes slowly widened, staring intently at the glowing blue carapace resting in Rekka's palm.
"You said... this is... what, pom?"
"An Emanator of Destruction," Rekka answered with absolute casualness, as if discussing the weather. "But don't worry, I've completely locked away its Path. Right now, it's just a relatively sturdy, ordinary bug. It won't divide into a swarm, it won't infect the Express, and it definitely won't suddenly grow to the size of a train car."
Pom-Pom raised a trembling little finger, pointing it at the bug, then shifting it to point at Rekka, and finally aiming it right back at their own chest.
"It's very well-behaved." Rekka lifted his hand slightly, offering the creature closer to Pom-Pom's face. "Look, it even glows in the dark."
As if understanding its master's cue, the tiny blue bug gently fluttered its translucent wings. A layer of soft, rhythmic fluorescence shimmered across its crystalline shell, casting a gentle azure light over Pom-Pom's face. It was, admittedly... quite pretty.
"This isn't a question of whether it glows or not, pom!" Pom-Pom shrieked, stomping a foot.
"Then what is the question?" Rekka asked, blinking innocently.
"It's... it's..."
Pom-Pom opened their mouth, struggling to find the right words. The Conductor paused, tiny gears turning in their head as they thought about it carefully. The bug wouldn't multiply. It wouldn't spread alien spores. It wouldn't grow into a giant monster. And... it did look rather pretty sitting there.
Did that mean there really wasn't a problem?
"Think of it as a small piece of myself that I separated off," Rekka explained, his voice smooth and reassuring. "Because of that connection, it's naturally inclined to be close to the people on the Express. It absolutely won't hurt anyone here."
Pom-Pom lowered their arms, eyeing the glowing creature suspiciously. "...Does it bite, pom?"
"No. Its mandibles have completely degenerated. It can only consume sweet liquids now."
"Does it make a mess everywhere, pom?"
"Not at all. Its metabolism is incredibly efficient. It produces almost zero physical waste."
"Will it buzz around and disturb the passengers' sleep, pom?"
"No. It spends the vast majority of its time in a dormant state. Even when it flies, its wing-beat frequency is so low that it's practically silent."
Pom-Pom fired off question after question, and Rekka smoothly countered every single one. By the end of the rapid-fire interrogation, the Conductor realized they had completely run out of excuses. There was simply no logical reason to refuse the little creature.
Pom-Pom fidgeted with the hem of their coat. "Then... then what is its name, pom?"
Rekka blinked, genuinely surprised by the request. He looked down at the glowing blue insect resting in his palm, then back up at the expectant Conductor. A soft, amused laugh escaped his lips.
"It doesn't have a name yet. How about the Conductor does the honors?"
"Really?!" Pom-Pom's large eyes instantly lit up like supernovas. "The Conductor can name it?"
"Of course. You are the Conductor of the Astral Express, after all," Rekka said smoothly, offering a slight bow of his head. "Any new member joining our crew should naturally receive their official designation from you."
"Then... then let the Conductor think about this..."
Pom-Pom clasped their little hands behind their back and began pacing. They circled Rekka's outstretched hand twice, their furry face scrunched up in intense concentration. They looked as serious as an executive preparing to deliver a keynote speech at an Interastral Peace Corporation board meeting.
"Its shell is so very blue, and it glows in the dark... and it's such a tiny little thing..." Pom-Pom muttered, tapping their chin. Suddenly, the Conductor stopped dead in their tracks and clapped their paws together with a sharp smack. "I've got it! Let's call it Little Blue Light, pom!"
"..."
Rekka's polite smile froze in place.
'Little Blue Light?'
Was this truly the absolute peak of the Conductor's naming abilities?
He opened his mouth to suggest an alternative, but the moment he saw those massive, sparkling eyes staring up at him, full of absolute pride and expectation, the words died in his throat. He just couldn't bring himself to crush their spirit.
"...That is an excellent name," Rekka nodded solemnly, maintaining a perfectly straight face. "Simple, incredibly easy to remember, and highly descriptive."
"Right, right, pom?!" Pom-Pom cheered, so thrilled that their long ears twitched rapidly. They leaned in close to the bug. "Little Blue Light! From now on, you are officially a member of the Astral Express, pom! Be a good bug, and absolutely no causing trouble, pom!"
The tiny blue creature seemed to understand the command. It gently fluttered its crystalline wings, emitting a faint, melodic hum that vibrated softly against Rekka's skin.
"It says thank you for the wonderful name," Rekka translated without missing a beat.
Pom-Pom gasped. "It can talk, pom?"
"Not exactly talking in the traditional sense," Rekka clarified, "but I can roughly interpret its intent. After all, it is an extension of myself."
Reaching out with extreme care, Pom-Pom scooped Little Blue Light from Rekka's palm. The bug immediately settled into the soft fur of the Conductor's paws.
"Oh! It seems to be nuzzling me, pom!"
"It likes the Conductor," Rekka smiled warmly. "I told you, it naturally feels close to everyone aboard the Express."
"Then... where will it sleep, pom? Should the Conductor prepare a special little nest for it?"
"There's no need to go to too much trouble. Just find a quiet corner in the parlor car and set down a soft cushion. It really isn't picky."
"Then the Conductor will go find the softest cushion we have, pom!"
Cradling Little Blue Light against their chest, Pom-Pom immediately trotted off down the corridor, completely forgetting the righteous anger they had been harboring toward Rekka just moments prior.
Rekka remained standing in the aisle, watching the Conductor's bouncy, retreating figure. The corners of his mouth curled upward in a quiet, satisfied smile.
"You're surprisingly good at making the Conductor happy."
A familiar, cheerful voice echoed from behind a nearby seating booth. March 7th popped her head out, leaning against the velvet backrest with a playful grin.
"It's not just about making them happy," Rekka replied, turning around to face the pink-haired archer. "I genuinely believe the Conductor deserves a little companion. We Trailblazers are always running around, exploring new worlds and diving into danger. The Conductor always stays behind to watch over the Express alone. They might never admit it out loud, but it has to get lonely waiting for us to return."
March 7th froze. The playful teasing melted away from her features, replaced by a soft, somewhat complicated expression. She stared at him for a long moment.
"...You really are something else."
"What is it?" Rekka asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Nothing." She stepped out from behind the booth and walked over, stopping right beside him. She crossed her arms, looking up at his face. "I was just thinking... whether you're a giant, terrifying space bug or a normal human, you really are the exact same person underneath it all."
"I have always been the same person."
"I know that now," March 7th nodded slowly. "But this morning, when you suddenly shifted to the Path of Erudition, I was actually pretty worried. I mean, yesterday you were this massive, timid bug hiding in the Seclusion Zone, and today you woke up so... so incredibly calm and analytical. For a second there, I almost thought you had lost your memories of us."
"I remember everything." Rekka turned his gaze toward her, his expression turning entirely serious. "I remember the food you brought me. I remember the stories you told me to keep me calm. And I remember you bravely sneaking into the Seclusion Zone just to find me... March 7th, Senior."
Hearing that formal title drop from his lips made March 7th violently shudder. She rubbed her arms, her face flushing pink.
"Ugh, don't—please don't call me that! It sounds so incredibly awkward when you say it with that straight face!"
"But you are, in fact, my senior," Rekka pointed out logically. "When I first boarded the Express the day before yesterday, you were the one who took the time to teach me how to use the various facilities in the passenger cabins."
"That was the day before yesterday's business!" March 7th protested, waving her hands defensively. "And yesterday you were literally a spawn of Propagation, while today you're practically a scholar of Erudition! How is your memory so perfectly intact between all these crazy transformations?!"
"Because I lived through it," Rekka stated, as if it were the most obvious truth in the universe. "Whether I am walking the Path of Trailblaze, mutating under Propagation, or calculating through Erudition... it is all still me. The core remains unchanged. The Paths merely offer a different lens through which I perceive the universe."
March 7th fell silent, digesting his words. She looked down at her boots before glancing back up, her voice dropping to a quieter register.
"Then... is yesterday's you—the giant bug version of you—still in there somewhere?"
The question gave Rekka pause. He closed his eyes, his Erudition-enhanced mind processing the philosophical weight of her inquiry for a few seconds.
"Yes," he finally answered, opening his eyes. "But not as a physical entity. It exists as a memory. An experience. A foundational part of my consciousness. Just as today's absolute clarity under Erudition will simply become another memory by tomorrow morning. Every Path I walk becomes a piece of me; they simply cannot manifest in the physical world simultaneously."
March 7th rubbed her temples, letting out a heavy sigh. "Ugh, that sounds way too complicated for my brain."
"The mechanics are complex, yes," Rekka agreed, a faint smile returning to his lips. "But the concept itself is quite simple: I am always me. I just happen to change my skin every twenty-four hours."
As they spoke, the cosmic scenery rushing past the Express's reinforced windows began to shift, bleeding into a dreamy, blurred expanse of color.
"Wow... it's so beautiful," March 7th breathed, her attention instantly captured by the view.
The starfield outside had transformed into a deep, hallucinogenic crimson. It looked like cosmic dust, or perhaps a vast, bleeding nebula of mist. Countless fine, glowing particles drifted through the vacuum of space, flowing like a slow-moving river of blood alongside the speeding train. The eerie phenomenon cast a hazy, ominous red glow through the porthole glass, painting the interior of the parlor car in scarlet shadows.
"What in the universe is that?" March 7th murmured, taking a step forward. She leaned close to the window, pressing her palm flat against the cold glass. "It's gorgeous... but also really strange. When Himeko initiated the warp jump, the navigation map definitely didn't show any nebulas in this sector."
Rekka didn't reply.
His eyes locked onto the crimson mist, his pupils contracting slightly. Beneath the surface, his brain had already shifted into overdrive. Empowered by the Path of Erudition, his cognitive processing speed was exponentially faster than a normal human's. In a fraction of a second, he cross-referenced the visual data against the Express's route logs, his own star map memories, and thousands of theoretical astrophysical anomalies. He deduced hundreds of possibilities, discarding the benign ones one by one until only the most logical—and dangerous—conclusions remained.
"Rekka?" March 7th glanced back at him, noticing his sudden, statuesque silence.
"...Step away from the glass."
His voice was perfectly calm. Yet, beneath that placid surface, there was a heavy, clinical absolute that sent a sudden chill through the air.
March 7th's survival instincts flared. She immediately snatched her hand back and took a large step away from the porthole.
"What's wrong?" she asked, her voice tight with sudden anxiety. "What did you see?"
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