Chapter 55: Trash Cake, Hehehe, Trash Cake
"They possess remarkably gentle temperaments, making them exceptionally suited as companion creatures," Ruan Mei murmured softly. She cradled the small, dough-like creature known as Lambda's Friend in her palms with practiced care. The little entity let out a soft, trilling meow, nuzzling its squishy cheek affectionately against the warmth of her hand.
Nearby, Leon crouched low to the floor. He extended a single fingertip, lightly booping the perfectly round, squishy body of the Cat Cake designated as Child of Pure White. The creature, sporting a color palette suspiciously identical to his own, immediately rolled onto its back. It exposed its soft, marshmallow-like belly in a display of absolute submission, wiggling its stubby little paws in the air.
"Hey! Did you guys notice?" March 7th leaned in, her bright eyes darting between the two creations. She pointed an excited finger back and forth. "The colors on these two look exactly like you guys!"
"That's right!" Leon nodded, an utterly unapologetic smirk crossing his face. "These are my exclusive special editions. Want one?"
The words had barely left his mouth before Stelle and Caelus materialized at his sides. Their eyes practically sparkled with intense, unified interest. "Are there ones that look like us?" they demanded in eerie unison.
"There are, there are. Enough to go around for everyone." Leon chuckled. He reached out, his hands lightly brushing against the soft crowns of two ordinary, unassigned Cat Cakes. A subtle ripple of energy washed over them. In the blink of an eye, the two generic dough-creatures shifted. Their colors morphed, perfectly mimicking the distinct grey, gold, and black palettes of the two Trailblazers.
"Wow! They really do look like us!" Stelle and Caelus gasped. They each scooped up their respective miniature doppelgangers, lifting them high into the air before carefully depositing them onto their own heads. Miraculously, the two chaos gremlins did not bicker over who got which one. Instead, a silent, instantaneous consensus was reached.
"Come back to the Express with us! Room and board included!" the twin Trailblazers announced to the creatures perched on their heads.
"Awoo! Awoo!" The two newly minted Cat Cakes chirped cheerfully, their tiny tails wagging so hard their entire gelatinous bodies vibrated.
March 7th stared at the bizarre sight, her lips twitching. "I can't help but feel... you guys just like them because their heads are shaped exactly like trash cans?" she deadpanned, unable to hold back the complaint.
It was a completely valid observation. Not only did these two specific Cat Cakes perfectly replicate Stelle and Caelus's hair colors and clothing styles, but their upper halves were distinctly cylindrical, complete with little lid-like ridges. It was a flawless strike directly at the Trailblazers' most unhinged aesthetic preferences. Leon understood their bizarre tastes far too well.
"For health reasons, please do not feed them junk food," Dan Heng interjected from the side, his tone dry and entirely serious.
March 7th giggled, turning her attention to the elegant navigator. "Sister Himeko should be careful too. Don't accidentally feed them your leftover coffee grounds."
"You..." Himeko shook her head, a helpless sigh escaping her lips, though a deeply doting smile crinkled the corners of her eyes.
"Hey! From this day forward, you shall be known as Trash Cake!" Stelle announced, pointing grandly at the ceiling.
Caelus blinked, his expression dropping into sheer panic. "Wait! If yours is called Trash Cake, what is mine supposed to be called?"
"Just pick another name!" Stelle waved her hand dismissively, grinning from ear to ear.
"Why shouldn't yours be the one to change names!" Caelus shot back, crossing his arms indignantly.
March 7th pressed a hand to her forehead, massaging her temples. "I'm just saying... the Cat Cake probably won't appreciate a name like that, right?" The naming sense of these two was simply beyond saving. Who in their right mind named a pet Trash Cake? Having the word 'Trash' in a pet's name was just fundamentally wrong!
"No way, look how happy Trash Cake is!" Stelle argued, pointing up at the squishy creature resting on her crown.
"Awoo!" The little fellow cooperatively let out a joyous chirp, its eyes curving into happy little crescents.
"No, no! Mine is the real Trash Cake! Yours should be called Trash Can Cake!" Caelus argued, his competitive spirit flaring up.
"Why do you get the good name!" Stelle fired back, stepping into his personal space.
As the two Trailblazers devolved into a completely childish squabble, March 7th could only shake her head. Nearby, Himeko and the others were already turning away, shoulders shaking as they stifled their laughter.
A short distance away, the Herta puppet stood perfectly still, her artificial eyes locked onto Leon. "How fascinating..." she murmured aloud. "To be able to fundamentally alter their nature without using any external tools, and without damaging the Cat Cake's underlying consciousness?"
Even confined to a puppet body, Herta's genius intellect could keenly perceive the subtle, almost impossible shift in reality that had just occurred. After being modified into a Trash Cake, the creature had undergone a structural change that defied standard biological laws. While she couldn't immediately dissect the exact mechanics of the phenomenon, the sheer casualness of the act was worth documenting.
"That is precisely what makes him so unique, isn't it?" Ruan Mei echoed softly, stepping up beside the puppet. A quiet, deeply understanding smile graced her elegant features.
"By the way, does everyone want one?" Leon asked, dusting off his hands as he looked toward the rest of the crew. "I can customize one for each of you."
"Do I get one too? Really?" March 7th's eyes instantly lit up like supernovas.
Leon casually scooped up another blank Cat Cake. With a light, playful tap of his fingertip against its nose, the little fellow's entire color scheme rippled, shifting into a vibrant, icy blue tone that perfectly matched the archer's aesthetic.
"Here you go. This is Ice Pop," he declared, handing the brand-new creation over.
"Wow! It really looks like me!" March 7th gasped in pure delight. She snatched the icy blue little fellow out of his hands, hugging it tightly against her chest as if she couldn't bear to let it go. The Cat Cake was remarkably cool to the touch, radiating a soothing chill. It felt exceptionally comfortable to hold, like a breathing, squishy dumpling fresh from the freezer.
"It shares the exact same energetic temperament little March had when she first arrived on the Express," Himeko observed, watching the girl nuzzle the creature. A warm, nostalgic smile softened the navigator's face.
Caelus suddenly snapped his fingers, his eyes gleaming with terrible inspiration. "I have an idea! Isn't the ice maker in the Parlor Car broken right now? Why don't we just use—"
"Don't even think about it!" March 7th shrieked, instantly spinning around to shield Ice Pop with her own body. She glared warily at the eager, scheming faces of Stelle and Caelus. "This lady will never let you lay a single finger on Ice Pop!"
Leon smiled knowingly at the chaos. With another casual tap of his finger, a new Cat Cake materialized, this one sporting a muted, greyish-green color scheme.
"This one is for you," Leon said, extending his hand toward the silent archivist.
"This is..." Dan Heng hesitated for a fraction of a second before carefully accepting the squishy creature.
The greyish-green little fellow seemed exceptionally cautious. It hunkered down in the center of Dan Heng's palm, its tiny head swiveling left and right as it warily assessed the safety of its new environment, ready to bolt at the first sign of danger.
"Wow, Dan Heng, your Cat Cake is so paranoid and alert! It's exactly like you!" March 7th laughed, pointing mercilessly at the duo.
Dan Heng chose not to grace that with a verbal response, but the faint, barely perceptible curve at the corner of his lips never faded.
Naturally, Leon wasn't one to play favorites. Within minutes, Himeko, Welt, Asta, and even the Herta puppet received their own exclusive, custom-tailored Cat Cakes.
"Oh? Even a genius such as myself gets one?" The Herta puppet tilted her head, examining the purple-and-white dough creature resting in her jointed arms. Her mechanical voice carried a distinct hint of surprise.
She had never once entertained the mundane idea of keeping a pet, but this little entity was undeniably cute. It certainly wouldn't hurt to keep it around the Space Station for occasional amusement.
"It looks just as cute as I do, and it can apparently use magic... Then I shall call you Mini Herta."
After a brief, clinical test, the genius had discovered that this specific Cat Cake possessed the ability to use spatial teleportation magic, allowing it to pop into existence right beside the puppet's side at any given moment. This particular trait was genuinely fascinating. Since her own puppet bodies were designated as 'Little Herta,'naming this squishy companion'Mini Herta' was the only logical conclusion!
"Ah? Mini Herta?" Asta blinked, momentarily stunned into silence by the sheer narcissism of the name. "Madam Herta, may I ask... did you name it based on its physical appearance or its spatial abilities?"
"For her, the former is clearly the deciding factor." A faint, knowing smile spread across Ruan Mei's lips, her eyes shimmering with an insightful, quiet amusement.
Eventually, the inevitable moment of departure arrived.
Leon reached into his coat and pulled out a sleek portable speaker. He tapped a button, and a deeply sentimental, melancholic farewell melody began to flow gently across the metallic expanse of the Platform. The sorrowful notes scattered through the air like drifting stardust, forcibly tinting this routine parting with a heavy, dramatic touch of cinematic poetry.
"Hey! Who told you to play this kind of depressing music at a time like this!" March 7th immediately broke the atmosphere, planting her hands firmly on her hips as she glared daggers at Leon.
"It's not like this is some tragic, life-or-death separation! We're literally just continuing our Trailblaze journey!" She pointed an accusatory, huffy finger at the offending speaker, her outburst causing the rest of the Astral Express Crew to break into a chorus of warm chuckles.
The faint, artificial sorrow of parting that Leon had tried so hard to manufacture was instantly shattered, entirely dissipated by the pink-haired girl's lively and grounded protest.
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