Let's Go! Towards the Stars and the Abyss!
Ten days later, at the ARC City train station.
The train, fully loaded with energy and supplies, finally restarted its engines after a hiatus of two months and fourteen days.
Feeling the slight tremor of the train body, Shu stood empty-handed, watching somewhat awkwardly as Kiana and the others hauled large bags and packages into the train carriage.
"Do we have all the supplies needed for the mission on the train already?" Shu couldn't help asking, watching Kiana struggle to stuff a large bag through the carriage door.
"Aiyah, girls always need to prepare a bit more when going out!" Kiana casually brushed him off, then continued focusing on stuffing her things into the train.
Are you sure girls always go out like this?
Shu's eye twitched as he saw the corner of a game cartridge peeking out from Bronya's backpack.
The backpack, larger than Bronya herself, was crammed full of these game cartridges. Shu suspected Bronya had brought her entire collection.
"We're going out on a mission, not for a vacation..." Shu reminded them helplessly, trying to get them to be a bit more rational.
"Besides, Bronya and Kiana causing trouble is one thing, but Mei, why are you joining the chaos?"
Mei, who Shu mentioned, hadn't answered yet, but Kiana, who was still preoccupied, and Bronya, waiting nearby, suddenly got agitated.
"What nonsense! Shu, what are you saying!" Kiana finally shoved the large bag through the door, then immediately marched up to Shu and started gesturing wildly.
"How am I causing trouble? The things I brought are all necessary, okay!"
"You mean those physical novels?" Shu raised an eyebrow. There was no one else watching here; he wouldn't hold back his retorts. "If you really want to read, can't you just download them on your phone? Is the [Spark] network not good enough?"
Kiana's face instantly flushed red, her previous imposing manner deflating immediately.
"What novels..." Kiana's gaze darted around evasively. "Besides, it's not just those, okay? I also brought..."
"A bunch of random junk..." Shu retorted mercilessly. It wasn't that he was being harsh; it was just that the pillow peeking out of Kiana's bag was rather conspicuous.
You, Kiana, need a specific pillow? Don't you only recognize Mei?
"Bronya is not causing trouble. This is essential hardware indispensable for maintaining Bronya's fighting spirit," Bronya argued back with dead fish eyes from the side.
Oh, right, right... Homu truly is your spiritual food, isn't it? Every single one of those game cartridges is from the Homu series!
You're telling me this is your essential hardware?
Their arguments were weak and futile. Shu was too tired to argue further. He looked at the person he had originally questioned.
"So Mei, what's your reason?" Shu resignedly accepted the other two's bizarre excuses; the real reasons were likely close to what he imagined anyway.
But he couldn't figure out for the life of him why Mei was also bringing so much stuff like the other two.
"Me?" Mei paused, then opened her huge suitcase right in front of Shu and took out several books.
"This is Kiana's math textbook for review, this is Kiana's physics textbook for review..." Mei laid out the textbooks like precious treasures, introducing each one as she took it out.
"Whaaat?!!!!" Kiana's shriek pierced the heavens. She had never looked at Mei with such terror before.
The next moment, Kiana executed a move extremely familiar to the others, sliding forward on her knees, accurately grabbing Mei's thigh with one hand while pressing down on Mei's hand to stop her from pulling out more books with the other.
"Mei! It's only these, right! You only brought these books, right!" Kiana's large sky-blue eyes started blinking rapidly again.
Mei hesitated for a moment, then, under Kiana's despairing gaze, resolutely continued pulling out the textbook for the next subject.
The fact that Kiana couldn't even stop Mei's actions showed just how determined Mei was.
She firmly remembered Bronya's advice back in ARC City—Mei, you have to... ahem, it's only when we take the initiative that Kiana can become better.
Seize the initiative, starting by becoming immune to Kiana's whining offensive!
Mei felt she had a long way to go; she still hesitated.
Kiana, however, didn't think so. She just felt the sky was falling.
"Shu, I suddenly think you're right," Kiana, unwilling to head straight to "hell" just like that, decided to make a final desperate struggle. "We're going out on a mission, not for a vacation."
Shu raised an eyebrow, turning his face away expressionlessly. "Bronya, do you have any game recommendations? I suddenly feel like playing something too..."
Don't ignore me, dammit!!
Kiana chewed on her sleeve, tears streaming down her face as she watched the two ignore her and start chatting.
"Kiana, there's homework too... These are all review materials prepared together by the Principal, the Class President, and the Overseer..."
What?! There's homework too?!
Kiana felt this was the end for her today.
The three people loaded with belongings and the one person with empty hands finally boarded the train.
Standing on the familiar train, Shu let out a long sigh.
Although he had only spent about a week on the train, Shu felt it was more like home than the Fire Moth base.
Neither the dorm nor the luxurious small villa could provide Shu with the same sense of security as this train.
"Come out! Ai-chan!" Kiana, having put down her "luggage," shouted towards the train carriage.
"I know, I know!" An impatient girl's voice sounded from within the carriage. Then, on a large screen in the carriage, a small green-haired girl with two cabbage-like buns on her head appeared.
Arranged like a virtual idol, Ai-chan stretched languidly on the screen, then started pointing fingers at Kiana. "How many times do I have to tell you? Use official titles during work!"
"Alright... Let's get going, Miss Hyperion?" Kiana clasped her hands together, pleading.
Miss Cabbage-Head snorted, then, under everyone's exasperated gazes, turned and stood on what looked like a ship's deck on the screen.
The background on the screen showed stormy seas, while Ai-chan Hyperion drew a Western-style command saber from somewhere and shouted energetically.
"Hyperion! Depart!! Towards the stars and the abyss!!"
"Ooh ooh!!" Kiana very cooperatively let out the shouts expected of a sailor.
Shu facepalmed speechlessly. Once again, he felt that bringing Kiana along wasn't a good choice.
But regardless, this train, named "Hyperion," finally departed on its crucial mission.