Chapter 212: Future Markets 『 Part One 』
「 Aboard the Astral Express, March 7th, and Stelle, who were preparing to depart for Penacony, suddenly received a message from Bronya. It stated that Belobog was currently organizing the Solwarm Festival, and she wished to invite them—along with Dan Heng—to attend.
March 7th, and Stelle naturally agreed with delight. However, Dan Heng, still occupied with introspection and reflection regarding past events in Xianzhou, decided to remain on the Express for a period of adjustment. Both March and Stelle expressed their understanding.
It was a rare opportunity to attend a national-level celebration as a VIP guest, so March 7th specially brought out a formal gown she had been treasuring in her wardrobe.
The beautiful gown seemed as if it could breathe, ethereal and magnificent—the gossamer at her cuffs was as light as wings, and the small train trailing from her waist resembled a comet sweeping across the night sky.
The porcelain white that transitioned from the skirt to the bodice looked as though a corner of Belobog's aurora had been cut down and stitched into the fabric, tracing a vibrant, spirited arc as she turned with bird-like excitement.
It wasn't often she got to attend such an occasion, so March felt she simply had to dress to the nines. Unfortunately, Stelle, who had possessed only this one set of clothes from the very beginning, scratched her head in slight embarrassment. 」
「 .....」
〜Chainsaw Man World〜
"Ah, ah…"
The moment he saw March 7th turn around, Denji's eyes widened instantly. His pupils collapsed into tiny black dots, the whites of his eyes almost entirely consumed by sparkling stars. His throat could barely squeeze out a raspy sound, like a broken radio, before finally stringing together a coherent sentence after a long pause—
"So cute! Please marry me!"
"This must be an angel, right?! Please, you have to date me!"
Beside him, Power rolled her eyes in speechlessness at his completely captivated, idiotic state. She scoffed with disdain,
"Denji, stop being in heat. You're separated from March 7th by a literal light screen! Even if you're going to be horny, go for someone you can actually see and touch, like Makima. Besides, even if March 7th actually appeared here, she wouldn't necessarily look twice at you, would she, Denji?"
"That guy named Dan Heng is at least ten times hotter than you, right? With a man who is strong, handsome, and safe like that by her side, March 7th didn't even catch feelings. She definitely wouldn't fall for a guy like you. And even if she was interested in you, what's the plan? Are you going to leave Earth to board the Astral Express, or bring her to Aki Hayakawa's place to live with the Great Me?"
"In the former case, you'd probably drop dead—battles between Emanators aren't something you can participate in. As for the latter… You aren't planning to make March 7th eat boring buttered toast with you every day, are you?"
Power's airy remarks were like sharp knives, each one stabbing into Denji's heart. Especially upon learning that in Power's eyes, Dan Heng was ten times more handsome than him… it was an instant critical hit.
Physical injuries he could recover from, but emotional damage…
Denji simply covered his ears with his hands, shaking his head like a rattle drum.
"Aaaah, shut up! Power, you liar! I don't want to hear it, I don't want to hear it!"
—
「 Meanwhile, in the snowfields of Jarilo-VI. A Warp Trotter scrambled up a high snowy dune, sniffing east and west like a puppy, seemingly immensely curious about this world of ice and snow.
The cold wind howled. A white-haired woman clad in a tight black uniform stood alone. With a flick of her finger, she tossed a gold coin high into the air. After tracing a cold, sharp arc against the lake-blue sky, she caught it steadily in her hand.
"Jarilo-VI, Belobog…"
The frigid wind bit and the heavy snow swirled, yet even the heaviest snow could not obscure the effortless, confident smile curling at the corner of her mouth.
"Paying back a debt—is never too late, even after seven hundred years." 」
「 .....」
〜A Certain Magical Index World〜
"Hah?"
Misaka Mikoto didn't react immediately.
"In this weather, in this kind of place, a debt collector suddenly pops up? The problem is, Belobog has been sealed by blizzards for hundreds of years and has completely lost contact with the interstellar community."
"Look at the insignia on that gold coin… she's from the Interastral Peace Corporation,"
Kamijou Touma thought for a moment.
"The loan must have occurred before Belobog was swallowed by the blizzard, right? This transaction was likely completed by the first generation of Architects before the Eternal Freeze arrived."
"So now it's up to… Should Bronya and the others pay it back?"
Misaka Mikoto's eyes went wide. It felt like an arrow shot by an ancestor had flown around the Earth for seven hundred years only to precisely hit her in the butt.
"If you compare Belobog to a human, then in the eyes of the IPC, it's a person who died immediately after borrowing money. When a person dies, the debt is extinguished, and the company won't pursue it. The problem is, this person suddenly… uh, came back to life after being dead for seven hundred years."
Looking at Belobog, which remained a lonely city amidst the snow, Kamijou Touma couldn't help but worry.
"The issue is, Belobog has only just resolved the Stellaron crisis and is in a state where a thousand things need to be rebuilt. Can Bronya and the others really spare a sum of money to repay the Corporation?"
—
「 March 7th and Stelle arrived in the snowfields, excitedly discussing along the way what delicacies and activities would be at the festival. However, as they approached the city gates of Belobog, March 7th suddenly noticed a person wearing a Corporation uniform blocking the path, weapon in hand.
Just as the two were marveling at why someone from the Corporation would appear in Belobog, the other party noticed them as well, speaking into a headset: "Boss, I've found two strangers here. Should I silence them?"
"S-Silence us?!" Stelle and March 7th immediately took a few steps back upon hearing this, readying themselves for combat.
But the person on the headset responded swiftly: "…Silence your head! Don't make any sudden moves! I'm coming over right now."
Stelle and March didn't wait long before Topaz hurried over, introducing herself in a gentle tone: "Hello, you two! First time meeting! I'm Topaz, a Strategic Investment expert from the Interastral Peace Corporation. I'm here on Jarilo-VI to discuss some special business."
"My colleague here… isn't very good at communicating. Please don't take it to heart."
Seeing Topaz's polite attitude, March 7th briefly introduced herself. Upon learning that March 7th and Stelle were Nameless from the Astral Express, Topaz's eyes instantly lit up.
"I heard that the reason Jarilo-VI was able to break free from the influence of the Stellaron is inseparable from the aid of the Nameless. Could it be that you two are…"
Stelle shook her head with a look of profound mystery: "We merely contributed a tiny amount of strength."
"Oh, I didn't expect to meet two legendary figures here. What luck! Right, Numby?" Topaz looked toward the Trotter at her feet, and the latter jumped happily as if it understood perfectly. 」
「 .....」