Chapter 60 – [Exploration] Coffee
The coffee left the cup, entered your mouth, and rushed down your throat.
The first thing you felt was bitterness…
It was as if an ordinary cup of coffee had suddenly turned into something unrecognizable, tearing at your taste buds that had been prepared for it.
You tasted it…
It was very much like Miss Himeko, who once placed so many hopes in you, only to be repeatedly disappointed.
An intense bitterness spread across the base of your tongue, tightening your facial muscles and even giving you the illusion that you were about to cry.
As the coffee went deeper, the bitterness slowly faded, but a sensation like shards of glass scraping your throat emerged. Instinctively, you grabbed your neck, your eyes turning red instantly.
This cup of coffee…
You couldn't help but look at Himeko; she was still smiling as she watched you.
Just as you wondered whether Himeko had prepared something more than just coffee, the tearing sensation in your throat vanished in an instant.
Making you let out a breath of relief…
Your eyes suddenly widened. The breath you exhaled from your chest carried a rich and intense aroma of coffee!
It made you feel refreshed…
"Did you feel it?"
Himeko asked softly.
You couldn't help but close your eyes, trying to sharpen your sense of smell even further…
"Mmm…"
You narrowed your eyes slightly and responded in a low voice.
You felt it—the rich and deep aroma of coffee…
"Is Miss Himeko trying to teach me something?"
"Dreams are like this: they begin bitter, hurt in the middle, and only at the end, when the coffee is finished, does the aroma emerge…"
Mmm…
You paused briefly; learning something through a cup of coffee felt rather strange.
"Then Miss Himeko must really like that final aroma, right?"
"No, I like all of it…"
After recovering, you prepared to show her your materials, but once again, her words left you stunned.
What she regarded as an ideal was not a glorious, radiant ending, but rather… being on the Trailblaze itself.
Is this coffee infused with the will of the Trailblaze?
That day, for the first time, you truly understood Himeko's coffee—and once again came to understand the girl named "Himeko."
Whether it was ideals or life itself…
It wasn't about obtaining something in the end, but about, in the present, on the Trailblaze, savoring the process…
Let go of fear, let go of unease, take up the weapon in your hand, and set out on the path to conquest!
Nothing can restrain the longing for freedom…
Just as you were about to say something, Himeko silently took the materials from your hand.
A trace of disbelief appeared in her eyes…
"This material is the same as when you took it—so why does it feel like it's undergone a qualitative change?"
There was a hint of astonishment in Himeko's tone.
"The one I know is a master…"
"Does such a master really exist?"
Himeko handled the material, her expression shifting constantly.
You closed your mouth; the more you said now, the more likely you were to be exposed.
Thus, you officially began your collaboration, first testing the material's resistance to high temperatures and whether it could withstand spatial cutting…
You placed the material into the spatial cutting device and then activated the switch…
A light as brilliant as the sun suddenly illuminated the laboratory, almost blinding you.
You couldn't help but close your eyes…
Soon after, the device completed its operation.
Before your eyes appeared a thin strand of blue substance, like a thread.
"It worked!"
You stared at the thin blue spatial fiber, excitement shining in your eyes…
You also checked the material's wear, and to your delight, the abrasion was minimal.
This material could produce spatial fibers in mass!
Then, by using spatial fibers to print a shell the same size as the exterior of the Astral Express, complete isolation between internal and external gravitational fields could be achieved…
"Who exactly is this 'friend' of yours?"
Himeko looked somewhat puzzled. After half a semester of various material experiments, the result of you "giving it to a friend…" was such a miraculous improvement…
"Uh… he prefers solitude… he doesn't allow me to reveal his information…"
You scratched your head, a trace of awkwardness in your expression, as if you were "lying again."
"That's truly a pity…"
"Alright, now that the problem of gravitational field isolation has been solved, the next step is to solve the issue of a stable gravitational field inside the train."
You gently shifted the topic, feeling a slight easing of your guilt.
"It seems you already have an idea?"
Himeko looked at you and asked.
"Yes, but I also wanted to ask—when the train is operating, what provides that immense and stable energy?"
"It's… the Trailblaze…"
Himeko's answer didn't surprise you; only the power of the Trailblaze could sustain the gravitational field across so many levels…
As long as the Trailblaze continues, its power will keep accumulating, supporting the train.
Of course, that was a story for later…
"Then I may have to trouble my friend once again…"
"Hmm? That might not be ideal. The train is very long… the amount of material required could be enormous…"
Himeko hesitated slightly. It seemed she felt something was off, but couldn't pinpoint it.
"He'll be fine. As long as I'm here, he can mass-produce floors with this material…"
…
Himeko ultimately accepted your plan of "finding a friend," but before that, she planned to take you to see the Astral Express and measure the actual parameters of its carriages.
You submitted your requests to the academy and boarded the return train together.
Himeko sat by the window, and you sat beside her. It seemed to be the first time the distance between you had been this close.
You could sense the subtle movements in each other's smallest actions.
"Coffee?"
Himeko asked again softly.
"No, thank you, Miss Himeko. It's a long trip—I don't want to keep going to the restroom…"
"Oh, what a pity…"
Himeko said nothing more, simply taking out a thermos, turning her head to watch the rapidly passing scenery outside, and slowly savoring her coffee…
You watched her in silence, feeling as if she was right beside you, yet on a parallel line…
Lifespan, in fact, is a concrete manifestation of physical function…
You had just wasted a bit of time, sitting in the stationary carriage, breathing in the faint coffee aroma drifting from your side.
You slowly leaned back in your seat and fell asleep…
Miss Himeko's eyes appeared in the reflection of the window, watching you as you slept in a steady rhythm.
She fell into thought…
He, it seems…
He's no longer the same…
Su Xiaobai… why do you seem like a different person?
And…
It seems you're having trouble remembering the past…
Himeko's gaze gradually lost focus, as her heart recalled something unfamiliar…