Chapter 64: Crisis of Trust
Dozens of reinforced materials were needed for the train's flooring.
You quickly acquired that cart full of materials…
The price was, naturally, astronomical.
But the school covered all of it.
No problem. You told the transporters to take you to a city with a highly developed heavy industry sector.
You rented a house there. Over the next month, you needed to reinforce these materials and complete the flooring.
You quickly immersed yourself in the reinforcement work…
To be honest, the lifespan consumed to reinforce a single material—making it capable of withstanding extreme temperatures and pressure—was not much.
However, reinforcing such a large quantity of materials brought terrifying consequences for you…
But when you remembered the longing in Himeko's eyes, and that brief moment on the train that day…
Your hand moved faster across the materials…
…
Meanwhile, Miss Himeko built a box. She had no intention of asking anyone else to repair the exterior of the train.
She personally forged all the tools she needed into a single incredible box…
A faint smile appeared on her lips; she was very satisfied with the black box.
Perhaps that was the mark of a genius…
After finishing it, she set off for the Astral Express.
Himeko worked with remarkable efficiency. With the help of that box, she quickly repaired the damaged walls of the train cars…
Then, she took out the detailed blueprint of the Warp Engine you had refined and began researching the engine section of the train.
More than half a month passed like this…
Himeko grew increasingly anxious. It was almost like post-traumatic stress—she dreamed that you had taken the money meant for materials to the gambling table and lost everything…
When she woke up, gasping, a deep unease filled her heart…
"No… Xiao Bai isn't that unreliable gambler anymore…"
She tried to comfort herself, but memories kept surfacing—of you borrowing money from her, only to gamble it away…
She forced herself to stay calm, yet traces of anxiety still flickered in her eyes from time to time…
As the saying goes: once bitten by a snake, you fear even a rope for ten years.
Himeko didn't distrust you—this was simply the natural reaction of someone who had been hurt before, reliving something similar…
She restrained herself, because you had said your "friend" didn't want to be known, so you hadn't given her any way to contact you…
To you, it may have seemed insignificant…
But Himeko's trust in you was in crisis.
This was the core reason why things could never return to how they once were…
…
You knew nothing of this. You simply continued reinforcing the materials.
The sustained, high-intensity effort began to take its toll.
In less than half a month, you felt a deep exhaustion—as if you were being "drained."
Half the work still remained…
More white hair had appeared…
You were completely unaware of everything else. Aside from eating and sleeping when necessary, you never stopped working…
…
Miss Himeko grew more and more anxious.
Even though reason told her you had completely changed, trust worked differently.
Once a stain appears, every moment that requires trust risks being overshadowed by it…
It was inevitable.
Her eyes were slightly red, and she would sometimes pace outside the train…
No… Xiao Bai wouldn't do that…
But the image of someone who had once made solemn promises only to break them again and again kept resurfacing in her mind…
Finally, after nearly a month, she couldn't endure it any longer…
She curled up in a corner of the train, her mental state on the verge of collapse, hugging her knees, her gaze unfocused…
The Warp Engine still had a critical obstacle left unresolved, but she didn't dare continue researching it…
Pom-Pom tried to comfort her. She managed a strained smile—helpless, bitter.
"Xiao Bai will come, Pom-Pom…"
"No… don't think too much about it, Pom-Pom…"
She nodded absentmindedly, which made the conductor's ears droop slightly as well…
This state lasted for a long time. After a few days, Himeko looked much more haggard…
She had almost begun considering other ways to obtain the materials, but every attempt was accompanied by a deep, suffocating sadness.
Finally, when a heavy truck appeared in the distance, heading toward them—
She bit her lip gently, holding back tears…
"Miss Himeko, once the materials were ready, I also found someone to make the train's floor panels…"
You jumped down from the truck, your hair black and glossy. Aside from your slightly pale complexion, nothing seemed unusual.
You had dyed your hair…
After reinforcing the materials, nearly half of your hair had turned white. To keep it from being noticed, you dyed it black.
When she saw the high-quality floor panels—stacked beside the train, gleaming with the luster of some rare metal—
Himeko ran toward you.
And pulled you into her arms…
…
Your face, a head shorter than hers, was buried in a "sea," feeling nothing but turbulent waves…
Your face flushed as you tried to gently pull away from that passionate embrace.
But you felt her body trembling slightly…
"Thank you… Xiao Bai…"
"Mmm… blub blub…"
Sensing something unusual at her chest, Himeko quickly came to her senses and let go, her face flushed.
"X-Xiao Bai…"
Her cheeks burned, and her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
"I was just… too emotional…"
The sudden surge of feeling left her a little flustered.
You glanced, perhaps a bit too long, at the place that had just left a strong impression…
There was… actually a mole.
Well now…
Who could resist that…?
"Xiao Bai, you…"
Himeko covered her chest with both hands, a trace of indignation in her voice, then quickly turned and fled in embarrassment…
A faint smile formed on your lips as you collapsed onto the ground…
I almost died…
You were so weak you could barely stand. You needed rest…
This time, Himeko had prepared a tent.
You slept deeply inside it, though you still dreamed of turbulent waves…
After waking, that feeling of being completely drained finally eased a little…
You stepped out of the tent. Himeko was already installing the floor panels, and you naturally went to help.
When Miss Himeko worked seriously, she didn't blush…
Of course, when your eyes met, her expression was still a bit unusual…
You let out a breath of relief. The hardest part was finally over.
Next… only the engine remained…
"Cough, cough…"
You suddenly coughed, adding a trace of concern to Miss Himeko's face.
"Xiao Bai… are you okay?"
You shook your head, signaling her not to worry—you weren't that fragile.
It's just that…
Perhaps…
Your time was running out…