Chapter 68: A Box of Cake
When Miss Himeko, still immersed in her dreams, sensed the unusual movement of the Astral Express, the girl—always sensitive to the train—opened her eyes instantly.
"...The sound of the engine…"
She was confused.
The locomotive had been in poor condition ever since she pulled it out of that forest years ago.
A sound this stable… this pleasant…
There was only one explanation—
The engine had been repaired.
---
"Su Xiaobai…"
A sudden unease gripped her.
Your behavior that night had been too strange…
Why had you gotten her drunk…?
---
As Himeko thought back, connecting the suddenly repaired train with a certain possibility—
The alcohol in her system turned into cold sweat.
She rushed out of the carriage in panic.
---
And then—
She saw a scene she would never forget.
---
"Su… Xiaobai…"
---
Why did you look so withered…?
You were bleeding…
Blood dripped onto the broken engine, which now emitted a brilliant golden glow.
Why was your skin covered in wrinkles?
Why did your blood make the engine run again?
Why had you collapsed like that?
Why did you suddenly want to get her drunk?
---
It all pointed to one thing—
You were about to…
---
"SU XIAOBAI!!"
Himeko cried out, rushing to your side.
---
She held you.
Your condition was critical.
Your breathing—faint.
Your body—cold.
---
Instinctively, she tried to take you to a hospital.
---
"Miss… Himeko…"
You called weakly.
---
"Don't speak! Su Xiaobai, we'll be there soon."
She carried you, urging you not to talk.
---
"Miss… Himeko…"
You called again, your voice as pale as your fading life.
---
"I'm here… I'm here, Su Xiaobai…"
Her voice trembled as she quickened her pace.
---
"No need… for the hospital… it's useless…"
She fell silent.
But she didn't stop.
---
"Miss Himeko… hold me again… can you?"
Your voice sounded like a plea.
As if you had already accepted your fate.
---
She stopped.
Her heart in turmoil.
---
She didn't understand what had happened.
Didn't understand why you had suddenly become like this.
But she knew—
It was connected to the engine.
---
Tears streamed down her face.
She gently set you down.
Then turned—
And held you carefully in her arms.
---
You forced a faint smile.
You tried to raise your hand to touch her tear-streaked face—
But you no longer had the strength.
Your hand trembled.
---
She took it.
Pressed it against her cheek.
She was shaking.
---
"This… is good… Miss Himeko…"
You whispered.
---
"You must be… very confused…"
"Why everything suddenly… became like this…"
---
You gently stroked her cheek.
Warm. Soft. Wet with tears.
---
And then—
You told her everything.
---
At the end, you didn't want to lie anymore.
Your lifespan…
Could enhance materials.
Everything before—
Had been made that way.
---
And the reason why…
---
"It's because… I didn't want Miss Himeko's eyes… to be filled with disappointment… when she looked at me…"
"Don't cry… Miss Himeko… this is what I deserve…"
---
When you finished speaking—
It felt like a burden had been lifted.
---
"Miss Himeko…"
"Passengers of the Astral Express… all have their own destinations…"
"They board… and they leave… reaching their own stars…"
"And here…"
"I think… this is mine…"
---
"…Hic…"
---
A painful sob escaped her.
Her tears fell even harder.
---
"May your journey…"
"Be filled with hope…"
"May someone… also appear… for you…"
---
"Goodbye… Sister… Himeko …"
---
The hand that touched her cheek fell lifelessly.
You died in her arms.
---
She cried—
Silently.
Unable to speak a single word.
---
She buried you.
Beside that lake.
---
The journey continued.
But her heart felt hollow.
As if something essential was missing.
---
She stayed by your grave for more than a year.
Her ideals—
She couldn't abandon them.
But something had changed.
---
That hesitant voice—
"Miss Himeko…"
Echoed in her mind from time to time.
---
"My starting point… was your ending… Su Xiaobai…"
---
Himeko wasn't someone who lingered in the past.
She was carefree.
Strong.
---
But you—
Who stepped off the train before the journey began—
Became the regret she would carry for life.
---
That day, she packed her things and visited your grave again.
The breeze was gentle.
The lake rippled softly.
---
She sat beside your tombstone.
Staring at her reflection in the water.
---
For a moment—
The cold stone seemed to become you.
---
You as a child.
You with dyed blond hair and piercings.
You as a mechanic.
---
Every version of you appeared vividly in the reflection.
---
"Miss Himeko…"
They all called out together.
Smiling.
Warm.
Sincere.
---
Drip…
A tear fell into the lake.
---
The reflections shattered—
Like glass.
---
A sharp, breaking sound echoed in her chest.
Her heart—
Shattered along with your image.
---
"Su… Xiaobai…"
She clutched her chest.
Pain tightening inside.
---
The wind picked up.
Her red hair swayed.
---
She cried silently.
She had come to say goodbye—
But couldn't say a word.
---
She only whispered your name.
---
The waves grew stronger.
They hit the shore—
And carried something with them.
---
A cake box.
---
It drifted onto the sand.
Old. Worn.
But still finely made.
---
From the corner of her eye—
She noticed it.
It felt familiar.
---
It was the same one—
You had carried that night she discovered the train.
---
A realization struck her.
She reached out and picked it up.
---
The box was damaged.
Animals had likely eaten what was inside.
---
Inside—
There was only a yellowed postcard.
---
> "I'm sorry, Miss Himeko…
I shouldn't have lied to you…
You've treated me like your own sister since we were young…
I shouldn't have deceived you…
I've decided… I want to be like you—
someone who chases their dreams without stopping…
I also want to study Interstellar Propulsion Dynamics, like you…
Eh? Miss Himeko is asking what my dream is?
Of course…
To travel among the stars… with Miss Himeko."
---
Himeko held the letter.
The childish handwriting carried a sincerity that cut deeper than anything else.
---
A drizzle began to fall.
And her tears—
Fell even more freely.