As for her own face... she had adjusted it back to the one Aha had once fixed for her.
She even tweaked her pupils a bit, changing them into those purple star-shaped eyes characteristic of Finality.
Strictly speaking, Bai Ming had already guessed by now that the face Aha had sculpted for her back then was most likely modeled after Kiana's.
Perhaps that fellow Aha had known about the affairs over there all along and simply chose not to interfere for reasons of his own.
And truthfully, Bai Ming's current face shared at least a fifty percent resemblance to Kiana's. Combined with a few features from others, it had settled into its current look.
With just a slight adjustment now, she was guaranteed to give Welt a massive fright.
Watching Bai Ming's sudden transformation, Acheron wore a look of confusion.
"What are you doing?"
It wasn't just a change of clothes; her face had shifted slightly, and even her pupils had taken on a strange shape. This was clearly more than just wanting a new outfit.
"Nothing much. Just thought of something fun," Bai Ming said, her lips curling into a silly grin.
She didn't even need to search through the Memoria to guess how Welt had reacted when he saw Acheron earlier. She wondered if Welt would start questioning the meaning of life once he laid eyes on her.
Bai Ming chuckled and let out a light hum, then raised her hand and gave a sharp snap of her digits.
The previously empty, vast space was rapidly partitioned into three rooms and a corridor.
Each room came with its own private bathroom; while perhaps a bit smaller than Himeko's quarters, they were more than spacious for a single occupant and could easily pass for a double.
Two of the rooms remained empty, but the first had already been furnished in the traditional style of Izumo.
"Acheron, this is the initial draft I discussed with Pom-Pom. What do you think?"
Hearing this, Acheron pushed the door open. Seeing the incredibly familiar decor inside, she fell into a momentary daze.
For a second, she felt as though crossing that threshold meant stepping back through countless years, returning to her childhood bedroom in the Izumo of old.
But very quickly, a sense of embarrassment began to crawl into Acheron's heart.
The main issue was that Bai Ming's recreation was far too detailed—so detailed that Acheron could spot numerous "dark history" moments from her childhood replicated with one-to-one precision at a single glance.
"...You really didn't need to go quite this far. Just how many details of my memories did you dig through?"
When Bai Ming had created that small world for her before, it hadn't been this meticulous. How had she evolved since then!
Acheron looked over, her face tinged with a slight blush. But Bai Ming simply gave her a playful wink.
She walked over, draped an arm around Acheron's shoulders, and leaned in close, pointing out the room's contents.
"Well, my strength has grown, after all. And isn't this all for the sake of a better restoration? Don't worry, little Acheron was adorable. I like her very much."
"I'm even less worried now..."
Acheron pressed her cheek against Bai Ming's, feeling the heat from her own face transfer through their skin.
Bai Ming had seen everything to this extent and hadn't breathed a word, choosing instead to wait until now to startle her. It was, in a way, quite wicked.
Yet, it was Acheron herself who had invited Bai Ming to delve into and glimpse those past memories. So, aside from a silent look of condemnation, the honest Acheron couldn't find any grounds to actually scold her.
"Alright, take a look and see if there's anything you want to change. You'll be living here for quite a while, after all."
Acheron nodded, then pointed toward the spacious double bed. "Everything else is fine, but this bed... why is it so big?"
Acheron didn't usually sleep much, and even when she did rest, she had no need for such a large bed.
Furthermore, if this was based on her childhood room, the bed back then should have been much smaller.
This girl was so insistent on accuracy, yet this bed alone was unreasonably large... Bai Ming couldn't possibly be harboring other intentions, could she? For instance—
"Are you planning to come and stay in my room occasionally?"
"Cough... since you've guessed it, I might as well come clean. Yes, I plan to squeeze in here with you whenever I come to visit."
Caught in the act, Bai Ming's face reddened slightly, but after a quick dry cough, she shamelessly admitted it.
Acheron only found it amusing. She stopped worrying about the bed; if Bai Ming wanted to come over, Acheron certainly wouldn't stop her. If anything, she welcomed it.
"Let's swap these pieces of furniture for newer models. These styles are too old, and you even went out of your way to distress them. There's no need for that. I never liked them much anyway, and they don't really match the train's style."
Acheron pointed to the furniture in the room.
Those items were considered "retro" even back in Izumo, let alone in the current era. There was no need to be faithful to that extent; Acheron was more than happy to use something new.
"Sure. Anything else?"
"Add a layer of soft padding to the floor. The kind they used in Izumo."
Though Acheron felt a certain nostalgia for this recreated room of her past, nostalgia didn't mean she liked everything in it. She led Bai Ming around the room several times, changing various small details.
The entire room took on a fresh look; while it retained much of its original flavor, it didn't lack a modern touch.
Once Acheron's room was set, Pom-Pom couldn't wait to drag Bai Ming to the other carriages to begin the interior renovation project.
They worked from the tail of the train to the head. Some completely useless functional areas were torn down and replaced with more important ones, while entirely new features were added.
Ultimately, there were only a few members of the Astral Express crew, so the overall space was actually in surplus.
For the areas that truly had no use, Bai Ming hand-crafted two training rooms.
While not everyone on the train practiced martial arts, Dan Heng, Hysilens, and the soon-to-join Acheron were three individuals who favored cold weapons.
Having one or two spacious, sturdy training rooms was quite necessary.
And since she was already at it, Bai Ming took the opportunity to perform a maintenance upgrade on the Drytron Alpha Thuban.
There was no need to keep ramping up the firepower, but there was room for improvement in flexibility, defensive capabilities, and the operating system.
"Conductor, is the Drytron Alpha Thuban easy to handle?" Bai Ming asked casually while upgrading the OS.
"The Conductor hasn't driven it! But passengers Himeko and Cerydra, who have, were full of praise. I think they are very satisfied!"
In fact, Pom-Pom could pilot the Drytron Alpha Thuban. Having followed the Express for so long, the unit had long been recognized as part of the Astral Express.
As long as the Express was incorporated into the unit after deployment, Pom-Pom could pilot it at will.
This was actually a measure to ensure the train's safety. In an emergency, Pom-Pom could jump into the Drytron Alpha Thuban and descend like a god from the heavens.
It seemed, however, that Pom-Pom had never used this feature.
"Oh... do you want a new unit then?"
"Madam Bai Ming, please take note: the Astral Express is not a violent armed organization! Too many units will affect the Astral Express's public image. One Drytron Alpha Thuban is more than enough!"
Hearing that she wanted to add more combat-heavy units like the Drytron Alpha Thuban, Pom-Pom nearly jumped up in a panic to cover Bai Ming's mouth.
Pom-Pom knew it could easily control the unit, but the reason it never had was precisely because the firepower was too terrifying.
The Astral Express was meant for Trailblazing, not armed suppression.
Carrying one unit could be explained as an escort craft. But if they carried multiple armed units, people might think they were a fleet looking to conquer the world. That was not a good look.
Chastised by Pom-Pom, Bai Ming had to suppress her urge to forge the rest of the Drytron units. She quirked a lip at Acheron, giving up on the idea of adding more firepower to the Express.
Perhaps the commotion here was too loud, as Himeko and Welt, who were on the train, followed the noise all the way there.
Upon seeing the newly dressed Bai Ming looking down while tuning the system, Himeko simply smiled, having already grown accustomed to the new look.
"Madam Bai Ming, are you upgrading the Drytron Alpha Thuban?"
"In a way. But don't worry, I mainly upgraded the OS and defensive capabilities to make it easier for you to pilot," Bai Ming explained, turning her head.
Himeko could only manage a wry smile while pressing a hand to her forehead. She truly didn't feel that the defensive or operating systems of the Drytron needed any optimization.
Welt, however, was completely frozen.
If it weren't for his practiced composure as an elder, Welt probably would have started swearing by now.
Kiana??
Isn't she on the Moon? Why is she here?
No, the name Himeko just used wasn't Kiana, it was Bai Ming. That Aeon!!
Holy...
Thinking of this, Welt's pupils dilated in total shock.
A girl who looked exactly like Kiana was an Aeon in this universe?! Was this a bit too absurd? That was an Aeon—a being capable of easily shaking the entire universe! And she looked just like Kiana.
Welt began to doubt whether he was dreaming or in reality. If Kiana ever found out about this, he wondered how she would react.
The only thing that hadn't caught him off guard was the intimate atmosphere between Raiden Mei and Madam Bai Ming. That, at least, was exactly as expected.
At the same time, Acheron noticed Welt's even more exaggerated look of shock. She realized instantly.
This outfit Bai Ming had intentionally changed into, this face, these eyes... they were all meant to prank Mr. Welt.
She did it on purpose!
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL