『 Stelle wiped away her lingering tears and murmured dejectedly to Pam.
"I might have dreamed of a sad future…"
"…S—Sounds like a nightmare, Pam! To run into something like this right as we arrive in the Asdana system… You'd better be careful. It seems you have a very poor resistance to Memoria."
Pam looked at Stelle with concern. "Don't let it get to you; dreams and reality are opposites. While you were asleep, the Express already arrived at Penacony…"
Pam looked out the window at The Reverie hotel and sighed. "…The frontier prison of the past has now become this luxury hotel. Although I, the Conductor, am curious about what Penacony looks like now, I can't leave the train after all… You'll have to experience it properly on my behalf."
"Pack your bags; you can disembark at any time, Pam. Remember to find passenger March in the back; she's waiting for you to head out together." 』
『 ....』
〘Yae Rin〙: Pam can't leave the train?
〘Himeko〙: Yes, so every time we finish a Trailblaze, we bring back some local souvenirs for Pam.
....
『 Stelle nodded after hearing this, stood up while clutching her still-aching head, and walked toward the rear of the car.
When Stelle reached the back, she found March sitting on a suitcase looking at her phone, seemingly searching for Penacony travel guides.
She was laughing as she read, her legs swinging rhythmically. Seeing Stelle arrive, she put away her phone and jumped down from the suitcase, but due to momentum, she stumbled forward.
Stelle hurried forward to steady her, preventing March from eating dirt.
Just as Stelle was about to say something to March, the latter scratched her head and smiled. "You're awake! Uncle Yang and Himeko-jie have already disembarked. Let's go too."
Without waiting for Stelle's reply, she grabbed her luggage and ran. 』
『 ....』
〘Elysia〙: What a lively girl♪.
〘Mobius〙: Looks kind of dim-witted.
〘March 7th〙: Who are you calling dim-witted?!
....
『 Stelle shook her head helplessly and caught up with March 7th. After the two passed through the rigorous Family inspection, they entered the hotel.
March 7th stretched and looked at Stelle, complaining, "Whew… finally here! The Family's entry procedures are way too complicated. There were over a dozen checkpoints along the way, and they went through my suitcase four or five times…"
"I was worried they might pull the Stellaron out of your body to take a look."
Stelle put her hands on her hips proudly. "The Stellaron is in good condition and very stable." 』
『 ....』
〘Herta〙: If they actually pulled the Stellaron out, the entirety of Asdana would go boom and blow up.
〘Stelle〙: So basically, I'm a bomb?
....
『 March 7th spread her hands and said with a smile, "In a sense, the Family is truly very inclusive…"
"But the hard work wasn't for nothing—this hotel lobby is magnificent! Are all those densely packed things guest rooms? Wow, how many people must stay here?"
The screen shifted to March 7th's perspective, showcasing the lobby's splendor to everyone. 』
『 ....』
〘Elysia〙: Wow, it really is spectacular.
〘Qingque〙: True. When I get back from my vacation, I should go play there.
At this moment, Qingque had no idea what she would experience when she actually arrived at Penacony.
....
『 "I wonder which room is ours. Let's go, let's go! Uncle Yang and the others must be lining up at the front desk. Let's hurry and meet up!"
After saying this, March walked forward. Stelle nodded and followed, but before she could walk more than a few steps, she was stopped by a blue-haired young boy.
"Welcome to The Reverie. May you have an unforgettable vacation! If you need to check in, please go straight to the hotel reception," Misha said to Stelle with a smile.
Stelle looked at Misha and asked, "Are you a hotel bellboy?"
"I am Misha, a bellboy at Penacony. It's a pleasure to serve you. If you need help with your luggage…"
Before Misha could finish, March called out to Stelle from not far away, "Hey, come over here quickly, something seems wrong…"
"…If you need help with your luggage, you can find me anytime. Go on, don't keep your friends waiting."
Stelle nodded and said to Misha, "Thank you, I'll go find my companions first."
Stelle arrived at March's side. March curiously glanced back in the direction Stelle had just come from but saw nothing. 』
『 ....』
〘March 7th〙: I can't see Misha?
〘Himeko〙: It seems so. Only Stelle can see him? Why is that?
〘Herta〙: The things shown on this light curtain are starting to get interesting. Or rather, your Trailblaze journey is starting to get interesting.
....
『 Stelle looked at March and asked, "What's wrong?"
March shook her head. "Nothing. Let's go. Uncle Yang and the others seem to be in trouble."
The two walked toward the front desk and saw Welt and Himeko talking to the hotel receptionist.
"I'm sorry, but the name you mentioned is indeed not in the system…" The receptionist said, looking at Welt and Himeko.
"But the message the Astral Express received clearly stated that rooms had been reserved for us. Could you please check again?"
Alyssa nodded and took out an electronic list.
"I will check for you again, please wait a moment…"
"Astral Express, four Platinum Guest Rooms in total… for Mr. Welt Yang, Ms. Himeko, Ms. March 7th, and…"
"…Mr. Dan Heng. There is indeed only reservation information for the four mentioned above."
After checking, Alley turned back to explain to Himeko. 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: Eh? Where's my room?
〘Hanabi〙: What a pitiful little gray-hair~ Why don't you come to our Tavern?
〘Himeko〙: It seems because when we received the Family's invitation, Stelle hadn't boarded the train yet.
〘March 7th〙: Of five people, four have rooms. Stelle, you are not one of them.
〘Dan Heng〙: ...
〘Blade〙: ....
〘Silver Wolf〙: Pftt... Hahahahahahaha.
....
『 Upon hearing Alley's words, Stelle immediately spoke up. "Yes, I am Mr. Dan Heng."
Welt slowly turned his head to look at Stelle.
"Dan Heng…"
"…I see. No wonder Stelle's name isn't here. When we replied to the Family, she hadn't boarded the Express yet." Welt looked at Alley and suggested, "How about this? Our companion Dan Heng had a last-minute change of plans and cannot stay. Could you please transfer his reserved room to this child? The head count still matches." 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: I was wondering why I didn't see Dan Heng; he's staying behind on the Express again.
〘March 7th〙: Don't worry, he'll definitely get off the train for some reason or another.
〘Elio〙: I might as well give the title of 'Prophet' to you…
〘March 7th〙: ??? I was right again?
....
『 "This child is a new passenger on our Astral Express; we can vouch for her identity," Himeko said to Alley .
"This… for you to say this so suddenly, I'm afraid…" Alley's hesitant voice made Stelle decide to pull out something to prove her identity. With a thud, she slammed her lance onto the desk.
"No, I'm not doubting your identity, it's just…"
"It's just that it's currently the eve of the 'Charmony Festival,' the most important moment of every era in Penacony. Combined with the Family's invitations, guests from all over the galaxy have packed this place to the brim…"
Stelle turned her head to look at the speaker. It was a blonde man with very unique eyes. There was a string of numbers on his neck, the meaning of which was unknown.
His clothing was extremely lavish. The gold didn't look tacky on him; it only looked noble. Coupled with a bit of emerald green, he looked like a… 』
『 ....』
〘Hanabi〙: Look, the little peacock is here~
....
『 "Hotel security is stretched thin; we can't afford any slip-ups. With something like this happening suddenly, it's really not something this lady can decide on her own—everyone from the Astral Express, please don't make things difficult for her."
Himeko and Welt first exchanged a glance. Welt nodded slightly and spoke.
"We encountered some issues while checking in. We deeply apologize for any inconvenience caused. And this gentleman is?"
"The name's Aventurine, of the IPC Strategic Investment Department. A non-performing asset liquidation specialist under Manager Diamond. I'm here at the invitation of the Watchmaker…" Aventurine introduced himself in an orderly fashion.
"And also, a tourist who has been waiting behind you for a very long time." 』
『 ....』