Chapter 110: Aha at the Door Like a Worm
The newly dubbed "Vodka Girls" needed a new look if they were going to become idols.
Stelle took the lead, ushering the twin sisters into her room to have them change into clothes identical to her own.
"All your clothes are exactly the same..." Rozaliya observed, holding up a hanger.
"That's right! I have an entire wardrobe full of them!" Stelle declared proudly.
Liliya tilted her head, her expression as placid as ever. "Then, if they get mixed up, how do you tell the dirty ones from the clean ones?"
Stelle froze, the question having clearly never occurred to her.
March 7th just shook her head, grabbing both sisters by the arm. "This won't do at all. Come on, let me get you two properly dressed up."
After a chaotic but enthusiastic makeover session, March pushed the transformed twins out of her room for the grand reveal.
Rozaliya was now clad in a red-and-black punk-style short skirt, paired with fishnet stockings and small black leather boots that perfectly accentuated her fiery, rebellious spirit. Liliya, by contrast, wore a blue-and-white Lolita dress, its skirt a cascade of delicate ruffles. A tiny, elegant top hat perched on her head, creating a look that was both cool and disarmingly cute.
"Perfect!" March 7th clasped her hands together, her face beaming with a sense of accomplishment.
Rozaliya looked down at the short skirt, then at the fishnet stockings climbing her legs. "This... isn't it a bit... much?"
"Rozaliya, this style really suits you," Liliya commented, her tone flat but sincere.
"Captain, what do you think?" Rozaliya asked, turning to Rekka for the final verdict.
He crossed his arms, his gaze carefully appraising the sisters' new look from head to toe. "It certainly has a strong visual impact."
"Is 'visual impact' a compliment?" she asked, a hint of suspicion in her voice.
"Of course it is," Rekka replied smoothly. "A strong visual impact means it leaves a deep impression. And isn't the first priority of an idol to be remembered?"
Rozaliya glanced down at herself again, still fidgeting awkwardly. "But this is just so short..."
In the end, at her firm insistence, the skirt was swapped for a slightly longer one.
"Come, come, let's take a photo to commemorate this!" March chirped, pulling everyone together.
Click.
In the resulting photo, Rozaliya wore a deeply awkward expression. Liliya stood beside her, completely expressionless. To the side, Stelle flashed a peace sign, while March 7th held up her phone with a brilliant smile. And standing at the very back, Rekka gave a simple thumbs-up.
"Perfect!" March declared.
"Since you want to be idols, you need a stage, right?" Stelle mused. "You can't just sing for us on the Astral Express forever..." She snapped her fingers, a spark of inspiration in her eyes. "I've got it! Let's build a performance stage in the Parlor Car! That way, you'll have a dedicated place to sing."
The Trailblazer's capacity for action was, as always, formidable. Before long, a small, makeshift stage began to take shape in a corner of the train's main social car.
"Is it about done?" Rekka asked, tapping a support beam dubiously. "Can this structure actually hold people?"
"Don't worry, I built this myself!" Stelle puffed out her chest. "It's absolutely sturdy!"
She then produced a length of deep red velvet cloth, hanging it on the wall behind the stage. The atmosphere of the space was instantly transformed.
"You know, the Parlor Car is a funny place," March commented, watching the final touches. "It has a bar, but you can't actually drink alcohol here. And it's the most welcoming place on the Express, but it would never let in the Aeon of Elation or his Masked Fools."
Rekka chuckled at the thought. "I can just imagine Aha at the door, wriggling on the floor like a worm, begging Pom-Pom to let him in."
"...Pfft! That's such a strong image," March giggled. "But surely an Aeon wouldn't be that undignified."
"That's not necessarily true," Rekka countered. "Aha doesn't care about face. He only cares about fun."
The two sisters exchanged a nervous glance, their eyes fixed on the newly completed stage.
"Now? You want us to sing... right now?" Rozaliya's voice was a little thin.
"No need," Rekka said gently. "You can sing whenever you feel like it."
"It's not impossible to sing now..." Rozaliya's voice sounded a bit airy, as if the words were floating away from her. She looked to Liliya, who gave a single, expressionless nod.
"...Then let's sing the one we used to like the most."
Without accompaniment, without any sound equipment, the clear voices of the two young girls began to sing a cappella, their harmony echoing softly through the carriage. The melody was simple, the lyrics even simpler, but the sound was inexplicably pleasant, filled with a quiet, shared history.
Stelle sat on a high stool, her chin propped in her hand, her eyes sparkling with delight.
March 7th held her phone, the camera lens aimed steadily at the stage, capturing the moment.
Rekka leaned against the bar counter, his fingers tapping lightly on the polished surface, keeping a silent, steady time with the rhythm.
Three days later, the group known as the "Vodka Girls" made their live-streaming debut.
It was, as expected, a complete flop.
"Only everyone on the Astral Express sent us gifts," Rozaliya reported, scrolling through the results.
"Actually," Liliya added dryly, "there were nine more free gifts sent by an anonymous alt account."
"Do you feel sad?" Rekka asked them.
"Not sad at all," Rozaliya insisted, a little too quickly.
"Yeah, me neither," Liliya agreed.
The two sisters looked at each other.
"Rozaliya, you seem to have changed a bit," Liliya observed.
"...Have I?"
"Yeah. The current Rozaliya isn't as goofy as before."
"...Hey! Liliya, what do you mean by that?"
"I still prefer the slightly goofier Rozaliya," Liliya said, reaching out to ruffle her sister's hair.
Rozaliya tried to dodge at first, but after a couple of failed attempts, she gave up resisting and let Liliya mess up her hair with a resigned sigh. "What do you mean 'slightly goofier Rozaliya'? I was never goofy!"
Having finally reached a consensus on their next move, the twins marched to Rekka's door and pushed it open.
Inside, Rekka—currently in his form from the Path of Remembrance—calmly closed the black notebook in his hand.
"Our live stream flopped," Rozaliya announced.
"That's normal," he replied. "The galaxy is a huge place, and there are plenty of people doing crazy stunts for attention."
"We didn't expect to become overnight sensations anyway." Rozaliya plopped down on the edge of his bed, and Liliya sat down right next to her.
"The failure is the current result," Liliya concluded with finality.
"You two are quite open-minded about it."
"What else could we do?" Rozaliya shrugged. "Cry about it?"
"But we don't intend to give up," Liliya stated. "We're idle anyway."
"Besides, Captain, you promised to help us," Rozaliya chimed in, "and you have to keep your word."
"So your decision is—to continue?" Rekka asked.
"Not exactly."
"We're only going to sing for everyone on the Astral Express from now on," Rozaliya explained.
"We weren't aiming for overnight fame anyway," Liliya added. "We just want to sing, as long as there's someone listening. And the audience on the Astral Express is high quality. They don't leave bad reviews, they don't engage in personal attacks, and they even send gifts."
Rekka couldn't help but laugh. "You mean the nine free gifts from the anonymous alt account?"
"Captain, you have to come listen to every session from now on!" Rozaliya demanded.
"That's right," Liliya agreed. "Captain is our number one fan. You can't make excuses to skip."
"You have to lead the applause."
"And lead the gift-giving. At least one piece of candy."
"Fine, fine," Rekka chuckled, raising his hands in surrender. "Any other requests? Might as well say them all at once."
The playful atmosphere suddenly shifted. Rozaliya pursed her lips, her voice becoming small. "You absolutely cannot leave us behind without saying a word."
She finally said it.
"Why would I leave you behind without a word?" Rekka's tone softened. "I went through so much trouble to save you two, treating your illnesses and performing surgeries... all for what? To just dump you halfway through?"
"I'm afraid," she admitted quietly. "And Captain, you won't let me and Liliya repay you."
"That's a separate matter..."
Just as Rekka was about to say something more, Rozaliya suddenly lunged forward. She bit him—gently, but firmly—on the cheek, then pulled away just as quickly, her face flushed.
Before he could react, Liliya followed suit, planting a soft, fleeting kiss on his other cheek before fleeing like lightning.
Rekka sat there, stunned, touching his face.
'What... was that?''Did I just get bitten by a zombie?'
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