Pom-Pom frowned and scratched their head. They didn't know why, but the "Passenger Himeko" in front of them gave off a very strange feeling. Yet, she looked no different from before, and she had come back with Passenger Fu Zhu and Passenger Xing.
However, for some reason, Passenger Fu Zhu and Passenger Xing seemed to be snickering?
Just as Pom-Pom was puzzled, the real Himeko and Welt walked out of the party car door.
"Conductor, I thought I heard Xing's voice. Are they back?"
Himeko and Welt walked out together. They saw Fu Zhu and Xing bringing another person back. Upon closer inspection, they both froze on the spot.
That person looked exactly like Himeko?!
Welt was the first to react. He raised the cane in his hand, aiming it at Rider, who was standing between Fu Zhu and Xing, and shouted sternly, "Who are you?! Fu Zhu, Xing, get away from her! She's a fake! Himeko has been with me on the train the whole time and never left!"
Himeko also reacted by this point. Realizing the person in front of her might have used Fu Zhu and Xing's trust to deceive them, she immediately grabbed the briefcase she had set aside. The briefcase sprung open, revealing a blade.
"Who are you? Why are you disguised as me?"
Seeing their reaction, Fu Zhu and Xing held back their laughter, not daring to speak.
Rider looked left and right at the mischievous siblings, then sighed helplessly.
"This is my original appearance. No matter what you say, I am Himeko."
"Still trying to pretend."
Welt snorted coldly, then looked at Fu Zhu. Everyone on the train knew Fu Zhu had the ability to see through others' identities. Since he hadn't realized the person in front of him was a fake Himeko, he must have been deceived.
"Fu Zhu, look carefully. She is not Himeko."
Seeing Welt and Himeko getting so tense, Fu Zhu decided not to carry on with the prank. He quickly stepped between the two sides.
"Calm down, Himeko-jie, Uncle Yang. She really is Himeko. However, her full name is Murata Himeko."
"Murata..."
Welt was stunned for a moment, then looked at Rider in astonishment. Rider nodded at him and said with a bit of attitude.
"Teacher Yang, do you still remember Kiana from St. Freya Academy?"
Crack.
Everyone present seemed to hear the sound of glass shattering. But when they turned to look at the glasses on Welt's nose, they were still intact. It seemed it was an auditory hallucination.
Welt's body began to tremble with excitement. He lowered his cane, adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose, and asked in a deep voice, "You mean that Kiana who gets full marks on every exam?"
Rider: ?
Hearing Welt say that Kiana got full marks on every exam, Rider was instantly bewildered. When did Kiana ever have such a good brain?
Could it be that the place she was in now was one of those "Lostbelts" the Heroic Spirits talked about?
Rider furrowed her brows and asked Welt, "Are you mistaken? Kiana doesn't have that good of a brain. If she passes, both she and I thank the heavens."
Hearing her say this, Welt instantly relaxed. Just now, he was only testing whether the Rider in front of him was an imposter with ulterior motives. But now, it seemed the person was Murata Himeko herself. But why?
"You... aren't you dead?"
Welt's expression was complicated. The reason he came to this universe was related to Murata Himeko. He had known the news of her death before coming here. So why was she standing before him now, safe and sound, and coming back with Fu Zhu?
"Uncle Yang, how about we sit down and talk? This matter is a bit complex."
Fu Zhu beckoned, and Welt nodded. Himeko, reading the room, went to prepare tea and water for everyone.
Rider took this opportunity to change her outfit back to her original armor, then sat down on the sofa with Fu Zhu and the others.
Not long after, Himeko returned with several cups of beverages. She placed a cup of coffee in front of both herself and Rider, then looked at Rider with an expectant gaze.
Since this was herself from another world, their tastes should be the same, right?
Rider picked up the coffee and took a sip. Her face instantly turned black. She put the coffee cup down, grimacing and baring her teeth, looking at her other self across the table with a twisted expression.
"I thought the me from another world would like alcohol just like me... I didn't expect you to actually like drinking this stuff. It's almost as bad as that bitter melon juice Theresa drinks."
Seeing Rider's evaluation, Himeko hugged her arms and retorted indignantly, "My thoughts were the same as yours. I thought you would like drinking coffee too."
The two looked at each other and burst into laughter.
As expected, it was another self. Their way of thinking was exactly the same!
"Ahem!"
Welt coughed twice, interrupting their conversation, then looked at Fu Zhu and Rider with confusion.
"So, what exactly is going on?"
Fu Zhu was about to explain, but Rider stopped him.
"Let me say it. It'll be clearer explained from my perspective."
"Mn."
Rider organized her thoughts, then began to speak about her situation.
"Ever since that time I went to save Kiana and fell into the Imaginary Space, I completely lost consciousness. Then, three hours ago, I was suddenly summoned by Fu Zhu to Penacony in the form of a Heroic Spirit..."
After Rider explained everything, Himeko and Welt finally understood.
Murata Himeko had indeed died, but she was lucky enough to survive, and even luckier to have met Fu Zhu, who happened to have the ability to let her live on in another form of life.
After hearing Rider's explanation, Welt let out a long sigh of relief, an unconscious smile appearing on his face.
"If Kiana and the others knew you were still alive, they would definitely be very happy, Himeko."
Welt looked at Himeko. Both Himekos present looked at him subconsciously. Himeko then realized he was addressing Rider, and she smiled sheepishly at Rider.
Rider waved her hand nonchalantly. "For convenience, you guys can just call me Rider from now on. That's my class in the Holy Grail War. It works well as a code name for now, otherwise it's easy to get mixed up."
"Alright, Rider."
Afterward, Welt and Rider chatted for a long, long time about matters regarding Earth. Fu Zhu, Xing, and Himeko sat quietly on the side, acting as the audience.
After some time passed, Himeko noticed it was getting late. She glanced at Rider across from her and interrupted the conversation between her and Welt.
"Rider, what do you plan to do next?"
Rider shook her head. Right now, she only wanted to return to Earth. But Welt said he didn't have Earth's coordinates and couldn't go back. She feared she wouldn't be able to return to Earth for a very long time either.
"I don't know what to do either. Seeing as my Master is here, do you have any good suggestions?"
"Me?" Fu Zhu saw the problem suddenly thrown at him. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Then just stay!"