"A Trailblazer… Sparkle?"
"That's right, Miss Himeko~"
Inside the Master Control Zone, Himeko watched as Clara, transformed into Sparkle, tapped her finger repeatedly against her own chin, a gleam of sharp interest flashing in her eyes. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking.
Seeing Himeko lost in thought, March 7th assumed she might be considering some action against Clara. She quickly scurried over and whispered into Himeko's ear.
"Himeko~, Sparkle isn't a bad person, she's…"
March 7th proceeded to explain everything that had happened along the way. When she described Clara drawing her blade and wiping out hundreds of Fragmentum creatures in an instant, Himeko's eyes narrowed.
An Emanator? Even accounting for March's tendency to exaggerate, to annihilate hundreds of Fragmentum creatures with a single slash without causing even a scratch to the space station…
That degree of energy control was simply beyond the reach of any ordinary person.
Himeko hadn't witnessed the scene herself, so she couldn't be certain. But based on March 7th's description, even if this 'Sparkle' wasn't an Emanator, she couldn't be far from it.
A Trailblazer of Emanator-level shouldn't be an unknown entity. Yet, Himeko had never found anyone even remotely resembling this girl in the Astral Express's database.
So, either she had only recently become a Trailblazer, or…
She was lying.
Of course, Himeko leaned toward the second option.
Thinking this, a smile spread across Himeko's face, and she extended a hand toward Clara.
"Miss Sparkle, is it?"
"I'm Himeko, the navigator of the Astral Express. A pleasure to meet you."
Even if Clara was lying and wasn't a Trailblazer… so what?
Why would she falsely claim to be one? Himeko wasn't overly concerned. What was her goal? Himeko wasn't overly curious about that either.
At the very least, moments ago, she had genuinely helped March 7th and Dan Heng.
Clara had observed every flicker in Himeko's eyes, every gesture, every hidden thought. She wasn't a fool, and she hadn't made any particular effort to forge her identity. Being seen through was only natural.
So, Clara wasn't particularly bothered. She offered a slight smile and reached out to shake Himeko's hand.
"Miss Himeko, hello. Trailblazer, Sparkle. A pleasure to meet you."
Besides, her primary identity wasn't 'Trailblazer' anyway—it was 'Sparkle.'
A thousand faces in a thousand places... can you find the answer?~
Clara really liked this line from Miss Sparkle. As her devoted fan, Clara was determined to embody this philosophy.
When you're out in the world, you make your own identity.
So, Miss Sparkle, forgive this little Clara for borrowing yours~
"Hmm." Himeko withdrew her hand and nodded, then turned her gaze toward Stelle.
"March, who is this?"
"Oh, her."
March 7th slapped her forehead, having nearly forgotten. She trotted behind Stelle and pushed her forward in front of Himeko.
"Her name is Stelle. Other than that… we don't know anything else."
"Like me, she's someone with a completely blank past."
Perhaps because they shared the lack of a 'past,' March 7th felt quite a bit of goodwill toward Stelle.
"I see. I'm Himeko. Nice to meet you." Himeko extended her hand toward Stelle, her eyes warm and smiling.
Himeko could sense a very familiar aura emanating from Stelle. As the navigator of the Astral Express, she could never mistake this particular energy.
But Himeko decided not to mention it, choosing to keep the secret to herself for now.
"H-hello."
Seeing Himeko's outstretched hand, Stelle hurriedly grasped it with both of her own.
"Uh…"
Watching Stelle, March 7th's face was a picture of speechlessness.
"No need to be quite so formal."
"Ahaha…"
Stelle realized her own action, withdrew her hand, and rubbed the back of her head with an awkward chuckle, trying to mask her inner embarrassment.
Himeko didn't comment on Stelle's demeanor, merely offering a gentle smile.
"Alright, Station Head Asta is just over there. Let's go see her first."
"Dan Heng is there too."
"Eh? Dan Heng got here that fast?" March 7th exclaimed in surprise, then added, "What about Arlan?"
Himeko smiled. "Dan Heng and Arlan arrived not long before you did. Arlan sustained some minor injuries, nothing too serious. He just needs some rest."
"Let's go. The Antimatter Legion's invasion of the station isn't over yet. We should go discuss with Station Head Asta."
"Mhm."
Hearing this, everyone followed Himeko toward the control console within the Master Control Zone to find Asta.
…
"Projection radar tracking normal…"
At the console, Asta stared intently at the screen before her, issuing commands with a grave expression.
"Hm? You're here." Dan Heng, standing beside Asta, glanced at the arriving group—March 7th and the others—and gave a slight nod of acknowledgment.
Seeing Dan Heng, March 7th pulled out the access card Asta had given her and waved it in her hand, a puzzled look on her face.
"Mr. Dan Heng, I have the elevator access card. How did you get ahead of us?"
Hearing this, Dan Heng looked at March 7th with an expression that clearly said 'are you an idiot?'
"The space station is vast. Naturally, there's more than one way to reach the Master Control Zone."
"My question is, what took you so long?"
"Uh… we ran into a little something along the way." March 7th flashed her bright white teeth in an awkward grin.
"Asta, what's the current status of the station?" Himeko asked.
At these words, Asta turned to face the crew of the Astral Express and sighed.
"The situation is within controllable limits now. Aside from the additional presence of the Antimatter Legion, the space station is practically no different from usual."
"There are two main threats right now."
Asta rubbed her temples and began to explain slowly.
"The first is a latent threat."
"Why was this space station established in the first place? Why did the researchers willingly come here? I believe everyone knows the reason."
"The researchers have immense trust in Madam Herta. They never even considered the possibility of the station being breached."
"If that were to actually happen, the station would likely collapse on its own, without the Antimatter Legion even needing to lift a finger…"
"And the other threat, naturally, is the Antimatter Legion itself…"
"We must eliminate the Antimatter Legion completely, as quickly as possible…" Asta took a deep breath, her expression grim.
Although that Doomsday Beast had been dealt with by Clara, a faint, lingering sense of crisis still prickled at Asta's heart…
If only she could hire Clara again…
Asta couldn't help but think of that adorable little girl with black hair and red eyes.
"The Antimatter Legion?" March 7th thought for a moment, then planted her hands on her hips. "Their most dangerous weapon, the Doomsday Beast, was already taken out by Miss Sparkle! So you really don't need to worry so much."
"A Doomsday Beast?! There was even a Doomsday Beast?" Hearing this, Asta's nerves tightened even further.
...
Clara: Regarding Sparkle
She's my idol, get it?
…
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