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The Herta Space Station was more than just a cosmic research center.
At the eastern part of the Supply Zone was a hidden recreation district. Thanks to Asta and her connections with the IPC (and her many attempts to secure final approval from Madam Herta), the recreation district was built to provide rejuvenation for their researchers, passing travelers, and diplomats alike. Over time, many of the space station’s inhabitants would simply call it the ‘shopping center’.
And today, it was packed with the usual hustle and bustle.
Himeko Murata, hailed navigator and the current face of the legendary Astral Express, was a well-known figure among the crowd. By her side was her friend and fellow crewmember, Welt Yang, with his trusty cane in hand.
Their visits were quite common sightings, and yet, it never ceased to amaze others of their galactic fame. This time, two new additions were seen with the pair.
“Whoa! Check it out, one of them is super hot!”
“Really? Let me see, let me see!”
“Man…that pink one’s a real cutiepie.”
The two new faces in question were a short, pink-haired girl and a tall, black-haired boy. Unlike Himeko and Mr. Yang, the two of them seemed rather out of place.
Despite their efforts to keep a low profile, the Astral Express crew’s public appearance never failed to spark the usual flurry of gossip amidst the curious onlookers.
Shortly after a certain blonde man’s untimely departure, a cloaked young man named Dan Heng arrived on the train’s doorstep seeking possible refuge.
Around that same time, a young woman appeared—this time, encased inside an enigmatic block of six-phased ice. With no memories of her past, it was Welt who gave her the name ‘March Seventh’, commemorating the exact date she was found.
So many extraordinary things had happened in the span of just one month.
Even now, Himeko struggled to fathom the current situation on her own.
Thankfully, she wasn’t alone.
By the looks of her other crewmates, Welt and even Pom-Pom seemed to be grappling with the same dilemma as well.
Losing a member so suddenly was one thing; only to gain and welcome two fresh faces twice as fast was definitely unprecedented.
But for Himeko, she chose to keep a positive mindset, believing that Dan Heng and March’s untimely arrivals in their lives were blessings bestowed by the stars above. As if the cosmos or perhaps Akivili themselves had brought them to her—to nurture, care, and guide them to their unknown futures.
“Where do we go from here?” Welt spoke up, gaining Himeko’s full attention.
Pom-Pom nodded their head, itching to hear their dependable Navigator’s answer.
Himeko folded her arms over her chest, eyebrows furrowing and raking her brain to assess the next best course of action. Her golden-amber eyes unconsciously drifted over to the two youngsters who sat on the plush red couches opposite each other.
On the left was March, who seemed to be in a daze, staring at the illuminated void song whale skeleton hanging on the ceiling with a faraway look. On the opposite end was Dan Heng with one leg crossed over the other and arms crossed sternly over his chest. His focus was fixed on the new girl, trying to register everything around her.
One look was all it took for Himeko to realize that Dan Heng was taking her instructions to look after the amnesiac March quite seriously.
Dan Heng and March Seventh—both were still quite young and inexperienced, not knowing how vast or extraordinary the entire galaxy could be, and the many possibilities that could open to them.
If they stay here with us, they might find it together.
Such a fleeting thought put a smile on Himeko’s face.
At that moment, she made up her mind.
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Rounding up the crew, Himeko naturally took the lead.
“Hello, everyone,” She spoke aloud, all the while keeping her voice at a certain level. “I’m sure all of you are wondering what we’ll be doing today.”
Welt, Pom-Pom, and even Dan Heng collectively nodded in response.
March, on the other hand, stared at the older woman with a puzzled look.
“What are we doing today?” March asked curiously.
Himeko beamed. “We’re going shopping!”
Naturally, her announcement elicited a variety of mixed reactions. While Welt and Pom-Pom were immediately on board, Dan Heng and March shared confused expressions.
“Does this mean we’ll be making a stop somewhere?”
“What is shopping?”
Himeko spared Welt Yang a glance, who, in return, couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Yes, we will be heading to our next stop,” Himeko answered Dan Heng’s general question, then shifted over to March. “And shopping is a type of activity. Since the two of you will be staying with us from now on, I thought we’d take this opportunity to buy some things so you can get settled.”
“For instance, we’ll be buying new weapons, clothes, and some furniture.” Welt Yang chimed in from the side.
At the mention of clothes, both Dan Heng and March lowered their gaze at the same time, suddenly conscious of what they were wearing.
When Dan Heng first showed up, he wore nothing but what was on him—slightly worn-out, battered clothes given by a certain General, an inheritance (Cloudpiercer), along with some relics from his Vidyadhara predecessor.
Then there was March, who literally had nothing to show for. After all, she had been asleep (stark naked, mind you) and entombed inside the six-phased ice for who knows how long.
“As new members of the Astral Express, you’ll be taking on new roles and responsibilities. That means, you must also look the part,” Himeko explained, which earned her a simple nod from Dan Heng and the same blank look from March.
“Thank you, but…I think I’m fine.” March spoke up, her voice faint and slightly trembling. “I’ll just wear the clothes that you gave me!”
Himeko couldn’t help but smile as she heard the girl’s innocent words. “Yes, but…”
Walking over, she placed one hand gently atop March’s pink head.
Not long after they rescued March from her six-phased ice, it was Dan Heng who instinctively clothed her with his old, weathered white jacket in an effort to keep her warm. When March gained consciousness shortly after, Himeko offered her a bundle of clothes from her wardrobe.
Right now, March was wearing one of her spare yellow and cream nightgowns. One glance at the thin straps slipping off the poor girl’s shoulders and a noticeable layer pooling down on the floor made it obvious that the outfit was too big and unsuitable for her.
“The clothes you wear are what define you,” Himeko explained warmly, giving March’s hair a nice ruffle out of habit.
March scrunched up her nose, still not understanding. “They do?”
Himeko smiled warmly, nodding. “Yes.” She also took this opportunity to face Dan Heng, who was quick to straighten his posture. “And that goes the same for you, too, Dan Heng.”
Dan Heng shook his head. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Guess we’ve got our destination then,” Welt said, giving Pom-Pom the signal.
Pom-Pom hummed, clapping their stubby hands. “All right! Take your seats, everyone!” They cried loudly, proceeding to take out their whistle and blow it fiercely. In response, the Astral Express itself started gaining speed. “To Herta Space Station we go!”
March wanted to go back to the train.
This new place, this ‘shopping center’, was too bright and so very overstimulating.
She balled her hands into fists, further pulling the ends of her hoodie to cover up her face. In doing so, she kept her gaze below, following the rest of the group at a snail's pace. While Himeko and Welt confidently walked ahead in stride, March physically cowered, all the while trying her best not to mess up as she felt a strong presence striding right beside her.
Just three days ago, she had woken up in an unfamiliar place with kind strangers who took her in without hesitation. And as it turns out, she wasn’t the only one under their care.
Dan Heng was the other passenger. According to Himeko, he boarded the train around the same time that she showed up.
“Believe it or not, but the two of you have more in common than you might think.”
March blinked twice. “We do?”
Himeko nodded. “Why don’t you take some time to get to know him? He’s one of us, after all.”
March managed a small smile, exhaling deeply as she replayed said memory with Himeko. Right now, she trusts the older woman more than anything. And knowing that someone else was on the same boat as she was also brought a sense of relief and comfort inside.
Curiosity got to her as March willed herself to look the other way, only to immediately freeze as she found Dan Heng looking back as well.
“What is it?”
His tone was blunt and straight to the point.
—The complete opposite of Himeko and Mr. Yang, who spoke so warmly and patiently with her.
From the moment they met, Dan Heng was a complete enigma to her.
Save for the fact that he voluntarily surrendered his cloak to her, March knew nothing else about one of her supposed rescuers.
Sure, he was certainly attractive, but March knew that she couldn’t trust someone with a pretty face so easily.
“You’re not answering,” Dan Heng points out, clearly frowning and startling March out of her thoughts. He even crossed his arms. “You can talk, right?”
March opened her mouth to respond, only to clamp it shut and nod briskly instead. She turned away again, but even so, she could still feel the intensity of his gaze.
Definitely intimidating, definitely unfriendly.
Head still lowered and covered, March picked up the pace, reaching out and nudging Himeko by the hem of her brown coat.
Himeko felt this and then turned to face her, an instant smile resurfacing across her lips. “What’s wrong, March?”
“Can we please go back to the train?” March pleaded, her voice quite soft.
Himeko kept her smile intact, causing March to physically squirm in place.
“How about this? Why don’t you go on and explore around?”
“Explore?” March echoed, trying to make sense of the new word.
“There are lots of shops around here, like a dessert cafe, a bookstore, a salon,” Himeko went on, listing off the many stores she used to visit the last time she came from the top of her head.
Somehow, Himeko’s words got to her.
March got on her tiptoes, her pink-blue eyes sparkling at the mention of so many new things. “What are those?”
“They are stores, but if you want to see them, you’ll have to visit them and find out.”
March blushed, realizing how easily she got swept up by the surge of her own interest in her new surroundings. It was daunting and large, with so many people, so many noises and lights…yes, it was overwhelming, but at the same time, she couldn’t help but feel the excitement building up inside her.
And it scared her.
Even so…the ability to roam, to see and visit whatever she wanted, the chance to see these new things all for herself!
The idea was so foreign, so unknown, and that was more than enough to ignite a spark deep down.
For the very first time, she felt alive and unable to contain her delight. Finally, she was excited to do something—something that she wanted to do for herself.
“You got your phone, right?”
March nodded, fishing out the small rectangular device she received just yesterday.
“Good, make sure to keep it on you at all times. We’ll need it to communicate with you.” Welt chimed in.
March nodded, determined this time. “Right!”
“Let’s meet up back here by the fountain at fifteen system hours,” Himeko brought up, showing her phone screen at March to reveal the current time. “Right now, it’s noon. So, that would give you at least three hours to explore.
With a nervous smile and her head still lowered, March managed to take one step forward, inhaling a deep breath as she was finally given the boundless freedom she’d been longing to—
Then she felt it, that weird feeling of a certain pair of eyes shooting daggers from behind.
March gulped, slowly looking over and—
Her heart dropped.
“What?”
It was Dan Heng, and he was right in front of her.
March blinked, then moved her head and noticed that Himeko and Mr. Welt had wandered off somewhere.
“Hey, are you listening?”
March flinched, forcing herself to look up at Dan Heng.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” He points out, hands stuffed inside his jacket pockets. When March failed to respond, he sighed and then started walking two steps ahead of her. “Come on, keep up.”
March looked back at him, completely confused.
“Umm! What are you doing?”
Dan Heng came to a sudden halt, with poor March nearly slamming her face right into his back.
Fortunately, she managed to avoid a full-on collision disaster, though she still managed to bump her nose in the process.
“Didn’t you hear?” Dan Heng’s stern voice reached her ears, delivering the most horrifying news: “I’m coming with you.”
March immediately took out her phone.
Dan Heng gave her a weird look. “What are you doing?”
“Calling Himeko,” March said, eyes narrowed and focused as she tried to figure out how to use the phone properly.
Dan Heng stood there dumbfounded, only to sigh and shake his head. “Come on,” And without warning, proceeded to walk ahead of her. “Hurry up,p or you’ll get left behind.”
“...”
Dan Heng kept his eyes straight ahead, trying hard not to look back and wonder if she was walking right behind him.
This odd girl, whom they saved from a block of ice, was certainly strange.
Then again, nobody was perfect.
And he wouldn’t call himself normal either.
Dan Heng tried his best to push away the negative thoughts swirling inside his head, looking up as he focused hard on what to do. During his brief time as a refugee, he’d been to a few strip malls and marketplaces, but nothing quite as advanced as this one.
So very different from the quaint and sleepy crowds of Aurum Alley, and while he’d only seen such a place in passing while he made his escape, it was really all that he knew to compare to the latest, state-of-the-art environment.
…No, don’t look back. The voice inside his head warned. This is your new life now. You are exiled, you are not welcome there anymore, so focus on what’s ahead.
“...Easier said than done.”
By a stroke of luck, Dan Heng was immediately taken in by Himeko and Mr. Yang.
He was given a new roof, food to eat, and the warmest hospitality that he could ever wish for.
Since that day, Dan Heng thanked his lucky stars that if he hadn’t coincidentally saved an airship in passing, then none of this—of him walking freely without any need of surveillance, to freely think, express, and be himself…
Dan Heng knew that no matter what, he owed the Astral Express crew a lifetime of debt.
And he’ll do so, starting with his first mission to accompany a certain amnesiac girl.
Speaking of…
“March?”
And to his surprise, his ears picked up her frail, squeaky voice. “...Yes?”
Turning his body halfway, he was instantly shocked and relieved to see her in front of him.
“You’re actually following me,” He murmured, which earned him a confused look from the latter.
“I have to, don’t I?” March groaned, puffing up her cheeks. “If I don’t, then I’ll get lost and will probably be a burden to all of you.”
Hearing her, Dan Heng felt strangely…pleased by her response.
“No, you’re not a burden.” He assured her, though he was quick to clear his throat and change the subject. “Anyway, we’re here. Is there someplace you wanna go?”
March met his gaze and just like that, witnessed the most beautiful sight in a long time.
“I wanna see everything,” March blurts out, going on her tiptoes as she physically shakes with unbridled excitement. Her pink-blue eyes were big and shiny, sparkling brightly like the stars in the backdrop of the nearby large windows. “I wanna see this dessert place, this book cafe, this saloon! I don’t know which one we do first, I just wanna experience everything!”
Dan Heng saw it, March’s true face.
The corners of his lips twisted; however, Dan Heng managed to constrain himself just in time. This girl, March was…
…so cute.
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They had three hours.
Together, they made the most of it, with March actively seeking out the many stores she could find and diving straight in, only to come back out to visit the next one after. True to his words, Dan Heng kept her within his line of sight, though there were times when it got difficult to keep up with her.
Despite the grueling ordeal, he was secretly having the time of his life.
Seeing so many things at once in one big place—it was so new, exciting, and incredible.
Never in a million years would he find himself in such a vast, open place as this one. And it seems he wasn’t the only one feeling this way as a certain pink-haired girl continued to zoom in and out of stores with a skip in her step.
At one point, Dan Heng lost count of how many stores they’ve been to already.
And yet, it seems March remained insatiable as ever.
Yes, there were a few things that caught her eye, but none of them made it to the cash register. Even with Dan Heng’s brief explaining that Himeko gave them some allowance to use for their own interests, it seems March had other ideas in mind.
“I want my first purchase to mean something!” She told him before entering a store displaying a bunch of monitors and the latest tech.
In a way, Dan Heng couldn’t help but agree with her mindset.
Since he arrived at the Astral Express, he remained minimalistic at all times, preferring to keep whatever he had that he brought with him and not once buying something new.
But at the same time, Dan Heng knew that it wouldn’t last forever, for the desire to celebrate his new life urged him to commemorate it in some form.
Immediately, his first thought was—
“Why don’t we try and visit this one?”
March stopped walking and looked over, eyes following to where he was directly pointing.
“Okay, let’s go there.”
Together, they entered the store…unknowingly aware what was in store for them.
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As soon as they entered, they were greeted by a smiling Intellitron saleswoman.
“Welcome, lovebirds! You’re in luck! We’re having our annual big sale today!
Dan Heng and March exchanged a quick, weird look.
“What’s a lovebird?” March whispered over.
Dan Heng gave a lame shrug. “Who knows? Maybe it’s a type of greeting.” He replied, then added. “Take your time looking around. If you want something, just let me know. We got an allowance from Himeko.”
March nodded, giving him a thumbs-up. “Right.”
Stepping forth, she wandered through the rows of colorful clothes and accessories. Just like the other stores they’ve visited already, this one had a certain theme. In this case, it seems to be a clothing store with different sizes, shapes, and colors. Pulling out one dress, March was intrigued to find that it had another set of shirts and clothes to match it as well.
Looking over to her right, March took notice of the excessive amount of large, flashy posters—all of which shared one word.
“What’s a sale?” March brought up, pointing to one of the posters near her.
The saleswoman looked over and grinned. “A sale means that anything you see inside the store is on discount!”
March blinked, frowning deeply. One answer led to a string of more questions. Right away, she found Dan Heng not too far away. “Dan Heng?”
“Yeah?”
March raked her head. “What’s a discount?”
Making his way over to her, Dan Heng looked over and noticed the flashy posters around them.
“It means you can buy things here at a lower price,” Dan Heng explained, then pulled out the small green pouch from his pocket. “We buy using credits, which are money.”
“Okay…” March mumbled, nodding to herself. “Guess that makes sense,” Then turned around and ventured further through the aisle of clothing racks.
Dan Heng followed suit, making sure he kept a close watch on March at all times.
While glancing at the clothes on display, he struggled to make sense of the eccentric patterns and color schemes all around him. Back in the Xianzhou Luofu, the clothes were vastly different when it came to design and materials, for fashion was deeply rooted in tradition and culture. All the clothes in the shopping center so far were either tacky, too flashy, or unimpressive.
I wonder what March thinks of all this, he wondered as he continued browsing.
Right on cue, he felt a slight nudge on his right elbow. He stopped and looked over his shoulder—lo and behold, there she was.
“You found something?”
To his surprise, March nodded enthusiastically. “I did, yeah.”
Once more, she went on her tiptoes, visibly jumpy as she held out the two clothes that caught her eye, resembling that of a child bringing over a new toy she wanted to buy.
“What do you think?”
March proudly showed off the clothes she personally picked—one was a dress, while the other was the standard pair of shirt and pants, and together, the clothes had a certain theme of reds, blacks, and white accents. No doubt, they were matching sets.
Dan Heng took a second to study the clothes carefully.
Surprisingly, the clothes she chose weren’t so bad.
It looked decent and casual, nowhere near as gauchy nor trashy as the rest of the other clothes he’d been wearing thus far.
“Do you like it?”
March nodded eagerly. “Do you like it?”
Dan Heng blinked, taken aback. “Sure, yeah.”
“Then let’s buy it!”
“...”
Wait, what?
“March, you’re buying clothes for yourself.” Dan Heng reminded her.
“I know, but I also saw the other pair and thought, it’d look great on you too.” She reasoned, proceeding to give him the other matching set supposedly meant for him.
Dan Heng looked over the clothing carefully.
He really had no opinion to share, for it was really and quite frankly, the most casual thing he’d ever seen.
To think, March of all people had quite the eye for fashion—most importantly, she thought of him when she saw these clothes, and now it’s here in his hands.
It was so simple, but such a thought stirred an unfamiliar emotion inside him.
It was deeply warm and grounding, very inviting even.
“Why the red and black?”
“Himeko said that the clothes we wear define who we are,” March mentioned, blushing as she began to explain her reasoning. “So I thought, if we both wear the same thing, then it means that we belong together, right? Also, this whole place is big. If we wear the same thing, we could easily find each other. All I have to do is tell someone that I’m looking for someone who looks like me, then they ought to find you in no time!”
Dan Heng raised an eyebrow. “But I don’t have pink hair.”
Without realizing it, he was playing along with her.
Turns out, it was the right call because sure enough, he was rewarded with a special sight—for the very first time, March glowed brightly like the sun, her entire face and smile rivaling the first few stars he’d seen since he stepped out from his own prison and into the vast, open world.
“Don’t be silly!” March commented, waving her hand lightheartedly.
Before he knew it, a smile appeared on his face.
March Seventh was so pure, so upbeat, and oddly thoughtful.
Despite her amnesia, slowly but surely, Dan Heng was beginning to see a different side to her. And in a way, he felt honored knowing that he was the first to see her in such a way.
At the same time, Dan Heng unconsciously found a bit of his purpose.
…Her smile, her grace—I want to protect it. He thought, his heart beating slightly fast, the more he stared at her joyful visage. No matter what.
Shortly after they paid for their clothes, the saleswoman promptly guided the pair to the fitting rooms.
“Take your time! Let me know if any of you need help!”
Once the saleswoman left, Dan Heng pointed to the fitting room in front of him. “I’ll be right here. Don’t stray off too far, okay?”
March nodded, “Okay,” And then picked the fitting room two doors down.
Dan Heng waited for March to enter hers, and once she did, it was his turn to enter the fitting room.
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Dan Heng was the first to step out.
In no time, March walked out as well.
“It suits you.” Dan Heng commented without thinking. Immediately, his entire face felt hot, and as he was quick to slip a formal apology, March gave him an earnest smile in return.
“Right back at ya, partner.”
Dan Heng heard it, looking back quickly to meet her gaze. That’s when he noticed it—the great distance that used to separate them was slowly closing in.
They were standing five steps away from each other.
More importantly, it was March who initiated it as she bravely moved forward. It was a tiny thing to notice, but for Dan Heng, who was quite used to people moving away or looking at him with disgust or full of hate, it meant the whole world.
Himeko and Mr. Yang had reached out to him.
And now here was March, walking straight toward him, welcoming him into what was about to be the next chapter of both their lives.
“Ready to go?”
“...Yeah.”
For the first time, Dan Heng couldn’t help but look forward to what else the future had in store.
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“Thank you so much! Come back anytime!”
Leaving the store, Dan Heng and March walked right out with a mixed sense of confidence and pride
“People are looking,” Dan Heng spoke up, even making a mental note of a few guys in the crowd blowing a few whistles and gawking at March. In response, he walked a bit further, matching the excitable girl’s speed as he instinctively went straight to bodyguard mode.
“Isn’t that a good thing?” March replied, lighting up the mood. She seemed to be completely unaware of the true nature of the onlookers around them. “At least if I ever get lost, they’ll know who to find!”
Dan Heng lets out a snort. “Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen.” He murmured, quick to shoot glares at the same guys looking over their way. This time, he took charge—claiming March gently by the wrist and pulling her forward.
“Stick close, or you’ll get lost.”
March blinked at his words, only to perk up. “I won’t,” She assured, giving him a salute. “I have you, right?”
“Welt, look.”
“Hmm?”
Looking over his shoulder, Welt’s eyes turned wide. “Is that…Dan Heng and March?”
Himeko smiled, raising her brows. “I believe so.”
Exchanging looks, the two friends shared smiles and laughed.
“Kids these days,” Welt murmured, shaking his head. “You leave them alone and then all of a sudden, they grow up so fast.”
“Let them be,” Himeko assured, looking back fondly at the pair with a smile. “It seems they’re finally getting along.” She gestured to the shopping bags in their hands. “For now, let’s get back to the express and drop these off.”
“What about them?”
“We’ll pick them up for lunch later,” Himeko assured with a certain twinkle in her eyes. “For now, let the kiddos have their fun.”