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“La-la-la-la♪, la-la-la-la♪”
March hums happily as she gazes out into space through the enormous window in the Supply Zone, near where the Astral Express is stationed.
“You certainly seem cheerful, March.”
Himeko approaches her.
“Of course I am! We’re going to have a new crewmate!”
The Trailblazers are currently at Herta Space Station.
They had gotten caught up in Asta’s distress call, forcing them to face the Antimatter Legion, help a girl with a Stellaron inside her, and defeat the Doomsday Beast.
Now that everything has been resolved, they are waiting for the girl with the Stellaron to make a decision about her future.
“She said she’d think about my proposal, but that doesn’t mean she’ll accept.”
“It’s obvious she’ll accept! Don’t worry, Himeko!”
“Hehe, I see you’re more excited than the rest of us. Did you really take a liking to her?”
“We became friends pretty quickly. Besides...” she scratches her head, “She’s in a situation similar to mine, with the amnesia and everything else, so... that probably helped us get along so well!”
“I see... Then I’m looking forward to having her join the Astral Express even more than before.”
Ring-ring.
Himeko’s phone begins to ring.
“Oh, looks like Asta’s calling me. We’ll continue talking later.”
“No problem! See you later!”
Himeko leaves, and March is alone once again.
“A new crewmate...”
March turns her attention back to the view outside, thoughtful yet excited.
“March... 7th.”
Until someone calls out to her from behind. When she turns around, March sees the girl who currently occupies her thoughts more than anyone else.
“Hey, Stelle! I already told you, you can just call me March. Don’t worry about it.”
“Right, sorry.”
“No need to apologize. By the way, I heard the news. You're coming with us on the Express, right?”
“I-I haven’t decided yet!”
“Oh come on, you know that's what you want deep down inside. I can see it on your face.”
“Do... you want me to come along?”
“Do I even need to say it? I think we're becoming fast friends... isn't that enough?”
“I don’t know if I should...”
“Of course you should! Why wouldn’t you? There's only four of us now, plus Pom-Pom. Each of us can have our own carriage to sleep in! You wouldn't have the heart to leave your carriage unmanned, would you?”
“That sounds more like a problem for you guys...”
“Join us, Stelle. Then it wouldn’t be a problem anymore.”
“I...”
Stelle scratches her head.
“Let me think about it carefully. I still have a few things to discuss with Herta and Asta.”
“Sure, take your time.”
Stelle turns around to leave, while March calls out a few final words.
“I’ll be waiting for you, Stelle.”
Without looking back, Stelle leaves the way she came.
“Maybe I pressured her too much, but it’s hard not to get excited when I think about having her as a crewmate...”
“Ah!”
She puts a hand to her head.
“I forgot to thank her for protecting me and saving my life during the battle against the Doomsday Beast...”
But she quickly lowers her hand and relaxes.
“Well, I’ll have time to do it after I show her around the Astral Express.”
March heads toward the Astral Express, humming once again as she prepares for Stelle’s arrival.
“La-la-la-la♪”
. . . .
“She isn't here yet....”
Restlessly bouncing her leg, March continues to wait in the Parlor Car for Stelle to arrive with her decision.
“It’s been almost an hour since we finished talking...”
She quickly gets to her feet.
“Better go ask Himeko.”
March opens the door of the Astral Express, ready to step outside. But before she can, she sees Himeko waiting a little farther ahead.
“Hime—”
At the same time she calls out to her, Stelle appears and walks toward Himeko.
“She’s here! I’ll wait here and surprise her, hehe.”
Stelle approaches Himeko.
“Hi, Himeko.”
“Hello, Stelle. Have you thought things through?”
“Yes... I’ve made up my mind.”
“Finally! I can’t wait for her to join the crew and—”
“I'll stay.”
“...Huh?”
March freezes in place.
“Stay? But Herta...”
“Don’t worry, I’ve already spoken to both of them. Herta and Asta both gave me the green light.”
“Is that so...? Well, I respect your choice.”
“N-No... This can’t be...”
“Take care, Stelle. We’ll come back to visit you from time to time.”
“Goodbye, Himeko.”
Stelle turns around and leaves.
“No!”
March shouts for her to stop as she rushes to catch up with Stelle.
“M-March?”
Himeko silently steps aside, giving them room to talk.
“A-aren’t you coming with us?”
“No. I’m sorry.”
“B-but why?”
“I feel comfortable staying here and helping Herta with her research.”
“W-We could come back anytime for those experiments! You don’t have to stay just for that...”
March’s eyes begin to fill with tears.
“D-don’t you want to go on adventures with us...? With... me?”
“...I’m sorry. I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me so far, but... I can’t go with you.”
“W-We’d already become friends...”
“I’m sorry.”
March grabs her by the arm.
“N-No! I refuse!”
March bursts into tears.
“P-please, c-come with us!”
“...I’m sorry. I can’t.”
“Stop apologizing!”
Stelle looks away, keeping a serious expression.
“I have to go. Please let go of my arm.”
“No!”
“March...”
“I-I want us to travel together, please...”
“...”
March feels a hand on her shoulder. When she turns around, she sees Himeko slowly shaking her head.
“Y-You too, Himeko? Please, help me convince her—”
Taking advantage of March’s distraction, Stelle pulls her arm away with force and manages to break free.
“S-Stelle?”
“...Goodbye.”
Stelle turns around and runs away.
“W-Wait! Don’t go!”
March tries to chase after her, but Himeko grabs her and stops her.
“You have to respect her decision—”
“P-Please, don’t go!”
“March, calm down!”
Little by little, Stelle’s figure grows more distant until she disappears into the depths of the Herta Space Station.
“N-No, no, no, no...! No!”
March lets out a deafening scream.
“Stelle...”
March’s legs give out, and she collapses onto her knees.
She covers her face with her hands, unable to stop the tears.
“W-What’s happening to me...?”
“S-Something’s wrong...”
Her breathing becomes ragged.
“I want her to come with us, but it doesn’t make sense that her refusing is affecting me this much.”
“My heart won’t stop racing, and I can’t stop crying...”
A shiver runs through her body.
“W-Why do I have this terrifying feeling deep inside me that something horrible just happened?”
Slowly, March gets back to her feet.
“I feel like if I let her go...”
She clenches her fists and starts running.
“I’ll regret it for the rest of my life!”
“M-March?”
Himeko tries to stop her, but she can’t run fast enough to catch her. March races forward, with no one able to stop her.
Forward.
Forward.
And forward.
Until, as she turns a corner, she finally catches sight of Stelle in the distance.
“I’ve got you...”
March pushes herself to the limit, desperately trying to catch up with her.
“S-Stelle...”
She’s only a few meters away now.
“Stelle.”
Hearing her name, Stelle stops and slowly begins to turn around.
March speeds up, trying to reach her.
“Stelle!”
Just as Stelle is about to finish turning, and just as March is about to grab her—
“A-ah!”
March wakes up.
“H-Hah...! Hah...! Hah...”
Still gasping for breath, she looks around.
It’s dark, and her eyes are wet with tears, but she quickly recognizes the place.
She’s in her bed, in her room aboard the Astral Express.
“Haaah...”
March catches her breath and tries to calm herself.
“...”
Even after coming back to her senses and realizing that everything she had just experienced was only a nightmare, she can’t shake the strange feeling inside her.
After wiping away her tears, she quickly gets out of bed, grabs one of her pillows along with the keys from her nightstand, and leaves her room.
. . . .
March reaches the Party Car and climbs the stairs that, under normal circumstances, should lead to Stelle’s room.
She stops in front of the door, somewhat anxious, clutching what should be the spare key to the room.
The one Stelle herself gave her.
With a trembling hand, she tries to insert the key.
Clink.
Clack.
The key slides in without a problem, and the door opens.
March swallows nervously, slowly enters, and carefully closes the door behind her.
She takes a deep breath, places the key on top of a box near the entrance, and starts walking.
Though she had been walking quickly until now, she slows down considerably, afraid of what she might see when she turns the corner of the wall that blocks her view of the bed.
The room doesn’t look like a storeroom. It clearly has the same decorations she’s seen many times before, but March still can’t shake the fear inside her.
Her feet feel heavier than ever.
Her breathing becomes more labored with every step, her pulse quickening and her vision growing blurry.
Sweat drips from her face onto the floor, and her hands won’t stop trembling.
Until, finally, it happens.
Yawn.
“...March? Is that you?”
She hears her voice.
March turns the corner, and there she is.
Stelle, looking somewhat disheveled as she rubs her sleepy eyes.
“Oh, it really is you... I thought I heard the door open.”
“...”
“Is something wrong? Couldn’t you sleep?”
March walks to the side of the bed and looks Stelle directly in the eyes.
“...Is it really you?”
“...Yes. It’s me.”
March drops the pillow onto the bed and throws herself into Stelle’s arms, resting her head against Stelle’s chest.
“...”
Stelle carefully covers her with the sheet, places March’s pillow beside her own, and cuddles her in her arms.
“Did you have a nightmare?”
“...Yes.”
Stelle begins gently stroking March’s head.
“It was only a dream. Everything’s okay here.”
“...”
“Feel my embrace. You’re here in the real world.”
“...Really?”
“I promise. You’re with me now. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
March holds her tighter, trying to reassure herself that Stelle is really there.
“Do you want some water?”
“...No.”
“Want me to turn on the light?”
“...No.”
“Alright, in that case...”
Stelle kisses March on the head.
“Let’s stay like this for as long as you want.”
“...I want to stay like this forever.”
“Forever?”
“...Would that be a bother?”
“Not at all. I’d be very happy to always have you in my arms. Although...”
“...Although?”
“I think it’d be difficult for us to take our clothes off to bathe while we’re like this.”
“...Pfft.”
March starts laughing.
“I-Is that... haha... the only problem you can think of?”
“Hey, it’s a serious problem. Hygiene is important.”
“N-No... haha... That’s not what I meant, idiot...”
March loosens her grip on Stelle slightly.
“...Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Somewhat calmer, though her eyes are still a little teary, March lifts her face from Stelle’s chest. She shifts herself up so she’s lying beside her and looks into her eyes, with the two of them still holding each other.
“Stelle...”
“Yes?”
“Stelle.”
“Tell me.”
“Stelle.”
“That’s me.”
March laughs again.
Stelle looks at her with a tender smile.
“Sorry, I just wanted to call you by your name.”
“Don’t apologize. You can do it as many times as you want.”
“Stelle.”
“March.”
“Will you... abandon me someday?”
“No.”
“What if you get tired of me?”
“I could never get tired of you.”
“What if, when I regain my memories, I change so much that you don’t love me anymore?”
“Regaining your memories doesn’t mean losing the memories of everything we’ve experienced together. The same goes for me. Even if I regain my memories, I could never forget you.”
“And what if... we reach your destination?”
“My destination?”
“You know... the Trailblazers’ philosophy we’ve heard so much about during our travels. The Astral Express is supposed to be something like a temporary home, and sooner or later, every passenger is supposed to reach their own destination.”
March lowers her gaze.
“We don’t know what the future has in store for all of us...”
Stelle thinks about her answer.
After a moment of thought, she shares everything on her mind.
“I understand what you mean. Pom-Pom is the conductor, so they’re probably the only one who’ll stay aboard the Express forever. As for everyone else...”
“Himeko doesn’t seem to consider Planarcadia her final destination, and her dream appears to be staying aboard the Astral Express as a navigator for the rest of her life. Still... It’s possible that someday she might change her mind and decide to settle down somewhere. Perhaps in a place where she could continue guiding new Nameless across the galaxy.”
“Dan Heng seems to have already finished separating himself from his past and is living his own life. Knowing him, I could see his destination being somewhere that needs his help. He simply can’t resist helping others.”
“And Welt... It’s obvious how much he enjoys this lifestyle. Sometimes, when he gets excited about the planets we visit, he almost seems like he’s our age. But... If he ever gets the chance to return home, I don’t think he’d hesitate. Even if we’re all family to him, he still has people waiting for him back home.”
“As for you and me...”
Stelle looks March in the eyes.
“We don’t know anything about our pasts. I clearly have some kind of connection to the Stellaron Hunters and Akivili, while you’re connected to the Garden of Recollection and Fuli.”
“...”
“At some point during our journey, our pasts will catch up with us, and we’ll have to face them. It’ll probably be difficult. We’ll have hard times, and we’ll have to make decisions we don’t like...”
March tightens her hold on Stelle slightly.
“Even so... I don’t think we need to worry too much.”
“...Huh?”
“Our past has already been written, and there’s nothing we can do about that. But that doesn’t mean everything will end badly.”
“...What do you mean?”
“The present and the future are still unwritten. So no matter how many difficulties we face along the way, the final decision about what our destination will be is something we’ll write with our own hands. And I...”
Stelle gently strokes March’s hair.
“I decided a long time ago that my final destination would be by your side.”
“Stelle...”
March takes Stelle’s hand.
“And if, when we face our past... I decide that I don’t want to be with you anymore?”
“If that happens... I’ll just have to make sure you fall in love with me all over again.”
“...Hehe.”
March smiles, somewhat embarrassed.
“So you’d better pick somewhere nice for us to live.”
“Yeah, yeah...”
“Hey, I’m serious. We have to live somewhere with a view beautiful enough that you’ll never get tired of taking pictures.”
“Before we live together... isn’t there something important we’d have to do first?”
“...O-Oh.”
Stelle falls silent, blushing slightly.
“Don’t you want to?”
“O-of course I do! I was just wondering when that moment would come...”
“It could be now.”
“R-Right now?”
March lets out a small laugh when she sees how red Stelle is becoming.
“Haha... Relax, I’m joking. It’s not like we can just suddenly do it.”
Stelle pouts slightly, places a hand over her heart, and clears her throat.
“I, Stelle, take you—”
“W-W-Wait! Are we actually doing this right now?!”
March’s entire face turns bright red.
“Ah... Don’t you want to?”
“...I-I do.”
Stelle clears her throat again and looks directly into March’s eyes.
March takes a breath, exhales, and meets Stelle’s gaze as well.
“I, Stelle, take you, March, as my wife.”
“I, March, take you, Stelle, as my wife.”
“To have and to hold, from this day forward.”
“To have and to hold, from this day forward.”
“For better or for worse, in sickness and in health.”
“For better or for worse, in sickness and in health.”
“To love you, care for you, and protect you, even in our next lives.”
“To love you, care for you, and stand by you, even in our next lives.”
The two of them stare at each other, and seeing how completely red they both are, they can’t help but laugh nervously.
Their tender laughter fills the room until, little by little, they manage to calm their emotions.
Stelle scratches her head, still somewhat flustered.
“...I-I guess we’re married now?”
“I-I’m not entirely sure that’s how weddings work.”
“W-Well, at the very least, it should count as saying we’re... e-engaged...”
“...”
March moves a little closer to Stelle.
“Didn’t you... forget the most important part?”
Both their faces flush again.
“T-The most important part?”
“Y-You know... You forgot the ending...”
“O-Oh, right...”
Stelle places a hand against March’s cheek, gently caressing it.
March places her hand over Stelle’s.
Slowly, they bring their faces closer together.
They stare deeply into each other’s eyes.
Both smiling with happiness.
“Together always?”
“Together always.”
Their lips meet, melting together in a warm, passionate kiss.