Eidan strolled toward one of the display cases near the edge of the room, eyes drawn to a strange, oddly familiar curio. It was sleek, shaped like a pistol, with a glossy surface and a single unblinking eye in the center.
He squinted at the label.
"Rating Pistol."
"Yeah... definitely said Rating Pistol," he muttered to himself.
Behind him, March 7th's voice rang out, "Hey, Eidan, what are you staring at?"
Before she could finish her sentence—or her suspicion—Eidan cut her off.
"C'mon, March. Aren't you the least bit curious?" he asked, gesturing toward the display. "Madam Herta puts all these curios on display, but never lets anyone use them. Don't you want to see what it does?"
March folded her arms, trying to sound righteous. "Well... touching other people's stuff is kinda wrong."
But her eyes didn't leave the curio. Especially not after reading the plaque.
"It says it gives you a rating?" she asked.
Eidan leaned in, grinning like a mischievous schoolkid. "We're not touching anything. We just stand in front of it. It evaluates us. That's it. Totally harmless. Probably."
March hesitated.
"…Just a little peek won't hurt, right?"
"Exactly!"
"...Yes," a soft voice added.
March jumped slightly, turning to see Stelle standing right beside her.
"Don't sneak up on people like that!" March said, flustered.
"I heard there was something we could play with," Stelle replied innocently.
"Come, come!" Eidan said, waving them over. "Stand in front of this weird pistol-looking thing with an eyeball."
He gently nudged Stelle toward the curio. "You're up first. What do you think your rating will be?"
Stelle rubbed her nose with a smug grin. "Ten out of ten. Obviously."
"Oho? Confident." Eidan folded his arms, curious.
The eye on the Rating Pistol blinked once, then focused directly on Stelle. A soft mechanical hum filled the room.
"EVALUATING…"
"SCORE: 84."
"Still high," Stelle said simply, nodding in approval before stepping aside.
"My turn!" March said, skipping forward. "I'm totally getting over 80 too. No way I'll fall behind!"
"Sure, sure," Eidan said, chuckling.
March stood tall and proud as the Rating Pistol locked onto her. Its eye spun three full rotations, then abruptly widened.
"RATING INVALID."A long pause.Then—"MALFUNCTION. SYSTEM REBOOTING…"
The eye shut with a mechanical whirr, clearly done with life.
March stood there in stunned silence, mouth slightly agape as she stared into the now-dark curio.
Eidan tried to suppress a laugh but let out a choked snort. "Pfft—cough cough—interesting result."
Stelle, on the other hand, was doubled over laughing, barely able to breathe.
March slowly turned toward the others, eyes narrowed with fiery intent.
"…The longer we stay here, the more dangerous it gets," she declared, spinning on her heel. "Let's go."
"But hey! It's my turn!" Eidan protested.
March didn't even glance back. "Not listening!" she shouted, stomping off.
Eidan sighed in defeat. "Next time, I will try it…"
He followed after her.
"You three finally came out. It's almost time," Dan Heng said, arms crossed as he waited by the hallway junction.
"It's Eidan's fault for making us waste time on that stupid item," March 7th huffed as she marched past him, clearly still holding a grudge against the now-silenced Rating Pistol.
Dan Heng raised an eyebrow. "What happened to her?"
Eidan gave a nonchalant shrug. "She just can't accept reality."
"She just can't accept reality," Stelle echoed, nodding solemnly as if reciting an ancient truth.
Behind them, a loud angry voice exploded like a shockwave."YOU TWO ARE THE ONES WHO CAN'T ACCEPT REALITY!"
Dan Heng looked at Eidan.
"Yes," Eidan said with a firm nod, as if the outburst had only confirmed his theory.
-----------------------------------------------
"I'll go find Arlan. You three head back together," Dan Heng said, turning and making his way toward the Security Department corridor.
"Oh—alright. Be careful out there!" March called after him.
As Dan Heng disappeared around the corner, Stelle leaned closer to Eidan and whispered, "Psst... Who's Arlan?"
Eidan blinked, then turned to her. "Arlan's the head of Herta Space Station's Security Department."
"I see," Stelle said with a serious nod… though it was obvious from her face she hadn't really understood.
"…Basically, he's a friend who keeps this place safe," Eidan added helpfully.
"Ohhh." This time she nodded with actual understanding.
March clapped her hands to gather attention. "Alright! You two—stick close to me, got it?"
She paused, glancing around until her eyes landed on a baseball bat propped against a crate.
"Perfect." She picked it up and handed it to Stelle. "Here. You'll use this."
Stelle took the bat with both hands, examining it as though she were wielding a sacred relic. She gave it a test swing, then struck a dramatic pose. "I'll take care of it."
March turned to Eidan. "And you... just stay close. You don't need a weapon. You've already got me—a highly capable protector!"
Eidan blinked. "Well, huh—"
"Did you just huh me?" March narrowed her eyes, stepping closer.
"…Just your imagination." Eidan shook his head innocently.
Behind them, Stelle began swinging her new weapon with increasing enthusiasm. The whistling sound of the bat slicing through the air echoed down the hall.
"Let's go!" she declared with unexpected intensity. "I want to test this destroyer!"
March and Eidan exchanged glances.
---------------------------------
SMACK.
The crack of impact echoed through the corridor as Stelle's baseball bat struck the head of a Voidranger with a satisfying thunk. The creature collapsed instantly.
"Rules are meant to be broken!" Stelle shouted with the wild energy of someone discovering the joy of violence for the first time.
Behind her, March leaned in close to Eidan and whispered, "Hey... I think there's something wrong with her head."
"This is just the beginning," Eidan replied darkly, eyes narrowed.
"…Huh?" March tilted her head, clearly confused. "What do you mean by that?"
-----
The trio arrived in front of the elevator at the edge of the Storage Zone. March stepped forward, checking the panel on the wall. Stelle slung her bat over her shoulder, then turned to Eidan with a curious expression.
"Eidan," she said innocently, "if I bonk you with this... would you survive?"
Eidan stared at her in disbelief. "Where did you even get that idea?"
"It just came to me," Stelle said with a light shrug, like asking someone about their blood type.
"Don't just hit people because you feel like it—especially not me," Eidan said, shaking his head.
"Okay," Stelle said simply, clearly still contemplating the physics of the question.
March groaned audibly. "Ugh…"
Eidan glanced at her. "Something wrong?"
He stepped beside her, and Stelle peeked over his shoulder to listen in.
"It's broken!" March said, slapping the panel. "Not by me, okay? It was already like this thanks to those Antimatter freaks."
Eidan leaned in to inspect the interface. "Hmm…"
March watched him with a doubtful expression. "You're not gonna fix it, are you?"
"Well, it's not actually broken-broken," Eidan replied, pressing a few diagnostic prompts. "This is a security lockdown. It's meant to keep the enemies from using the elevators."
"Ohhh." March nodded slowly, suddenly intrigued.
"So I can't override it from here. Not unless the whole station is secure again."
"So what now?" Stelle asked, lightly spinning the bat in her hands.
"Wait for Teacher Dan Heng?" March suggested with a sigh.
"No need to wait for me," said a familiar voice—calm and cool—coming from right behind them.
"Wah!" March jumped slightly. Stelle flinched too.
Eidan didn't even blink. "Knew you'd show up about now."
Dan Heng stepped into view, looking unbothered. "I found Arlan. He's injured, but not fatally. He's in the Control Room now."
Eidan gave a relieved nod. "Good. Glad it's not serious."
"Oh, nice! So maybe he can override the lockdown and get us moving?" March asked, brightening with hope.
"Perhaps," Dan Heng replied.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go talk to him!" March spun around and began heading off.
"Yeah!" Stelle chimed in, following after her eagerly.
Dan Heng and Eidan exchanged a glance.
"…Do you two even know where the Control Room is?" Eidan asked.
The two girls stopped dead in their tracks.
March turned back, sheepish. "…Lead the way, Dan Heng."
Dan Heng sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Why am I not surprised?"
-----------------------------
Inside the Control Room
Eidan was the first to enter, making a direct line toward Arlan, who sat slumped in a chair, clutching his arm with a strained expression.
"Eidan?" Arlan recognized him immediately, wincing as he sat up straighter.
Without a word, Eidan knelt beside him and gently inspected the injury. "Can you still feel your hand and leg?" he asked, examining the bloodied sleeve.
"Yeah… I can," Arlan replied with a faint nod.
"Then hang in there. We'll get out of this mess," Eidan said, standing back up.
Arlan glanced past Eidan, spotting the three figures trailing behind. "You're… all together?"
"Yup!" March said with a bright grin, gesturing toward herself and Dan Heng. "We're from the Astral Express."
Stelle, feeling a little left out, stepped forward and stood close to Eidan, holding her bat like a knight with a sword.
"Oh, so Madam Herta sent you here to help?" Arlan asked, his voice tinged with relief.
Eidan removed his glasses and began wiping them. His eyes flicked toward a nearby console, scanning the panel's flickering numbers and graphs.
"What are you looking at?" Stelle asked, peeking over his shoulder, eyes darting across the intimidating rows of complex data.
"Just checking for remaining threats nearby," Eidan replied, tapping a few keys.
Behind them, Arlan's voice called out again. "By the way, how'd you get stuck here in the first place?"
Eidan didn't look up. "I was just heading back to my room. Then—bam—all this happened."
"I see…" Arlan sighed, then turned toward March and Dan Heng. "Since Lady Asta sent you to help, I assume she gave you the encryption key for the elevator access?"
March blinked. "Oh right—she gave me some kind of card!"
Dan Heng gave her a look. "March…"
"W-Wait, where did I put it?" March patted down her pockets, clearly unsure.
"I don't know. I'm not you," Eidan said, watching her with a raised brow.
"I told myself I wouldn't lose it…" March muttered as she searched, checking her belt pouch and sleeves.
Arlan sighed with a sweatdrop. "You…"
"Ah! Found it!" March exclaimed, pulling out the keycard triumphantly and handing it over to Arlan.
Dan Heng shook his head quietly.
"With this, we can finally get out of here," Arlan said, attempting to rise—but his legs gave out halfway.
Eidan caught him instantly.
"Relax," Eidan said calmly. "Let me handle it."
Arlan returned to his seat, defeated. Eidan stepped forward, took the keycard, and inserted it into the control panel.
"Activate the elevator to the top floor. We'll use it once we're ready," Arlan instructed from behind.
Eidan nodded and worked the console. Moments later, the elevator hummed to life.
"Let's move," Dan Heng said.
But as expected, Arlan protested. "Wait… I should stay here. I can shut it down once you all reach the Master Control Zone."
Eidan didn't respond with words. He simply walked over and—without hesitation—lifted Arlan into a full bridal carry.
"Wha—?! Eidan, what are you doing?!" Arlan stammered, flailing slightly.
"Stop with the self-sacrifice drama," Eidan said. "You can shut it down remotely later. And besides, aren't these guys from the Astral Express? If they don't think I'm a burden, then you're definitely not one."
Dan Heng gave a short nod of agreement.
"Absolutely," March chimed in.
Stelle nodded in approval as if everything was going exactly according to plan.
Arlan sighed. "…Alright, alright. I surrender. But uh, you can put me down now—I can walk."
Eidan obliged, gently setting him back on his feet but keeping Arlan's arm over his shoulder for support.
"Let's get out of here," he said, steadying him.
Ten Minutes Later — Near the Elevator
"Ah~ finally! That's it, right? We made it to the elevator already?" March stretched her arms with a relieved grin. "And hey, that wasn't too many monsters!"
Stelle's eyes widened in horror. She turned slowly toward Eidan. "…Did she just jinx us?"
"Oof… yeah, probably shouldn't have said that," March muttered, realizing her mistake too late.
Eidan simply shook his head and gave her a warm, knowing smile.
"Hey! Don't look at me like I just doomed us all!" March pouted, arms crossed.
And then—
CRASH!
A flash of movement. A piercing screech tore through the corridor.
Dan Heng spun instantly, spear drawn, deflecting the incoming blow just in time.
A hulking figure emerged from the shadows.
Stormbringer.
Its screech echoed through the room as it stomped forward, crackling across its jagged body—blocking the path to the elevator.
Eidan looked at march.
"...eh?"
-----------------------------