"So it was Madam Herta who called you here."
After chatting for a while about the amusing anecdotes from the peak tournament, when the topic shifted, Asta finally realized that the Star Rail duo had been summoned by Madam Herta to test the Simulated Universe, and she hurriedly urged them:
"Then you two had better get going—don't keep Madam Herta waiting!"
"No rush, no rush."
Caelus wore an utterly unhurried expression, casually tossing out a pet frisbee to play with Peppy.
"It's not like Herta and her Simulated Universe are going to sprout legs and run off."
Peppy cheerfully scampered after it on his short little legs, pitter-patter, leapt up to snatch the frisbee mid-air, then trotted merrily back to place it in Caelus's hand.
"Ah, this…"
A slightly awkward yet polite smile surfaced on Asta's face.
To dare to leave Madam Herta's project hanging like this at Herta Space Station—Stelle and Caelus were absolutely one of a kind!
Forget Madam Herta's key projects—even the tiniest offhand request she made, which of the staff didn't treat it like an imperial edict and rush to complete it first thing?
Even she, the station manager, sometimes openly and enviously admired Madam Herta's almost indulgent accommodation and enthusiasm toward these two Trailblazers.
"Asta."
Stelle cut in with a solemn face:
"Do you know where Ruan Mei is? Caelus-cub promised last time that he'd fuse with her. A person has to keep their word, has to know how to be considerate of others' feelings—don't keep Ruan Mei waiting anxiously!"
"…"
The corner of Asta's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Excuse me?!
You two were just saying Herta's project wasn't urgent—how come you turned right around and got so eager about Madam Ruan Mei?
Wait!
"F-fuse?"
Only now did Asta belatedly catch onto this exceedingly delicate word. Her eyes snapped wide open, and she stared in disbelief at the sweetly guileless gray-haired girl:
"Wh… what do you mean, fuse?"
Stelle propped one hand under her chin, blinking those golden eyes as clear and innocent as a college student's, brows slightly furrowed, as if seriously pondering a profound philosophical question:
"Fusing, obviously."
With an air of great seriousness, she stretched out both hands, fingertips pointed at each other, making a gesture of them drawing near and merging together:
"Mm, it's when she enters Caelus-cub's body, and Caelus-cub enters her body too, and then… mm… mingling like water and milk, flesh joined to flesh, until finally there's no telling the two apart—they become one!"
Stelle's tone was as natural as if she were describing assembling a robot.
"!!!"
KABOOM!
It was as if a thunderclap had exploded inside Asta's mind!
So—so Caelus and Madam Ruan Mei… were that kind of relationship?!
And besides… is this the sort of private matter you can just come right out and say in front of everyone like this?!
A monstrous tidal wave surged up in Asta's heart.
She never would have imagined it!
That Caelus and Madam Ruan Mei actually…
Asta's feelings were a tangle, an indescribable sourness mixed with a sense of powerlessness drizzling down like a fine misty rain, leaving her steeped in gloomy, overcast weather, so stifled it made her frantic.
The rival is the brilliant, coolly aloof Madam Ruan Mei… how is anyone supposed to compete with that?
After a few seconds of silence, Asta asked plaintively:
"Then—then what about Madam Herta?"
Bringing up Madam Herta at this moment was, of course, just a shield to probe with.
After all, Madam Herta's extraordinary attention and near-indulgent attitude toward Caelus was something the whole station had witnessed.
Countless little haters spread the rumors in private with vivid, elaborate detail, describing some unspeakable, exceedingly special relationship between Madam Herta and Caelus… some fanatical Herta fans had even drowned their sorrows in drink over it.
As the Chief Little Hater and Caelus's close friend, Asta had never believed such gossip, and had quietly deleted the related posts. She firmly held that it was merely Herta treating the outstanding Caelus with special regard.
In short, it absolutely could not be that kind of relationship!
"Herta, huh?"
Stelle tilted her head, her tone as breezy as if discussing a dinner menu:
"She was begging us to fuse too, but she's already done it once, so she has to line up behind Ruan Mei."
"??"
Asta's expression—so complicated it would take a pie chart to properly convey—froze solid, and her pupils began to quake.
Herta. Begging to fuse. Done it once. Lined up behind Ruan Mei.
Every single word was like a heavy hammer, brutally pounding against Asta's fragile nerves.
Wh-what is going on?!
Th-this… open about it?!
Madam Ruan Mei and Madam Herta… and Caelus?!
The sheer volume of information was too much—Asta's CPU was about to burn out!
Just as Asta's brain crashed and she tried to reboot, Stelle, as if she'd discovered a new toy, gave a mischievous wink.
She suddenly stepped forward and, with utter naturalness, took Asta's slightly cold hand, her smile impish:
"By the way, Asta, want to try fusing with me?"
Stelle's voice carried a hint of enticement:
"I'll even let you cut the line—ahead of Herta~ How about it, generous of me, right?"
"Huh? Wha—!"
The composure Asta had been forcing onto her face crumbled to dust in an instant. Her eyes flew open as she stared, incredulous, at the gray-hair who had dropped such an explosive line so lightly.
A scalding hot rush shot up from her neck straight to the crown of her head with a whoosh, and her whole pretty face flushed as red as a ripe apple in an instant!
"F-fuse with—with you?"
Asta repeated, stammering, her voice trembling.
This person!
Why is she always able to say such mortifying things without so much as a blush or a skipped heartbeat?!
"S-sorry, I, I…"
Incoherent, Asta unconsciously waved both hands about.
Her sexual orientation was one hundred percent normal—but if it were Caelus… nngh…
The moment this thought sprang up, Asta's face grew even redder, and she hastily shook her head to banish it.
Even if it were Caelus, that's—that's way too fast!
No!
That's completely missing the point!
"Ooh~ you're blushing~"
Stelle crossed her arms, cocked her head, and revealed that same smug little smirk as (???) Anya.
"So·a·dor·a·ble~!"
Seeing this mischief-filled grin, Asta's taut nerves instantly relaxed. She let out a long breath, one hand gently soothing her heaving chest, her face wearing the relief of a survivor:
"Whew~ so it was a joke after all, you scared me half to death."
Her rosy pretty face carried bashfulness laced with a touch of vexation.
Honestly! I've long since known the Star Rail duo love making these absurd jokes—so why did I actually believe it!
"It's not a joke, though."
Just as Asta's embarrassment-meter had barely begun to recede, Stelle, like a sly cat, leaned in close once more.
She lowered her voice, using that hushed, secretive breath of one about to share an earth-shattering secret:
"The new Erudition Emanator, Bronita—have you heard of her?"
"Madam Bronita?"
Asta's attention was, sure enough, drawn by this heavyweight name, momentarily forgetting her bashfulness, her eyes full of surprise:
"Stelle, could it be that you… know that mysterious new genius?"
Even though Bronita's name had already spread across more than half the Galaxy, information about her was practically nil—truly nil!
In the interstellar age, completely erasing a person's historical records was all but a fantasy. Even a genius should leave some trail to follow.
Yet countless factions vied to mobilize their resources hoping to make her acquaintance, and the Intelligentsia Guild searched with all its might—all to no avail, unable to find the slightest trace.
"Of course I know her!"
Stelle puffed out her chest, her face full of a 'what's the big deal' smugness:
"I won't hide it from you—the Aether Spirits for Caelus-cub and me were made for us by Bronita."
Asta's eyes instantly lit up bright as if she'd discovered a new star. She stepped eagerly forward, cherry lips slightly parted, countless questions—about Bronita's identity, her past, her research achievements—about to burst out like a string of firecrackers.
But Stelle's next line dropped a logic bomb into the thought-engine Asta had just fired up.
"She's the result of Herta's fusion~"
"…Hah???"
Asta's freshly-lit eyes were drowned in a flood of question marks, her whole self plunging into an adorably stupefied state.
Fusion?
Result?
Requesting Azure-tongue to translate into Azure-tongue.
Understanding that Stelle was setting up an assist for him, Caelus—who had kept his microphone off this whole time—walked over at just the right moment.
"The Potara Earrings."
Caelus held up a single finger and, in concise, clear language, explained the earrings' fusion ability and the origin of Bronita's birth.
The existence of the earrings and the details of their power naturally had to be kept secret—Ruan Mei, Herta, and Screwllum would keep their lips sealed.
As for the IPC's side? While Caelus was conversing with Oswaldo, the genius-tier hacker Bronita had, in passing, scrubbed every frame of surveillance footage involving the earrings spotlessly clean, leaving not a single trace.
As for the handful of people who had seen the earrings with their own eyes? No need to worry about them either. Aside from when Caelus took them out for use, the rest of the time they rested safely in the System's equipment space, with no possibility of being stolen.
"Wow!"
Asta listened with her lovely eyes wide and sparkling, all her confusion vanishing like smoke, replaced by intense curiosity and an eagerness to try.
"There's actually such an incredible Curio?"
Herta Space Station had collected quite a few Curios, but this was the first time Asta had heard of one with such a special effect.
She looked at Caelus excitedly, her tone brimming with anticipation:
"Then… can I?"
A magical, marvelous tool that could let two people fuse—unheard of!
If she could, of course Asta wanted to give it a try!
"Of course you can!"
Beating Caelus to the punch, Stelle grinned and precisely jabbed her elbow into Caelus's side, urging:
"Caelus-cub, hurry up and bring out the earrings."
Jabbed by Stelle's elbow, Caelus twisted slightly to the side. Their eyes met, and the tacit, heart-to-heart understanding let him easily guess what Stelle was thinking.
[You want to fuse with Asta to test the Simulated Universe?]
Caelus initiated eye contact.
[Yep! The Simulated Universe is so much fun—let's bring Asta along and play together!]
Stelle gave Caelus a playful wink.
This Stellaron spirit was damnably sweet!
[Stop dawdling! Caelus-cub, hurry and invite her!]
Letting one's lover invite other pretty girls on a dating adventure to a six-star tourist spot while enjoying the process oneself—normally, only someone with a peculiar fetish could pull off something like this.
But being lovers was only one of the relationships between Stelle and Caelus.
This was the gold content of being 'oneself'!
"Asta, do you want to come play in the Simulated Universe with us?"
With Stelle having laid the groundwork to this extent, Caelus naturally had no choice but to extend the invitation.
"Eh! Me, go testing?"
Asta's eyes went wide in an instant, her first reaction to wave her hands over and over:
"That won't do, will it? It'd cause trouble for Madam Herta, wouldn't it?"
As the station manager, she understood all too well the weight of the Simulated Universe project!
It was a grand undertaking in which four geniuses joined forces to explore the mysteries of an Aeon!
Forget ordinary researchers—even the station's most top-tier scholars couldn't keep up with the geniuses' train of thought; even having them assist was deemed too inefficient.
Naturally, Asta was curious about the grand Simulated Universe project that devoured a portion of her allowance every single month.
Truth be told, many of the station's staff harbored an intense curiosity about the project where four geniuses collaborated to study an Aeon—yet even the station's most top-tier researcher was deemed too slow to even assist.
Becoming a tester for the Simulated Universe?
That was simply an honor countless of the station's research personnel dreamed of!
Asta had ample self-awareness. She knew that if she were to voice the request herself, Madam Herta would very likely nod in agreement.
But she worried she'd disrupt the testing process, or even affect the precious experimental data.
This reverence for the project and clear-eyed understanding of her own place was why she had never breathed a single word to Herta, no matter how itchy the little cat's paws inside her heart got.
"Then it's settled."
Caelus, as though he hadn't heard Asta's words at all, took the little rich lady's dainty, tender hand.
A fusion warrior testing the Simulated Universe—Herta ought to find that interesting.
"Eh~"
Asta didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Listen to what people are saying!
Before she could say anything more, she saw Stelle fasten one glowing golden pearl earring onto her left ear, then reach the other earring toward Asta's right ear.
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