"Mmm..."
Inside the observation car, three people sat around a tea table, staring at the contract laid upon it with troubled expressions.
"Sigh. This contract is great, but it brings a lot of problems with it."
Himeko took a gentle sip of her freshly brewed morning coffee and shook her head with a look of helplessness.
Wende and Welt silently exchanged a glance, then simultaneously leaned back in their chairs, putting a little more distance between themselves and Himeko.
"Indeed. While this contract appears incredibly convenient, and its function and influence hold an undeniable appeal throughout the cosmos..."
Welt nodded in agreement before his tone shifted.
"But risk and opportunity always go hand in hand. If the specific details of this contract—or rather, the capabilities of miHoYo Interstellar Inc.—are exposed, then both miHoYo Planet... right?"
Welt looked to Wende for confirmation.
"Yes..."
Wende nodded awkwardly. He really should have picked a more serious name back then.
"At that time, both miHoYo Planet and the Astral Express will become a thorn in the side of certain factions. We would become public enemy number one. Therefore... the selection of who signs this contract must be considered with extreme care. The most basic requirement is to prevent its functions and contents from being leaked."
"Mmm..."
Himeko nodded thoughtfully, her long, fair index finger tapping lightly on the coffee table.
"Who has signed this contract so far?"
Himeko looked up and asked Wende.
"Only Wendy. March and Stelle know about it, but I didn't have them sign it right away."
Wende answered truthfully. Having Wendy sign was merely a test to determine if she was currently within the "scope" of the contract. Since Wendy was able to sign it and have it take effect, it meant that even in the Honkai world, she was considered a "qualified" member...
Actually, come to think of it, Wendy could be considered...
Never mind, better not to think about it.
Wende immediately deleted the thought from his mind. The system wouldn't actually have them travel to the world of Honkai Gakuen, would it? That would be a bit too overpowered...
He could only hope he was overthinking things...
"That's good. For now, it's best to have the internal members of the Express sign it first. After all, this doesn't conflict with our mission of [The Trailblaze]."
Himeko nodded slightly, having no objection to Wende's approach.
"That little girl named Wendy... you're planning to bring her onto the Express, aren't you?"
Seeing the surprise in Wende's violet eyes, Himeko wore an enigmatic expression as she gracefully lifted her coffee cup and took a small sip.
"Er... that is indeed my plan, Sister Himeko..."
Wende looked at Himeko with some embarrassment. He hadn't told either of them about this. Although he didn't know when Himeko had seen through him, his decision to bring Wendy onto the Express was unlikely to change.
"Hehe, no need to be so tense. Your Uncle Yang and I are both happy to see the Express grow stronger. Besides, with more people around, Pom-Pom will be very happy too, right?"
Himeko smiled at Pom-Pom, who was just passing by.
"Of course! Pom-Pom welcomes every passenger who boards the Express!"
Pom-Pom puffed out its small chest, speaking in a very serious tone.
"But speaking of which, Passenger Wende, is the new passenger, Wendy, your little sister? Your names are the same, Pom?"
Pom-Pom looked at Wende curiously. As the Conductor, it was only natural to understand the specific situation of each passenger! This was definitely not because Pom-Pom wanted to hear some gossip, Pom!
"Mmm... you could say that. But we don't have any blood relation. It's just a coincidence that our names are similar."
Wende actually gave it some serious thought before giving the gossipy conductor a rather fair answer.
Truthfully, there was nothing wrong with calling himself Wendy's older brother. After all, "an elder brother is like a father," and it was perfectly normal for him to be filled with fatherly love for Wendy.
Of course, that was for Wendy. If he were to treat Stelle as a younger sister...
It would probably shorten his lifespan...
This wasn't preferential treatment; it was the indisputable truth and, to date, Wende's greatest source of helplessness.
Damn it, if all three of his daughters were obedient and well-behaved, he couldn't even imagine how joyful his life would be every day!
Unfortunately, the nickname "Star Rail's Little Lu Bu" was not just for show... While Stelle didn't do a lot of "father-screwing" things, every single one was worthy of being permanently etched into Wende's mind.
As for March... sigh, she just had a quirky train of thought, that's all. It wasn't a big deal, right?
Thinking about it this way, Wendy was practically a super little angel!
---o---
Returning to St. Freya Academy, Wende made a special trip to buy a bouquet of flowers and some beer.
Ring-ring-ring~
The midday bell rang right on time. As students poured out of their classrooms, Wende called out to Stelle, March, and Wendy. Then, under their confused gazes, he walked into the classroom carrying the flowers and beer.
The moment he stepped inside, Wende felt a gaze full of resentment lock onto him.
Murata Himeko stood with her arms crossed, staring impassively at the just-entered Wende.
He had better have a reasonable explanation. She finally had a morning with no classes and no missions to lead. She had been planning to enjoy a long-overdue beauty sleep at home, but because of a single sentence from this kid, she had been dragged out of bed to teach for an entire morning!
An entire morning! And all the afternoon classes were hers too! That Wende fellow had pushed both his and Welt's classes onto her!
"Sister Himeko, I'm so sorry! There was a sudden issue on the Express, so Uncle Yang and I had to go back. I've really troubled you!"
Wende immediately offered the gifts with both hands, his attitude one of sincere apology.
Seeing this, Murata Himeko's desire to give Wende a piece of her mind vanished. Oh well, who doesn't have busy days? They were colleagues now; they should try to understand each other.
"In that case, I'll accept these. However..."
Himeko's resentful gaze remained fixed on Wende, making him feel a bit uneasy.
"If you need to swap classes next time, you'd better tell your big sister in advance."
"Don't worry, Sister Himeko, I'll definitely tell you first next time."
Wende quickly replied. Seeing that Murata Himeko had forgiven him, Wende said his goodbyes and led his three daughters back to the dormitory.
---o---
Inside Wende and Wendy's dorm room, Wende placed two contracts on the coffee table for March and Stelle.
"This is..."
March stared at the two contracts on the table, then looked at Wende in utter disbelief. A layer of mist instantly clouded her large, pink-and-blue eyes.
"Wende... Are you trying to sell us?"