Boom!
A violent explosion engulfed the entire floor, shattering most of the office building's glass. At that moment, Welt and the others' truck had just returned from Dreamflux Reef and arrived at the base of the building. They looked up at the flames above, their hearts filled with worry.
"Oh no, Himeko's in danger!" Stelle blurted out instinctively. "We have to help her!"
Hearing this, Welt remained surprisingly calm. He stroked his chin, murmuring, "As her companions, we should show some concern, but why do I feel… Himeko's opponent is the one who should be worried?"
Stelle gazed at the building's rooftop, nearly touching the clouds. "This building's too tall. Climbing up would take too long… Wait, a building this big must have an elevator. Let's find it!"
"No need for that hassle."
March 7th lightly stomped her foot, and colorful ice crystals appeared beneath her, lifting her upward. "Stelle, come a bit closer. I'll take you up."
Stelle's eyes lit up. "Wow, this is great! So convenient."
"Stelle~ Take a look at mine!"
Firefly pulled out her transformation device, summoning her armor. [SAM] activated, steam jetting from the thrusters on her back. "Mine's even more convenient~"
Stelle's eyes sparkled again. "Whoa! This is so cool! A flying mech…"
But just as she was about to leap into Firefly's arms, a swifter figure darted past her, taking her place in front of Firefly—
"Miss, I'm Welt. To be honest, I've taken a liking to that mech of yours. How much dowry would be appropriate?"
Firefly: "Huh…? But my mech is for fighting, not marrying. Unless… unless it's Stelle, hehe, just kidding. Mr. Welt, if you're interested, after this is over—"
Welt solemnly lifted Stelle by the armpits, handing her to Firefly. "As a senior of the Express, I approve of you."
Stelle: ???
Firefly froze for a moment, stammering, "Mr. Welt, I was joking!" while carefully catching Stelle…
"Uncle! Yang!"
March 7th grabbed Welt and tossed him behind her, stepping between Stelle and Firefly with a wary expression.
Welt executed a graceful backflip, landing steadily. He adjusted his glasses. "March, for the sake of your Uncle Yang's lifelong dream, how about you make a small sacrifice?"
Stelle: ???
Who's sacrificing what here?
March 7th, embarrassed and annoyed, said, "Uncle Yang, we're on the same side! Why are you siding with the outsider? Isn't my lifelong dream just as important?"
Whoosh—Smack!
Welt: "Hmm… how about you two share? I heard from a junior once that a certain pink-haired girl loves playing that game."
"…!"
As the three bickered, Shush quietly stepped out of the truck. "Passenger Stelle, would you like me to give you a ride? I'll safely deliver you to the top floor."
"You? How?" Stelle asked skeptically.
Shush's head suddenly opened, and a bamboo-copter propeller rose from it, slowly lifting him into the air.
Stelle: …
"Sigh, fine, fine. It's better than being squished between two people and unable to breathe," Stelle said helplessly, spreading her arms. "Be gentle, I'm ticklish."
"Understood."
Shush grabbed Stelle by the armpits and began flying upward. "Passenger Stelle, this moment reminds me of something… Normally, when I transport people, even if there are seats, I only tell them to hold on tight. Do you know why?"
"Why? Are all your passengers bad at balancing?"
Shush: "Because I don't want them to sit in jail.'"
Stelle: "…Shush, let me ask you something: A guy covered his head with a blanket before sleeping and never got up the next day. Why?"
Shush: "Because he suffocated?"
Stelle: "Because he didn't have a nose-mouth'"
Shush: "Noted. Switching to the music channel to lift your mood."
Shush: "It's been a long day~ without you my friend~ And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again…"
Stelle: ?
"Hey! I don't want this song—it's too ominous!" Stelle protested.
Shush: "Alright, switching to the next one…"
Shush: "Mend your pace, sway to the beat~ Hands up, embrace who you wanna be~~"
"We're reaching heights unseen~ oh~ ohhh—"
Stelle: "? Shush, what are you doing? Can you stop playing crash-related songs? Don't you know this song's lead singer is that guy?"
Shush asked, puzzled, "That guy? You mean Mr. Gallagher? As far as I know, this song's inspiration has nothing to do with crashes."
Stelle: "…Don't ask too much. This song reminds me of a friend, and it's just not very lucky. Change it. I want to hear 'Lonely People Sing Sad Songs'!"
(At that moment, an elderly man far away on the Xianzhou sneezed, dropping the sausage he'd just bought.)
Shush: "Alright, playing it now."
…
"It… still wasn't enough?"
On the top floor, Clockie and Capitalist Bird wiped nonexistent blood from their mouths, staring in shock at the red figure in the distance, who had only sustained minor injuries.
Hidden Back Energy was their ultimate trump card, a self-damaging attack that cost them dearly—1,000 damage to the enemy, 800 to themselves.
It was a combat technique left behind by a red-horned alien who passed through Penacony without money for taxes, said to be terrifyingly powerful.
So why wasn't it enough to defeat this woman?!
"Is your attack over?" Himeko said. "Now, it's my turn…"
—"Wait!"
Capitalist Bird's eyes were resolute. "We still have one more trump card!"
Clockie: "Right!"
Himeko gazed at them imperiously. "In your current state, if you don't want to make a pointless sacrifice, stand down. No one needs to get hurt."
Capitalist Bird: "Hmph, we know you're strong, but how could someone like you understand our resolve?"
Clockie echoed, "No way you could understand!"
Capitalist Bird: "We follow our master not because of loyalty, but because he's rich!"
Clockie: "Yeah, filthy rich!"
Capitalist Bird: "You want to take our ATM… I'd rather die than step aside!"
Clockie: "Fight to the death!"
Capitalist Bird: "For past cakes! For present cakes! For future cakes!"
Clockie: "For ourselves!"
Capitalist Bird & Clockie: "Taste our burning passion combo technique! Hah—!"
"Backup·Hidden Back Energy, activate!!"