"It seems I won't have to lift a finger."
The red-haired woman crossed her arms, a faint smile tugging at her lips as she watched the crowd hurrying toward her.
"March 7th, Dan Heng—thank you for your efforts."
After a pause, her gaze slowly turned toward Felicity. She nodded in acknowledgment and said warmly, "You must be the Miss Felicity Asta mentioned. Thank you for looking after March 7th and the others during the journey."
"Hey! Himeko~ Why'd you only call my name?!"
March 7th protested with indignation.
"Haha, don't I already know how you are?"
Himeko chuckled softly, brushing the complaint aside. Her eyes settled on Arlan, concern flickering in her voice. "Are you alright, Arlan? Asta's been worried."
"I'm fine. Miss Felicity has already treated my wounds. Thank you. I'll report to Station Master Asta right away. Goodbye."
With a nod, Arlan turned and quickly made his way toward Asta's location.
"I'll go report to Asta too~"
Felicity waved brightly at the group before heading off in the same direction, a spring in her step.
Main control cabin, central monitoring area.
"This direction leads to the containment section. The collection room... suffered the most damage. What exactly happened?"
Asta stood before a massive hologram display, her elegant brows drawn in a slight frown.
The damage to the security system was minor—only a small segment of core data had been altered. Repairs were simple. But during this period, how many rare items and how much vital data might be lost?
Their purpose remained unknown—and that was what troubled Asta most. The Antimatter Legion had struck the space station, showing no interest in the planet's surface. Their goal wasn't clear.
No—perhaps it was. This station existed to house the countless oddities Herta had collected. Among them, the most valuable was the Stellaron, though even Asta didn't know its location.
Why would the Antimatter Legion seek that?
The thought spiraled in her mind, cold sweat forming on her brow, until—
—A gentle tap landed on her shoulder.
"Moshimoshi~ Can you hear me, Miss Asta?"
"Ah!? I-I'm here!"
Startled, Asta spun around, her entire body tense—only to exhale in relief when she saw Felicity's face. She patted her chest. "Haa... Felicity. Please don't sneak up on me like that."
"I didn't sneak. I walked up fair and square."
Felicity blinked innocently and took Asta's arm with a bright smile. "Need a hand with anything?"
In truth, she and Asta shared a fairly close bond.
Due to Herta's blatant irresponsibility, Felicity's basic needs—food, clothing, shelter—had all been left to Asta.
And Asta, being serious to a fault, had followed Herta's vague command—"Just make sure her needs are met." She cleaned out a prepared room and gave it to Felicity.
Back then, Felicity was still young and couldn't control her Abundance powers. Her room was isolated, and her patience wore thin...
When she wasn't helping with Herta's experiments, she would sometimes attempt suicide in secret.
And gradually, she forgot about Asta entirely.
But Asta, ever dutiful, continued to visit, asking if she needed anything.
Once, passing by Felicity's room, Asta knocked for a long time. No answer. Worried, she used the spare key to enter—only to find Felicity hanging mid-air, eyes rolled back, tongue sticking out, chair toppled beneath her.
The scene turned Asta pale. She rushed to save Felicity, only to find no pulse. No breath.
The body was cold.
Just as panic overtook her, Felicity suddenly flipped upright with a somersault, nearly prompting Asta to draw her self-defense staff in sheer terror.
"Sorry for scaring you. It was just a prank."
Felicity had offered the excuse lightly. Asta had been kind, after all—providing food and shelter. She hadn't wanted to frighten her.
But surprisingly, that "lie" sparked Asta's curiosity.
"Wait, how did you do that? No pulse, no heartbeat?!"
With Felicity's permission, the girl had bombarded her with questions.
To her, this prank was neither scientific nor magical.
Felicity couldn't explain it. She didn't even understand her own power back then. After a pause, she replied, "You'll have to figure that out."
And so they reached a strange agreement: Felicity would fake her death every so often so Asta could investigate the mystery.
Naturally, this little game didn't last long. The signs of the Abundance Path were too obvious. Herta found them ridiculous and told Asta the truth.
Even so, Asta kept the game going for a while. Her curiosity had been awakened. That feeling—like solving a puzzle—was deeply satisfying to her.
"You just need to rest. That's enough."
Asta turned around and offered a weary smile. While speaking, she had caught sight of Arlan, and the clever girl quickly shook her head slightly at Felicity.
"You're Madam Herta's honored guest. I truly appreciate your help. Leave the rest to us."
The space station may be fragile, but it was built by Herta. It wouldn't crumble to an attack of this scale.
"Oh, I see."
Felicity's expression turned wistful. She had wanted to see if anyone out there could actually end her life.
She released Asta's arm and gave the pink-haired girl a quick wink. "Then I won't get in your way. Call me if you need anything~"
"Don't worry. If I need help, I'll definitely let you know. I won't hold back."
Asta smiled faintly as well. Somehow, the annoyance in her heart had lessened after talking to Felicity.
After watching her leave, Asta took a deep breath. Her face hardened once more as she turned to Arlan and asked, "Are you alright, Arlan? What happened down there?"
--+--
T/N: Bro really tried to kill herself