Jiang Liang and Stelle's Feeding Play

*Chapter 11:*

A lifetime?
Really, a lifetime?
A lifetime as a Nameless?

Standing nearby, Stelle rubbed her chin. "But I've only been on the train for a few days..."

"Passengers as special as you are well-suited for a long-term stay on the Express."

March 7th tilted her head, blinking rapidly at Welt. "Uncle Yang, you're acting really weird ! Your eyes are practically glowing, it's kinda creepy."
She shrunk her neck, whispering, "It's bad enough when Pom-Pom and I get rowdy, but if Uncle Yang and Dan Heng start acting like this too, that'd be truly terrifying !"

Welt chuckled softly at her words, his eyes still shimmering with that strange light. "I've just seen some hope."

What does the appearance of Judgment of Shamash signify? Welt pondered. If this Divine Key can reappear in this manner, does it mean other Divine Keys might exist elsewhere? Although it's still unclear why Kevin is connected to Stelle, since this situation has occurred...
What if Void Archives appears on Stelle too?

Void Archives, the Second Divine Key. Its original design purpose was to replicate the Herrscher of the Void's authority over Imaginary Space. The core ability of this Divine Key was opening passages to the Imaginary Tree. Besides this, Void Archives could also observe countless parallel worlds.

Perhaps... he could return home through this.

'All places unreachable are called 'distant'; the name you can't return to is 'hometown'.
Void Archives... if I could find the Ninth Divine Key...

Although it was only a theoretical possibility, what if... what if other Divine Keys really did appear on Stelle?

"Uncle Yang? Uncle Yang?" March 7th waved her hand in front of his face. "You're spacing out again !"

"I'm fine... just feeling a bit homesick."
He pushed up his glasses, a nostalgic look flowing from his eyes. "Imagine... when you've been away from home for so long, so long you thought those familiar streets, those frequently visited shops had all disappeared... only to suddenly discover they've actually been there all along, never changed."
His gaze drifted through the viewing window. "The bookstore on the street corner still displays your favorite magazines in its window. Even the graffiti on the park bench remains exactly as it was back then... It's like your hometown has always been waiting for you to return."

March 7th noticed that when Uncle Yang spoke these words, the gaze behind his lenses was incredibly gentle.

"And those who have been searching for you all this time... will surely shed tears when they see your face again," Welt's voice was almost inaudible. "So... even if the possibility is minuscule... I must return to that familiar hometown."
"Anyway, I'm in a very good mood right now, that's all."
Welt adjusted his mood, the gaze behind his lenses becoming serious again. "March, could you tell me the exact coordinates where the Express landed on Jarilo-VI?"

March 7th was biting her straw and nearly choked upon hearing this. "Huh? Uncle Yang, why would you want to go to that icy place?" She tilted her head, thinking. "Wait for Dan Heng to upload the records to the Archives. He's the best at remembering coordinates and stuff !"

"Just doing some necessary investigation." Welt paused, then stood up and headed towards the Archives carriage. "If I'm lucky, perhaps I can find some clues."

March 7th stretched lazily, her stomach growling right on cue. Her eyes lit up, and she turned to Jiang Liang. "Hey ! Wanna go to the dining car together? Pom-Pom made super delicious cream stew today !"

Jiang Liang paused, subconsciously rubbing his own protesting stomach, then nodded. "Okay."
Strange. After entering Stelle's body, he could also feel hunger.
It seems like they share sensations in various ways.

Hearing "cream stew," the nearby Stelle visibly perked up and followed behind the two.

"Yay !" March 7th cheered, bouncing towards the carriage connection, the ribbons at her waist swaying with her movements. Halfway there, she suddenly remembered something, dashed back, grabbed Jiang Liang's hand, and urged, "Hurry up ! If we're late, Dan Heng will bring out all the vegetables and make us eat them all !"
Her pink-blue pupils sparkled under the lights like translucent gems, filled with warmth, brightness, and undisguised goodwill and clarity.

He should still be in the Character Card state... Jiang Liang found the girl strange. Would someone really be this unguarded around a person they just met?
Even if a friend's appearance changes, there should be some level of discomfort or adjustment.

The barrel of Judgment of Shamash at Jiang Liang's waist accidentally bumped against the doorframe with a crisp clang. Immediately, Jiang Liang deactivated the Character Card, reverting to Stelle's original appearance. He silently glanced at March 7th's hand gripping his arm.

If he remembered correctly, didn't Kevin Kaslana cause frostbite just by touching others?
She's been touching him for so long without issue... This March 7th is quite something.

Soon, the two arrived in another carriage.
There, a lop-eared rabbit was wobbling as it pushed a dining cart, placing cakes and meals onto the table.
Since Stelle had already introduced him, Jiang Liang knew this was Pom-Pom, the conductor of the Astral Express.

The moment he saw Pom-Pom, Jiang Liang felt an intense urge to vigorously rub the rabbit's head. His hand instinctively twitched, eager to try. "Can I... pet the conductor's head?"

"No ! You can gently pet the conductor's ears when it's in a good mood, but touching the head? The conductor gets really scary when angry !" March 7th swallowed nervously, clearly remembering something.
She recalled, wasn't it Stelle who asked this question after petting it last time?
Is this a repeat performance?

What March 7th didn't see was that from Jiang Liang's perspective (as the invisible soul), the instant Stelle saw Pom-Pom, she had already rushed over and was vigorously rubbing the rabbit's head.
Although she couldn't physically touch it, Stelle looked utterly satisfied.

"You're here ! Pom ! Must have been tiring going out, Pom ! I specially prepared some hot stew !"

"Yay !"
March 7th beckoned Jiang Liang to sit. Stelle darted ahead, sitting down on the inside seat, tilting her head towards Jiang Liang and declaring righteously, "I want to eat too !"

"Then... one bite each?" Jiang Liang lowered his voice, gesturing with the spoon in his hand.

"Me first !"
Stelle waited for Jiang Liang to finish swapping back. She cheerfully scooped up a spoonful of stew from the plate, squinting in satisfaction as she brought it to her mouth. Then, with a natural motion, using the same spoon, she scooped up a spoonful from her own plate and held it towards his mouth. "Your turn !"

Does this count as... feeding?
Jiang Liang froze, his Adam's apple bobbing unconsciously. He looked down at the stew in front of him, then at Stelle's expectant gaze. Driven by some strange impulse, he ate the stew.
It would be incredibly impolite to put down the stew and get another spoonful now.

Stelle took another bite herself, then scooped up another spoonful of steaming cream stew and naturally held it to Jiang Liang's mouth. "Ahhh ~"

Jiang Liang subconsciously opened his mouth. The warm, milky aroma instantly spread through his mouth. Before he could even savor it properly, he instinctively swapped back, seeing Stelle scoop another spoonful and pop it into her own mouth.

Is it really that good? Why does it look like two personalities fighting for control over how fast they can eat?
Seeing Stelle relax her brow with one bite, then look serious with the next, her slightly squinted eyes suddenly widening as she chewed, March 7th stuffed a large spoonful of cream stew into her own mouth.
"Hmm, it is pretty good."