Peppy rushed to find Herta Ninety-Nine, her face tight with worry.
"Woof!!" (Deputy Chief Herta Ninety-Nine, please go check on Asta! No matter how much I call to her, she won't answer!)
Herta Ninety-Nine shot her a cold glance. Deputy Chief? I'm the Acting Station Master!
Peppy froze, staring up at her with a mixture of confusion and unease. Was this still the same Herta #99 who used to read novels and comics with her, play games, always so easygoing and understanding?
People change, she thought. Just as she'd always been told.
Herta Ninety-Nine looked down at her, her tone measured. "I'm the Acting Station Master. Understood?"
Peppy blinked, then spoke quietly.
"Woof." (Acting Station Master Herta Ninety-Nine, please go see Asta. I'm afraid something terrible might happen.)
Herta Ninety-Nine glanced up at the main control panel—the privilege of a station master. Asta had helped her in the past, and though she wanted this position, she would not repay kindness with ingratitude. Ambition had its limits, and abandoning those who had helped you was a line she would not cross.
"Take me to her."
Peppy's worry eased. She knew better than anyone that aside from Madam Herta herself, Herta Ninety-Nine was the sharpest mind on this station.
"Woof." (Follow me.)
She led her to Asta's quarters.
"Asta, it's Herta Ninety-Nine. Are you alright?"
No answer. Herta Ninety-Nine exchanged a glance with Peppy.
Bam.
Her magic hammer shattered the lock. They stepped inside to find Asta slumped by the window, staring at her phone with hollow eyes.
Herta Ninety-Nine stepped closer and saw Ruan Mei and Asta's chat log.
Asta. You are a good girl.
She stiffened, her brow furrowing. She took a step back.
Peppy looked at her, confused.
"Woof." (What did you see?)
Herta Ninety-Nine didn't answer, her mind racing. Asta has feelings for Ruan Mei? And those words—they crushed her?
"Peppy, let's step outside. I need to ask you something."
Peppy nodded and followed her out.
"What do you know about Asta and Madam Ruan Mei?"
Peppy thought for a moment.
"Woof..." (Asta grew up reading Madam Ruan Mei's papers. She has an eidetic memory—she can recite hundreds of thousands of words by heart. Especially the one about stars...)
"Woof." (When Madam Ruan Mei promised her a sleeve pendant, Asta thought about it every single day. What kind of pendant would it be? What gift could she give in return?)
Herta Ninety-Nine pressed her fingers to her temples, sighing. Admiration? Like a fan? But thinking about someone day and night... that's closer to longing. In some ways, it's even more intense than Madam Herta.
At the mention of Madam Herta, Peppy tilted her head.
"Woof..." (Asta reads Madam Herta's papers too. She cares about her opinion just as much. When Madam Herta praised her once, Asta smiled for months. Her face lit up like the moon.)
Herta Ninety-Nine stared at her. "Are you serious?!"
"Woof!" (Absolutely! Once, Asta was talking in her sleep—the first two hours, she kept saying Madam Ruan Mei's name. The next two hours, she said Madam Herta's!)
She was stunned. This situation was more tangled than any novel or anime plot.
"Woof!" (Acting Station Master, please help Asta!)
Peppy had deliberately dropped the "acting." She understood how these things worked.
Herta Ninety-Nine hesitated. Helping that impossible, tsundere goddess win over Ruan Mei was one thing. But this—this was beyond her abilities.
She sighed. "Peppy, it's not that I don't want to help. I just don't know how. Unless Madam Ruan Mei herself comes to speak with Asta..."
"You were looking for me?"
The cool, familiar voice made them both spin around. They stared at Ruan Mei in disbelief.
"Madam Ruan Mei! You came! Are you here to see Asta?!"
Ruan Mei nodded. She had simply told Asta what she honestly thought of her. If the voice in her head hadn't pointed it out, she never would have considered that "you are a good girl" could mean anything else.
"Wait outside. I'll see her alone."
Herta Ninety-Nine and Peppy nodded quickly, pressing themselves against the wall to listen.
Ruan Mei walked in and sat across from Asta.
"Asta. Are you alright?"
Asta turned slowly, her gaze vacant. When she saw who it was, a flicker of surprise cut through her daze. Her voice was as hollow as a puppet's.
"Madam Ruan Mei? What are you doing here?"
Ruan Mei poured her a cup of tea and set it before her, along with a plum cake.
"Asta. You are a good girl."
Asta's face crumpled. She said it again. To her face. How pathetic.
She took a small bite of the cake and smiled bitterly. "I know."
Ruan Mei shook her head gently.
"Asta. I meant nothing else by that. I was simply praising your character."
Asta slowly lifted her head. The light was returning to her eyes.
She meant... I'm a good person. But that doesn't mean... it's not over? She was just complimenting me. This world isn't wrong, is it?
No. The world isn't wrong. I was wrong to forget that a genius's mind works differently from ordinary people's.
Seeing Asta's composure returning, Ruan Mei rose to leave. She wanted to check on the Starcrusher Swarm King—hopefully Herta hadn't tormented it as much as she'd threatened.
She had just turned when Asta caught her sleeve.
Ruan Mei looked back, puzzled. "What is it?"
Asta took a slow breath. Compared to Madam Herta, she had almost no advantages, almost no chance. But there were two things she had that Herta didn't.
One: she would never lack money.
Two: she would never be stubbornly proud. When something needed to be done, she would act.
"Madam Ruan Mei... this starry sleeve pendant is the most precious gift I've ever received. But I have nothing of equal value to give you in return..."
She trailed off, her head bowed. She understood that courage was the key to everything. And she was done hesitating.
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Power Stone Progress: 311/325 (5 Chapters)
Review Progress: 3/5 (5 Chapters)