Chapter 1: La-Z-Girl

"The highly anticipated Charmony Festival has fallen victim to a Stellaron incursion. The Interastral Peace Corporation, alongside allied forces, have-"

Stumbling groggily towards the table as the reflection of my long grey hair skipped across the window, I moved my gloved hand towards the radio and shut the broadcast off, then collapsed on one of the seats next to it, sighing as my weary body crumpled in a heap. My thoughts strayed towards the subject of the news broadcast. While I had a few friends in the IPC, it was pretty annoying that I basically did all the work and they got to claim all the credit, especially as they did absolutely nothing when Herta Space Station got attacked. Granted, galactic politics wasn't exactly my strong suit, and I generally left the thinking in that department to Himeko and Mr. Yang. The type of problems I'm best at solving are the type of problems I can hit over the head with a baseball bat.

"Hey, leave it on! I'm listening to this." A young girl, dressed in a bright, flowery dress, with a big ribbon holding her hair together, looked over to me. While sneaking a look at the leg strap running down her right thigh, I let out an audible grumble of protest as the radio's display flickered back on in a flurry of blue and yellow lights.

"March, they re-run this broadcast about every fifteen minutes. Besides, I've already heard enough about that to fill a book."

"Really? You've read a book?" March 7th looked at me with a smug look. Her eyes, a deep pink undercut by sky blue tones, sparkled in the pitch black ocean of stars just outside the window.

I leaned back in my seat and placed my hand against the side of my head.

"Ha ha, very funny. I think the word you're looking for is 'heard.' Besides, it's not like you weren't there with me."

"I don't think you'd be able to hear very well. You were passed out after all." She giggled and took another bite of her sandwich.

"That's not... never mind." While my snark and bite could probably match just about anyone in this galaxy, I had a soft spot for March that make it difficult for me to try to argue with her, even as she made fun of me, and despite my love for annoying her. Ordinarily, she wouldn't be able to browbeat the children back in Belobog; the opposite happened on our first visit there. I left my seat and lurched towards the nearby couch as I formulated a new avenue for debate, my pride on the line as I imagine Hook with the biggest beaming smile on her face innocently state how much of a pushover I was to March.

"You've changed, March. When did you start acting so cute?" I said, trying to take her off guard with smoke and mirrors.

"What do you mean? I've always been cute. March 7th, the Cute Super Soldier. Face it, Stelle, you couldn't do anything without me."

"..." I was, visibly and quite literally, speechless. Baffled by her sudden uptick in debate competence, and by that I mean her sudden ability to effortlessly annoy me when usually it's the other way around, I simply lied down in defeat on the plush, luxurious cushions worthy of a Lordly Trashcan.

"See? March 7th is number one, right?" The biggest shite-eating grin spread across her face, not unreminiscent of a cat.

"Whatever you say. Hey, have you seen Himeko anywhere? She wasn't at breakfast."

"Oh, Himeko? She's still dealing with negotations regarding the share of Penacony we own. It's pretty cool you got to own and be the captain of an airship. How come Cute Super Soldier March 7th doesn't get any of the cool stuff you do?" She put on a sad, exaggerated pout.

A mean smirk on my face emerged as the memory of March being roped into a game of hide-and-seek with the Moles replayed vididly in my head.

"S-Shut up! I've grown a lot since then. You wouldn't understand how I feel." She started to blush as her face scrunched up, having become adept at predicting my every word and thought.

Having come from behind to "win" yet another petty squabble with March, I reveled in the ego boost as the Cute Super Soldier was reminded yet again why you always bet on grey. I closed my eyes and let an elated, indulgent grin form on my face as I spread my arms and legs on the cushions as if one were making a snow angel.

"Stelle, what are you doing?"

"Hm? I'm just relaxing. The seats on the Express are actually really comfortable."

"Really?" March's voice took a turn for the suspicious.

"Yeah." I replied half-heartedly, barely paying attention to the conversation.

March cocked an eyebrow as she got up off her seat and ominously...marched...towards me. Holding both her hands out in a claw grip position, March viciously attacked my armpits in a valiant, but futile, attempt to tickle me. My expression neutral and stoic, I slowly raised a single eyebrow in a silent challenge as the tickle attack failed to break my poker face.

"Hehehe, stop!" March started laughing as the tickle attack intensified. "Stop being so lazy, I wanna go and have fun!"

"It's a spaceship, not a theme park."

"Come on, you're no fun at all. If you won't play with me, I'm going to go and play by myself."

Ah, right, I remember she picked up a few new outfits from the shops in Penacony. How the souvenirs people buy in the dream get transferred back to the real world is beyond me, but I don't question it since it's so convenient. Then again, both I and Silver Wolf know we are just characters in some elaborate game. It's just too bad I can't hack reality itself to give me some free cheat codes like Silver Wolf can.

"You can go ahead and play dress-up all you want. I think I earned my right to be lazy."

"You're such a meanie, Stelle." March frowned as she stood back up and went towards her cabin.

"I'll make it up to you later. Promise."

"I know you will." She stated matter-of-factly, still visibly pouting even as her back was turned to me. I did feel somewhat bad about standing up March's invitation for time together, especially as I spent a lot of the time in Penacony away from not just her, but the rest of the Express Crew in general. While Firefly turned up fine both times, seeing her seemingly die in front of my very eyes twice left a mark on me that I still haven't truly managed to get over, and Dan Heng noted my demeanor was considerably more angry and aggressive than before.

As the door to the passenger cabins slid shut, I took out my phone, still sporting the black and gold striped case that I initially got with it, and began to fumble with the screen. After everything that went down recently and the emotional toll it had taken on me, I just simply needed an all-day gaming marathon to put me back into good form. As I began to work on my first of many long daily gacha grinds, I began to let my mind wander as the time started passing by.

A train sped by in a city, basked in the pink glow of the sunset. The train laid empty, with nothing but the jiggling of handle straps and the rhythmic jostling of the wheels to serve as ambiance, aside from two occupants sitting across from one another. On one end was a teenage-looking girl with silver hair and a drill ponytail, her outfit just as unique as her hairstyle: neon purple and jet black colorways adorned her various leggings, shorts, hair ribbons, and cropped top and jacket. To a casual observer, it was as if she stepped out of a modern streetwear magazine. On the other end sat a slightly taller woman with pastel blue hair contrasting against her pure white uniform, the markings of the organization she belonged to deviously hidden by the stains of her own blood. Despite this, her posture and smile radiated an aura one could only define as the definition of elegance. A halo was somewhat visible above her head, but the other passenger couldn't make it out as it seemed to flicker like a malfunctioning light panel, with the glow of the sunset making any attempts for her to distinguish its details visually impossible.

"Well, that's the end of the line, isn't it?" The blue-haired woman spoke first, her words a gentle breeze carrying a slight melancholy, yet her smile continued to hold firm.

"Maybe," came the indifferent reply from the silver-haired passenger, with a neutral and seemingly uncaring expression to match. "Are you really going to give up?"

"You're right, there's still a little bit of fight left in me. I think I can manage for a bit longer. You don't mind if I join you for a while, do you? It may be the last time I can partake in such a luxury."

"Not at all."

"Thank you, Silver Wolf. I truly appreciate it."

"I've told you not to call me that. Besides, it's not like you'll ever have to pay."

"Of course. I guess old habits die hard. All my decisions, and everything they caused-"

"Save the sad speech for when the game's really over." The interruption from Silver Wolf finally caused the unending smile of the other passenger to crack, replaced by a brief look of surprise. Silver Wolf leaned forward, cupping her left hand on top of her closed right fist, and leaning her chin on top as she pondered. "I have a proposition, Miss President. Would you like to make a deal?"

"Oh? A deal? I've always been intrigued by your...unique abilities. I've seen a great deal of things, but this is the first time I've encountered someone who could manipulate reality itself and bend it to their will. Tell me, Silver Wolf, what is the price you would have me pay?"

Silver Wolf's expression subtly shifted to that of a slight smile, one a predator would sport when their prey had exhausted itself. "Everything, or nothing..."

"Oops, did I doze off there?" I muttered, still feeling drowsy, and with my eyelids threatening to close again. Looks like I got a bit too into my R&R, and my body eventually took that as an instruction. As I fought off the proverbial flock of sheep, I finally began to notice my phone had received a few messages. A few were from March showing pictures she took of herself with her camera showing off various outfits, as well as a wardrobe malfunction she obviously did not mean to send. There were also messages of well wishes from people I knew as news of the Penacony incident spread across the galaxy, like Qingque and Asta. There was one message from Silver Wolf, which was just another repost of the picture Sparkle apparently took of me reacting to Firefly's latest near death. I was apparently kneeling on the edge of the Feldspar while clasping my hands close to my mouth and making a prayer. I didn't even remember doing such a thing, and Silver Wolf using it to hold over my head as a cheap laugh while making a reference to some old game was just something I expected from her; granted, it didn't bother me any less. Eventually, I scanned the room and, speak of the devil, found Silver Wolf once again lounging in the lobby like she owned the place, which happened almost as often as me deciding to crash on the couch usually meant for guests.

"Hello, Captain of the Radiant Feldspar. Sorry for the intrusion, but I just wanted to stop by and congratulate you on a job well done."

"Silver Wolf, please, spare me the flattery. I'm still regretting hiring that halovian woman as my first mate." I cringed as I thought about Rosa commissioning paintings and statues of myself, and then somehow getting their production finished within the same day to decorate the ship. She was certainly impressive, but I'm out of my element when I'm not the person feeding my own ego for the sake of a joke. It wasn't helped by the fact the decorations were legitimately popular amongst the passengers of the ship. Maybe Rosa's expert wrangling of my antics made her the best candidate for the first mate of the Feldspar after all. "You didn't come here just to make fun of me, did you? Or to remind me I owe you one for saving Firefly?"

A twinge of irritation appeared on her forehead and was just as quickly quashed. "Look, Stelle, a lot has happened and I know you're in a bad mood. So I did you a favor. Got you exclusive access to an unreleased game."

My fatigue suddenly left me, my excitement boiled to a critical mass, a starry-eyed look I had been fighting to suppress broke out with the untamed rage of a berserk Searing Prowler, and I was instantly on my hands and knees lunging for the phone Silver Wolf was holding, only for my grab attack to phase through the projection hologram Silver Wolf was using to keep a physical presence on the Express.

"Chill out, I just installed the game on your phone. All you have to do is launch it. It's called Blue Archive, and-"

Not listening to another word, I typed the phrase into my phone's app search and launched the game.

[Some time later]

As bullets flew through the air, the battle cries of the enemy soldiers could be heard over the gunfire, and the shouts and screams of the civilians. With the sound of explosions, the smoke of a burning city, and the (not really) smell of death, there was a girl in a black-and-gold hoodie amidst the chaos, her body shaking as she realized she had impulsively brought a baseball bat to a gunfight. The girl, processing the situation, muttered one singular phrase under her breath:

"Damn you, Silver Wolf."