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“…….”

Blankly. Just like watching clouds drifting with the wind, or the thousands of advertisements that flash by every day, I lie on my stomach on the bed, staring out the window.

The train, which I thought would head towards the ground like a roller coaster from the upper levels, descended vertically to the lower levels, like an elevator that citizens use every day.

Showing a glimpse of the city through the window on the way down is more like a Ferris wheel than a roller coaster, a sightseeing course.

Whether that’s for people coming to Harvest Planet or for those leaving is ambiguous… but at least from my perspective, it was a pretty decent and watchable view.

……Wasn’t it beautiful, you ask? Well, you might be taken aback and say I’m ruining the mood with this, but it lacked a bit of the impact compared to the view from Aaron’s office.

Astra Express A-185 is cleared for departure. Workers near the tracks and shielding walls, please step back to avoid being caught in the air turbulence caused by the train’s acceleration. –

Tilting my gaze diagonally, I could vaguely see the bottom of the city’s outer wall opening in the distance, at the front of the train.

It was too far to hear the sound, but the sight of the massive barrier twisting to make way for the train was quite… of course, I used to commute through the gate, but no transportation other than cars or motorcycles was allowed in my area, so this was new.

But, if gaps like that appear periodically every time a train passes, wouldn’t it be perfect for smuggling?

I wasn’t particularly concerned about Paradise’s citizenship business or sales, it was just a question that popped into my head… but the answer came quickly.

“Oh…?”

The train glides along the gentle slope of the tracks.

The reason I strangely expressed starting to run on the rails as ‘gliding’ is… because I vividly felt a subtle sense of floating.

The sensation of the gravity pressing down on my back suddenly weakening was fun. Yeah, it was fun.

Until the train suddenly accelerated and tore through the air.

Kugung—!!

Before I could even scream, the train instantly advanced into the desert along the rails.

If a mass bomb like this were to stick its head into a gate at such high speed, it would grind up not just living things, but even robots without a trace. What a solid security system.

First, my body, which had been sprawled on the bed, rolled half a turn, or one and a half turns, maybe even two and a half turns.

The reason the number is so vague is simple. When I came to my senses, my perfectly fine vision was completely upside down, and I must have grabbed onto the bed unconsciously, because the blanket was wrapped around my body like a mummy’s bandages.

Asha, are you alright? –

“……Was that just now normal?”

Experts have recorded that reaching the target speed at once and maintaining it during operation is much cheaper and more environmentally friendly. I thought you already knew, since you were lying comfortably on the bed…. –

…That’s just a courtesy that humans instinctively perform when there’s a bed in the assigned room!

I waved my hand at Zero, who was about to react noisily to my still dazed expression, to calm him down.

But it’s only been a few minutes since I lectured him pompously about common sense, and now I’m showing this kind of figure…

No. I can say with one hundred percent certainty that the standing passengers would have all been rolling on the floor from that shock just now. Even if I had known in advance, I wouldn’t have been able to avoid becoming a mummy.

Even if the train suddenly accelerating like a bullet is a normal occurrence, would it hurt to give a warning announcement beforehand?

“These guys seem to have good service, but they’re always missing a screw somewhere.”

I quietly told Zero the complaint that would surely cause an employee to have a fit if I said it out loud.

Rustle. Rustle….

I was about to unravel the blanket that wrapped around my whole body and get out, but I stopped.

Come to think of it, there was nothing I particularly needed to get up for, and I didn’t really want to.

Instead, I tossed and turned to find a slightly more comfortable position… and finally succeeded in settling into the perfect lazy pose. I felt like I was going to sink through the cotton and into the mattress.

The outside scenery was nothing but sand and rocks, so there was nothing more to see.

I follow the jet-black hair scattered on the pure white blanket with my eyes, creating a contrast. Seeing that it had grown again, I was overwhelmed by the annoyance of getting a haircut.

……Huh? Isn’t being annoyed by managing hair, fingernails, and toenails a pretty masculine way of thinking? I must remember to add 1 point to the masculinity inside me.

Then the score is roughly… 20 to 50, still a long way to go.

By any chance, did you take any psychotropic drugs among the medications you took earlier? You seem very lethargic. –

“…Isn’t that probably because I’m really exhausted and lethargic?”

Then I listened to Zero’s advice that he was worried about my lack of exercise with one ear and let it out with the other.

Honestly, all the medicines these days are so fast-acting and strong that it was hard to say for sure.

I’ve never been dizzy from taking nutritional supplements or period medicine, and I pride myself on being careful about drug addiction or dependence.

What’s happening now is purely a mental issue.

…Putting aside whether the expression ‘pure’ can be used as a prefix for my mind, which is among the top in the world when it comes to complexity, anyway.

Now I’m really going. To Neo Haven.

“Hooah….”

It was funny that I unintentionally had the authority to stop the train, that I could cancel the trip at any time, but from the moment I got on the train, my destination was decided.

The talk about effort that I told Zero? It applies to me too.

If a guy who started late and has nothing wants to surpass all the vested interests, he has to work his ass off.

Rustle….

And to make that effort, adequate rest and sleep are essential requirements.

This isn’t being lazy, it’s conserving energy.

After wriggling and crawling forward to the pillow, I looked at the ceiling and lay down in earnest.

“Wake me up if anything happens….”

Considering the distance and time, it would be good for your health to use the meal service at least once. What menu should I ask the crew for? –

“Uh….”

…Come to think of it, were they only able to provide food cartridges?

Then there’s no problem, that’s all I ate during my city life. Of course, I have a definite favorite menu among them.

“Ask for the synthetic meat steak set meal.”

Hoping to see the familiar green light that messed up the monitor refresh rate when I opened my eyes next, I entrusted myself to the approaching sleepiness.

….

Abnormal signs…….

If we just maintain speed……….

My body clock hadn’t even twitched yet to say it was mealtime.

Foreign objects detected on the track ahead, determined to be explosives based on composition. –

…The engine room’s decision is to force through. You may feel unpleasant vibrations, but passengers, please rest assured…. –

The terribly ominous words kept lingering in my ears, waking me up.

No, did I even fall asleep in the first place? It feels like I’m getting caught up in something absurd in the blink of an eye.

…Is it just my imagination?

Anastasia is sound asleep. Since the engineers and staff will act according to the response manual anyway, I don’t want to disturb the rest of the person we’re serving. –

“That manual! Also includes the obligation to notify VIPs of the situation on the ground in case of emergency, so please just take a moment…… Ah?! Valentine! Could you spare a moment of your personal time?!”

“……What is it?”

It’s not just my imagination.

I only turned my head to the side, but I could see Zero standing in front of the door, blocking it, and the first-class flight attendant struggling to show his face through the gap in his bulk.

Our eyes met almost fleetingly, but seeing him sigh in relief and wipe his chest, it seems he has something to tell me… but I have no idea what it is.

Anyway, all the sleeping passengers must have woken up thanks to the noisy broadcast, so I should at least grasp the situation.

I sent a signal that I was okay, and Zero reluctantly moved his shoulder, opening up space to enter.

Hurriedly. Clatter.

The flight attendant, who usually took care of my convenience with a somewhat lacking dignity, entered the room.

He seemed to have a lot to say, but he couldn’t easily open his mouth and avoided my gaze, which only increased my anxiety. Just how big of a deal happened that he’s so apologetic….

“I… I’m sorry! I didn’t see anything!”

“…?”

I hesitated, not knowing how to react to the sudden barrage of nonsense. Zero gave a scathing explanation.

It seems this impure employee only saw Asha’s skin exposed outside the blanket and mistakenly thought she was sleeping without clothes. An excessive result of the human brain arbitrarily imagining the covered parts…. –

“What bullshit?!”

I immediately broke free from the bedding prison and threw the pillow I was leaning on at the Care Bot’s head, blocking this idiot’s voice function.

The man, who confirmed my exploded state and my Suit, which was no different from everyday clothes, adjusted his facial muscles with a look of realization, and immediately rattled off the problem at hand.

“Currently, explosives installed by a group presumed to be external outlaws or scavengers are blocking the tracks. Of course, the possibility of the train being damaged by a crude bomb or the tracks being disconnected is slight, but….”

I was grateful that he read the room and told me without me having to urge him, but unfortunately, I seemed to have woken up too late.

A fairly large explosion, quite large to be dismissed as crude, and the flames and black smoke rising from the front were observed.

Receiving my subtly cooled gaze, he doubled the amount of cold sweat he was producing and continued to persuade me.

“It’s… it’s okay! Even if the tracks are cut off, the repulsion device installed under the train will assist in passing through the disconnected section without derailing!”

“…Is that so?”

It was quite a confident observation, but I was curious.

Whether the guarantee that we would get through safely included the offensive of the Hovercraft that was now revealing its outline from that sand dune, or whether it was a conclusion based on the assumption that we would proceed without any interference.

…….

…Wait a minute, Hovercraft? Eh… no way, right?