Space station 23: Asta: Su Qing Must Have Fallen In Love With Me!

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Seeing them emerge, Su Qing approached first greeting Asta.

Blushing, Asta responded shyly. Upon realizing he was actually seeking Herta's advice, she quickly darted away, embarrassed.

"Is something wrong with her?" asked Su Qing.

Herta glanced him up and down before deducing, "I understand now; she's probably misinterpreting things."

"What do you mean by 'understand' again?" questioned Su Qing.

[Seele: Laughing so hard...]

[March 7th: Herta truly has a keen eye.]

[Witnessing Asta's retreating figure...]

[March 7th: Alas, poor Asta, so tragic.]

[Stelle: Waaaaah, Asta, that's so sad! I'm about to cry.]

[Bronya: Yet you're clearly laughing, not stopping even for a second!]

[Seele: Laugh-crying still counts as crying!]

[Stelle: Can't help it; Asta's imaginings have just enough humor in them.]

[Firefly: I-it's not that funny, right?]

[Silver Wolf: This one empathizes deeply and is genuinely close to tears.]

Su Qing arrived at Herta's office and explained his purpose.

Herta nodded. "No problem. My inbox receives numerous business cards from various individuals seeking connections; finding some novel editors among them would be easy." Pausing, Herta glanced at the food container Su Qing held. "But why should I assist you?"

Smiling, Su Qing placed the container on the table and opened it, revealing two rows of puddings. "These are the ones you mentioned wanting last time, freshly made."

The aroma reached Herta, eliciting a satisfied expression. "Excellent, very thoughtful. I appreciate it."

Herta picked up one pudding, scooped out a spoonful, and put it into their mouth.

"Hissss... Ha..."

The Herta doll displayed a look of enjoyment mixed with slight discomfort.

[March 7th: By the way, Su Qing didn't add anything unusual to his cooking... is it truly that delicious?]

[Herta: I've tested it; all normal ingredients.]

[March 7th: You actually conducted tests?!]

Su Qing didn't rush her, as witnessing others enjoy his culinary creations was always the greatest pleasure for any chef.

After Herta finished one pudding, she summoned an electronic screen in her office and began scrolling through it. Satisfied by the taste of the pudding, she paid closer attention this time.

Herta found what she was looking for and swiped on the screen. "Alright, the contact information has been sent to your phone."

"It's the chief editor from the largest fiction website under the Interastral Peace Corporation. Just mention my name."

[Stelle: Networking Skills Unveiled]

Imitating the tone of the space station staff, Su Qing expressed gratitude, "Many thanks, Lady Herta! Your greatness shines like boundless radiance, illuminating the entire space station!"

Speechless, Herta remarked, "I feel like you guys have been acting quite peculiar lately."

Pausing momentarily, Su Qing added, "Oh right, please keep this matter confidential for me."

"Understood, understood." Herta picked up another pudding to continue eating.

Seeing that their business was nearly concluded, Su Qing exchanged a few more words and planned to leave when he heard Herta call out again.

"Hey."

Turning back, he noticed the half-eaten pudding placed on the table. The Herta doll stood with hands on hips, tilting her small face upwards. "Treat her better."

"Who?"

"Asta."

Taken aback, Su Qing promptly replied, "Of course."

Back in his room, with both distribution channels and publishing platforms set up, Su Qing officially began writing his novel.

The Automatic Writing Machine, based on the outline and characters provided, could vividly depict scenes from his mind while enhancing the prose style with buffs.

Su Qing first recalled the battles involving Copper Rank Demon Hunters and earlier encounters, creating an initial outline for the early chapters.

After some thought, he realized that to write engaging combat fiction, certain details would need to be trimmed without straying from the main theme.

Thus, under the character descriptions, he filled in:

[Teammates: Demon hunter teammates, employing control-type skills in combat...]

[Sparkle: Happy.]

[Sparkle: Trimmed (×), One Cut Melody (√)]

[Kafka: ...]

[Silver Wolf: Hahaha, @Kafka, how come you don't even have a name mentioned?!?]

[Himeko: ?? Even Katherine got an alias when Su Qing later referred to her.]

[Kafka: You guys don't understand.]

[Kafka: This shows that Su Qing cherishes our story too much to include it in such combat-focused fiction.?]

[Silver Wolf: Well, you certainly know how to console yourself.]

[Himeko: Perhaps there's some truth to it, but it still brings amusement nonetheless.]

[March 7th: @Kafka, by the way, what happened to Katherine after that?]

[Kafka: She opened a psychological clinic, and her career is thriving quite well.]

[March 7th: As long as they have a good ending, that's great~]

After providing characters and an outline, Su Qing selected additional buffs for the Automatic Writing Machine: [Lively prose, emphasize intense battle descriptions, highlight satisfaction from leveling up, fast-paced rhythm.]

As he mentally sketched out the story, he watched the Automatic Writing Machine furiously typing at a speed of tens of thousands of words per hour.

The keyboard seemed on the verge of igniting with heat.

Regardless of whether this novel would truly become popular or not, it would at least generate some income.

This brought him one step closer to repaying his debt and leaving the space station.

[Stelle: Always in such a rush to leave, you're just asking for trouble.]

[March 7th: Wonder what Asta's expression will be when she reads this.]

[Silver Wolf: I'm more curious if the real-life Kafka will come across this novel.]

[Kafka, watching the Automatic Writing Machine churn out tens of thousands of words, felt her blood pressure rise as every mention of herself was merely "teammate" or "ally".]

[Kafka: ...Stop it, even reading these comments is making me uneasy.]

[Sparkle: Hilarious.]

[Sparkle: After seeing this novel, my gratitude meter will overheat—it'll be time for serious payback!]

[Silver Wolf: Looks like your attack speed just increased too.]

***

A few days later, Su Qing planned to start another simulation run.

The simulations were truly captivating.

Although virtual, the fully immersive and incredibly realistic experience surpassed any game's sensation.

[Qingque: Su Qing still thinks the simulation is just imaginary.]

[Firefly: Obsession blinds the mind, it's likely due to ingrained thinking habits.]

[Firefly: After all, at the start of my simulations, I specifically stated they were purely fictional.]

[March 7th: These joyous simulations sure love burying pitfalls! Who reads every warning tip each time?]

[Sparkle: Without hidden traps, where's the fun~, right?]

Su Qing reviewed his previous rating:

[Simulation Rating: S (640)]

[Analysis: Legendary Demon Hunter +120; Killing Demons +120; Killing Star Core Demon +200; Cultivating Successor +100; Renowned Reputation +50; Other +50.]

[Simulation Level Increased: Lv2 (80/400) → Lv3 (320/800)]

[Level Up Reward: Choose one item, Advanced Word Spirit Technique (3 uses), Talent Effect Enhancement (Small) → Talent Effect Enhancement (Small+).]

[Already obtained: Starcore Fragment, Legendary Demon Hunter Epaulette, Inherited Talent: Potential Unleashing Lv3 (40/100)]

This simulation was lengthy but yielded significant rewards.

The Starcore Fragments and Potential Unleashing didn't require further explanation, while "Legendary Demon Hunter" was a unique title obtained after defeating a Star Core Demon.

Having already chosen one of the three item rewards, Su Qing examined the remaining two bonuses.

[Advanced Word Spirit Technique: You can use level 3 (0/100) Word Spirit Technique to exert mental influence on others. Remaining Uses: 3.]

Su Qing summarized the talent levels:

Lv1 signifies proficiency,Lv2 indicates mastery,Lv3 represents expertise,Lv4 approaches extraordinary mastery,Lv5 is yet unexplored territory.

As the level increases, the gap between each hundred experience points becomes increasingly noticeable.

His current culinary skill stands at Lv4 (4/100), making it quite challenging to gain even a single point of experience.

At Lv3 (0/100), the Word Spirit Technique's effect is already significantly potent.

[Talent Effect Enhancement (Small+): At the start of a simulation, you may slightly enhance the effects of two selected talents.]

This reward was also quite good, providing immediate benefits.

Su Qing closed his eyes and began selecting the location for this simulation...

[Selected Simulation Location: Water Blue Star.]

[Brief Description: Water Blue Star, where technological advancements rapidly progress except for aerospace technology, which curiously remains stagnant. Despite years of development, Water Blue Star has never integrated with interstellar travel.]

[Main Quest: Discover the reasons behind the stagnation of Water Blue Star's aerospace technology and attempt to resolve it.]

Su Qing opened his eyes.

It seemed that this time, instead of combat-oriented scenarios, the focus would be more on research-based simulations?

He reviewed the available talents for this session.

[Theoretical Deduction (Purple): You can construct models for any task, automatically breaking them down into executable steps.]

[Scientific Eccentricity (Purple): Significantly enhances your capabilities in scientific research fields; however, greatly reduces your social skills, communication abilities, and societal reputation.]

[Focused Mind (Blue): With extreme concentration, you can consistently and uninterruptedly focus on a single task.]

[Academic Leader (Blue): You possess the charisma of an academic leader, excelling in providing scholarly insights and emotional support to others.]

[Divergent Thinking (White): Increases the probability of generating new ideas but also increases the likelihood of straying off-topic.]

[Laziness (White): You dislike exerting effort, leading to decreased work efficiency, but simultaneously reduces the chances of going astray or encountering dangerous situations.]

[Short Stature (White): Your height is not tall, but it decreases your target size when under attack.]

***

[Qingque: The last talent...]

Curious, Su Qing upgraded the final talent.

[Short Stature (White+): Your height is genuinely quite low, yet it effectively reduces your target size when under attack.]

[Qingque: What a maliciously worded description!]

Su Qing chuckled.

[Fu Xuan: This venerable one wants to knock some sense into that description.]

After briefly amusing himself, he turned serious and began making choices, starting by enhancing the two purple talents first.

[Theoretical Deduction (Purple+): You can construct models for any task and automatically break them down into executable steps. Enhances Inspiration Surge effect.]

[Scientific Eccentric (Purple+): Significantly boosts your qualifications in scientific research fields; however, drastically reduces your social skills, communication abilities, and societal reputation.]

Both the positive and negative effects of Scientific Eccentric seem quite powerful.

Su Qing then reviewed the description for Inspiration Surge:

[Inspiration Surge: While working on tasks derived from Theoretical Deduction, there is a chance to gain inspiration (Inspiration: directly increases task progress). The probability of gaining inspiration increases over time, with the progress boost depending on your inherent qualifications.]

Without hesitation, Su Qing immediately chose Theoretical Deduction!

[March 7th: Wow, what a game-breaking ability! With this talent, isn't it possible to achieve anything?]

[Herta: If the task is too difficult or one's qualifications are too poor, it might only provide a tiny bit of inspiration after millennia—what use is that?]

[March 7th: That makes sense...]

[Ruan Mei: Theoretical Deduction, in the hands of an ordinary individual, would be mediocre at best. But for someone like Su Qing, with exceptional qualifications, it becomes akin to divine skill.]

[Stelle: Even Ruan Mei chimes in.]

[Stelle: So if given to Ruan Mei, could she truly create Emanators, or even achieve Nous...?]

[Herta: Theoretically possible, but it's just another moment of fantasy.]

[Ruan Mei: Indeed, no matter how valuable, something unattainable serves little purpose.]

[Seele: Such composed individuals.]

[March 7th: But with Potential Unleashing before and Theoretical Deduction after, followed by specialized simulations for enhancement, I can't even begin to imagine...]

Su Qing had chosen Academic Leader as her second talent and enhanced it.

[Academic Leader (Blue+): You possess the charisma of an academic leader, excelling at inspiring others intellectually and emotionally. When you are part of a team, everyone's research performance is boosted.]

It was a decent improvement, adding a group-wide buff.

Once again, Su Qing closed her eyes.

[Preservation Token Simulation System, serving you.]

[Warm Reminder: Moderate simulation benefits, excessive simulation harms. Please manage your time wisely and enjoy the simulation experience.]

[Seele: Ohh! This time I noticed—indeed, there's no "purely fictional" disclaimer anymore.]

[Bronya: Not easy, huh?]

[Seele: ?]

[Simulation Starting.]

[Age 0: You are born. Your name is Su Ke.]

[Age 5: At kindergarten, you display exceptional organizational skills beyond your peers.]

[While other children argue over fruit distribution, you step forward to mediate and divide them into several groups.]

[You begin organizing experiments with the kids, aiming to determine which fruit falling on their heads sparks the most inspiration.]

[This startles the teacher, who hastily takes away the watermelon and durian from your hands.]

[Stelle: Hahaha.]

[Fu Xuan: ...Are you sure this isn't about some mad scientist?]

[March 7th: Who brought durians?!]

[Age 8: You realize your ability of Potential Unleashing.]

[Although you don't invest much effort into it, due to significantly increased efficiency, you still develop remarkable physical abilities.]

[Age 10: You awaken the Talent for Theoretical Deduction.]

[You discover that you can break down any task into detailed, simplified steps and monitor its progress in real-time.]

[With this ability, academic pursuits become remarkably effortless for you.]

[By applying Theoretical Deduction to specific subjects, you occasionally found that upon waking up, inspiration would strike, automatically teaching you the next lesson's content.]

[Sushang: So jealous!]

[Sushang: That means you can even learn and absorb knowledge while dreaming, right?!]

[Guinaifen: Don't lose heart, Sushang! Keep going! Even with just your own efforts, I believe you'll definitely succeed!]

[Stelle: Tsk tsk tsk.]

[Stelle: @Seele @Bronya, take a look at their close friendship between girlfriends—now compare it to you two.]

[Seele & Bronya: ...]

[At 12 years old, filled with interest in science, you attended a technology exhibition held in the outskirts.]

[Spotting a wild rabbit, you followed it, leaving the exhibition grounds and venturing deeper into the forest.]

[In the depths of the forest, you heard wolf howls along with faint cries for help.]

[First, you encountered a wolf. It circled around you briefly before aggressively attacking.]

[However, in the very next moment, you slapped the wolf, causing its eyes to instantly clear up. With its tail tucked between its legs, it fled.]

[Next, you found the girl seeking help nearby and reassured her that everything was okay, as the wolf had already run away.]

[Stelle (Wolf): Yes, he's right; I left voluntarily.]

[With the girl's ankle sprained, you carried her out of the forest.]

[Being around the same age, you both toured the tech exhibition together.]

[As a token of gratitude, before parting ways, the girl gifted you a souvenir. You accepted it and also gave her one in return.]

[Natasha: This child has always known how to interact well with others from a young age.]

[At 16 years old, although uninterested in class leadership roles, you consistently organized classmates for various activities and competitions, leading your team to outstanding achievements.]

[Your own academic performance ranked among the top, bolstered by Theoretical Deduction and Inspiration Surges, leaving no challenges unsolved.]

[Since even idling advanced your studies, you often felt bored and frequently helped other students with their learning.]

[With exceptional grades and highly favorable evaluations from teachers and peers alike, you secured a guaranteed admission spot.]

[At 18, after passing written exams and interviews, you successfully enrolled in the highest-ranked technical university. Your chosen field of study was Interstellar Propulsion Dynamics.]

Su Qing entered the classroom, intending to sit at the middle seat in the first row, only to find it already occupied.

It was a girl with long red hair, very beautiful, exuding a calm and intellectual demeanor.

[March 7th: Oh! It's Sister Himeko!]

So, Su Qing took a seat on the left side of the first row.

During the first class meeting at the university, as per tradition, there was a self-introduction segment. Due to his seating position, Su Qing was called up first.

With no stage fright and bolstered by the Academic Leader Talent, he delivered an impressive introduction setting a good example.

Subsequently, others stepped forward one after another. Some were enthusiastic about class activities, some appeared slightly nervous, while others seemed ready to let loose...

Su Qing attentively listened, using this opportunity to observe potential members for his future research group. Having the [Academic Leader] Talent in this simulation, it would be natural not to waste its benefits.

When it was Himeko's turn, her introduction was confident and poised, briefly outlining her academic plans, which garnered applause from the audience.

As Himeko descended from the podium, she met Su Qing's gaze.

She gently nodded, offering him a polite smile.

In Himeko's eyes, Su Qing spoke with assurance and had a convincing presence. However, that was all—at this moment, he simply appeared to be an ordinary classmate with a favorable impression.

At that moment, Himeko had no idea how their relationship would transform over the next few months.

***

[Observing Himeko in the footage.]

March 7th (with admiration): Sister Himeko in the simulation looks... absolutely stunning!

Firefly: Indeed.

Firefly: Unlike Silver Wolf and me, we just seem silly~

Silver Wolf: If you're talking about yourself, don't drag me into it!

Firefly: Sure thing, Silver Wolf, no problem at all.

During her university days, compared to her future self, Himeko exhibited less of the assured confidence seen in her Trailblazing phase but possessed more reserved seriousness and quiet grace.

Naturally, as a newly enrolled college student, she also exuded a vibrant youthful energy, brimming with vitality.

Himeko (smiling elegantly): Thank you for the compliment, little March.

Kafka: Ha, love-struck much?

Himeko...(smile freezes)

Sparkle: Enjoyable.

Himeko: It's not confirmed yet; @Black Swan might have misinterpreted things.

Black Swan: I know nothing.

Stelle: Black Swan is really going all out to avoid spoilers, huh?

March 7th: Hurry up! @Black Swan, spill the beans! I want to see Sister Himeko falling in love?!

Himeko: Little March...

In the past, Himeko found it amusing watching March 7th ship various couples. However, now that the spotlight was on herself, her feelings became quite mixed.

[Kafka: Let me guess.]

[Kafka: Surely it's Su Qing confessing to Himeko and getting brutally rejected, right?]

[Himeko: Perhaps, but what if it's the other way around?]

[Himeko: Maybe Su Qing fell head over heels for me at first sight, turning him love-struck.]

[Kafka (instantly dismissing): Impossible.]

[Firefly: Impossible.]

[Herta: Impossible.]

[March 7th: Aiya, with Su Qing's wooden brain!]

[March 7th: Sister Himeko, I want to support you, but the chances of that seem really low...]

[Himeko: ...Alright then.]

Indeed.

Su Qing had grown up alongside Asta, his exceptionally beautiful childhood friend. Even when interacting with charming girls like Firefly, he remained unfazed. Furthermore, he raised Kafka, who was not only physically attractive but also quite clingy.

Given this context, Himeko found it hard to imagine Su Qing falling instantly in love based solely on appearance. Yet at the same time, she struggled even more to envision herself deeply immersed in romance...

On the Astral Express, Himeko, with her long red hair and dressed in a white dress, rested her chin on her left hand while gently caressing the coffee cup handle with her right. She gazed at her phone propped before her, curious about how the story would unfold next.

***

***

[After listening to your classmates' self-introductions, you have formed initial impressions of them.]

[Your preference for your research team members is as follows:]

[A. High-achieving students; prioritize academics.]

[B. Fun-loving individuals; embrace a joyful college experience.]

[C. Wealthy participants; secure funding support.]

[D. Approach the class advisor at the lectern and tap them on the shoulder: "Can you help me?"]