Thump thump—
A dull sound echoed through the train car. It wasn't loud, like something tapping on glass.
In his sleep, Shu's eyelids fluttered. He rolled over from his side onto his back, but his eyes didn't open.
Thump thump— Perhaps because there was no response, the tapping sound came again. It didn't seem to originate from inside the train, but rather like something was knocking on the train itself.
Shu's eyes snapped open. He sprang out of bed in one motion.
The pseudo-Xuanyuan Sword, leaning in the corner, instantly shot to Shu's side, circling him, ready to strike.
Something was outside the train!
Shu glanced at the drawn curtains, his brow furrowed. After a moment, he directed the sword to slowly approach the window and flick open the curtain with its tip.
The view hidden by the curtain gradually revealed itself—still the familiar expanse of white snow, a result of the accumulated snowfall.
What is it...? Shu narrowed his eyes, having already used [Wish] to grant himself optimal vision.
A yellow object suddenly appeared in the gap revealed by the curtain. A large, round, yellow face with a mischievous grin smacked right onto the windowpane.
Shu jolted, his hand trembling, nearly triggering the pseudo-Xuanyuan Sword to strike straight through the glass at the unidentified object.
Highly strung nerves really couldn't handle things suddenly popping into view like that!!
Fortunately, Shu had also boosted his own reaction speed, allowing him to recognize what was plastered against the glass just before attacking...
Homu?!!
Shu's narrowed eyes widened instantly. He stood there, utterly bewildered.
That big yellow face, that grin stretching from ear to ear, those mischievous eyes...
Wasn't that just a Homu?!
Is this a prank by Bronya and Kiana?
That was Shu's first thought.
The Homu pressed against the window had its face squished out of shape. Its large, cheeky eyes darted around, seemingly observing the inside of the train car.
Otto hadn't replaced all the windows with one-way privacy glass when modifying the Hyperion, so it was possible to see Shu standing dumbfounded inside his room from the outside.
"Ho?! Mu!! (Is...? Human!!)" The Homu seemed to let out a startled cry. Then, its entire body began to shake violently.
"Homu! (Can't keep balance!!)"
It wobbled like a blade of grass in a strong wind, swaying back and forth like one of those inflatable tube men outside a promotional sale. Its short little arms flailed wildly in the air, its eyes squeezed shut into ">.<" shapes.
After swaying back and forth two or three times, right before Shu's eyes, the Homu finally tumbled down.
Shu fell silent. He looked at the now unobscured window, then around the room, finally settling his gaze back on the bed he had just left.
Diagnosis complete: he was most likely still asleep.
Torn between going back to bed and investigating further, Shu chose the latter.
He wouldn't resort to self-deception unless absolutely necessary.
Looking down from the window, Shu became even more convinced he was still dreaming, experiencing some kind of bizarre "sweet dream."
At least, for Bronya Zaychik, this would definitely qualify as a sweet dream.
Dozens of Homus—varying in color, appearance, and size—were gathered around several Homus who had fallen flat on their backs, including the one that had just been at the window.
Judging by their height, Shu estimated the tallest one would only reach his knee. Even counting their upright ears, they wouldn't come past his waist.
It seemed the few Homus had employed a stacking tactic, like a game of Jenga, to reach the height of the train window, allowing the yellow Homu to peek inside.
After the scare, the "Homu Tower" naturally lost its balance, causing the stacked Homus to tumble to the ground.
...Surely he was still dreaming, right?
"Waaah!!" Kiana's shriek echoed through the entire train car, making Shu, who had also maxed out his hearing, flinch and cover his ears.
The next moment, the sound of two doors being flung open followed. Shu turned helplessly, just in time to see Kiana burst into his room.
Kiana's hair was a mess, her eyes wide with lingering fear. She wore a slipper on one foot, while the other was bare. Clearly, she was in a real panic.
"Shu... outside...!" Seeing Shu standing by the bed, Kiana struggled to organize her thoughts, trying to express something.
"Kiana! What's wrong?!" Just as Shu was about to speak, Mei rushed over, asking Kiana urgently.
Mei was still in her pajamas, obviously woken by Kiana's door-slamming and immediately putting on shoes to investigate.
"What's outside? Are they enemies?" Mei also saw Shu standing by the bed and asked quickly.
Shu still hadn't managed to speak. Kiana finally spat out the rest of the sentence she'd been struggling with.
"It's all Homus outside!!"
"Huh?" Mei's expression flickered through a fascinating range of emotions for a split second. Shu rarely saw such a colorful display on Mei's usually gentle yet resolute face.
Are you kidding me? Am I still dreaming? Seriously? What Homus?
Mei looked at Shu seeking confirmation. Shu could only nod silently and step aside to let the still-half-asleep Mei pass.
Mei and Kiana hurried to the window, pressing close to look outside.
By now, the fallen Homus had gotten up, sporting cartoonish dizzy swirls and 'X's for eyes, rubbing their bottoms and heads.
A few of the spectator Homus seemed to notice the gazes from above. Looking up, they saw several humans pressed against the window, watching them with curiosity.
"Homu! (It really is humans!!)" A Homu with a flower tucked behind its rabbit ear exclaimed in surprise. Instantly, all dozens of Homus turned their faces in unison, staring up at the people inside the train.
"Homu! (It's humans!)"
"Homumu!! (It's humans who don't need stacking!!)"
Seeing the growing commotion among the Homus below, Mei rubbed her eyes, regaining her usual composure. "Shu... what's going on?"
Following her usual habit when facing the unknown, Mei directed her question to Shu first.
Is this also part of the Honkai?
Shu silently shook his head. How would he know what was happening? His only guess was that they were all actually dreaming right now.
"Right, where's Bronya?" Mei remembered there was one more person on the train, and Bronya's room was even closer to Shu's than Mei's own.
The missing Bronya appeared at the doorway, head bowed low. Her appearance—pajamas, slippers, silent—made Mei pause.
"Bronya?" Mei called out uneasily, looking at the figure who resembled a little girl from a horror movie appearing at the end of a hallway.
"Mei-neechan... Shu... This place..."
Bronya lifted her head, revealing a face radiant with pure bliss.
"This place... is heaven..."