Into the Cosmos (Star Rail SI, Chaos Gacha) (Patreon)

Chapter 10: A Home Built on Borrowed Time

Looking back at the blank look March was sending me, along with a curious Pom-Pom, I smiled calmly, deciding to completely ignore what Virgo had said as I walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“As you’ve heard from her own mouth, this here is Virgo. A Celestial Spirit that I got as a reward from my power. She’s very skilled in Earth magic, and as her uniform suggests… she’s a maid,” I introduced.

“…So you just met her today?” March asked, giving me a dubious look.

“That’s correct.” I nodded, internally relieved as March stopped giving me that judging look and instead turned back to Virgo with curiosity, and a hint of suspicion.

“You have no need to worry about her. She is completely loyal to me and will do as I ask,” I reassured her before applying a bit of pressure to Virgo’s shoulder and turning to her with a pointed look. “Right, Virgo?”

Of course, being the masochist that she was, Virgo simply blushed slightly at my tone and nodded firmly.

“Of course, Master. I am yours to do with as you will,” she said submissively.

Nodding in satisfaction, I removed my hand before turning to Pom-Pom.

“Oh, and Pom-Pom,” I called out, getting the cute conductor’s attention and making their ears twitch.

“Virgo here will also be helping out around the Astral Express when she’s not busy with other tasks. So feel free to be firm with her, and don’t hesitate to call her out if she’s slacking,” I said in a steady tone.

At my words, Virgo began squirming again, her blush deepening as she nodded eagerly.

“As you wish, Caelus-sama,” she said with a small bow. Then, in a lower tone, she added, “Ah… I can already tell I will enjoy working for you~”

I felt my eyebrow twitch as I noticed March had heard that. She was once again staring at Virgo with a strange look, like she was trying to figure out what exactly was wrong with her.

“Hmm… okay. If she’s your companion, then I guess she can stay,” Pom-Pom declared with a nod, placing their hands on their hips. “It will also help having a proper maid on the Express.”

“Great! Anyway, we’re getting off track, how about we begin?” I said, jumping in with a smile.

“Sounds good to me. The faster we finish, the faster I can go back to my room and take a nap. Himeko was right, I need one to properly process everything that’s happened today,” March said with a sigh before shaking her head and placing her hands on her hips with a nod.

“Yeah, I could really use a nap as well,” I agreed, rolling up my sleeves. “Well, let’s get to it.”

“Right.”

With that, we all got to work on the meticulous task of cleaning my future room.

Several hours later, we finally finished, leaving the room feeling a bit empty given how large it was. All of us looked around with tired yet satisfied expressions.

Virgo, who had incredibly high endurance due to her… particular interests, and whose power scaled with my own, had been a huge help. She had handled most of the work.

With her strength, moving the heavy metal shelves had become effortless, something she took care of personally… likely enjoying it like the pervert she was.

At least seeing her work so hard had finally stopped March from sending her—and more importantly, me—judging stares, which I counted as a win.

“Whew~ I’m glad that’s over,” March said, letting out a sigh as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.

“With that done, Pom-Pom has some good news for you, Caelus,” Pom-Pom said, looking at me with a slightly smug expression.

“What is it?” I asked, tilting my head curiously while wiping my hands on a rag Virgo had handed me. She stood silently by my side.

“Pom-Pom has prepared a starter fund to help you kick-start your renovations. You can use it to set up your bedroom!” Pom-Pom declared proudly.

“That’s great, Pom-Pom~” I said with a smile, then blinked as I suddenly remembered something.

I wasn’t poor anymore.

Thanks to the Endless Purse of Gold, and my earlier deal with Asta, I was actually loaded.

Still, I wanted to see how this process worked. I hadn’t seen any spare furniture lying around, so my guess was that Pom-Pom simply… summoned it somehow. Whether it was the power of the Trailblaze, the Astral Express itself, or just something inherent to our adorable conductor, I had no clue and didn’t really care honestly.

“Let’s do this~ I want to see how your bedroom looks once it has some actual furniture in it,” March said excitedly.

A moment later, I blinked as a HUD appeared in front of me, displaying different options for decorating my room. At the bottom was a currency count, just enough for a bed and a desk.

Glancing around, I noticed that neither March nor Pom-Pom seemed surprised. Only Virgo looked at the floating screen with mild curiosity.

So… normal, then.

With a shrug, I selected the only available option, basic furniture.

A second later, I blinked again as a bed with gold sheets and a desk appeared out of thin air right in front of us.

‘Yep… not even going to question this,’ I thought flatly.

“Phew! We’re finally done! Caelus has taken his first step toward completing his room!” Pom-Pom declared proudly, smiling. “Pom-Pom is so glad~”

“Hahaha~ One small step for Caelus, one giant leap for humankind overcoming procrastination!” March teased, hands on her hips as she looked at me.

“Hmph. I’ll have you know that even without your help, I would have eventually renovated my bedroom. If not, I could always sleep in a cardboard box for a few days, no big deal,” I said with a shrug, which earned me a fond, exasperated sigh from March.

“Ah, Caelus-sama is indeed the Master I’ve always wished for,” Virgo muttered to herself, her expression mostly blank, except for her eyes, which were shining with happiness.

Already used to her antics, we all ignored her as I turned to Pom-Pom to discuss my idea.

“Actually, Pom-Pom, if I were to give you the funds, could I decorate my room however I want?” I asked curiously, tilting my head.

Pom-Pom and March blinked at that. A second later, March frowned, confusion clear on her pretty face.

“What are you talking about? Aren’t you, like… super broke?” March asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Correction!” I exclaimed dramatically, raising a hand with my index finger pointed upward. “I was broke. But have you forgotten about my Endless Purse of Gold?” I said, turning to her with a smug grin.

March blinked again, then her eyes widened in realization before she let out a tired sigh.

“Right… I honestly forgot, if I’m being honest. You have way too many abilities for me to keep track of,” she pouted, crossing her arms.

“Hahaha, well, I hope you keep track, because that list is only going to get longer,” I declared smugly, puffing out my chest.

“Hmph! Whatever.” March pouted childishly and looked away, then suddenly blinked and turned back to me, her eyes sparkling.

“Wait! This means I never have to worry about saving credits again, since you’ll take care of the tab~!” she cheered, pumping her fist in the air.

“Tsk. I never said I’d be paying for you,” I muttered under my breath, rolling my eyes.

“What was that, mister!? I hope you’re not forgetting the beautiful and very kind girl who looked after you on Herta’s Space Station!” March exclaimed, narrowing her eyes as she stalked toward me semi-threateningly, forcing me to take a step back.

“…Fine. Just don’t expect me to pay for everything. A meal here and there is okay,” I muttered, looking away. I couldn’t quite resist her expression… and I did owe her, considering everything she’d done for me.

‘Besides… those outings could count as dates,’ I thought with a small, hopeful smile.

“Score~! That’s one for March 7th and zero for Caelus!” March declared triumphantly, her expression doing a 180 and reverting back to her usual personality letting me know that she had just tricked me.

Not that being tricked by a pretty girl was that big of a deal anyway.

“Ahem. To answer your question, Caelus,” Pom-Pom suddenly interrupted with a fake cough, looking up at me. “I suppose that’s fine, but make sure you still do your chores around the Express, okay? Pom-Pom won’t tolerate anyone who doesn’t contribute.”

Delighted, I turned back to Pom-Pom, and before I could stop myself, I picked them up and hugged them tightly against my chest.

“Awesome! You won’t regret this, Pom-Pom~!” I exclaimed, spinning them around happily.

“L-Let go of Pom-Pom!” Pom-Pom squeaked in distress.

After one final spin, I set them down as requested and turned my attention back to the HUD, noticing that many more options had become available.

“Sweet. Here, Pom-Pom, let me know if you need more,” I said, summoning about half a million credits from my inventory and casually handing them over.

Pom-Pom’s eyes widened.

“Alright… I’ve always wanted to design my own room,” I said, rubbing my hands together excitedly as I began browsing through the options.

“I’ll be right back! I have a housewarming present!” March called out as she dashed off. I heard the door open behind me—

—but I was already too focused on the endless customization options.

With everything appearing out of thin air as if by magic, it only took a few minutes for my room to go from empty, with just a bed and desk in the middle, to an exact replica of the one from the game.

While selecting my options, I had noticed that the system was basically guiding me into building the room this way. Not that I minded, the room I remembered from the game was stylish, comfortable, and completely to my taste.

I had even added a small futon for Virgo in one corner at her request. She didn’t want a bed and, in her own words, a servant shouldn’t be afforded such luxuries.

I chose to ignore her antics and did as she asked.

Just as I finished up, I heard the door open again, revealing March. She stopped at the entrance and looked around in surprise.

“Whoa! Your room looks awesome~ You even have your own fridge and kitchen area!” March exclaimed happily as she immediately started inspecting everything that caught her interest, a pillow clutched in her hands.

“You even have your own bath!?” she added in shock before turning to me with pleading eyes. “Hey, Caelus, you’ll let me use it, right? You’re a boy, so I bet you won’t even use it that much. I’m sure it won’t be a problem if I borrow it every now and then.”

Blinking at her intense expression, arguably even more dangerous than when she tricked me into paying for her meals, I paused to think for a moment.

‘Hmm… allowing a beautiful girl to take baths in my room… which means she’ll be completely naked… and there’s a chance I might accidentally walk in…’

“Deal,” I said immediately, nodding without hesitation as I gave her a smile. “Just let me know beforehand.”

“Score~!” March cheered. In her excitement, she pulled me into a quick hug before pulling away just as fast, a faint blush on her cheeks. She then shoved the pillow in her arms into my chest.

“Anyway, here! This is for you. Aren’t you lucky I bought so many pillows?” she said, clearly trying to move the conversation along.

“Thanks, March,” I replied, playing along as I took the pillow and placed it on my bed, adding the final touch to my room.

“Well, it seems we’re done. You’ve done well today, Caelus. Get some rest tonight!” Pom-Pom declared happily.

“There’s a ton of duties waiting tomorrow. I won’t let you slack off~,” March added with a teasing grin.

She then blinked, noticing Virgo standing quietly to the side.

“By the way… where is Virgo going to sleep? If she wants, she can crash in my room for today. I’m too exhausted to go looking for another room for her and cleaning it.”

“Please don’t worry about me, Miss March,” Virgo spoke up before I could respond, making me internally sigh as I braced for what was coming next. “As Caelus-sama’s maid and servant, I will naturally be staying in his room. Master was even kind enough to prepare a place for me to rest.”

She pointed toward the corner where her futon was laid out.

March blinked as her words processed, then her face turned red as she slowly looked back at me, eyes narrowing.

“…Are you serious?” she asked flatly, placing her hands on her hips. “Caelus, don’t you have something to say about this!?”

Sweating slightly under her tone, I found myself unsure how to answer. In the end, I decided to go with the truth.

“Well, since the room is so big, I don’t see an issue with her staying here… and I don’t want to keep relying on you more than I already have,” I said, scratching the back of my head nervously.

March didn’t look pleased with my answer. She held my gaze for a moment before letting out a sigh and giving both of us a stern look.

“I guess that’s fair. But no funny business, alright?” she said firmly.

I nodded immediately, I had no intention of trying anything with Virgo tonight… mostly because I was exhausted.

Virgo, on the other hand, turned red, her gaze growing hazy as she clearly started fantasizing.

“Right,” I said quickly, hoping that would be enough.

March narrowed her eyes slightly, studying me for a moment before finally seeming satisfied and nodding to herself.

“Alright then. Good night, you two. Sweet dreams~” she said as she and Pom-Pom finally left, closing the door behind them.

With that, it was just me and Virgo.

Letting out a tired sigh, I dropped onto my bed and lay back, staring up at the ceiling in silence as I reflected on everything that had happened today.

“Is there anything you require, Caelus-sama?” Virgo asked as she stepped up beside the bed and looked down at me with her usual blank expression. “Perhaps… punishment time?”

Rolling my eyes at her one-track mind, I lazily reached out, thankfully she was within arm’s reach, and gave her a quick, sharp spank on her curvy ass.

She let out a soft moan, her cheeks flushing.

“Hush, Virgo. Let me think in peace,” I said tiredly, doing my best not to dwell on the fact that her ass was amazingly soft and firm.

“Y-Yes, Caelus-sama. Thank you,” she replied shamelessly.

I rolled my eyes again and pushed myself up.

As much as I wanted to sleep and deal with everything later, I still had a few things to take care of. I wasn’t about to start procrastinating now even if a part of me wanted to.

Summoning the 1-UP mushroom, it appeared in my hand a moment later. I stared down at the large green-and-white cap with a slight grimace.

“Ugh… I was never a fan of mushrooms, but I can’t deny how useful this is,” I muttered, psyching myself up.

Taking a deep breath, I shoved the whole thing into my mouth.

“Bottoms up.”

After chewing quickly, I swallowed and let out a small sigh of relief. Then I pulled out my phone and turned to Virgo, who was still faintly flushed.

“Virgo,” I called, snapping her out of her thoughts. “Can you read this language?” I asked, holding up my phone.

She tilted her head, leaned in to look for a moment, then shook her head.

“I’m afraid not, Caelus-sama.”

“Figured,” I muttered.

Reaching into my inventory, I pulled out a small syringe and handed it to her, having gotten a few of them at the Space Station.

“Here. Inject yourself with this. It should let you understand most languages in this universe.”

Without hesitation, Virgo took the Synesthesia Beacon and injected herself. Her expression didn’t change at all.

A moment later, she looked back at my phone and blinked.

“I can understand it now, Caelus-sama,” she said with a small nod.

Satisfied, I glanced at the empty injector before putting it away. I had already tried one myself, and it hadn’t solved my problem.

I still couldn’t read.

It seemed I’d either have to relearn to write a language from scratch… or hope the Gacha eventually gave me something to fix it.

In the end, I wasn’t too worried. I could still understand people just fine.

At worst, it was just an inconvenience.

To be honest, my Alcoholism curse was more of a pain to deal with. My mouth felt dry, and I had an almost overwhelming urge to head downstairs and grab a drink, I already knew there was alcohol there.

Shaking my head, I forced the thought away and focused back on Virgo to distract myself.

“Would you mind reading any messages I’ve received?” I asked, recalling the notification about a certain gamer/hacker girl being annoyed at me for ignoring her messages.

“Yes, Caelus-sama.”

With deft hands, Virgo quickly navigated to the messages section.

“You have messages from a person named Asta, Silver Wolf… and Anonymous,” Virgo said, glancing at me. “Which one would you like me to read first?”

‘Anonymous?’ I thought, raising an eyebrow. ‘Who could that be?’