Chapter 89: Fellow Travelers (Combined Edition)

“Oh wow, Master got rejected~”
“Just as expected—trash-tier Masters aren’t popular with Mecha Girls~”

Stella grabbed Derek Su’s hand and gently patted his back with the other, soothing him. “Don’t be afraid, Master. Stella will never leave you, and I’ll never reject you. Only Stella will be this devoted to you. After all, you’re a trash-tier pilot, so you have to treat Stella well, okay?”

Derek Su: “...”

So the question was—where did Stella learn these PUA lines?
If he ever found out who taught her this nonsense, he’d shove a pineapple shell straight into that person’s face!

Seeing Derek Su looking dejected, Stella dropped the teasing. She hugged his arm, pressed her cheek against it, and said seriously, “Master, haven’t you noticed that Purple Lightning treats you differently than she treats Leon Li?”

“Huh? What’s different?” Derek Su froze.

Both he and Leon Li had been rejected. But after rejecting Leon Li, she at least didn’t run away.
After rejecting him, Purple Lightning turned around and bolted like she was dodging the plague.

That was the real blow.

He didn’t think he was exceptionally handsome, but to normal people he was definitely good-looking—and tall, too.
More importantly, his skills were top-tier. He was that good and still got rejected! This was an outrage against natural law!!

“Purple Lightning told Leon Li that she would absolutely never become any driver’s Mecha Girl—and she said it without holding back,” Stella said, tapping her red lips with a finger, her eyes sparkling mischievously. “But to you, she only said ‘sorry.’ Master, you know what ‘sorry’ means, right? I think she wanted to accept your feelings, but because of some special reason, she couldn’t. And the fact that she turned around and ran away? That’s classic avoidance—she didn’t dare face you!”

All of the above was complete nonsense. Stella was just trying to cheer her Master up.

Derek Su narrowed his eyes. “When you put it that way… it actually sounds kind of reasonable.”

“Right? Right?!” Stella laughed. “So Master wasn’t rejected because he was disliked!”

“Then I’ll invite her again when there’s another chance,” Derek Su said, finally relaxing.

If Purple Lightning really hated him, he’d have to seriously reflect on whether there was something wrong with his behavior.
All the other Mecha Girls cared—only Stella didn’t.

...

The underground black market race came to an end, and Derek Su’s assets smoothly climbed to over four million.

He didn’t return to Zane’s place, instead heading straight to the black market to look for Xavier Young. Coincidentally, Stella also said she had something to discuss with Lumina, so the two split up, each handling their own business.

“Derek Su, you don’t come to my place without a reason,” Xavier Young said the moment he saw him. “Just say it—I’ll help however I can!”

One look at Derek Su told Xavier Young something was up. Unsteady steps, wandering eyes, hands rubbing together… tsk, tsk. This was definitely something big.

“Well, Xavier Young,” Derek Su said, taking a deep breath, his expression solemn and tense, “before I say this, you have to promise not to judge my character—and you absolutely cannot tell anyone. It has to stay strictly confidential!”

Xavier Young’s heart skipped a beat.

Oh hell.
Don’t tell him Derek Su killed someone?!

He’d heard Derek Su and Stella went to the neighboring black market to race Leon Li in an underground match.
Could it be… Leon Li got taken out?!

“Derek Su, let’s talk inside,” Xavier Young said quickly, leading him into a room. He shut the doors and windows, took a few precautions, then turned back with a grave expression. “Say it. No matter how big it is, Xavier Young’s got you covered!”

“Well…” Derek Su fidgeted awkwardly. “Stella invited me to a private hot spring, and I…”

Xavier Young’s eyes went wide. “You accepted?!”

“Uh… yeah. I—I agreed.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Derek Su braced himself, ready for moral judgment.

But Xavier Young said nothing.

Derek Su sneaked a glance at him—
and realized Xavier Young’s gaze looked… warmer than before?!

“Derek Su,” Xavier Young said, grabbing Derek Su’s hand, eyes shining. “A true role model! Getting a Mecha Girl to invite you to a private hot spring—do you know how hard I had to beg Lumina back then just to go together? Ah, those days…”

“Xavier Young—you!” Derek Su’s pupils shook.

He suddenly realized he’d misunderstood something very badly.

“You weren’t…?”

“Well, that day you looked so proper and serious,” Xavier Young said with a sigh. “I thought, hey, I’m not exactly young anymore—I can’t let you look down on me, right? So I put on an act, played the gentleman. Who knew you were putting on a fake act too? What a misunderstanding, huh?”

Derek Su let out a bitter laugh.

This misunderstanding had made him reflect on himself for an entire day.
Turns out, Xavier Young was one of his people.

With everything out in the open, the atmosphere instantly relaxed. With no more mental burden, Derek Su got straight to the point. “Xavier Young, I came today to ask—when it comes to soaking in a private hot spring with a Mecha Girl, what are the rules? What should I prepare?”

Xavier Young was a rookie himself—plenty of desire, zero guts. Aside from massaging Lumina’s legs and occasionally catching a glimpse, he hadn’t done anything else. Still, in front of Derek Su, he had to maintain the image of an experienced big brother. It was a matter of pride.

He frowned deeply, putting on a profound expression. After a full half-minute of thinking, he finally spoke with grave seriousness:

“Derek Su, since you’re asking so sincerely, I’ll tell you. The most important thing when interacting with a Mecha Girl is… sincerity.”

“Sincerity?” Derek Su felt he’d already been very sincere with Stella.

“That’s right!”

“Could you be more specific?”

“Uh…” Xavier Young hesitated, then forced himself onward. “In an ambiguous environment like that, it’s only natural for us to have some… questionable thoughts. That’s a human flaw—but also human nature. We can’t avoid it. What matters is that at such times, we strive to keep our minds pure.”

He placed a firm hand on Derek Su’s shoulder, eyes resolute, expression solemn.
“Derek Su, do you understand what I mean?”

Derek Su was completely dizzy from the explanation and shook his head blankly.

Xavier Young sighed inwardly, thinking this guy was hopeless—but still explained in detail:

“It means doing questionable things with a straight face. The actions may be questionable, but the thoughts must remain absolutely pure. This is—sincerity!”

He recalled how excited he’d been when he massaged Lumina’s legs back then.
Sure, his hands would gradually drift off course, but in his heart he kept telling himself he was only helping his Mecha Girl relax her muscles. She’d been racing all day—she was exhausted. The more he thought about it, the more sincere he felt, until it all seemed perfectly justified. Later, when Lumina deliberately teased him about it, he could face her calmly, with a clear conscience.

Watching Xavier Young’s righteous expression, Derek Su’s eyes grew brighter and brighter.

So this was the true essence of soaking in a private hot spring with a Mecha Girl.
He had finally understood.

...

Meanwhile, in Lumina’s room.

With her face flushed, Stella shyly asked Lumina how she could use the opportunity of being alone with Derek Su in the private hot spring to quickly deepen their relationship.

Lumina looked at Stella in surprise, her gaze slowly turning suggestive.

“Stella, do you like your Master?”

Stella froze. Her face grew redder and redder as she covered her burning cheeks, mumbling softly, “Lumina, why—why would you ask something so direct?”

“Because this is very important. Only after understanding the depth of your feelings can I decide what you should do next.”

“Th-then… I think I do like him,” Stella said hesitantly.

“How much?” Lumina continued. “Human lifespans are finite, but Mecha Girls live forever. When that final day comes, what will you do?”

Stella had never thought about something so heavy. All she knew was that being by Derek Su’s side made her happy—fulfilled. She just wanted to stay with him forever.

But Lumina’s blunt reminder of reality left her stunned.

If that day really came… what would she do?

As she thought about it, tears began to fall, one by one. She stared blankly at Lumina, sniffling as she said:

“If Master is going to die of old age… then I’ll extract my AI Core beside him and go back to the furnace too. I—I don’t want to live in a world without him.”

“You’re very brave, Stella.”

Lumina took Stella’s hand, pulling her into an embrace and gently stroking her head in comfort.

Since Stella had said this, Lumina understood Derek Su’s place in her heart.

“If you want to deepen your bond with your Master, you have to know what he likes most.”

Lumina thought of how Xavier Young adored her legs—so she would deliberately rest them on his lap.
Every time she did that, Xavier Young would be especially happy.

Stella nodded slowly.

What did Derek Su like? A few images surfaced in her mind. She had a rough idea now.

“Besides that, since you’re going to the hot springs to relax, bring some snacks and prepare some cheerful topics. Oh, and drivers have it tough too. Driving us all day is exhausting. Some older drivers neglect maintenance and end up with constant back pain—you could help your Master massage his waist or back. That requires fairly professional technique, so you have to be careful.”

“Mm!” Stella nodded seriously.

Master’s preferences. Snacks. Topics. Professional massage.
She memorized everything.

“Lumina.”

“Yes?”

“Is there a way to make Master live a hundred years?”

Lumina paused, then laughed softly, pinching Stella’s soft cheeks. “There is. Once you become world-class, someone will help you make that happen.”

“Then I’ll definitely become world-class! I’ll make Master live a hundred years!”

The light in Stella’s eyes grew even firmer.

Before, becoming world-class was for the honor of Mecha Girls.
Now, her goal had changed.

And yet, she felt more motivated than ever.

As long as Master could live a hundred years, she and Master could stay together forever… right?

Lumina looked at the determination in Stella’s eyes and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
The price of a hundred-year lifespan—
is an unbearably heavy responsibility.

The responsibility of bearing the fate of the entire world.