CHAPTER 31: 31: HELPER’S FIRST DAY

Two gazes met in stillness.

One soul bound by choice, the other bound with no choice.

In that instant, both souls understood they served one master.

There was no need to ask why or how.

What mattered was that they both already knew their special identity.

Lolo raised his hand, a polite smile on his lips, and began introducing himself through sign language.

Samantha understood that this young man could not speak.

Perhaps he was mute.

"I’m Samantha, the Train Ticket Attendant. It’s nice meeting you."

She returned his courtesy, raising her hand for a handshake.

Lolo felt a bit shy in his heart, the tips of his ears turning red as his hands trembled with reluctance.

Even so, with Aria’s gentle nod of encouragement, he placed his hand out as Samantha taught him how to shake hands.

Aria was very pleased to see her two new people getting along, and she felt relieved knowing she didn’t have to worry about them.

"Good, good, you both are going to be well acquainted." Aria clasped her hands together with a bright smile.

"Sam, his name is Lolo, and he will be someone who will help us in the station with errands. Please take care of him when I’m not around."

Samantha nodded with a small smile.

"Of course, Miss Aria. Consider it done."

"I’m relieved to leave Lolo in your care. And look at the results—just look at these chubby cheeks!"

Aria lightly pinched Little Carlos’s cheek, making the little guy giggle.

He didn’t move away, letting his gentle sister caress his smooth face.

As if suddenly remembering, Aria lifted her head to look at Lolo and Samantha.

"If you have free time, you can teach Lolo how to read and write."

Moving ahead, the group left their spot and went straight to the waiting area.

The two brothers began chatting with Lolo.

With curious Little Carlos leading the way, the mute teenager couldn’t escape their jolly company.

"Lolo, you can’t speak? Sister Samantha said you are mute. But it’s okay, if you can’t talk, I’ll be here to talk with you."

"Carlos, don’t call him mute."

Lucas said from the side, ready to step in if his little brother became too much.

"Do you have magical cards? I have one! With it, I can get lots of food, clothes, and shiny toys!"

Speaking of these magical cards, they were actually train tickets.

Aria had gone with Samantha to the cashier booth to get Lolo’s special train ticket card.

Since he was now soul-contracted to the Stationmaster as the Helper.

That was equal to becoming an employee of the Heavenly Train Station.

In less than a second, Lolo’s special premium train card was printed, identical to Samantha’s.

When the teenager held it, he fell into a moment of trance, staring at the card for quite a while.

It felt as if he finally had an identity he had never possessed before.

To Lolo, the train card looked like something he had only ever seen in magazines or picture books.

Even though he could neither read nor understand the words written on it, his heart was truly content.

Aria explained that it would serve as his currency system within the train station, as well as his train pass, and that only he could be its true owner.

No one else could use it, and even if it were lost, the train card would always return to him at the end of the day.

"Wow, it’s so shiny! Why is Brother Lolo’s shinier than mine? I want mine to be shiny too!"

"Carlos, don’t be naughty. You have your own shiny card." Lucas lightly reprimanded his little brother.

Since their sister Aria had left and hadn’t been able to return for two days, his younger sibling hadn’t been this mischievous.

But with their new gentle sister Samantha, who loved taking care of children, Carlos now had someone to spoil him.

"Hmph!"

Perhaps a bit too much.

Lolo gave another sign in response to the little one, showing that he was willing to treat him with his train card.

He couldn’t read or write, but he knew what currency looked like.

In the base, people didn’t use money like before.

Transactions were made with infected cores and other valuable items.

Aria translated Lolo’s sign language so the children could understand him.

Hearing that he would be treated to food, the little guy jumped for joy.

"Are you saying the Train Mall Stop has a newly opened clothing shop for children?"

In the apocalypse, basic necessities for children were much scarcer than those for adults.

It would be good for the two brothers, since Aria had already been thinking about where they would get their new clothes after arriving here.

Thereafter, Samantha explained in detail what had happened over the past two days.

Aria suddenly hadn’t returned to Wishing Stop Station after guiding those three men on the train.

Lucas and Little Carlos woke up hungry, searching for their gentle sister, and Samantha had to talk to and coax them.

Seeing the two children together with her master before, Samantha thought they were very important people related to Aria.

She did not dare neglect them, and she also liked children the most.

Looking at their dirty faces only made her feel miserable for them.

At first, the sight of a train vanishing into nowhere and moving through the gray, dark scenery scared the new ticket attendant.

It wasn’t until the train stopped at a platform with a mall inside that she felt relieved.

Lucas was a smart kid and managed to explain everything to her, while Little Carlos was already running ahead to the Food Court.

The smell of steaming, hot, delicious meals reached her nose.

Samantha’s mouth almost watered, and she gulped once.

From then on, they continued eating at this place every day.

They spent their time either looking around, sleeping in the staff room, or waiting for Aria outside.

Who would have thought that the sudden arrival of two young males yesterday, nearly the same age as Lolo, could change the Train Mall Stop Station?

A newly opened store for children’s clothes had just opened in the mall.

These two new passengers dared to buy children’s clothes using all of their credits.

"Do you have any idea where they are now?" Aria asked as they made their way toward the train platform.

A familiar beep sounded from the two children’s ticket cards as they walked through the ticket gate.