"Hmph hmph, truly miraculous. To restrain this unawakened Stellaron and save the Azure Star from disaster, I built this entire space station."
"Yet someone achieves the same result with just this kid's body. How did they do it?" Herta meticulously examined Star's body, as if appraising merchandise.
"And the Stellaron is very stable within her body," Himeko added.
"Indeed. This little one's constitution is truly special."
Star stood there awkwardly, pointing at herself.
Me?
Yes, you.
"I'm not a little one!" Star declared righteously.
"Hmph, compared to me, how old are you?" Herta smirked devilishly (not really).
Everyone present is an old monster (not really).
"Looks can be deceiving, Herta. This body of yours looks much younger than Star," Himeko remarked.
If Honkai: Star Rail has its own humanoid natural disaster, it would have to be the Little Stellaron Spirit.
Tian An thought, somewhat distractedly gazing outside the space station... Yes, she was observing the starry sky again.
The shadows left behind were always hard to dispel.
"Hey, you, little pink-hair."
Tian An heard someone call her. Lowering her head, she found a small head right in front of her, looking at her dismissively.
⊂(ᗜ ˰ ᗜ)
"What is it?" Seeing Herta's expression, Tian An felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
"Don't think this doesn't concern you. I haven't gotten to you yet."
"Could you be that March 7th's older sister?"
Herta suddenly had a thought and voiced it.
"She's not. Although she and March 7th were both fished out of ice, it wasn't the same place. They were very far apart," Himeko said.
"Don't be so certain. Maybe you two sisters were separated by evil forces, drifted to foreign lands, and conveniently both lost your memories," Herta grinned.
Mm... genius scientists always have rich imaginations.
"Of course not," Tian An refuted flatly.
"You two... should be the same type as March 7th, right? Then... can I do some research on them!" Herta's tone clearly became excited.
Herta looked towards Himeko, as if seeking a guardian's permission.
"I can't make that decision. You'll have to ask them if they agree," Himeko shook her head.
After all, she had no relation to these two and couldn't decide things for them.
We do have a relationship! Big Sis Himeko is my good teacher!
Go away!
"How much?" Star asked directly.
"Uh... what kind of research?" Tian An followed up.
"Is it dangerous?" Star added.
"What does it involve?" Tian An continued.
...
"Are you two putting on a comedy routine for me?!" Herta exclaimed.
"Alright, don't bully them," Himeko smoothed things over.
"Let me tell you, I'm interested in you now, so I'm willing to accommodate anything. You two each have very interesting secrets hidden in your bodies, eh? How fascinating! So you should be grateful! This is a service even the Interastral Peace Corporation couldn't buy with money!"
That's true.
Star looked completely bewildered.
"Meaning, Herta wants you to stay at her space station," Himeko helped explain.
"Eh, hold on, be precise; only stay for a while. Once I finish my research, or lose interest, these two have to leave."
"And after that?" Tian An interjected quickly.
"After that, what's it got to do with me!" Herta put her hands on her hips, striking a pose of complete indifference.
"Actually, there's another option, as you know. Join our Express crew, join the Trailblaze faction. Theresia, you spent some time on the Express recently, so... everyone quite likes you."
Tian An nodded, then said:
"I... am willing to join the Express crew."
...
This flavor is a bit off!
How is it off?
The flavor of foreshadowed suffering (knives).
Little Te crying x2
...
"And you, Star? The Express has dealt with Stellarons quite a bit. What worries you is also the answer we seek."
"Besides... we can always come back and let Herta do research, right? She's full of interest right now."
I have no objection (●—●)
"That's not bad. When I lose interest later, I won't have to worry about it either," Herta said with satisfaction.
"How can you be so selfish! I..." Star stopped mid-sentence. Seeing Herta's calm gaze, she had a bad feeling.
Tian An stood aside, suppressing her laughter. What Star said was too funny. It seemed she had completed her "transformation" from a cool goddess to a sassy protagonist.
"You..." Before Tian An could finish her thought, she heard that voice again. This time, she blurted out "Who?", causing everyone to look at her.
"What's wrong, Theresia?" Star looked puzzled.
"It felt like someone else was talking just now..."
"Aren't there just the four of us here? Are you hallucinating?" Herta said, though she still glanced around twice.
Probably... hopefully.
Tian An could only comfort herself mentally. She didn't want to encounter a horror movie plot. Meeting a cyber-ghost in a futuristic sci-fi setting wouldn't be fun.
"Don't dawdle. Let's just happily decide—" Herta started.
"Let's wait a bit. Asta is also here. Go talk with Asta first, or if there's anyone else you want to see. It's not too late to decide then," Himeko interrupted.
"Since Theresia has already agreed to my and Herta's proposal, go meet up with Little March and the others first. Or chat with Herta." As Himeko mentioned Herta, the puppet before them had already stopped moving, its eyes losing their highlight—clearly, Herta had logged off without even saying goodbye.
"Uh... looks like she's already gone. Then you two can just wander around. I'll contact you via phone when it's time."
"Phone?" Tian An questioned.
She had been in this world for so many days and still hadn't gotten her own phone. Come to think of it, she had actually spent several days on the Express without a phone.
"Ah, sorry, I forgot you don't have a phone. Later, I'll ask Asta to arrange one for you. For now, you can just look at Star's phone," Himeko had forgotten about this too.
Speaking of which, where did Star get her phone?
Don't ask questions about the protagonist.
"Alright, see you on the platform," Himeko waved and also left.
Leaving the two staring blankly at each other.
And the more Star looked at Tian An, the more she felt a connection.
"Um..." Seeing Star staring intently at her, Tian An felt a bit uncomfortable. Why does everyone like staring at people like this?
Star extended her hand.
"Hello, beautiful princess! I am the handsome knight!"
......
As expected of you, Star.