『 Stelle and Hotaru chatted and laughed for a while over their photo, until the melodious chime of a notification drifted from Stelle's pocket. She took out her phone and glanced at the screen; it was a message from the Astral Express group chat.
⚠︎, The Astral Express Family
" Himeko invited Stelle, March, and Welt to join the group chat "
" /Himeko: Is everyone enjoying themselves? "
" /March 7th: Lots of fun, I guess. "
" /March 7th: But I just feel like something's off… "
" /March 7th: It feels unreal, kinda weird. I can't quite put my finger on it. "
" /Stelle: We are in a dream, after all. "
" /March 7th: I met a guy with a plaster head at the auction. He just left without doing anything. So suspicious. "
" /Welt: I've also made some rather unpleasant discoveries. The situation is complicated; it would be best to discuss this face-to-face. "
" /Himeko: Me as well. "
" /Himeko: It seems it is time to return to reality. "
" /Himeko: Let's meet in my room. "
Stelle lowered her phone and looked at Hotaru, reluctance in her voice. "I have to go…"
"You're going back? Time really flies, doesn't it?" Hotaru's tone carried a hint of disappointment. "I plan to return to reality and rest as well… Let's go. We can part ways at Golden Hour."
Stelle nodded with a smile, and together with Hotaru, she headed back the way they came.
Before long, the two returned to Golden Hour. Stopping near a massive Clockie statue, Stelle looked at Hotaru with curiosity. "By the way, if we want to return to the real world, shouldn't we go back to the hotel first?"
Hotaru simply shook her head gently, not answering Stelle's question. Her gaze swept the surroundings, observing something, before she murmured, "It's so quiet… Where did everyone on the street go?"
At this moment, the streets that should have been bustling with pedestrians and heavy traffic were abnormally silent. Only a few diligent billboards were hopping about, singing their slogans with vigor. This eerie atmosphere put both of them on high alert.
Stelle frowned and said to Hotaru, "Waiting around here isn't a solution. Let's head back to the hotel first."
Hotaru nodded, and the two walked toward the hotel. In the plaza nearby, they spotted a familiar figure.
"Is that…? Sampo. Is he behind this?" Stelle murmured, looking at Sampo standing not far away.
Stelle pulled Hotaru along as she walked toward Sampo, intending to demand an explanation for the situation.
"We meet again, my dear…" Sampo looked at the pair with a playful, mocking grin, as if he had been entirely certain he would see them here again.
Then, glancing at their joined hands, he heaved a long sigh and shook his head. " Sigh, looks like you didn't take my advice to heart at all… What a pity. Is that girl really so captivating to you?"
"You really are… too blind." 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: I like it that way! None of your business!
〘Silver Wolf〙: Is this what they mean by love makes people blind?
....
『 Hearing this, Stelle was just about to step forward and argue with Sampo when Hotaru intercepted her. Blocking Stelle's path, Hotaru stared intensely at Sampo and spoke to Stelle.
"Be careful. I can say with certainty now—there is something wrong with this friend of yours."
Sampo chuckled as he looked at the two protecting each other.
"Oho, looks like this brave young lady wants to protect you. Why? Are you two really that close?"
"Cut the crap!" Hotaru interrupted Sampo without a shred of politeness, her eyes filled with anger. 』
『 ....』
〘Sampo〙: Hanabi, you've really screwed over old Sampo this time. Since when does old Sampo talk like that?
〘·HSR· Seele〙: You think you're any better?
〘Bronya Rand〙: Speaking of which, has anyone seen Sampo recently? It feels like he hasn't been thrown in the slammer for a long time.
〘Hanabi〙: Heehee, I imagine he's currently on some spaceship somewhere in the galaxy.
....
—✦In Between✦—
—✦Honkai Star Rail World✦—
At that moment, aboard a certain IPC spaceship, a blue-haired "big sister" going by the alias "Po-Sampo" shuddered all over. It seemed this trip was going to be incredibly rough.
But for the sake of my Mask—let's do this! Penacony, old… cough cough, Po-Sampo is coming for you!
—
『 Sampo continued to look at Hotaru with a cheeky grin.
"Haha, I just love your personality, my dear. I admit, you're different from that little Gray Hair; your nose is quite sharp."
"But even so, you've fallen behind the main group. Haven't you realized it by now? The secret behind this Sweet Dream that the Family is hiding."
"And as for you — the Trailblazer who saved the Ice World..."
Sampo glanced at Stelle, then covered his face with one hand and sighed. "Sigh, just how much did that guy Sampo embellish the story of Jarilo-VI? Forget it, believing his words was my mistake…"
"…I am really, truly, so disappointed in you."
As his voice fell, several red goldfish appeared behind Stelle and Hotaru. They swam slowly past the pair, and the two felt an inexplicable, intense wave of drowsiness. Their bodies swayed uncontrollably, nearly collapsing.
Sampo slowly advanced toward them.
"Sorry…"
"Please, have a little nap—in the real dreamscape~"
Sampo flicked Stelle's forehead, but the voice that emerged was a female one Stelle had never heard before.
Stelle fell backward from the impact. As she collapsed, the scene shifted to reveal Hanabi standing to the side, having reverted to her true form.
Seeing that Stelle hadn't fully closed her eyes yet, Hanabi let out a puzzled "Hmm?" She walked slowly over to Stelle and fully shut her eyelids, causing the screen to go black. 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: Can this move cure insomnia?
〘March 7th〙: Your focus is always so weird.
....
『 Stelle slowly opened her eyes. Clutching her head, she looked around at the still-blurry surroundings and murmured.
"Ugh… where… is this place?"
Clocks were everywhere in this room, but they were all distorted, and the ticking sound of clockwork echoed incessantly around her.
"Did I make it back to the hotel? No, the vibe… it feels a bit like the scenery when I first entered the dream…"
Stelle took out her phone, wanting to contact her companions, but seeing the "Message Failed to Send" notification, she sighed and put the phone back in her pocket.
It seemed she had to rely on herself. She wondered how Hotaru was doing.
Stelle walked toward the door, but as she approached it, text suddenly floated into the air nearby.
(Mikhail, where did you go?)
A child's questioning voice drifted through the air. Stelle was startled by the scene before her, but how could a Nameless be intimidated by something like this?
Stelle continued toward the door, and the child's voice came from behind her again.
(It's so quiet, just the ticking of the clock.)
(Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock.)
(The workshop door is unlocked.)
Stelle reached the door and pushed it open, only to see a familiar figure. It was Hotaru, though beside her lay a defeated Memory Zone Meme.
"Hotaru?" Stelle called out.
Hotaru flinched, seemingly startled. Turning and seeing it was Stelle, she let out a long sigh of relief. "Ah… It's you, Stelle. You're here too, just as I thought…"
"What happened?" Stelle asked, looking at her.
"I… don't know." Hotaru shook her head. "Regardless, we must still be in a dream, not anywhere else, and certainly not reality… The air has that unique texture of Memoria; I wouldn't mistake it."
"But this is very different from the "sweet dream" that I'm familiar with — suffocating... silent... uneasy... And these floating words. Can you see them too? This kind of place would never exist on Penacony under the provision of The Family. So, could this be a dream bubble...?"
Then, she denied her own theory.
"No, that's not right—do you remember? Before we lost consciousness, that friend of yours said it—The Real Dreamscape…" 』
『 ....』
〘Misha〙: This scene looks so familiar, but why can't I remember…
〘Black Swan〙: It seems this place is related to little Misha. I'm getting more and more curious about where the story is heading.
〘March 7th〙: Having trouble entering the dream is one thing, but why is it so hard for you to leave the dream, too?
〘Stelle〙: You think I enjoy this? This is the woe of a protagonist. Don't laugh, you'll have your turn sooner or later.
....