『 Seeing the Astral Express crew walking towards her, Black Swan revealed a mysterious smile, as if everything were within her control.
"Miss Black Swan, the Astral Express is willing to cooperate with you. In the Memory Zone, we need a suitable guide." Himeko said, looking at Black Swan.
"At your service. I won't let you all down," Black Swan replied with a soft chuckle.
Himeko then turned to Stelle and March 7th, instructing, "Stelle, March, you two go back to your rooms first. Prepare to enter the dream. If all goes well… we'll meet in the lobby of the Reverie Hotel." 』
『 ....』
〘March 7th〙: If…
〘Dan Heng〙: Enter the dream…
〘Stelle〙: Goes well…
〘Hanabi〙: That's a massive flag right there~. I bet the little gray-haired one is going to stir up trouble again~.
〘Kiana Kaslana〙: When doesn't she?
〘Stelle〙: You don't have to point out such a heartbreaking fact.
....
『 "I will remain in reality to ensure everyone's safety. If needed, I will also step out to negotiate with the Family—no problem with that, right, Miss Black Swan?" Welt said, looking at Black Swan.
Upon hearing this, Black Swan said with a hint of disappointment, "It seems that even though I personally saved your companion, you all still find it hard to trust me… Of course, that's no problem, it just hurts my feelings a little."
"I'll leave it to you, Welt. As for us… let's get ready to witness the True Face of the Dream."
After Himeko finished speaking, everyone returned to their rooms. Stelle also slowly walked towards her room, but her face was full of worry; it seemed she was still thinking about Hotaru.
Stelle slowly pushed open the door to her room. Seeing Black Swan inside, she froze for a moment before asking in confusion, "Why are you here?" 』
『 ....』
〘March 7th〙: How come it feels like people can just walk into your room whenever they want? Which one is this now?
〘Dan Heng〙: The third one…
〘Stelle〙: This must be the charm of being the protagonist!
....
『 Black Swan looked at Stelle, who wore her worries on her face, and smiled without answering the question. Instead, she said softly, "You look nervous. Are you worried about that young girl?"
"If you have something on your mind, feel free to confide in me. In this world, there is no one better suited to be a therapist than a Memokeeper."
Stelle asked the question she was most concerned about.
"Can you confirm Hotaru's safety?"
"Rest assured, that is a one-way door that only leads to the waking reality. Unless that girl harbors a strong desire to stay and refuses to wake from the dream…"
Speaking of this, Black Swan shook her head and smiled, "How could that be? She must be rubbing her eyes somewhere in the hotel right now." 』
『 ....』
—✦In Between✦—
—✦Honkai Star Rail World✦—
Seeing this, Stelle's heart suddenly tightened. She thought of the answer Hotaru gave on the light screen earlier, and the happy expression she had when she said she could run and jump in the dream.
She definitely had the desire not to wake from the dream, which meant…
Himeko looked at the suddenly stunned Stelle, walked to her side, and gently patted her head, comforting her,
"Don't worry. According to the information revealed by the light screen, Miss Hotaru is Sam. She won't be in any danger."
"Yeah, yeah! I just finished reading Sam's file in the Data Bank, and I can only describe it in three words,"
March 7th said, holding up three fingers and shaking them at Stelle.
"What three words?"
"Combat is refreshing!"
March 7th retracted her fingers and laughed.
"According to the Data Bank's records, whenever Sam participates in a Stellaron Hunter operation, the mission time is shortened by two-thirds compared to usual,"
Dan Heng explained as he walked out from behind March 7th.
"My wife is that fierce?"
Stelle said, shocked.
"Then I'm not worried anymore. Let's keep watching."
After saying that, she lay on the sofa in a "Ge You slouch" and continued watching the light screen. March 7th twitched the corner of her mouth as she looked at Stelle on the sofa.
—
『 In the footage, after asking this most pressing question, Stelle indicated that she had nothing else to ask and that she should enter the dream.
"Alright, ~ Then go to sleep peacefully, I will keep you company," Black Swan said gently.
Stelle walked toward the Dream Pool, leaned against the edge as she had become accustomed to, and, accompanied by the gentle female voice in her ears, her breathing gradually became steady as she entered the dreamland.
After the familiar and brief loss of consciousness, Stelle slowly opened her eyes. Looking at the familiar room around her, she stood up from the Dream Pool.
Seeing Black Swan standing in front, Stelle walked over to her.
"How is it? Are you feeling any discomfort?" Black Swan asked, looking at Stelle with concern.
"Feels okay," Stelle replied.
Black Swan nodded slightly upon hearing this, "Then I am relieved."
"I know you are sensitive to Memory Zone fluid and more susceptible to its influence than others. That is why I need to accompany you specifically."
"I will use a little method to make you feel less uncomfortable. Don't worry, your companions are also very safe. I asked for a small accessory from each of them before entering the dream, which allows me to sense their presence in the Memory Zone."
"They have already awakened in their respective rooms. Now, you should be able to set your mind at ease and come with me, right? Time waits for no one, let's head to the lobby."
Stelle nodded and walked out the door with Black Swan, heading towards March 7th's room, which she remembered was right next door.
Arriving at the door, Stelle knocked and said, "March, are you in there?"
There was no response from inside. Stelle knocked again, "Are you there? We need to get going."
Still no response. Stelle knocked harder, "March? It's me, Stelle!"
"I know what you're thinking, but unfortunately… that girl is not in there, and this is not her room," Black Swan said, before providing an explanation.
"From the moment you stepped into the Memory Zone, the architectural structure of reality has lost its meaning. I can sense that she is currently very far away."
"Likewise, to find the lobby the Navigator mentioned… we will have to put in some effort."
"I see." Stelle realized, gave up on knocking, and walked down the corridor with Black Swan.
Their footsteps echoed in the silent hallway. As the two continued to move forward, more and more Memes appeared before them, lying in strange positions.
"These poor, sprawled-out little things…" Black Swan was just about to sigh when she suddenly sensed something and turned to look confused. "Hmm? Strange, there seems to be someone else's aura lingering here."
"Stay vigilant," Stelle whispered a warning, gripping her baseball bat tightly, and pushed open the closed door ahead with force.
The moment the door opened, a cold wind mixed with a thick scent of Memory Zone fluid rushed in. Revealed before them was a spacious lobby.
In the center of the lobby, Acheron was standing in front of two Memory Zone Memes, with the corpses of other Memes scattered around her.
"Hmm…? Is it her? How is that possible?" Black Swan was surprised to see Acheron in front of them.
"Is there… no staff here?" Acheron sighed, looking at the two Memes in front of her.
Hearing the footsteps of Stelle and Black Swan behind her, she turned her head. Upon seeing who it was, she asked in confusion.
"Oh, why are you two here?"
"Are you… Lost again?" Stelle asked, looking at Acheron.
"I wouldn't say that. I just don't know where I am," Acheron shook her head and explained. 』
『 ....』
〘Elysia〙: Oh my♪, that mouth is as stubborn as Mobius'♪
〘Mobius〙: Hmph.
〘Stelle〙: Acheron's reputation for having no sense of direction is truly cemented now.
〘March 7th〙: Cemented? It's welded shut.
〘Luocha〙: Fortunately, Miss Acheron isn't with us. Otherwise, what she would look like entering a Void Archive… ugh, I don't even want to imagine it.
〘Acheron〙: ...
....