Chapter 115: The Birth of the North Star One-Sword Style!
[The Captain was immediately at a disadvantage in the fight, even sustaining injuries himself, with blood continuously flowing from his left side. The wound on his ribs throbbed painfully, but in that moment, the Captain also discovered a flaw in Mei Raiden's swordsmanship.
Mei Raiden relied too heavily on her dual-wielding style, forming a dependency that left her with a glaring weakness when one of her swords was missing. The Captain bluntly pointed out Mei's weakness, and as their blades clashed, he could clearly sense her composure wavering. Their swords collided once more—and Mei's blade shattered with a sharp crack! Mei was defeated, but she gained new insight into the way of the sword. And as promised, she would no longer target Kiana. Before leaving, North Star Mei offered Kiana a warning:
"Beware of Jackal."
Then, North Star Mei disappeared into the forest. Seeing this, the Captain finally let out a long sigh of relief and relaxed.]
[Raiden Mei]:"Mixed feelings... So this is how the North Star One-Sword Style was born in this bubble universe. I wonder how it formed in our own world."
[Bronya Zaychik]:"Jackal really is suspicious. There's no way Kiana's brain could come up with a plan to hunt down Kiana on her own."
[Jackal]:"Hmph. With how Kiana is, manipulating her was child's play, wasn't it?"
[Kiana]:"Hah?! You all really don't trust my intelligence?!"
[Dr. Ratio]:"Finish the homework I assigned first before you talk!!!"
Dr. Ratio, Professor Laevatein, deeply regretted agreeing to Welt's request to tutor Kiana. It wasn't that Kiana wasn't smart—in fact, she could react surprisingly quickly at times. But for some reason, her brain just refused to work when it came to studying. She was truly the kind of student he despised the most.
[The Captain, now relaxed and weakened from his injuries, finally collapsed unconscious. Kiana anxiously called out to him by his title—"Assassin-san."
"Darkness..."
"This darkness reminds me of fragmented memories.""I once searched for someone in this darkness... chased after someone."
"That memory makes my heart ache..." *"No... it's not just my heart.
My head hurts, my legs hurt—my entire body is in pain..."*
"Agh—!!"
The excruciating pain jolted the Captain awake.]
[Silver Wolf]:"I'll bet every gaming account I've ever had—there's definitely something wrong with the Captain's memories!"
[Einstein]:"Is this from before the Captain entered this bubble universe? Or is it a future experience he shared with Kiana?"
[Qingque]:"If it really is the future... then Kiana and the Captain must have gone through a lot of hardships."
[Honkai: Star Rail·Seele]:"If you're already mentally prepared for it, why worry about getting 'knifed'?"
[March 7th]:"Mental preparation doesn't always help!"
[??]:"You all really don't trust me? It's genuinely sweet—Kiana and the Captain lived happily together on the Hyperion. Didn't you already see that at the start?"
[Sampo]:"What about the process? How can old Sampo believe without seeing the journey?"
[Stelle]:"Exactly! Even if the Captain and Kiana don't die, you're completely glossing over how much suffering they went through!" ["Shut up! Just bear with it!"
Kiana carefully applied medicine to the Captain's wounds.
"This herb is good for your injuries! Do you know how hard it was to chew it into something usable...Do you have any idea how bitter this stuff is?!"
Though her tone was harsh and complaining, her actions were full of concern for him. "Kiana..."
"Don't talk. Your injuries are serious—I'll finish bandaging you soon."
The girl patiently wrapped silk bandages around his wounds, layer by layer. Her technique was clumsy but meticulous, her cool fingers occasionally brushing against his skin. Upon closer inspection, beads of sweat had formed on her forehead, and her once-pristine sleeves were now stained with dirt and blood. "...Sorry for worrying you."
"Pathetic. What kind of assassin gets hurt like this?!"
"Falling into traps, getting stabbed, can't even grill fish properly! I should just send you back to farming!"
Despite her endless stream of angry words, her hands never stopped tending to his wounds. "...Done."
"Thank you for saving me, Kiana-sama!"
The girl stayed silent for a long while, as if sulking. "...We're even."
"Huh?""You saved me... and now I saved you. We're even!"]
[Elysia]:"♪So sweet~ The script of a foolish assassin and a runaway princess~ Truly hard to resist♪"
[Pela]:"I ship this! It's so sweet!"
[Clara]:"But... Clara remembers... Kiana-sama is only twelve years old, right?"
[Stelle]:"Arrest the Captain! Let me be the one to pamper Kiana instead!"
[March 7th]:"Your ulterior motives are practically slapping me in the face!"
[Qingque]:"Based on my years of experience, endings like these usually turn out tragic. The sweeter the CP, the harder the knife!"
[Stelle]:"Enjoy today while we can! Who cares if we get knifed later!"
[Kiana]:"Huh? Even Auntie Himeko hates bitter melon juice—just how bitter was that herb?!"
[Raiden Mei]:"Though they look similar, the one in the video is Kiana-sama, not Principal Theresa. Besides... Kiana-sama might not like bitter melon juice either?"
[Their current location had already been discovered by the Second Prince's forces—it was no longer safe. The Captain urged Kiana to reassemble Tesla·Zero's parts so they could leave immediately.
But for once, Kiana was unusually reluctant. Upon further questioning, it turned out she was afraid Tesla·Zero would scold her when she woke up. However, after some persuasion from the Captain, Kiana finally reassembled the dismantled parts. A few minutes later, Tesla·Zero woke up—only to see the blood-covered Captain and turn pale with shock. Then she checked her downtime log: "...Ten hours and seven minutes of inactivity?!"
"Ahem... Well... I have some things to attend to..."
Realizing something was wrong, Kiana tried to sneak away guiltily. Tesla·Zero took one look at her and immediately understood what had happened: ***"FORTUNE-TELLEEEEER—!!!"
[Murata Himeko]:"She really is just a twelve-year-old kid at heart—still afraid of getting scolded for causing trouble."
[Rita Rossweisse]:"Lady Theresa—no, Kiana-sama is truly adorable. Whether she's calm and wise or worried about being scolded for mischief... equally charming~"
[Stelle]:"Wow! Tesla·Zero didn't even start cursing! Her temper is way too refined!"
[Tesla]:"Hah?! Are you implying my temper isn't refined?!"
[Stelle]:"Uncle Welt! Save me!"
[Honkai: Star Rail·Welt]:"Focus on watching! Don't drag me into this!"
[That afternoon, the group arrived at Violet Town.
In the inn's dining hall, patrons were discussing current affairs—news of Kiana, the Crown Princess's escape had spread far and wide.
Kiana paid no mind to their gossip; after all, none of them recognized her now. Instead, her hands were restless—constantly fiddling with Tesla·Zero. The Captain couldn't resist cute little Kiana, and Tesla·Zero couldn't stop her either—she could only complain verbally. Until Kiana accidentally pressed a button—
BOOM—!!!
A red laser shot out—blasting a hole the size of a bowl straight through the inn's front door. The startled patrons all turned to stare. Tesla·Zero had finally had enough—she was ready to give Kiana a beating no matter how much she tried to explain herself. The Captain sighed at these two troublemakers before turning his attention to compensating for the ruined door.
["No need for compensation—as long as our guests are unharmed." ["You are...?" ["My name is Yae—the proprietor of this establishment."
The woman named Yae had pink hair adorned with what appeared to be fox ears and wore an elegant black qipao.]
[Elysia]:"It's Sakura, isn't it? Sakura in a qipao~ So beautiful!♪"
[Sakura]:"...My counterpart?"
[Mobius]:"How many counterparts have we seen already? One more isn't surprising."
[Pardofelis]:"Maybe in some other bubble universe... our counterparts are all living simple, happy lives."