Honkai: Star Rail. Getting chased by players! [13]

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“So, what happened here?”

Cava stepped out of the kitchen, looking confused at the awkward silence of the Astral Express crew.

“Uh… well, it seems March choked on her food, so I gave her some coffee to help,” Himeko responded with a somewhat embarrassed smile.

“Coffee…”

Cava’s mouth twitched as he glanced at the delicate cup on the table. He could almost see the lingering resentment in the remnants of the liquid inside.

“Sigh, forget it…”

Cava quickly abandoned the idea of using acupuncture to help March 7th. Instead, he turned to the synthesis machine in the train car and concocted an antidote, which he then gave to her.

“Ah! Full recovery!”

March 7th immediately perked up after taking the antidote. In no time, she was back to devouring her fried rice, although this time her eating style was much more refined and ladylike.

Cava glanced at the now demure March, then at Himeko, who was elegantly enjoying her meal. It seemed like elegance only required a single cup of coffee?

“By the way, what does Himeko’s coffee actually taste like?”

His curiosity getting the better of him, Cava couldn’t help but wonder. It was just coffee, right? How bad could it be?

Fueled by his curiosity, Cava suggested Stelle try a cup of Himeko’s freshly brewed coffee.

Our innocent Stelle, thinking March had simply choked on her food, was blissfully unaware of the danger she was walking into.

Dan Heng’s usually stoic face twitched slightly in surprise. He put down his fried rice and gazed at Stelle with a newfound respect as she picked up the cup of coffee.

Even Welt looked away from his meal of fried rice and adjusted his glasses, a trace of complex emotion flashing through his eyes as he glanced at Stelle.

“Did we forget to tell her?” March 7th whispered, her eyes flitting between Welt and Dan Heng, silently exchanging concerned glances.

Dan Heng shook his head.

“Yeah, we definitely forgot the most important thing.”

Cava, meanwhile, was staring at the seemingly harmless cup of coffee in Stelle’s hand. It smelled fine, didn’t it?

Unaware of the train crew’s growing tension, Stelle gently blew on the cup and took a small sip.

Boom!

“Whoa! Is the Stellaron going out of control?!”

“Uncle Yang!!!”

Thunk! (A heavy blow sound)

Crash! (The sound of a cup shattering)

Sizzle… (The sound of coffee corroding the carpet)

Cava held the unconscious Stelle in his arms, watching as the spilled coffee continued to eat away at the carpet beneath them. He gulped nervously.

He was absolutely sure that the coffee he had bought at the space station was perfectly fine. The coffee machine on the train was working perfectly, too. The coffee he made for himself was delicious! But why...

Cava shot a glance at Himeko, who stood there, equally bewildered. Maybe… Himeko was cursed when it came to coffee?

“Uh... here’s the antidote!”

March 7th scratched her head awkwardly and quickly synthesized another antidote to hand over to Cava.

Cava stared down at Stelle’s face, which had turned a disturbing mix of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. He solemnly shook his head.

“Alright then…”

March 7th shrank back nervously, her face paling as she looked at Stelle’s terrifying appearance.

Finally, with the help of Cava’s acupuncture needles, Stelle vomited out the cursed coffee, allowing her to slowly regain consciousness.

But when Stelle finally woke up, she seemed to have forgotten the whole ordeal. She had no memory of drinking Himeko’s coffee. It wasn’t until March 7th personally pulled her into her room and recounted the horrifying event that Stelle finally learned her painful lesson.

As for Cava... he went and got himself a cup of Himeko’s coffee too. Under Himeko’s irritated glare, Cava carefully poured the coffee into a high-density metal container, sealing it away.

After all, this was a rare and potent weapon. If they ever encountered another enemy like the Doomsday Beast, maybe, just maybe, a single cup of Himeko’s coffee could take it down!

As the train continued its journey, the group’s trailblazing adventure had only just begun.

…

The next morning, after a full day of rest, everyone was feeling refreshed and ready for their new journey!

For both Stelle and Cava, this would be their first real trailblazing adventure.

After a simple breakfast in the observation car, Pom-Pom began preparing the train for warp.

March 7th was casually chatting with Stelle, sharing the story of how she joined the Astral Express. Cava, having taken a seat nearby, rested his chin on his hand as he listened to their conversation.

“The train has left the space station’s safe zone. Warp will begin in ten minutes! Please make sure to hold on and brace for the turbulence!”

Pom-Pom announced the upcoming warp and glanced specifically at March 7th, who was sitting next to Stelle.

“Uh… Pom-Pom, was it really necessary to remind us? I’ve done this warp thing so many times already! Besides, I was going to tell Cava and Stelle anyway, right?” March grinned, winking at Cava and Stelle.

“Yet every time, you try to challenge yourself and end up falling over,” Pom-Pom replied, looking at March 7th with exasperation.

“Heh… I call it perseverance!” March scratched the back of her head awkwardly.

“…”

Stelle seemed a bit puzzled by the exchange, but Cava, knowing the plot, just smiled quietly. He could only hope March wouldn’t fall too hard during the warp.

As Stelle went over to talk with Welt and Himeko, Cava’s thoughts drifted to the next stop on their journey, a planet covered in ice and snow: Jarilo-VI.

“Stellaron… Preservation…”

Every time he thought of these elements, Cava couldn’t help but recall a certain phrase.

“Why do birds fly?”

If this world were Honkai, Cava would definitely have a deep conversation about this. If conditions allowed, who wouldn’t want to shout, “This is the sigil of [Salvation]!”? Just the thought of it made him feel fired up.

“Heh… For some reason, I’m craving instant noodles.”

As he thought of that noodle-loving boy, Cava muttered to himself.

The train began its warp, and, as usual, March 7th stood in the middle of the train car, muttering to herself, “I won’t fall over this time.”

Thud…

With a flash of white light, a beautiful, snow-covered planet came into view outside the train window…