My Honkai Star Rail: Reversing All Phenomena

"I did promise he could make any request he wanted. One Curio is insignificant, but that's from his perspective. Do you still not understand the value of Curios, or can you accept such an expensive gift with a clear conscience? If you think Hua Yi should simply give you all sorts of benefits, then I have nothing to say."

"...What do you want?"

"Test the Simulated Universe with him. That way, I can also see what's so special about you."

After Herta's reminder, Star realized that she seemed to be very poor.

She could not help glancing at the trash can in the office. Asta had just given her a Smart Terminal, and she had casually tossed the equally exquisite-looking little box into it. Should she uphold the principle of self-reliance and using her own hands to create wealth by retrieving the box?

"Ahem. Do I get paid for testing the Simulated Universe?"

"Oh? You've got quite the economic sense. I'm interested in you right now, so I'm willing to indulge you in anything. I'll have Asta put you on payroll later. Be grateful."

"Really, anything?"

Star's eyes lit up as she caught the key point in Herta's words. The doll-like girl raised an eyebrow and could not help glancing at Hua Yi. Was this guy the one who had led the stellaron brat with no memories of her past astray, or were birds of a feather simply flocking together? One had granted her a hundred wishes, while the other was already eager to test the limits.

"Be precise. I'm nowhere near as interested in you as I am in Hua Yi. Once I understand what makes you special, or if I lose interest halfway through my research—you might not even get any Credits."

Look to My Cues

Tch, who's afraid of who? I can still hunt for treasure in Trash Cans!

Star wanted to retort, but after thinking it over, she swallowed the words. What if Herta started targeting her and she could no longer open treasure chests around the Space Station?

Asta also wanted to say something. Even if Madam Herta lost interest in Star, she could use her private account to cover Star's living expenses. No matter what, she would not let Hua Yi bear the burden. Any problem that could be solved with Credits was no problem at all.

Even a Genius like Herta had not expected Star to remain so confident after her deliberate teasing, while Asta also looked as if she were about to speak.

The Space Station had practically formed a state within a state around Hua Yi, one that was about to drift beyond Herta's authority!

But the doll-like girl did not care.

"The data from those Voidrangers of the Antimatter Legion and the Doomsday Beast can be directly added to the Simulated Universe. The correspondence between virtuality and reality can further improve the reliability of the data, and it will also help us better explore Aeon Mysteries."

"Are we going to test it now?"

"We'll talk about it later."

I can see you still have plenty to deal with. And with Silver Wolf randomly leaving behind a Backdoor Program, plus the additional Legion data entities, there are even more uncertainties in the Simulated Universe. If it crashes again, won't I be looked down on?

"I'll call you when the time comes."

Herta waved her hand and walked straight out of Asta's office. It was impossible to tell whether she intended to control the doll all the way to her own office, or hide it somewhere halfway and remotely connect to another one to save herself the effort of walking.

At this moment, Asta sat beside him, busy remotely directing the Space Station's post-disaster reconstruction work and reviewing the loss reports for research equipment and experimental materials submitted by the Department of Applied Materials. Naturally, Hua Yi had to shoulder another part of the responsibility.

"Did Miss Himeko and Miss March 7th originally come to the Space Station for something important?"

"We brought Herta some rare materials. It wasn't anything particularly important. Right now, she has clearly placed the Simulated Universe at a higher priority. We've been here many times already. This was originally just an ordinary journey."

Himeko understood that Hua Yi was concerned about the Express crew. Though he was the same age as Little March and Star, his manner of doing things seemed exceptionally steady.

Such thoughtfulness made the elegant, mature red-haired beauty smile softly.

"Even when retracing an existing route, there are still new gains to be found. Perhaps that is the meaning of Exploration."

"[The Path of Exploration]..."

"Ta-da! Look! I took several photos and permanently preserved everyone's heroic figures in battle. This is proof of Exploration!"

March 7th proudly lifted the camera hanging around her neck and showed it to everyone, immediately making Star turn her head.

"You even caught the moment when I rushed up to fight the Doomsday Beast. When did you take that? How did I not notice?"

"That's skill! Go ahead, praise me."

The mischievous girl lifted her chin smugly, her pink-and-blue eyes narrowing into proud crescents.

She liked all the things girls her age ought to be passionate about. Photography was exactly the sort of thing a girl like March 7th should enjoy.

There was another, even more important reason. Once something had been captured in a photograph, it would not be forgotten later.

Hua Yi recalled the battle with the Doomsday Beast. The girl who had fought with a bow had created a rain of arrows all by herself, drawing her bowstring at an unknown speed as arrows poured down like rain. Yet she had still had enough energy left to take pictures and capture the most brilliant moments of the fight.

What terrifying hand speed!

Noticing that Hua Yi's admiring gaze did not seem to be on the photographs, March 7th froze for a moment. Following his gaze, she lowered her head and saw her pale, slender hand.

What? Is there dirt on my hand? No, it's pretty clean.

The girl blinked her wide, adorably vacant eyes in confusion. Fortunately, Sister Himeko understood the issue and immediately explained.

"Little March's camera has an intelligent photo mode, so it does not distract her much. She really wasn't slacking off in the earlier battle. On the contrary, I didn't contribute much—Hua Yi, Star, may I make each of you a cup of coffee as compensation?"

The Navigator had not been loafing around in the rear. Everything had been based on the premise that Hua Yi could handle the Doomsday Beast with ease. Otherwise, if the battle had gone poorly, she would not have hesitated even if using the orbital cannon meant affecting the Space Station.

She claimed that she had not contributed much mainly because she wanted to prevent Hua Yi from misunderstanding and thinking that March 7th had only been taking pictures in the back. Yet the former had never thought that way from start to finish, while the latter began frantically signaling with her eyes.

Are you telling me to act according to your cues?

Star noticed March 7th's ever-changing gaze and looked utterly bewildered.

I can't understand it!

Hua Yi beside her understood. March 7th had failed to realize that Himeko was kindly explaining things for her. Every single glance was conveying the same message: "Don't drink Himeko's coffee."

If he had been the only one mentioned, Hua Yi would have had nothing to fear. He might even have wanted to taste just how dreadful the coffee was that could provoke such a violent reaction from March 7th. But Star had been mentioned too.

After considering it, he decided to spare the Galaxy Bat Hero and quietly changed the subject.

"I was only marveling at March 7th's hand speed. I had no intention whatsoever of blaming either of you. At the time, those pink-and-blue arrows fell like rain and cascades, crashing down upon the Doomsday Beast's head. It was such a beautiful and spectacular sight that it left a deep impression on me."

"You think my arrows are pretty too? Hehe, you really do have taste! I made them with Six-Phase Ice. By the way, even though the name of my ability has 'ice' in it, I don't think it's actually ice. It's some kind of condensed crystal. Ordinary ice could never look this pretty!"

Whether Himeko had truly put the coffee matter behind her or not, March 7th immediately became much livelier and happily began talking to Hua Yi about her Six-Phase Ice.

"I've actually been researching new moves this whole time. After all, I've never heard of any big shot who uses a bow. Besides, when I use arrows I condensed to attack shields I condensed, nothing happens at all."

"It should be that the shield blocks the arrows. That shows Miss March 7th is very good at protecting people."

"Oh, don't put it like that, it's embarrassing. I didn't have time to put shields on you during the earlier battle either... Anyway, I once painstakingly practiced an ultimate move called the Star-Shattering, Universe-Piercing Great Lapis Lazuli Sword, but it had zero results. Since you use a sword too, if you have time later, please give me some advice. Please, please."

A Maiden's Kiss

Later, not now.

March 7th had not forgotten that Hua Yi was the Space Station's great hero. He had stepped forward during the disaster and turned the tide. How could she keep pestering him to teach her?

As it happened, Star was also preparing to wander around.

As Himeko had said, this was not the Express crew's first visit to the Space Station, so Asta did not need to arrange a guide for them. With this mature and gentle older sister taking the initiative to invite Star to go see their accommodations together, the office fell quiet and became a two-person world.

Asta, who had been silently operating the touchscreen projection screen while letting Star, March 7th, and the others chat with Hua Yi, stopped what she was doing at that moment.

She shifted closer to the person beside her.

"Is this enough? I'm already prepared to be your pillow."

Hua Yi's voice was gentle as he took Asta's soft hand and lightly played with her long, fair fingers. He could feel how exhausted the girl was after repeatedly mobilizing Path power during the battle, then continuously directing the aftermath work of every department after the disaster ended.

"How about leaning on me and taking a nap? Now I'm the one who thinks you should sleep, Station Master."

"...The work isn't finished yet."

"If you're not worried that my growing prestige will gradually divide your authority, leave the remaining official work to me. I guarantee that when you wake up, everything will be settled. After all, I've already learned the scope of responsibilities of every department."

I'm not worried about you dividing my authority. Not in the slightest. Even if you took the opportunity to become the Station Master, I would have no problem being your deputy.

Because you possess the qualifications and ability for it. Madam Herta would definitely agree as well.

What I'm worried about is the Astral Express whisking you away!

But even knowing that the Astral Express will travel to countless worlds and leave Traces throughout the sea of stars, I still cannot help hoping that everyone will know there is such a great hero—someone who could create the perfect miracle of not a single casualty under an Antimatter Legion attack.

Exploration...

The will of Cosmic exploration is a perfect match for a hero, isn't it?

Asta's emotions were incomparably complicated. She rested her head on Hua Yi's shoulder and quietly closed her eyes.

She soon fell asleep.

Because the girl had truly given her all in stirring up Path power while fighting the Doomsday Beast. Because she had truly taken on every duty of the Station Master with great responsibility, from post-disaster reconstruction to receiving the Express crew.

And because the office was utterly silent, while Hua Yi slowed his breathing.

As promised, he took out his terminal and handled the Space Station's affairs in place of the exhausted Asta.

An All-Department Level IV Researcher did not have the authority to do this. Even though Hua Yi had created the High-level Rite Seed of Erudition and displayed outstanding talent in the research fields of every department, becoming the brightest Morning Star in the Space Station, he was still a rising morning star—a young man in the eyes of the old Scholars who needed protection.

But today, he had shouldered everyone's fate, resisted the Legion's offensive, wielded the Flame Sword to annihilate demons with Hellfire, and proved through an indisputable, dreamlike miracle that he was not the one who needed protection. Instead, he could protect everyone.

Whether they were the upper echelons of every department, learned experts and Scholars, ordinary researchers, or visitors who were not even Space Station members and had come to tour the Starry Sky Museum by chance.

The hero had created a flawless epic. Everyone was bathed in his radiance, without exception.

A Level IV Researcher could not command every department, and those Department Heads and founders could not overstep their authority to manage other departments. But he could.

Because he was Hua Yi.

Asta did not need to make a special statement, nor did Herta need to issue an internal notice. The glory belonged to him; power was merely an extra.

He needed no authorization from those in power. He himself was someone who had earned everyone's trust and deserved to be lifted high by all.

The Medical Department's applications for medical supplies were approved one by one, allowing the wounded to recover faster. The Department of Applied Materials acted according to increasingly detailed orders, allocating funds to repair the isolation walls warped by the Voidrangers. Based on the Legion's characteristics, the Department of Boundary Seeds joined forces with the Department of Land Surveying to improve the proportions of Superalloy Material...

The Starry Sky Museum became a precision machine operating at high speed, displaying work efficiency it had never possessed before the crisis. The dark shade of destruction did not leave a shadow in people's hearts. Instead, it stirred even more fervent passion and fighting spirit.

Countless researchers hurried back and forth, busily carrying out the tasks at hand. Clearly, none of them had soared into the sky or risen above the ordinary masses. Clearly, the Space Station was completely different from its former calm and peaceful state—

Their colleagues were still the same familiar faces. Some were even injured and stumbling about. The offices were still the same, and fragile objects placed on desks had even fallen and shattered during the chaos. Calling it a scene of devastation might have been exaggerated, but describing it as a total mess would not be wrong.

But why did it feel as though something had changed?

They felt safe, and strength continuously welled up within their bodies.

I am someone protected by a hero. Perhaps I truly have value worthy of protection, just like my colleagues, my superiors, and those unlucky people who happened to visit the Space Station today.

So I should do something. I should give it everything I have!

Asta slept soundly because she was tired, and because she trusted that the person beside her could handle the Space Station's remaining work.

It was also because throughout the entire process of issuing orders through the terminal, Hua Yi used only his left hand. His right shoulder, serving as the Station Master's pillow, remained pressed against the sofa at the most suitable height and angle, ensuring that the girl's dreams would not be disturbed by any outside factor.

Time passed quietly.

Some people criticized the Amber Era calendar promoted by the Interastral Peace Corporation, believing that the intervals between the Amber Lord Qlipoth's hammer strikes were not fixed. As a result, one Amber Era was merely a broad range rather than a particularly precise number.

But on a cosmic scale, time itself was never an absolutely precise concept. Different star systems might exist under different temporal curvatures.

And in this tiny Station Master's Office on the Space Station, the time Asta spent in her dreams must have been especially prolonged for her.

Especially wonderful, especially warm, and especially brief.

It would be nice if this could last for an entire Amber Era.

The girl hazily opened her eyes from sleep and found herself very close to Hua Yi.

As if stretching, she moved her head against Hua Yi, her cherry lips nearly landing on his cheek.

Then Asta's eyes shifted. Rather than sitting upright, she shook her bangs and moved even closer to Hua Yi.

Mwah.

This kiss was not an accidental brush against his cheek while half-asleep. It was a beautiful girl, fully awake, kissing a hero on the lips.

The Corporation's Response

Hua Yi could not possibly retreat at such a moment. He wrapped an arm around Asta's slender waist.

Her pink bangs drifted gently, carrying the fragrance of her hair. The girl offered a kiss filled with her feelings, and the great hero naturally accepted it properly.

No one would recklessly barge into the Station Master's Office and disturb this sweetness and warmth. The dream Asta had been carefully protected in and allowed to continue for so long was proof enough.

The only limit now was lung capacity.