Star Rail, Starting as Kiana Chapter 10

Oh no, I used to be the one covering Kiana's mouth, now it's the other way around.

As for where Cocolia got those attendants, Kiana didn't bother explaining, and Stelle was just guessing by instinct. Luckily, March 7th didn't ask either—she trusted her companions unconditionally.

"Right, so what do we do now? Should we tell Dan Heng first, maybe think about cutting and running?"

"No need. Just act like we don't know anything. If nothing unexpected happens, someone will come looking for us before long."

"Alright."

Even so, March 7th lost her desire to explore the city. She stuck close to Kiana as they left.

As for Stelle, finding herself alone in the room with nothing to do, she followed the other two out.

And Dan Heng?

Who's that? Not familiar. Already forgotten.

"Guests, is there something you need?"

Old Goethe, who used to man the front desk at the Goethe Hotel, was gone. In his place stood a bright and lovely young woman, barely eighteen or nineteen—still in her school years in other worlds.

"Hello, fair maiden."

Kiana looked at the purple-haired girl before her. For some reason, something in her DNA seemed to stir, as if awakening.

The girl froze too. It was the first time anyone had spoken to her like that, so instead of offering help as she should, she stood there motionless.

"Fair maiden, might I have the honor of borrowing some of your time to fill us in on recent events?"

Those sky-blue pupils, like pure heavens, gazed at her. The girl could even see her own reflection in them, and her heart skipped a beat.

Her voice rose a notch as she immediately replied, "Of course!"

From her, they learned what Belobog was like for ordinary people now.

As for the Supreme Guardian's actions, they chose unconditional support. After all, living in the upper district, they were barely touched by the Fragmentum, their lives stable and peaceful.

As for the strange orders Cocolia had given, in their eyes, it was all to ensure they could live more comfortably and have more room to move.

"Mhm, thank you, fair maiden. May you have a wonderful day."

Kiana finished, then pulled a small trinket she'd bought earlier from her space, placed it on the counter as thanks for the information, and turned to leave.

"Ah! My prince! This must be fate's encounter—my very own prince!"

Kiana had no idea that her actions had made the girl link her to the princes in her books, stirring a maiden's heart.

But now, Kiana had a new problem to face.

"March, what's wrong? Jealous?"

Seeing March 7th silent, Kiana sidled up to her and tried to take her hand, but March 7th pulled away.

"Hmph, I'm not. Go talk to your fair maiden, I don't care."

"Come on, I was just gathering clues. And if we're talking, March 7th is way more beautiful."

Kiana grabbed March 7th's hand, not letting her break free.

Only when March 7th stopped struggling and her ears had turned red did Kiana take out a snowflake-shaped hairpin and clip it into March 7th's hair.

"There, it suits you perfectly, March."

Chapter 18: Stelle and the Trash Can Encounter

If Kiana hadn't believed she had that kind of charm before, now she recalled what Herta had once said.

Maybe Herta had been serious back then—that because of something she'd said, she'd gained a special pull on those around her. At least for now, March 7th was one of them.

After all, March 7th wasn't the type to get jealous over little things with her companions.

Just as Kiana was soothing March 7th, Stelle's steps faltered. She looked toward the spot beneath the Goethe Hotel's stairs.

For some reason, Stelle suddenly felt that something nearby held a special attraction for her.

By the time Kiana had calmed March 7th down and turned to grab a trinket for Stelle, she found Stelle was gone.

"Hey, where's Stelle?"

March 7th snapped out of her daze at Kiana's words, coming back to herself from that uncontrollable state, and realized Stelle had vanished.

"Ah! Stelle didn't get lost, did she?"

"Not likely, not likely. She's not a kid, how could she just wander off and get herself lost?"

Just then, they heard murmurs from the crowd.

Seeing so many eyes fixed on the trash can by the vending machine under the Goethe Hotel's stairs, Kiana seemed to guess what was happening. She quickly grabbed March 7th and walked down the stairs.

Sure enough, they spotted a trash can sprouting a pair of long, slender legs.

No, wait—a trash can with legs?

Recognizing the familiar thigh band, there was no need to guess. Stelle had answered fate's call and gone dumpster diving.

No wonder everyone was staring. In the upper district, no one was so down on their luck they had to scavenge for a living, so seeing someone dig through a trash can was a bit of a shock.

Luckily, it wasn't long before the Silvermane Guards arrived on the scene, and the gawking bystanders dispersed.

"What are you doing!"

Kiana and March 7th watched from a distance, quietly, because they really didn't want to admit that the person digging through the trash was their companion.

But when Star poked her head out of the bin, the leading Silvermane Guard froze.

"Don't go rummaging through trash cans for no reason. Let's go."

The one in charge was one of the guards who had led them here earlier, so recognizing Star, he simply warned her and left with the others.

Once everyone was gone, March 7th and Kiana finally came over.

"Kiana, now!"

Before Star could move again, March 7th slammed the trash can lid shut, then pulled out the tape they'd used to seal Kiana's mouth and tied Star up tight.

Kiana used her ability to bring them all back to the hotel room.

Good thing her powers had improved—moving people around would've been a hassle otherwise.

Back in the room, Kiana peeled the tape off Star and tossed her straight into the bathroom, slamming the door shut.

"Star, go wash up. You're not coming out until you're clean!"

Luckily, Star wasn't really a child, so she didn't throw a tantrum or try to sneak out without bathing.

Inside the room, Kiana and March 7th heard the sound of running water and Star tossing her clothes out, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Star might not care, but Kiana immediately used a tool to pick up the clothes and bag them.

Then she contacted the hotel staff to have them send it out for a proper cleaning.

"By the way, Kiana, what do we do now? Keep wandering around outside, or just wait for the person you mentioned?"

Kiana remembered that Sampo would show up, but his timing was unpredictable. If he only appeared when the guards came to arrest them, that would be a loss.

Thinking it over, Kiana felt it was time to use her foresight and go find some backup.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Cocolia had just woken up under a doctor's care and saw her daughter sitting by the bed.

The moment she woke, Bronya perked up, asking how she felt and if anything hurt.

Even Cocolia, who had planned to follow the Stellaron's advice and tear everything down for a fresh start, showed a flicker of tenderness.

But in an instant, her expression sharpened, and she looked at her daughter with a scrutinizing gaze. Even as the Stellaron's voice kept calling out in her mind, Cocolia ignored it completely.

"Bronya, tell me—which scoundrel tricked you?"

"Mother, what are you talking about!"

Seeing that Bronya's expression wasn't shy but confused, Cocolia couldn't help wondering—could it be the other way around?

Not someone else's son stealing her daughter, but her daughter stealing someone else's daughter.

Maybe it was the rush of blood to her head, or her mind still fuzzy from waking up, but Cocolia actually blurted out what she was thinking.

"Daughter, tell me the truth—did you get some young lady pregnant? Tell me, I won't be angry. But why hide it from me? You're my heir. If your heart belongs to someone, I'll bring the betrothal gifts and propose."

"Mother!"

Bronya felt like she was having a terrible day. What was all this?

After a long back-and-forth, it wasn't until Cocolia's head cleared that she finally understood—Bronya had nothing going on with Kiana.

"Bronya, is that true?"

"Of course, Mother. Forget how I could get another girl pregnant—just look at her age. How could I possibly have a daughter that old!"

"Fair point."

Cocolia's mind was clear now, and her not-so-high intelligence was back in charge. Ignoring the Stellaron's endless chatter and hostility toward the Express crew, she spoke again, this time about business.

"Right, Bronya. Tell me—what did those visitors from beyond say? Did they mention why they're here?"

When Bronya relayed their words and mentioned the Stellaron, Cocolia's expression flickered, but she recovered before Bronya could notice.

The Stellaron's tempting voice came again, and Cocolia made up her mind.

"Alright, Bronya. You've done well. You may go. I'll meet with them again in a few days and discuss this further."

"Yes."

Once Bronya left, Cocolia got out of bed and picked up the brief files on the visitors from the table.

"For Belobog's future, for my people, for my daughter—I won't let you ruin any of this!"

Chapter 19: Serval's Mechanical House

"Kiana, is this really okay?"

"Shh, keep it down. We're doing this for the planet's future—it's all for justice!"

Star followed behind the two, watching them tiptoe through the night, dodging Silvermane Guards as they crept toward the central plaza. She felt speechless.

"Why are we sneaking around like this? Can't we just walk over?"

"We're going to a meetup. What if we get caught?"

"Is there a chance, Kiana, that with your current outfit, even if the Silvermane Guards saw you, they wouldn't dare say a word?"

"That's exactly why we have to not get caught!"

Watching Kiana transform back into her Herta form once again, Stelle felt a bit baffled; and when she saw the other had even changed into clothes that looked strikingly similar to Bronya's, she thought Kiana was planning to cause trouble by borrowing the other's identity.

Bronya.jpg

But after changing clothes, the three of them ended up playing cards in the hotel's inner room until dark, waiting until all the hotel staff had gone to rest, leaving only Old Goethe dozing at the front desk, before they finally snuck out.

"Alright, we're here."

Arriving at their destination, Kiana straightened her clothes and puffed out her chest.

But just as Kiana was about to rehearse her words and push the door open, she found it wouldn't budge.

"Oh no, the door seems to be locked!"

"..."

"Leave it to me—I picked up some lockpicking skills while on other planets, let me try."

"Wait, we're not thieves, don't pick the lock!"

While Kiana and March 7th were still arguing, a young woman with golden hair cascading over her shoulders, the tips seemingly dyed a deliberate pale blue, stood quietly behind them, holding a large bundle, watching.

She kept watching until Kiana and March 7th's bickering dragged on, Stelle found it troublesome, and was about to pull out a bat for a violent door-break—then she finally couldn't hold back.

"You lot, what do you think you're doing to someone else's shop door?"

When the three turned around and saw Kiana, Serval froze.

"Huh, Bronya."

No sooner had she spoken than Serval sensed something off—for one, Bronya had no habit of dyeing her hair, and the blue-tipped ends were impossible to begin with; plus, her height was all wrong.

What kind of incident could shrink someone that much in the blink of an eye?

"Serval, we have something we'd like to talk to you about. Is there somewhere we can go?"