Star Rail, Starting as Kiana

Serval seemed caught off guard by Kiana's words. Her usual carefree demeanor vanished, replaced by a flustered look as she scrambled to defend herself.

"I'm not, I didn't—she kicked me out of the City Builders, and she hasn't contacted me in ages. How could I possibly be worried about her? No, I'm just worried about Bronya."

With that, Serval nodded as if to convince herself.

"Yeah, I'm just worried about Bronya. She's still young, and the burden of Supreme Guardian is too heavy for her. I just don't want Cocolia to leave and dump this mess on Bronya's shoulders."

"You can fool others, but don't fool yourself."

After that, no matter how much Serval tried to explain, Kiana ignored her.

Kiana couldn't help but think to herself, No wonder this city's the capital of lesbians—all about those blooming lilies. Serval and Cocolia, Bronya and Seele, Pela and Lynx. On the surface, they're all sisterly affection, but every single one is more than friends, less than lovers. Just waiting for one side to make a move, and the other will gladly surrender.

"Ah, forget it. Looks like even in a world without Genshin Impact or Travelers, I can't shake the wage-slave life, huh?"

What did Genshin Impact ever do to you?

Watching Bronya and Serval, it wasn't just Kiana—everyone else could see it too. If no one stopped them and Bronya gave the order, either they'd get lucky and the Stellaron would really be gone, wasting manpower and resources for nothing, or they'd face the worst-case scenario: the Stellaron found by Cocolia, or already out of control. Those few ordinary Silvermane Guards would just be throwing their lives away.

But who could stop those two now?

As that thought crossed their minds, the same hot-tempered, explosive girl appeared in everyone's heads.

"I choose you, Seele!"

When Kiana came to the Underworld and said she was taking her to the Overworld to see Bronya, Seele thought Bronya's persuasion had worked.

But the moment she arrived at Kliperburg, she was hit with the current situation—and then handed a heavy responsibility.

"Why do you think Bronya will listen to me? Do you really believe my word matters more than the mother who raised her for over a decade?"

No one said a word, but their expressions clearly answered, Yes.

Seele wasn't hopeful, and she had no love for the Silvermane Guards. But if she let those people die for nothing, Belobog might never see its spring. So she walked up to Bronya's desk and slammed her hand down hard, snapping Bronya's attention.

"Bronya, don't waste manpower and resources. If the Overworld has so many people and supplies, spare some to improve the Underworld's living conditions. And when the time comes to go after that thing, I'll help out too."

Seele saw Bronya staring blankly at her and figured her words had fallen flat, as expected. She was about to turn and leave, planning to tell Kiana to find another way—or just knock some sense into her childhood friend with force—when she heard the sound of a chair toppling behind her.

Along with it came Bronya's hurried scramble to stand, stifling a hiss as she banged her leg.

"Sss... Seele, wait. You're right. I was too hasty earlier. Sorry."

Seele: ?

Serval: ?

Serval turned her head to look at this unfamiliar girl, wondering how Bronya had changed her mind the moment she appeared, when just moments ago she'd been on the same side as Serval.

Only Kiana, watching from afar, tugged at Stelle and March 7th, pointing at Bronya.

"See that? That's what they call 'valuing love over friends, over family.' Don't you two ever learn from her."

March 7th: ...

Stelle: ...

Both fell silent.

Was Seele really "love"? They didn't know. All they knew was that the Express crew's countless examples and pleas had done nothing, but one word from Seele solved everything.

They suddenly wondered—could they ever go that far for someone?

March 7th looked at the white-haired ball of fluff who'd just joined the Express crew.

"Kiana, would you sacrifice the whole world for one person?"

Kiana hadn't expected March 7th to ask that question, but seeing her expression—this wasn't idle chatter. She genuinely wanted an answer.

Kiana thought it over. Would she really?

If something happened to Asta, Herta, March 7th, Stelle, or Himeko, and it cost a planet's destruction—or even more—what would she choose?

"As a bloodline of the Kaslana family, I'm taught to protect everyone I need to protect."

Kiana felt something stir inside her, but it vanished just as quickly. In that brief instant, she seemed to glimpse a starry sky—though she couldn't tell if it was her imagination.

Sensing the atmosphere growing a bit heavy, she quickly snapped back to her usual self, wrapping her arms around March 7th from behind and pressing her whole body against her back, her voice soft and syrupy.

"Little March isn't getting lovestruck from watching others flaunt their romance, is she? Don't worry, nothing bad will happen to you."

Chapter 39: Seele: Bronya, Who Is This Woman?

Because of Seele's "persuasion,"

Bronya ultimately chose a compromise: she, Seele, and a few members of the Express crew would follow the clues to Everwinter Peak.

Serval, meanwhile, was assigned by Bronya to stay in the city.

"If something happens to me, Belobog is in your hands."

Serval had never seen Bronya speak to her with such gravity before. Watching the grown-up Bronya, Serval suddenly had a strange feeling—

Like a daughter had grown up.

But the atmosphere was quickly ruined. Dan Heng had already left early to prepare supplies, while the other three stayed behind in Kliperburg, watching the scene unfold while munching on popcorn Kiana had pulled from her space.

Star: "So, would you say Bronya just planted a death flag?"

March 7th: "Probably, but she's not Kiana. Her mouth isn't that cursed."

Kiana: "Hey hey hey, Little March, that's a personal attack. Keep it up and I'll get mad."

March 7th looked at Kiana, who was puffing her cheeks in mock anger, couldn't resist poking her face, then snatched a piece of popcorn and popped it into Kiana's mouth.

But Kiana had no intention of playing the mascot. Just as March 7th was about to pull her hand back, Kiana darted out her pink tongue, flicked it across March 7th's fingertip, and then seemed to savor the taste.

"Sweet and icy—that's the taste of March 7th!"

"The sweet is from the popcorn. The icy is because my hand's cold."

"Is that so? Then how about letting me taste the real March 7th?"

March 7th thought she'd gotten used to Kiana's flirty talk, but Kiana still had the upper hand.

Still, Kiana was just running her mouth; she didn't actually do anything out of line, which left March 7th feeling oddly empty inside.

But then she glanced at Star, who was staring blankly, and suddenly felt a lot lighter. At least there was plenty of time, and no one else was competing.

"Plenty of time, and Star's no threat. I've got this in the bag."

Star was enjoying the drama and snacks when she suddenly felt a sneeze coming on. Her gut told her someone was badmouthing her behind her back.

She looked at March 7th and Kiana. Kiana was focused on the show, and March 7th, though spacing out, kept muttering things like "Silver's locked in, can't lose, all pears..."

Neither seemed suspicious. So who else could it be?

"It must be that Sampo guy!"

Sampo: Achoo! Who's cursing me now? I've been feeling unlucky lately. Maybe I really should get that woman to do a reading for me.

Because the Supreme Guardian had left, and Bronya—acting as both deputy and commander—was leading the team, there was no sign of that certain Brother Jie from Kiana's memories.

Along the way, Bronya stayed mostly silent. Seele, apparently uncomfortable with this version of Bronya, kept striking up conversations with her.

Sometimes Seele even told stories from her past.

Whether drawn in by the stories or by Seele herself, Bronya gradually stopped being so quiet and started chatting back now and then.

But Kiana and the others felt pretty awkward.

"Are we third-wheeling here?"

"Don't say it. We know. But saying it out loud just makes it more awkward."

With that one remark, the atmosphere turned strange.

Bronya walked at the front to lead the way, and Seele—claiming she needed to protect Bronya so the Underworld wouldn't lose its chance to see the light again—also chose to stay up front.

So neither of them noticed the awkwardness brewing behind them. In the end, only Dan Heng was left feeling embarrassed.

At some point, March 7th had sidled up to Kiana. They weren't exactly being lovey-dovey, but the vibe between them was harmonious.

Star, meanwhile, was eyeing the trash cans around her with sparkling eyes. Without March 7th and Kiana watching her, she was overjoyed.

Unfortunately, the trash cans here were either empty, rusted over, or covered in ice and snow. No chance for Star.

So Star looked at the group, thought it over, and decided to join Kiana's other side, starting a three-way chat.

Only Dan Heng was left with a pained expression, watching the group ahead.

He really wanted to say: "Come on, aren't we here to find the Stellaron and Cocolia? This isn't a field trip. Please take this seriously."

Maybe sensing the resentment behind her, Kiana turned to look at Dan Heng, who was bringing up the rear.

Seeing the lonely, cold-faced Little Azure Dragon, she remembered the photo of Blade she had saved on her phone.

So Kiana spoke up.

"Dan Heng, don't be jealous. Your good buddy will probably come find you soon. You'll meet up on the next Trailblaze expedition."

Dan Heng: ...

He was already exasperated, but now he was starting to get scared.

He'd seen Kiana's mouth work its magic many times. The victims didn't include him yet, but now that she'd spoken, Dan Heng had a bad feeling.

But Kiana's next words grabbed everyone's attention, making Dan Heng temporarily forget the figure that always appeared in his dreams, shouting, "There are five people, and the price is three."

Because what Kiana said was: "Star, look—there's a pretty new trash can over there. It's not even dirty. Don't you want to take a peek?"

If it were just that, no one would care—maybe just grumble about not rummaging through trash cans, clean or not.

Just as Kiana's next words left her mouth, everyone except Stelle and Kiana drew their weapons, bracing for action.

"What if the Stellaron's inside? We've searched everywhere and haven't found it—who knows if it's hiding in a trash can."

The others wanted to stop Stelle, but the trash can before her seemed to hold an extraordinary allure.

The moment Kiana finished speaking, Stelle was already at the trash can, lifting its pristine lid in one swift motion.

They expected a Stellaron to burst out, but instead, Stelle froze for a moment at what she saw inside, then turned back and waved them over.

"?"

The first to reach Stelle were Kiana, closest and gifted with spatial abilities, followed by March 7th.

But after seeing the scene inside, neither spoke; they just awkwardly stepped back, motioning for the others to come look.

Dan Heng glanced over, then yielded his spot as well.

Finally, Bronya and Seele arrived at the trash can and saw a person inside.

"Who's this woman? Bronya, is she one of the Silvermane Guards? Why does her outfit look different from everyone else's?"

Chapter 40: Bronya: She's My Mom

"She's my mom."

Watching Bronya suddenly fall silent, Seele seemed to understand why the others had stepped back to make room for Bronya instead of just saying it outright.

Good news: the main goal of their outing was half accomplished—Cocolia appeared unharmed, merely unconscious.

Bad news: she'd been found in a trash can.

The can was neither too big nor too small. To avoid hurting Cocolia, Seele and Bronya decided to tip the can over together, then carefully drag her out.

The Express crew put on a "we saw nothing" act, which let Bronya breathe a little easier.

After all, the place where Cocolia was discovered was just too embarrassing.

"Kiana, what are you doing?"