Star Rail, Starting as Kiana Chapter 7

But Himeko didn't put up new seals—just enough to make Kiana remember the lesson, no need to actually stop her from talking.

Looking at the planet that was completely different from the records still made March 7th a bit suspicious. Could the jump really have gone wrong?

"G? That white, snowy planet—is that our target this time?"

March 7th glanced at the photo in her hand, then back at the ice-covered planet, feeling like she'd been scammed.

Buyer's show vs. seller's show.

"Yeah, looks like this expedition won't be too easy."

Pom-Pom also announced the data they'd calculated. Himeko suddenly hesitated—was she being too nice to Kiana? Maybe she should just seal Kiana's mouth shut for good.

Kiana caught Himeko's gaze and shrank her neck back. The slick remarks she'd planned never made it out as she slipped behind March 7th and Stelle, blocking Himeko's line of sight.

"Spatial readings abnormal! Star Rail stability dropping to 12%! Docking plan changed—station stay extended from 7 days to indefinite until the anomaly is resolved."

After Pom-Pom's words, only March 7th and Stelle didn't understand what that meant. The other three all shot Kiana a look that said, "You've got to be kidding me."

Kiana was at a loss for words. It clearly had nothing to do with her, but just because she'd shot her mouth off, that jinx nickname was never going away now.

"Forget it, I'll do what I want with my mouth!"

In the end, it was still their curious little Stelle, who didn't get what was happening while everyone around her was staring at her with weird looks, so she spoke up to ask.

"Um, what does that mean?"

"Well, skipping the technical jargon—do you remember what Kiana just said?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Wait, don't tell me?"

"That's exactly the don't tell me."

Once March 7th and Stelle understood the logic and looked her way too, Kiana could only pretend not to notice, humming a tune as she pulled out a drink she'd bought and started sipping it.

"Preliminary inspection results are in. The root of the anomaly is still the Stellaron."

In the end, it was Uncle Yang who stepped in, stopping everyone from staring at Kiana any longer.

Finding out the real culprit had been caught, Kiana immediately got cocky. She shot back glares at everyone, hands on her hips, looking like she'd been wronged and they owed her an apology.

"Then this expedition is in your hands—Kiana, Stelle, March 7th. Oh, and Dan Heng, you go with them too. Look after the girls."

Watching Uncle Yang's disappointed expression—even though Himeko was younger than him—she still had to take on the job of comforting him.

But it seemed she wouldn't need to say anything this time.

Kiana instantly appeared behind Uncle Yang, patting him on the shoulder.

"Qihei, Biejia Wangsan, I've got plenty of fun stuff waiting. By the time we reach the next stop, maybe you'll see that old acquaintance you've been thinking about. Then you'll have your chance to shine."

"Old acquaintance?"

Uncle Yang was caught by Kiana's words. The little bit of disappointment he'd felt vanished, replaced by curiosity about who this old acquaintance Kiana mentioned was.

As for why Kiana said it, Uncle Yang didn't plan to dig too deep. Maybe Kiana knew something, maybe she was just shooting the breeze.

What did it have to do with him anyway?

The others, Ling Renmeng included, were also curious. Who was this old acquaintance Kiana was talking about? Even Dan Heng, who was always aloof, and Pom-Pom, maintaining the dignity of the Train Conductor, couldn't help but look over.

Kiana didn't say the name outright. Instead, she played coy, clearing her throat twice and putting some distance between herself and Uncle Yang before speaking.

"How do I put this? He doesn't have a father, but he has me. I can totally be his guide in life, right? Just like how I raised you all."

Fist. Fist clenched.

Uncle Yang felt his blood pressure spike. He didn't know why Kiana knew that line, but the moment he heard it, he knew exactly who the old acquaintance was.

Who else could it be but Otto!

The others had never seen Uncle Yang like this before. They all wondered who could make such a good-natured guy like him think of someone with just one sentence, and get this furious.

But since neither Kiana nor Uncle Yang seemed intent on explaining, no one pressed further. Only Pom-Pom chose to hand Uncle Yang a cup of tea to help him cool down.

Chapter 12: If I Turned Into Herta, Would Bronya Get Excited?

While everyone was calming Uncle Yang down, March 7th sidled up to Kiana and whispered in her ear.

"Kiana, how about we head out first? Uncle Yang looks like he's about to blow a gasket. Let's get ready and change clothes to leave."

"Mm."

Kiana nodded. Taking the chance, March 7th also tugged at Stelle, and the three of them left together to prepare.

But March 7th and Stelle waited a long time, and Kiana still hadn't shown up. They both found it a bit strange.

"Kiana didn't fall asleep, did she?"

Stelle checked the time and realized it had been a while. March 7th was losing patience too, and with Stelle's comment, she decided to go into the room and see how Kiana was doing.

When she walked in, she didn't see Kiana. Instead, she saw someone with the same hair color as Stelle—ash-gray, with faint blue tips, wearing slightly oversized clothes, standing blankly in front of the mirror.

"Huh!"

March 7th couldn't help but gasp at the figure before her. That face was like a carbon copy of the Stellaron Hunters' hacker, Silver Wolf, whose bounty was a whopping 5.1 billion.

With March 7th's exclamation, the Express crew members were drawn by her voice, and the nearest one, Stelle, thinking March 7th was in danger, came running with a baseball bat.

But the moment she saw the figure in the room, she froze too.

"Silver Wolf, it's you!"

Kiana had been immersed in the fact that she had turned into Bronie's Maze Rabbit form.

Then, jolted awake by March 7th and Stelle's voices, she turned to look at the two of them. However, while Kiana's figure wasn't as explosive as Himeko's or Herta's in the post-collapse era, it still wasn't something Bronie could compare to.

So the clothes she had just changed into, worn on her body, slipped straight down with her turn. If Kiana hadn't reacted quickly, she would have ended up giving a fanservice moment like her first encounter with Asta.

The hastily customized Princess of Winter outfit, based on her memory, now looked more like a long dress on this slightly childish body.

The closest person was Dan Heng, who was waiting for the three to disembark and planning to act as a guard, but before he could walk over, Himeko stopped him.

"I'll handle it."

Looking at the figure before her, even Himeko showed a puzzled expression.

But Himeko was clearly more mature and steady. She poked her head out, told Ouyang and Dan Heng not to worry, then had Pom-Pom ask the others to wait in the observation car, closed the door, and locked it.

"It's Kiana, right?"

"Eh!!!" *2

Before Kiana could even speak, March 7th and Stelle, who were still in shock, blurted out. After all, this existence that looked so much like Silver Wolf couldn't be more different from the Kiana in their memories—they were completely unrelated.

But seeing Kiana nod, and thinking about Kiana's mouth, the others could guess the general situation.

Kiana had probably said something again, leading to this appearance.

"Go on, what did you say?"

Kiana felt a bit awkward, tugging at her ill-fitting clothes. Fortunately, Kiana had a full wardrobe prepared. Originally, she had planned to get back at Silver Wolf whenever she saw her, preparing some dress-up play clothes, but now they were being used on herself.

Though, using spatial abilities to change clothes, she wondered if that pufferfish would get angry if it found out.

Spring Spirit: Huh? Angry? What does a pufferfish's anger have to do with me, the Spring Spirit? I use spatial abilities to store snacks and parasols too.

Kiana thought back. She had been trying to match the surroundings, hesitating between wearing the Princess of Winter outfit, the Herrscher of the Void's Empress of Winter, or the Saintess's Snow Moon Spirit Rabbit attire.

In the end, she felt the Princess of Winter was the most suitable. It was at that moment, just after changing clothes, that she casually said:

"Ah, heading to Jarilo-VI. If I turned into Herta, would Bronya be really excited?"

And then came the situation after that.

Himeko sat on the edge of the bed, while March 7th and Stelle sat on chairs nearby, the three of them just watching Kiana.

Though they had heard that when Asta first met Kiana, she thought Kiana was just an ordinary cat, only for her to turn into a human.

They had thought it was a coincidence, but now it seemed Kiana's ability was truly strange. Changing her body, even gaining a different kind of power—this clearly didn't align with their understanding.

But the others didn't pry too deeply. They just watched Kiana. As time passed, about ten minutes later, Kiana returned to her original form.

"So, Herta said that the first time you turned into something you call a pufferfish, you could still use some of its abilities afterward. How do you feel now?"

With Himeko's question, Kiana remembered that she had wasted time experiencing the Maze Rabbit's abilities. But as she calmed down and sensed the power within her, she found that there was indeed an additional force inside.

As this power was triggered, Kiana transformed into Bronie's form again. However, this time, it wasn't just her appearance that changed—her clothes also changed along with it.

"Mm, I get it now. Unlike before, using the ability turns me into this form, but maintaining it requires internal energy. If I use the ability, the energy consumption increases, and eventually, the transformation ends, and I revert to normal."

But seeing that Kiana hadn't reverted to her original form, to avoid causing trouble, Himeko decided to go to the observation car first, inform the others, and give them some mental preparation.

"Wait for me in the room for a bit. I'll go explain the situation to the others."

With that, Himeko opened the door and went to the observation car, where she explained the general situation to everyone.

When the others arrived, Dan Heng and Pom-Pom found Kiana's ability strange, but after such a long journey, they had seen plenty of weird things. After all, a Rubik's Cube could turn into a person and cause trouble, let alone a human.

Especially in this universe, where there was an Aeon that loved entertainment. Bugs could become Emanators—what couldn't they accept?

Only Ouyang had the expression of an old man reading a newspaper on the subway.

Chapter 13: The Knight's Lecherous Demeanor

Ouyang: What the hell. A week ago, seeing Kiana startled me, but with Himeko's example, I could accept it.

But today, first the train "derails," then Kiana says that guy will meet me next time, and now I see such a familiar figure.

Ouyang was starting to wonder if his entry into the Stargate and arrival here was all a dream.

Otherwise, why could he see so many familiar faces here?

Unfortunately, Kiana couldn't read minds, or she would definitely tease Ouyang.

"This is nothing. Wait until this journey ends, and you see the Honkai: Star Rail version of Bronya and Cocolia, then on the Xianzhou you see Luocha and Sushang, and later, when you see Yomi and Mei, and the Xianzhou Marshal Hua—then you can say that."

But by the time Kiana got off the train, she had already reverted to her original appearance. She had discovered that while in Bronie's form, she couldn't use the Herrscher of the Void's authority—meaning her spatial ability, which she used as a portable backpack, was banned.

So unless necessary or for causing trouble, she would appear in her original form.

Finally, after a bout of trivial annoyances, the group managed to set foot on a new pioneering journey before nightfall.

Though none of them feared the bitter cold, thanks to the Pioneer Aeon's Blessing and their own inherent power, stepping onto the snow-covered ground and seeing the expanse of white around them still triggered a reflexive rub of their hands.

"It really is a frozen wasteland."

Watching Kiana and Star start a repeat mode, even the usually reserved Dan Heng couldn't help but join in.

"It really is a frozen wasteland."

"You're a broken record!"

But despite her teasing, seeing March 7th rub her hands, Kiana fished out a hand warmer and a blue scarf from her own space.

She walked behind March 7th and wrapped the scarf around her. March 7th stopped her complaints, standing still and letting Kiana fuss over her.

Finally, a wave of warmth spread through her hands as Kiana took them and placed a hand warmer in her palms.

Even though she didn't actually feel cold, March 7th still felt a warmth in both her heart and body.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Just as March 7th thanked her, Kiana had already tied a scarf around Star and handed her a hand warmer too. But our dear Star seemed puzzled—why bother with scarves and hand warmers if it wasn't cold?

Still, she thanked Kiana just like March 7th did.

Dan Heng, however, didn't get the same treatment. He simply took a cyan scarf and hand warmer from Kiana, thanked her, and left it at that.

As for why the difference in treatment—perhaps it was the Kaslana family bloodline, instinctively driving Kiana to look after the women around her.

Maybe that was the gallantry of a knightly flirt.

"By the way, why did we land here? It's still a good distance from the town. Wouldn't it have been better to land closer?"

March 7th heard Star's question, and her eyes flickered with unease, trying to dodge Star's gaze full of curiosity.