Star Rail: Starting with a Lyre, Living off Busking

Something wasn't right.

There was something happening that she couldn't quite grasp.

Nahida glanced at the gathering crowd, all eyes fixed on her expectantly as if the entire world had converged upon her.

Though their gazes bore no malice, their well-meaning concern only served to agitate her further.

Sensing her unease, the Elven Queen quickly cleared her throat. Her voice, melodic and song-like, addressed the crowd.

"The tree has chosen its princess, but the sprout still needs time to grow. For now, she will be entrusted to the gardener's care."

Her words were met with approval, and soon the council elders led the crowd away. Following them were the secretary and her ever-present "little tail," and then the Trailblazers.

March 7th gave Nahida a cheeky wink and a thumbs-up, a playful gesture meant to encourage her. Even Dan Heng nodded in her direction, his calm and serene demeanor helping to soothe her anxiety.

But Stelle—

Stelle stood frozen in place, seemingly confused as to why everyone was leaving.

She locked eyes with Nahida, and in her bewildered gaze, there was a sense of helplessness.

Before Nahida could react, March 7th whisked Stelle away, though not without Stelle giving her a final thumbs-up.

Are you some kind of terminator?

Nahida resisted the urge to voice this retort aloud.

Now, the hall of the throne was silent, with only Nahida and the Elven Queen remaining.

An unusual tension filled the air.

Nahida lowered her head, furrowing her brow in thought.

From Stelle's reaction, it's clear that I'm not the only one experiencing something strange.

After all, they shared a bond of unconditional trust.

Naturally, the most suspicious person here had to be the enigmatic Elven Queen beside her.

The Queen had lived for an unimaginable length of time. With the Golden Tree connected to the Apothecary's legacy, her people's extensive knowledge of alchemy, and the ability to create substances that could alter perception, slipping something into last night's meal without detection would have been child's play for her.

But why?

For the forest dwellers, appointing a new successor was undoubtedly significant.

Yet, as the Elven Queen, why would she risk exposing her ulterior motives in such a hurry?

As Nahida looked up at the Queen, she felt a gentle hand patting her head. There was no anger in the Queen's expression, only a maternal tenderness.

The Queen's voice, soft and nurturing, asked, "You look confused. Is something troubling you?"

Her concern didn't seem feigned. If she truly had a guilty conscience, wouldn't she be the one showing panic right now?

Nahida's thoughts wandered back to the fruit candy given to her by Commander Selinia when she arrived that morning.

She had eaten one. It tasted like any ordinary fruit-flavored candy.

She hadn't thought much of it at the time and had tossed the rest to the children. Could it have been a trap all along?

"Staring off into space again? Even if you feel the weight of this responsibility is too heavy, you shouldn't ignore your mother's words."

The Queen's slightly aggrieved tone reached her ears, accompanied by a playful pinch to her cheek.

"That would make me very sad."

"Mmph!"

Nahida puffed out her cheeks and wriggled free from the mischievous hand. She fixed the Queen with a serious, unwavering gaze.

At first, the Queen maintained her motherly warmth, but after a moment, her cheeks reddened, her long ears flushed like boiled shrimp, and her gaze began to dart nervously.

"Looking at you up close like this… You're really so adorable. Maybe that's why the tree likes you so much?"

"Please, stop joking."

Nahida stood from her seat. The Golden Tree's branches reformed into a throne-like shape beneath her feet, providing a platform so she wouldn't have to crane her neck to meet the Queen's eyes.

"Joking?" The Queen tilted her head in confusion. "I'm not joking. But you should be careful not to let your disguise as a boy take over your inner self, too."

"Wha—!?"

Nahida struggled to maintain her composure.

Why is this conversation suddenly veering into my supposed disguise as a boy?

Determined to clear up this misunderstanding later, Nahida pushed the Queen's hand away from her head with renewed seriousness.

"Didn't you notice? Since this morning, time seems to be moving faster."

"Happy, joyful times often feel that way, don't they?"

The Queen retracted her hand with a serene smile, her gaze lingering fondly on Nahida like one would a temperamental kitten.

"For me, this is one of the happiest, most cherished times of my life."

"That just makes me feel like I'm the one losing here…"

Was she becoming more childish and temperamental because she had physically regressed?

Her spiraling thoughts left her disheartened.

Seeing Nahida's sudden slump, the Queen gently pulled her into a hug, cradling her as if she were a fragile treasure.

"I'm sorry. I don't fully understand what's troubling you. But if there's anything I can do to help, I won't hesitate."

As she held Nahida closer, her voice softened to a lullaby-like cadence.

"Tell me, my dear. What's worrying you? The tree and I will do whatever we can to help."

"It's just… what I mentioned earlier. It feels like time is…"

The unsettling sensation surged again.

This time, Nahida, having anticipated it, caught the faint ripple emanating outward from this very room.

Before she could process it, time seemed to leap forward again.

She was no longer in the hall but cradled in the Queen's arms, curled up like a newborn.

"Hmm? Finally awake?"

As Nahida raised her head in confusion, the Queen's gentle, affectionate voice reached her ears.

"You suddenly fell asleep without a word. It really worried me."

"Did I… fall asleep?"

Nahida asked blankly.

Her body felt weak, carrying memories of overexertion.

But she hadn't used her power to such an extreme—certainly not to the point of exhaustion. Not even when she had cleared snow and moved mountains to create a plain back in Jarilo-VI had she felt this drained.

The Queen's concern deepened. She leaned down, their foreheads touching.

"Strange. Your body is perfectly healthy, yet you're saying such odd things."

"I think I'm just confused… And don't lean so close!"

Nahida's small hands pushed the Queen's face away, her flustered tone and flushed cheeks betraying her embarrassment.

Overwhelmed by the display, the Queen let out a delighted "Oh my!" and rubbed her cheek against Nahida's affectionately.

"My child, the cutest in the entire world!"

"We aren't even blood—alright, alright! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said such mean things…"

Before Nahida's sharp retort could take full form, the Queen's teary-eyed expression made her quickly backtrack.

"Hehe. You're always saying one thing but meaning another. You're so kind, Nahida~"

While the Queen and her "daughter" shared a heartwarming moment, far above them in the stars—

—aboard the Astral Express, nearest to Snail Star III—

Beep beep.

The coffee machine signaled the completion of a brew.

Himeko glanced at the coffee cup, already gone cold, her thoughts momentarily adrift.

"Huh?"

"What's wrong, Himeko?"

Welt raised his head, looking slightly puzzled.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that… my coffee machine seems to be broken?"

Himeko, though known for brewing coffee herself, occasionally indulged in laziness, which is why the train always had a coffee machine on hand.

She walked over to the machine and gave it a few gentle taps. The sleek black-and-silver appliance remained unresponsive, its empty echo the only protest it offered.

"Would you like me to take a look at it for you?"

Welt closed his book, carefully placing a bookmark between its pages, and turned his warm gaze to his companion aboard the train.

"Besides, this could be a good excuse for you to visit March and the others. I'm sure they'd be thrilled to see you. By the time you're back, it might be up and running again."

"That kid certainly can't be left alone for long… Wait, what am I saying?"

Himeko poured herself a cup of coffee and took a sip. While the cooled brew had its unique flavor, it still made her frown slightly.

"This feels… oddly familiar, as if I've already experienced this moment."

"Heh. Every ordinary day we experience is a continuous string of miracles, wouldn't you agree?"

Welt's gentle smile carried an obscure reference, one that only someone from his world would understand. Naturally, he didn't elaborate, not even Otto would bother explaining such things.

"True enough. As for this gift from Station Master Asta… Ugh. I'll set it aside for now and deal with it later myself."

With that, Himeko downed the rest of the coffee in a single gulp. Yet, when she set the cup down, she noticed something strange—the cup, which should have shown traces of her drink, was now spotless, as if someone had cleaned it.

Himeko instinctively glanced at Pom-Pom, who was cheerfully watering plants nearby.

"Pom-Pom, did you clean my cup?"

"Yes, I did! If coffee stains are left too long, they'll mark the cup, and seeing that would ruin my mood… Huh?"

Pom-Pom suddenly tilted its head in confusion.

"Wait, why am I over here watering the plants now?"

"…"

For a moment, not just Himeko but even Welt looked up again.

Welt closed his book once more, but this time, a bookmark slipped out and fell onto the floor. Himeko watched as he bent down to pick it up, his expression growing serious.

"Himeko," Welt said gravely. "It's not just us—time within this entire starfield seems… off."

As the second Herrscher of Reason, Welt had once reconstructed the blueprint of the Ninth Divine Key, Key of Eden, granting him abilities such as manipulating gravity, creating gravitational fields, and altering an object's weight.

Even now, his body retained the blueprint's knowledge, allowing him to summon a simulated black hole at will.

Because gravity inherently affects space and time, his sensitivity to such disturbances was heightened.

What's more, his powers had grown stronger since he began traversing the stars. When he first sensed a slight disruption, he traced its source to Snail Star III. The disturbance had been minor, incapable of influencing even the planet's rotation.

Thus, he had suggested Himeko keep an eye on March, while he made preparations of his own.

And as expected—

The temporal distortion had returned, this time on a larger scale. Its reach extended further, likely even to Herta's Space Station.

This level of disruption couldn't be ignored. Welt stood from the sofa and gazed intently at the massive planet outside the observation car.

"Is it a Stellaron? Or perhaps the actions of a local deity? Or…"

"—The power of an Aeon."

Himeko joined him, softly voicing the possibility.

Only those celestial beings could influence the universe so silently and profoundly.

But for mortals to even encounter an Aeon, they needed to have traversed their destined path far enough. Even when Himeko and Welt scoured their minds, only a few candidates came to mind—most were long dormant, with little reason to intervene here.

Among the likely culprits, one stood out.

"Could something have happened on Venti's end?"

An uneasy worry rose in Himeko's heart.

Even Welt fell silent, but regardless of the speculation, they couldn't yet discern what the children were facing. Contacting them was the priority.

Welt pulled out his phone, where the train crew's group chat, One Big Happy Family, was already abuzz with activity.

March 7th: OMG, Himeko! You wouldn't believe how amazing the food here is—it's so good it disappears in the blink of an eye! Makes you want more right after finishing~ @Himeko

March 7th: (Pic: Empty plates) (Pic: Stelle across the table) (Pic: Dan Heng facepalming)

Dan Heng: March, stop taking pictures in the restaurant.

March 7th: Hehehe, it's just that this trip is so rare! We need to make memories, right? (Pic: Pom-Pom heart emoji)

Dan Heng: ...Fine. But be mindful, a lot of people are watching us.

March 7th: Oh… sorry, sorry! I'll stop—wait, we're sitting across from each other! Why didn't you just tell me directly?

Stelle: Isn't it possible that Dan Heng's just trying to save you some face?

March 7th: Then don't eat it all, Stelle!

Welt couldn't help but make the classic elder on public transport regretting looking at his phone face for a second time.

Himeko joined in on the chat with a message of her own.

Himeko: March, the food may be great, but don't forget your tasks. Have you noticed anything strange?

March 7th: Strange… Hmm… Well, we haven't seen Nahida—cough, I mean Venti. Does that count?

Himeko: You sound suspicious. Where's Venti?

March 7th: Uh… well, it's hard to explain. Dan Heng, help me out here!

Dan Heng: He's currently being personally received by this nation's highest leader.

Stelle: Clearly, he's been utterly charmed. Completely starstruck! (Pic: Angry Pom-Pom)

Himeko and Welt exchanged a glance, their earlier tension easing somewhat.

It almost felt as though they had been overthinking things.

Even so, Himeko sent one final message:

Himeko: Understood. Take care of yourselves, and let us know immediately if anything seems off.

Dan Heng: Understood.

Stelle: Understood. +1.

March 7th: No problem~ Can't wait for you to come down and adventure with us, Himeko!

Stelle: Don't break the formation.

---

Meanwhile, at Herta's Space Station:

Herta stared at the simulated universe display, utterly baffled.

"What kind of bug is this? When did this string of code even appear? And why is everyone acting like they've gone feral?"

Her AI assistant, seemingly blessed by the God of Freedom, deadpanned beside her.

"Because it's free."

"Huh?"

"Because it, they, and the entire universe… are free."

"Don't make me send you back for repairs."

The AI snorted disdainfully.

"You wouldn't dare."

"I'm Herta. You think I wouldn't dare?"

"I'm also Herta. You can't outdo me."

"Damn that annoying bard. Next time he's here, I'll dissect him thoroughly!"

As always, Herta's office remained perfectly calm and orderly.

---

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