Elysia approached the group.
Griseo was sitting on the couch playing the newly updated Honkai Impact 3rd event, Kosma was quietly watching nearby, and Kevin was having an animated conversation with Su...
Naturally, Elysia walked straight to her dear Eden.
"Eden~~ Let's..."
"Elysia, look at Kalpas."
"Kalpas?"
Elysia looked over and saw Mobius standing behind Kalpas—who, for some reason, was wearing a mask.
"What are they doing?" Elysia was curious.
"No idea. But they've been like that for a while," Eden replied.
"Oh?"
Elysia's eyes lit up. Mobius and Kalpas—wow, she was really interested in this pairing!
"Eden~~" She made a hush gesture to Eden.
Eden smiled indulgently and nodded gently.
Elysia then stealthily sat near Kalpas, just close enough to hear the conversation between him and Mobius.
Mobius: "Kalpas."
"Sunshine Boy" Kalpas: "Shut up!"
"Hah... that's exactly why I hate you. With that terrible attitude, I seriously doubt you can survive in society."
Mobius let out a mocking sigh: "I really don't want to hear from Sakura at next year's party something like..."
She paused, then her tone grew even more cutting: "Kalpas, yeah, he got his legs broken for having a bad temper. Couldn't make it."
Kalpas: "..."
"Now that would be hilarious."
"Hahahaha! Mobius, are you talking about yourself? Talking in that weird tone all the time—you don't honestly think you're funny, do you?"
Kalpas, holding his phone in one hand, supported his mask with the other as he burst into laughter.
"Mobius, shut up already!"
"Kalpas..."
The tension between Mobius and Kalpas was growing thick.
Nearby, Pardofelis—who was within earshot—couldn't hold back anymore: "Snake-sis, Kalpas-bro, calm down... sigh, Elysia-jie, can't you stop just watching and do something?"
"Alright, alright." Elysia stepped forward. "Since even Felis says so, I have no choice but to interrupt this... delightful exchange between Kalpas and Mobius."
"Delightful?"
Several onlookers simultaneously raised question marks above their heads.
"Let's go!"
Elysia ignored the crowd's confusion, enthusiastically declaring:
"There's still time. Let's warm things up with a fun mini-event!"
"What are you planning, Elysia?" Mobius asked.
"Let me think~~" Elysia tapped her chin in thought.
At that moment, Griseo suddenly put down her phone and said:
"Starlit Astrologos died."
"Huh?" Elysia turned to Griseo, confused.
"Starlit Astrologos died in the latest event story. Multiple times already," Griseo said sadly.
"?"
"Starlit Astrologos died—multiple times?"
Curious about the story, Elysia and several others gathered around Griseo.
On Griseo's screen was a cutscene from Starlit Astrologos's bad ending.
The night sky flared as the fireworks stockpiled in Radiant Moon City ignited and exploded together.
The bamboo forest was briefly illuminated before darkness returned.
Fireworks streaked across the sky—countless sparks fell like meteors, radiant to the extreme.
As the fireworks flickered, Starlit Astrologos slumped against a stone, quietly gazing at a corner of the sky through the bamboo.
Her body was cold. Her pupils were void of light.
Wind howled from every direction, mingling with the distant roars of explosions.
Fireworks blossomed endlessly in the sky, brilliant and blinding.
And yet, the world felt frozen.
Even without seeing the earlier scenes, just this CG alone—paired with the sorrowful BGM—was enough to stir deep emotions.
That clever and resourceful Starlit Astrologos—how could she suddenly die?
Many players had taken a liking to this character who resembled Theresa, but was smarter than Theresa.
That look of disdain mixed with reluctant helpfulness was strangely exciting... ahem.
In any case, this event had portrayed Starlit Astrologos exceptionally well. A whole faction of fans had formed around her.
And now, she was lying there lifeless, eyes dull and empty.
Then the game presented two choices:
[Try again.]
[Give up.]
"Starlit Astrologos died again," Griseo said quietly.
But it seemed she already knew what to do—she quickly started operating her character again.
The others watched as Griseo restarted the timeline using Tesla·Zero, trying to save Starlit Astrologos, only to unlock more of her death scenes.
They could never reach a timeline where she survived.
Everyone began to understand what kind of story The Day You Vanished with the Stars truly was.
Just as the plot described:
Endless darkness swallowed me. Before me, no light, no path, no echo.
I don't know how to stand up—nor if standing up could even change anything.
I stumble forward, but no matter how far I walk, I remain trapped like a beast in a cage. I can never reach that future.
The future where Starlit Astrologos lives.
As Griseo tried again and again, each attempt ending in failure, the tone of the story became increasingly bleak.
"I remember you said this event was really cheerful, right?" Mobius asked Elysia.
"Well..."
Elysia blinked, just as puzzled: "Because Honkai Chronicles was written by Kiana. I mean, Kiana's such a cute and clever girl—how could she write something this grim?"
"Clever?" Mobius was speechless. "Never mind... no way Kiana wrote this."
Then who did?
Both of them turned simultaneously to Fu Hua.
Not noticing the shift in mood, Fu Hua blinked innocently and explained:
"Because the The Day You Vanished with the Stars part was written by Hokuto."
"..."
Ah, that explains it.
Everything suddenly made sense.
Perfect sense—not!
"What kind of trauma did miHoYo's writer go through?" Kalpas said aloud.
After a moment's pause, he asked Elysia a question: "Elysia, I remember he lives next door to you, right?"
"Uh... yes."
"Perfect."
Kalpas turned and left decisively.