“How much does she remember?”
“Enough to remember you, at least.”
“Hmph.”
The tall, wine-haired woman pressed the faintly golden sphere into the gray-haired girl’s chest, and her voice softened.
“Time to wake up…”
This was the very beginning of Star Rail’s story, where the player took on the role of the Trailblazer, went through a string of misadventures, and then decided whether to board the train.
By the script, the Trailblazer would travel the galaxy aboard the Astral Express alongside companions who carried the will of Trailblaze, exploring new civilizations and meeting new friends.
So.
Time to consider a different problem.
How exactly was Felutina supposed to explain who she was?
To the Stellaron Hunters, to the Herta Space Station as it currently stood, to the Express crew – to every last one of them, Felutina was an undocumented ghost.
If the Express crew showed up, or Herta herself, Felutina had no way at all to account for her presence here.
And those two Stellaron Hunters seemed about to notice her.
Felutina thought it over, and her eyes went straight to the [Bonus Reward].
[Status Card: single use.
The host may inflict any status upon herself.]
[Statuses: Bleed, Burn, Freeze, Shock, Wind Shear, Entanglement, Imprisonment.]
Felutina: ?
Why this, of all things.
Was she supposed to slap a debuff on herself, flop onto the floor, cosplay a corpse, and become Stelle’s sister in misery?
“Hm?”
Silver Wolf, who was keeping watch, seemed to catch something, and her head snapped toward Felutina.
Felutina’s mouth twitched.
She raised a hand and tapped [Status Card] in a hurry.
No time to be picky.
Surely they wouldn’t pick a fight with an injured girl.
As she recalled, the Stellaron Hunters held themselves to a fairly high moral standard.
[Host has entered: Entanglement]
The system’s glowing frame rose into view.
Ripples spread out around Felutina like water disturbed by a stone, and she felt as though she’d slipped into some other layer of space and time.
“…?”
Her body felt no different at all.
She lifted her head, puzzled.
Silver Wolf was looking right at her.
Awkward.
Felutina cleared her throat, ready to take the initiative – but before she could get a word out, Kafka’s gaze turned their way as well.
“What is it?”
“Nothing.
Just felt like someone was staring at me.”
“…Does Elio’s script mention any surprises?”
“Nope.
We stick to the original plan.”
Silver Wolf stretched, showing off the elegant line of her waist, and looked away again soon enough.
Felutina laid a hand on the hilt of her sword.
Neither Stellaron Hunter reacted in the slightest.
This wasn’t quite the [Entanglement] she remembered.
So there’d be no need to introduce herself after all – but that only dragged the next problem along behind it.
If nobody could see her, how was she supposed to show up in the story?
“Time’s almost up, I have to go…
Listen to me.
Someone will find you soon.
Go with them, don’t be afraid.
You remember nothing – nothing except me.”
“Kaf…
ka…”
Stelle called the name in broken pieces.
“When you’re given the chance to choose, choose something you won’t regret…”
Kafka’s gentle voice trailed off.
She rose slowly to her feet, watched Stelle sink to the floor, then turned and walked away.
Felutina tried all sorts of things beside the two of them – she even reached out and swatted at Silver Wolf’s hand, and her fingers passed clean through.
…Congratulations, she was officially a cyber ghost girl.
The two of them walked out without a backward glance.
“Fallen before the campaign even started,” she muttered.
Feeling more than a little glum, Felutina gave up entirely and sat down next to Stelle, tracing little circles on the floor.
She wondered what the game’s livestream feed looked like right now, and whether it could pick up a quantum-state version of her at all.
If it could, that wouldn’t be so bad.
She’d still have a shot at blowing up.
The girl let her mind wander, and heaved a heavy sigh.
“Mm…”
Maybe the floor was simply too cold.
The girl lying on it suddenly murmured.
Her eyes opened, dazed.
“You’re awake?
You’ve got the best constitution out of this whole batch of newbies.” Felutina spared her a glance and said it offhandedly.
Stelle couldn’t hear her anyway.
She could say whatever she liked.
Wait.
Felutina’s head jerked up.
Stelle was staring straight at her, perfectly still, Felutina’s reflection sitting in those golden eyes along with a clear, unguarded innocence.
“Hm?”
Felutina tilted her head.
Stelle copied her and tilted her head too.
She can see me.
A brilliant smile spread across Felutina’s face.
She reached out, took Stelle’s hand gently in hers, and held on tight.
A handshake kept a proper distance while quietly shrinking the gap between two people.
Nobody minds a pretty girl getting close, of course – but this was only the beginning, and this much distance was exactly right.
Star Rail had inherited the classic gacha-game setup, too: you used to be someone incredibly important, and then you lost your memory.
A cliche, but a genuinely useful one.
Right now it was doing Felutina a great many favors.
“Shhh…”
Felutina raised one finger to her lips and gave Stelle a playful wink.
“Good morning, Gray-baby.”
A slightly intimate nickname closed the distance fast – and set the imagination running, besides.
“You’re…?”
Stelle still seemed half in a daze.
“I’m Felutina.
A…
ghost out of the past.”
Classic riddle-speak.
Not technically a lie, either.
Felutina pricked up her ears at the footsteps growing louder outside, and left behind one last meaningful smile.
“Someone’s coming to collect you in a moment.
Remember – don’t tell them I exist~”
She rose, turned her head, and stepped out with an elegant stride.
Since the next stretch of the story existed mainly to show off the Express crew and the people of the Herta Space Station, Felutina decided to keep out of the spotlight for now.
Besides, Kafka had already run through the same talking points.
If she started rattling on now, she’d not only trample the established setting, she’d bore the audience watching from outside.
“…?”
Stelle blinked in confusion, but before she could ask anything, the door to the room swung open without warning.
“Dan Heng, there’s someone else in here!”
The pink-haired girl’s eyes fixed on Stelle at once, a note of urgency in her voice.
“This person’s coordinates weren’t transmitted by the space station…” Dan Heng sounded faintly hesitant.
“Come on, who cares about that at a time like this?
There’s a living, breathing person right in front of us.
She can’t exactly be fake.”
March 7th waved a hand – a bigger sweep than she intended, and it swung right through Felutina as she was heading out the door.
“Ah…”
Stelle watched Felutina’s retreating back and opened her lips.
The next instant, March 7th’s hand passed straight through Felutina’s body.
The white-haired girl’s figure wavered like a mirage, then vanished from Stelle’s sight entirely.
…Was that a hallucination?
Stelle lowered her head.
…I really can’t tell.
____
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