Honkai Star Rail: Starting With Marrying Acheron

Acheron sighed silently in her heart.

Did they really think being targeted by so many Aeons was a good thing?

Especially when one of them was the ever-unpredictable Aha. No one could ever tell what she would do next.

The whole concept of simulating a universe felt inherently wrong. How could a simulated universe possibly achieve such a thing?

While Acheron remained lost in thought, Lin Shuang, beside her, still had that carefree, silly grin on her face, utterly oblivious.

Unable to help herself, Acheron reached out and pinched Lin Shuang's cheek.

She pulled hard.

This child was truly an idiot.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

Lin Shuang, now nursing a pinched cheek for no apparent reason, swatted Acheron's hands away in protest.

In just a few seconds, Lin Shuang's soft cheeks had turned red. Acheron hadn't even held back.

Lin Shuang glared at her, rubbing her aching face. But instead of apologizing, Acheron merely said,

"I never realized you were this stupid before."

"Hah?! What do you mean?! Why am I stupid?!"

Lin Shuang looked completely clueless, which only made Acheron even more exasperated. She let out a short laugh, almost in disbelief.

Then, suddenly, Acheron stood up, turned around, and pressed Lin Shuang down onto the sofa, preventing her from escaping.

With a commanding gaze, she looked down at Lin Shuang and said,

"Didn't I tell you not to mess with someone like the Emanators?"

"I didn't! That's so unfair! The entire Antimatter Legion is here, and their strongest, the Doomsday Beast, is still parked outside! Where would I even find an Emanator?!"

"..."

Acheron almost laughed from sheer frustration.

So instead of provoking an Emanator, this fool had caught the attention of an Aeon instead?

And of all the Aeons, she had to provoke the one who embodied joy and chaos.

"So, you went and got the Aeon of Elation's attention instead? You skipped ranks now?"

"Ah…"

Realizing she couldn't talk her way out of this, Lin Shuang gave Acheron a bright, innocent smile.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch—! Stop pinching! It hurts!"

And so, Acheron showed no mercy as she continued her punishment.

Lin Shuang, no match for Acheron, struggled to break free, but to no avail.

"Don't force my hand! Ahhh—!!"

Lin Shuang's face turned red from the pain. She winced but still raised her hands threateningly.

Acheron, however, didn't take her seriously at all.

Seeing that pleading wouldn't work, Lin Shuang resorted to drastic measures.

Massage techniques—activate!

She placed her hands on Acheron's waist and abdomen and pressed down with all her might.

In an instant, Acheron's body stiffened, visibly trembling.

Even if she could still draw her sword in such a state, her hands were now useless for anything else. How could she possibly wield her blade against Lin Shuang?

And so, Acheron, effectively cutting off her own ability to retaliate, suddenly found herself at a complete disadvantage.

Her grip on Lin Shuang's cheeks slackened.

Lin Shuang seized the opportunity, shaking her head free before springing up.

She swiftly flipped Acheron over, pinning her down on the sofa.

Now straddling Acheron, Lin Shuang grinned triumphantly.

"Heheh—I won!"

However, her previously pinched cheeks were still slightly swollen, making her face look adorably round and red.

She had no aura of intimidation whatsoever.

In fact, her victorious smile only made her look even more like she was trying to act cute.

Acheron's lips twitched as if she wanted to smile but suppressed it.

Lin Shuang, on the other hand, knew when to quit while she was ahead. After all, Acheron had only been worried about her. She couldn't push things too far.

So, Lin Shuang stood up and tugged on Acheron's arm.

"Alright, don't be mad. I'll be more careful next time. Who could've predicted that a simulated universe project would lead to this? No sane Aeon would care about something like this."

As she spoke, Lin Shuang held Acheron's hand and pulled her toward the bathroom.

"You've been out running around all day. Let me help you wash up. Get some rest tonight, okay? Hehe."

"I wish you'd actually learn your lesson for once."

"Ehhh, I will, I will."

Lin Shuang laughed, pretending to complain.

Meanwhile, the Herta Doll continued its housework diligently without a single complaint.

Smart household robots were nowhere near as convenient as the puppets directly controlled by Lin Shuang.

...

The next morning.

After getting a good night's sleep, Acheron left early.

Lin Shuang, already awake, checked the messages sent by March 7th and Stelle last night.

They had taken pictures of the snowy fields and some foreign city-states.

Clearly, they were in Jarilo-VI.

According to March 7th, they had just arrived in Jarilo the previous day and were treated to a stay at the most luxurious hotel.

Lin Shuang checked the timestamp on March 7th's message. It had been sent last night.

At that time, Lin Shuang had been busy studying vocal techniques from Robin.

After finishing her lessons, she had gone straight to bed, not even checking her phone.

Recently, she had been setting aside time every day to improve her skills. Though her vocal abilities weren't particularly useful in social settings, they could be invaluable in critical moments.

Once she visited Penacony and met Robin, she planned to record a song and see how much tuning the system would allow before flagging it as invalid.

Lin Shuang glanced at the messages again.

After some rough calculations, March 7th and the others should be running for their lives from the Silvermane Guards right about now.

The thought made her chuckle.

Then she sent a rather unhelpful message to March 7th:

[Lin Shuang: Be careful not to get yourself wanted, end up in the slums, and join the resistance.]

[Lin Shuang: (March 7th, fighting!)]

After sending that, she opened Stelle's chat and added another message:

[Lin Shuang: Remember to shower after rummaging through trash cans.]

[Lin Shuang: (March 7th thumbs up)]

The messages were successfully sent, but after waiting a while, she received no reply.

They were definitely on the run.

Lin Shuang put away her phone, a mischievous smile curling on her lips.

She wondered how long it would take for the two of them to remember to respond.

With no plans for the day and no word from Kafka yet, Lin Shuang thought it might be a good time to visit Xianzhou's Artisanship Commission.

Though her teleportation ability was convenient, it had limitations. It was a simple one-click process with pre-packaged programs, meaning she couldn't bring others along with her.

But what if she stored Bella in her portable space? Would she be able to teleport together then?

Might as well test it out.

Making up her mind, Lin Shuang gave Bella a heads-up in her mind, then opened a portal back to her residence in Xianzhou.

She headed straight to the Artisanship Commission.

Before she could greet anyone, an unexpected figure caught her eye.

A certain green-haired girl, who should have been in the Divination Commission, was standing there instead.

"Hey, Qingque! What are you doing here?"

"A-Ah?! Lin—Lin Shuang?! What are you doing here?!"

Qingque, startled by the sudden call, turned around in shock, staring at Lin Shuang with wide eyes.

---

T/N: Yo personally, I never liked Jarilo IV, probably cause the plot was kinda boring asf. Also, I didn't really like the characters there other than Clara(My GOAT illya) and Pela. 

Thats just me tho.