Honkai Star Rail: Starting With Marrying Acheron

At night, Lin Shuang slept in the second bedroom of the house with Firefly.

After all, the bed in the master bedroom was where Acheron often slept. Given Acheron's personality, she probably wouldn't care about something like that.

But Lin Shuang still didn't feel comfortable letting someone sleep in her bed without saying anything.

The two of them fell asleep quickly.

But Firefly woke up before dawn.

"…What time is it?"

Firefly rubbed her eyes, ran a hand through her hair, and reached for the phone beside her pillow. Turning on the screen, she checked the time.

Two more hours until sunrise.

Lin Shuang was still sleeping soundly, showing no signs of waking up.

Firefly held her phone, gazing at Lin Shuang, who lay sideways in the dim glow of the screen.

At that moment, Lin Shuang mumbled something in her sleep, smacking her lips afterward.

"This is what you look like when you sleep? Haha~ I wonder what kind of dream you're having."

Firefly chuckled softly, a hint of envy in her gaze as she watched Lin Shuang's face.

What does it feel like to dream?

She sat up in bed, propping herself up with a pillow, her long hair cascading over her shoulders.

Firefly looked at the sleeping Lin Shuang and reached out, lightly touching her face.

No response.

If it were Firefly, just getting close to her—let alone poking her—would wake her up immediately. Even if it was Lin Shuang, whom she trusted, it was impossible for her to remain completely unaware of someone touching her.

But Lin Shuang seemed completely defenseless.

For a moment, Firefly didn't know what to think.

"Ah… Speaking of which…"

Staring at Lin Shuang's delicate face, Firefly seemed to remember something. She lit up her phone screen and turned on the camera.

"So, this is how it works, right?"

Having never used a phone's camera before, Firefly hesitated as she adjusted the settings.

She even had to search for instructions on how to take a picture before finally getting the effect she wanted.

After fiddling with the phone for a while, Firefly raised it, making sure both her and Lin Shuang's sleeping face were in the frame.

Seeing the composition, Firefly waved her free hand for a long time, unsure of what pose to strike.

She wanted to turn off the camera and ask netizens for advice, but after spending so much time adjusting everything, she didn't want to start over.

After hesitating for a long time, Firefly finally gave up on posing. She held her phone steady and pressed the shutter button.

Click—

The sharp shutter sound echoed in the quiet room.

Firefly flinched. She had forgotten to mute the camera.

But Lin Shuang remained fast asleep. Not only did she not wake up, she didn't even stir.

Firefly stared at the camera still in her hands. The contrast between her startled expression and Lin Shuang's peaceful sleep was almost laughable.

"She really is beautiful."

Firefly smiled to herself, put away her phone, then carefully climbed out of bed and left the room quietly.

She changed out of the pajamas Lin Shuang had lent her.

After neatly folding them and placing them on the coffee table, Firefly paused for a moment, thinking.

She searched the coffee table and found a new notepad and a pen.

Then, she left a short message for Lin Shuang, opened a portal, and left the house alone.

…

Three in the morning.

When Lin Shuang woke up, there was no one beside her.

"…She already left?"

Sitting up in bed, Lin Shuang looked at the slightly messy sheets, feeling a fleeting sense of loneliness.

But the emotion quickly faded. She got up, freshened up, and walked into the living room, where she spotted Firefly's neatly folded pajamas—and a note underneath.

A note? How retro.

Lin Shuang couldn't help but chuckle.

As she walked over and picked it up, she muttered to herself, "Why didn't she just send a message? It must've been hard for her to find paper and a pen."

Lin Shuang had never needed to write anything down since moving in. Most of the supplies and furniture had been arranged by a professional team.

She didn't even know there were pens and notepads in the house.

Picking up the note, she saw a simple message:

"I woke up early and didn't want to disturb your rest, so I went back first. I had a lot of fun last night. Thank you, Lin Shuang."

At the bottom, there was a small sketch of a flower. Who knew where Firefly had learned to draw?

"…Ha—"

Lin Shuang sat on the sofa, yawning.

Just as she was considering what to do today, her phone suddenly buzzed.

She picked it up and saw a message from Robin.

Lin Shuang assumed it was about making up for the vocal lessons she had skipped last night while playing games with Firefly.

But when she clicked on it, she saw something completely different.

Robin was talking about the invitation letter.

The invitation to the Charmony Festival had been sent out and was now in Robin's hands.

After that, Robin brought up something else.

[Robin: Lin Shuang, do you know the history of Penacony? Have you heard of the watchmaker?]

[Lin Shuang: A little. Wasn't he the one who created modern Penacony? Why?]

As Lin Shuang replied, she recalled the bits of history she knew. The story of Penacony wasn't well-documented, but the watchmaker seemed suspiciously like a forgotten guest from the past.

Robin, on the other end, was a little surprised.

The true history of Penacony was a secret, buried deep within the family records. Few knew the full story.

How did Lin Shuang know about it?

Still, surprise aside, Robin continued.

[Robin: Actually, someone sent out an unusual invitation to all major factions, claiming to be the watchmaker.]

[Robin: Oh, and keep this secret, okay?]

[Robin: The invitation calls on everyone to search for the watchmaker's legacy. I wonder if the sender is the dissonant note.]

Lin Shuang hadn't expected Robin to share such confidential information with her.

[Lin Shuang: Hard to say. As far as I remember, the watchmaker wasn't part of the family. Maybe we need to investigate further.]

Lin Shuang didn't know the full truth, but based on her fragmented memories, she could at least pinpoint key people and events worth investigating.

This knowledge might give her an advantage in Penacony.

[Robin: You're right. We shouldn't jump to conclusions. I'm heading to Penacony soon. Want to come with me?]

[Lin Shuang: Sure. Let me know the time, and I'll meet you there.]