Honkai Star Rail:The Assistant director

Continuing where we left off....

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I slowly open my eyes after a good night's sleep which is something that is happening more often.

But instead of seeing the roof of my room I see Stelle's face above me.

Stella: You finally woke up.

Stelle said this in a neutral and direct tone, not bothered by her being on top of me.

Ritsuka:What are you doing, Stelle?

I say this not being surprised or embarrassed, in the past I would be, but after having several female Servants invading my room or wanting to sleep with me, Kyohime, Raiko and Serenity are a classic example.

Stelle: I was trying to wake you up and it seems to have worked.

Ritsuka: I slept for that long?

Stella: Yes. I asked March for help on ways to wake you up and she gave me a good suggestion.

Ritsuka: And what is this suggestion she gave?

I say this having a slight impression of what March 7 said to Stelle.

Stelle:She said for me to kiss you and you will definitely wake up.

💭This is the same way that Artoria Caster,Mash and Morgan and others used it.

Ritsuka:And you did it without thinking twice?

Stella: Yes. I kissed you four times, I was going to do it the fifth time, but unfortunately you woke up. I have to admit that I enjoyed doing this.

Stelle said without a hint of shame and I blush a little at her honesty.

💭Why would she.... You know what, I better not question after what happened with the trash cans, anything is possible with this girl.

Ritsuka: Now that I've woken up, can you get off me?

Stelle:What were you dreaming about that made you sleep so much?

Stelle said, ignoring what I said to her.

💭What was I dreaming of.....

Ritsuka:I don't remember what happened.

I say this trying to remember what I was dreaming about, but I can't remember anything.

Stella: A shame....

Ritsuka: Back to the topic. Can you get off me?

I say this and Stelle removes herself from my bed and she leaves the room.

💭 I better pack my things to go back to the Astral Express.

The moment I get out of bed I feel something different around me and a unique presence is present in my room.

I look to my right where I see HooH using a humanoid form.

(Photo)

Ritsuka: Now that's a surprise. I didn't expect to see you using this form or you deciding to talk to me in person.

💭I'm here thinking that the Aeons don't communicate much with mortal people.

HooH: Taking the facts of the events that occurred on this planet, I concluded that the most effective way of communicating with you is creating a human vessel. This way our relationship and our agreement will be able to become stronger.

HooH said in a natural tone, not showing many emotions, this makes it seem like I'm talking to an Android.

Ritsuka:Do you do this to your other Emanators?

HooH:Negative. This is my decision for you alone due to your special circumstances.

💭I think a lot of people would envy me that I'm having the privilege of talking to an Aeon face to face.

Ritsuka:So what do you want to talk to me about?

HooH:About what happened in your battle against Cocolia Rand and Stellaron and the blessings you received from Qlipoth and Nanoock.

Ritsuka: I don't think there's much to discuss about this, after all you certainly saw everything that happened.

HooH: You are correct in your answer. However, I was unable to observe what happened when you incompletely received Nanoock's blessing.

💭Didn't she see what happened? How is this possible?

Ritsuka: I also don't really know what happened, something that I completely don't know managed to expel Nanoock's presence before they managed to do what they were trying to do to me. By the way. What do I have to do with what Nanoock did?

I say this pointing to my eye which still looks different.

HooH:Nanoock's interference is something we already expected since we discovered his great affinity with several other Aeons. We theorize that if we hadn't chosen you in time, Preservation or Destruction would have already tried to communicate with you. Regarding the incomplete blessing, even though it is not full power, it will be a great weapon for your arcenal. It doesn't matter the method as long as your actions don't interfere with the "scale" we won't interfere.

HooH said and I wonder what the IPC's reaction would be if I were Preservation Emanator.

💭Diamond would definitely want to "talk" to me by sending one of the Stone earts to me.

I take out of my pocket the Saint Quartz that I used to summon Ivan and Anastasia and I feel the power and presence of Qlipoth emanating from the crystal.

💭This is big. If Jalena or Aventurine hear about this they will want to know why it seems to be more powerful than their special stones. In fact, the person I have to watch out for is Jade, that snake won't want to miss an opportunity to make a "deal" with me if she knows about my Saint Quartz.

I don't know Jade personally, but I heard about her from what Jalena and Aventurine said about her. There's also the fact that I'm a somewhat mysterious figure for the IPC, Herta did a good job of not raising suspicions, but considering my bad habit of attracting trouble I don't think I'll be able to stay off the radar for long time.

💭 I better prepare myself for a possible occasion if they find out the truth.

HooH:We also came to you to give you one more mission in addition to the current one you are doing.

Ritsuka:And what is this mission?

HooH: We want you to watch the actions of the Trailblazers, especially the recent member called Stelle.

HooH said, leaving me a little surprised and intrigued by what she said about the mission.

Ritsuka: I assume it's the fact that she has a Stellaron inside her?

HooH: This is one of the factors besides what recently happened when she attracted Preservation's gaze during the battle against Cocolia Rand, this is something special that deserves attention

Ritsuka: Is this really something special? After all, aren't I going through the same situation? I attracted the attention of many Aeons more than Stelle, following this logic, I should be watched.

HooH: Your situation is something expected to happen, after all your existence does not belong to this universe and this is something that will draw the attention of the other Aeons. Stelle's circumstances are different, so her unique nature needs to be monitored.

Ritsuka: What if this nature of hers is for the benefit of her "scale"?

HooH:Then you must help her get stronger.

💭In other words, more work for me to solve on this journey. Now I understand very well the headache that Caster Gilgamesh went through. I really need a secretary to help me. Jalena is a perfect candidate, but I doubt that would be possible. Unless I bought her services....

Right now the temptation to make a deal with Jade or Diamond is going through my head right now.

💭 Jalena helping me with my work paperwork It would've been truly heaven. I never thought I'd say this, but I'd rather fight ORT again than deal with paperwork.

I return to the real world after imagining a perfect world of me having a perfect secretary.

Ritsuka:And that's all you have to talk to me about?

HooH:One last thing. Good job.

Ritsuka:What? What did you just say?

I say this being confused by the compliment HooH suddenly gave.

HooH: We said "Good job." Isn't that something a boss should say to his worker?

Ritsuka: That's true, but I didn't expect to hear you saying that.

HooH: We thought it would be appropriate considering our agreement. That's what we have to tell you. Keep doing what you're doing.

Said HooH who disappears from my sight and I feel the atmosphere around me returning to normal.

I finish getting ready and leave the room and see Dan Hang, Stelle and March 7 in the hotel hallway.

March 7: Finally. The lord of stories has finally woken up!

Dan Hang:Did you see Himeko's message? It is time to go. The conductor will nag us again If we put the Express behind schedule.

March 7: Oh,Stelle. Did you use the method I suggested? It worked?

Stelle and Ritsuka:Yes/No.

Stelle and I looked at each other after hearing what she and I said at the same time.

March 7:Huh? Did it work or not?

Ritsuka: Forget about it. Let's hurry back to the Astral Express before we receive another message from Himeko.

I say this without giving Stelle or March a chance to bring the subject back up. With that we left the hotel and headed to the path where we arrived on the planet to return to the Astral Express.

But before we leave the city of Belobog, I hear someone calling me and it's none other than Sampo hiding in an alley.

Sampo: Hey, my best friend! Can the two of us talk business?

Sampo said using that classic smile of his and March 7 immediately gets irritated when she sees him.

March 7:Can't we ignore him? We're going home and we don't have time to put up with him anymore.

He said March 7 and hearing this Sampo has an expression of despair.

Sampo: Please, I just want to talk to my best friend! It's a quick conversation, I promise it won't take long.

💭What does he want to talk to me about to stop us from leaving?

My friends look at me waiting for my answer and I let out a sigh, mentally preparing myself for what I'm going to do.

Ritsuka:Okay. Let's talk Sampo. You can go ahead and tell Himeko that I won't be long.

Stelle: We can wait for you.

March 7: Exactly! We have to come back together as a team.

Dan Hang: Just don't take too long or our dear condoctor will get irritated.

With that, my friends start to leave the city, leaving me alone with Sampo.

Ritsuka:Okay, Sampo. What do you want to talk to me? I really hope this isn't a long chat.

Sampo: Don't worry my close friend. I know we are both busy men, so I won't take up too much of your time. You're that famous Assistant Director of the Genius Society, aren't you?

Ritsuka:And what made you think I was that person?

I say this with my arms crossed and not revealing my work right away.

Sampo: That's easy. After all, you are known to have some resources and rare things like the treasure you gave me the day we met. You're famous, you know? The man who works alongside the famous Madam Herta and is responsible for helping several planets with the new inventions you brought with the support of the intelligentsia guild.

Sampo said, leaving me surprised to see how much he knows about my work that I do with the help of my teacher.

Ritsuka: You are well informed for someone who was living on a planet with no space communication.

Sampo:Hehehe.... Let's say I'm a great person at collecting information and that's why I want to partner with you, my close friend.

Sampo said catching my attention upon hearing what he just said to me.

Ritsuka:A partnership with me? And what do I gain from this?

Sampo:Information and my high quality services of course, in addition to a certain amount of money after all I can't leave you without making any gains from it, that wouldn't be fair.

Ritsuka:Hmmm... And what kind of information do you have? I can't accept without having an idea of ​​the product you are selling.

Sampo: Astute as always my best friend! I'm going to give you some very important information on the house. I heard that Belobog made a deal with IPC before the catastrophe happened in this city, unfortunately I don't have the exact details of the deal they made, but it seems to be of great importance.

Sampo said, making me feel a wave of concern upon hearing the information about the IPC's involvement.

💭An agreement with the IPC.... This could be a big problem in the future. Bronya just became the leader of the city and she's already going to have to deal with this problem? She's not ready for that yet.

Ritsuka:Okay. Lets do this.

Sampo:What a quick decision!

Ritsuka:I'm doing it because I know the risks people go through when they don't comply with IPC agreements. So it can be said that it is a good idea to form this partnership.

💭There is the possibility that IPC no longer cares about the agreement after the years that Jarilo-VI was off their radar, however there is the possibility that one of the Stone Hearts could use this agreement as a reason to get involved. Aventurine won't be involving the other members I'm not sure, but my biggest concern is if Jade decides to come to Belobog, if that happens I will have to deal with her directly before she can spread her poison. The best case scenario is Jalena taking this case, if she comes here I should be able to deal with her.

Without saying anything else I give Sampo some QP crystals for him.

Sampo:What is this?

Ritsuka:It is a crystal that we use as a source of energy and fuel and is perfect to help with Belobog's situation. You keep a half as payment for our partnership and you give the other half to Natasha and tell her to use it to speed up the reconstruction process.

Sampo looks at the QP crystals with a surprised expression and he looks at me with a smile on his face.

Sampo: You can count on me, my good friend! That I Sampo will not disappoint you! I'll give you whatever money I get for you after this.

Ritsuka: Whatever. Just give Natasha the QP and say my message. I also want you to inform me of the happenings in Belobog especially if the IPC decides to show up.

Sampo: You can leave it!

Sampo said, leaving me alone in the alley and I decide to continue the path to meet up with my friends.

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We went back to the Astral Express and saw Welt and Himeko waiting for us.

Himeko:Welcome home,you four.

Himeko said with a gentle smile on her face, happy to see us again.

March 7:Himeko,Mr. Yang! Team Trailblaze, back from duty! Mission one:Accomplished!

Said March 7, doing a pose that a superhero does at the end of a heroic mission.

Himeko: Although Welt and I didn't get the chance to go with you, I can tell that you guys worked hard to get things back to normal. Congratulations to you all, especially to you Ritsuka and Stelle. I've heard a lot of interesting things about you two.

Stelle:How would you rate our performance?

Himeko:I'd say It's a solid five stars.

Welt:Get some rest on the Express. Jarilo-VI was not an easy ride. Pom-Pom is of the opinion that we should leave as soon as possible to avoid potential resurgences of the anomalies we experienced earlier. Himeko and I agree.

Dan Hang: This means that we have to decide where our next destination will be, soon.

Welt: That's right.

March 7: That's the path of the Nameless, I presume? Always on the road, always trail blazing....

March 7 said this and me, Stelle and Dan Hang stared at her.

March 7:I-I'm not complaining by the way! One adventure after another, that's exactly what I signed up for!

Himeko said we can go back to our rooms or have coffee until our next stop is chosen.

Stelle: Ritsuka, you haven't forgotten the promise you made, have you?

Stelle said, standing with her arms crossed looking sideways at me and I let out a sigh.

March 7:Promise? What kind of promise?

Said March 7 getting confused with what Stelle is referring to.

Ritsuka: I promised Stelle that I would tell her the truth about me. In fact, it's a good opportunity for all of you to know this too, after all we're going to be together for a long time.

Welt:Truth about you? Are you wanting to tell about your past?

Ritsuka: In a way yes. It's a long story so we better sit down.

March 7:Fine with me! I love stories! Dan Hang also really likes stories.

Dan Hang: I didn't say anything about it.

Himeko: You don't need to force yourself to talk about it if it's something uncomfortable.

Ritsuka:No need to worry, Himeko. This is important information that you need to know. I hope this doesn't bother you.

Welt:Don't worry. We have enough time before we go to our next destination.

Ritsuka: Then let's get comfortable. We have a lot to discuss.

I say this and I sit on the couch and everyone else sits in their respective seats.

But before I could speak and begin to tell my story, I heard very familiar whistling sounds.

???:🎶Hmm🎶 Hmm🎶Hmmm🎶

(A/N: Remembering that the girl is singing the song from "Mister Mirror")

Suddenly, when I feel the girl's presence, everything stops moving, even the sound of the air is silenced and only I can move and speak.

Ritsuka:You again.

I say this and the girl pouts when she hears what I said to her.

(Photo)

???:How rude. Is that the way you greet the person who saved you from becoming a puppet of Destruction?

The girl said, keeping an abnormal smile on her face and I looked at her with a serious expression.

Ritsuka:What are you doing here? And what did you do with my friends?

???: Don't you remember what I told you before? That we will meet again at some point and the time for that has already come. About your friends, they are fine. I just made sure our conversation was uninterrupted.

Said the girl walking towards me and she sits on the sofa I'm sitting next to me.

???: Now that we're together again we can finally talk.

Said the girl looking at me with the same smile and I'm completely on alert about what she's going to do.

Ritsuka:Who are you? You are certainly not an Aeon.

???:I am certainly not those inferior beings you call Aeon. In fact I am something you have already had the privilege of seeing.

Ritsuka: I would certainly remember you if I had seen you.

I say that being honest with what I'm saying, I don't see the point in lying to her.

???:Hehehe thanks for the compliment. Well since you couldn't solve the mystery, I'll give you an easy tip. Remember what happened in Salem?

The girl said, reminding me of the incident that happened in the old American city.

Ritsuka: Yes. I remember what the Demon Pillar did to that city and the horrors that happened.

???: And you remember the girl called Abigail Williams that you faced, don't you?

Ritsuka: Yes. What does Abby have to do with this?

I say that and the girl lets out a light laugh, giving me goosebumps.

???: Don't you remember what possessed her?

The girl said and I remember the information I have about Abby's powers and I immediately understand what she means.

Ritsuka: You are....

Yog-Sothoth: Yes. I am the entity that your dear Abigail made the connection to. You humans call me Yog-Sothoth. It is a pleasure to meet you in person, Last Master of Humanity.

Yog-Sothoth said introducing herself to me again and I am very worried to know her true identity now.

💭An Outer God?! This is not good. She can finish me off in the blink of an eye!

Yog-Sothoth:Hehe~. There's no need to be scared, Ritsuka. After all, I'm not your enemy. To tell you the truth, I'm helping you on your journey.

Said Yog-Sothoth getting off the couch and she walks over to Welt and takes his cane and uses it as a toy.

Yog-Sothoth: From the moment Abigail made that contract with me, I have always been watching your journey. After all, I am the first of the other Outer Gods who took interest in you.

Ritsuka:And which Outer Gods besides you are interested in me.

I say this and see Yog-Sothoth standing with a finger on her chin with a thoughtful expression.

Yog-Sothoth:Hmm..... Let's see. There's me, Nyarlathotep, Cthulhu, Vulthoom, my "wife" Shub Niggurath and Cthugha, there's one more, but I'd better leave that one for last.

Said Yog-Sothoth keeping the abnormal smile and I get a slight feeling of fear knowing so many entities that are beyond human understanding are interested in me.

Ritsuka: Why do you all have this interest in me?

Yog-Sothoth:There are several reasons, one of these reasons is that you are aware that we exist and have a bond with us.

Ritsuka:That doesn't make sense! My friends in Chaldea are also aware of your existence.

Yog-Sothoth:But they only have weak knowledge about us, but you are different. You know who we are and have experienced our presence many times. Don't you remember what that Moon AI called BB did being influenced by Nyarlathotep? She trapped you in an infinite loop on an island where only you and she were there.

(A/N: This happened in Summer BB's Bond CE which tells what she did with Ritsuka and she considers it a "honeymoon".)

Yog-Sothoth said, reminding me of that intimate "incident" that BB and I had, I would have been trapped forever if Edmond Dentes hadn't rescued me.

Yog-Sothoth:The reason I'm interested in you is quite simple. I enjoy watching your journey and the ways you deal with the events that occur in your life. In short, you are my favorite actor on a TV show that I love to watch. Now imagine my reaction when someone decides to interrupt the story of my show and completely change the course of the story?

Said Yog-Sothoth with an irritated expression and she reminds me of Melusine when she is angry when I am not paying much attention to her.

Ritsuka: I don't understand what you mean.

Yog-Sothoth: You weren't meant to be in this parallel world, Ritsuka. It's too early for you to get here. But it seems like a certain someone decided to drag you into an unwanted adventure and I hated that. If you came to this parallel world of your own free will, I wouldn't interfere with anything, but that's not what happened.

Said Yog-Sothoth with a serious expression and I feel the air getting heavy, it feels like the train could disappear at any moment, but I have to maintain my composure.

Ritsuka:Who is this "someone" who brought me here?

I say this with the desire to know as well since it is very important information for me.

Yog-Sothoth looks into my eyes and she has a neutral expression.

Yog-Sothoth:The entity that brought you here is an Aeon, their name is...

Terminus...

The Aeon of Finality....

To be continued...

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A/N:This chapter took a while to write since while I was writing this I was trying to catch Arcueid.

You have no idea the suffering I went through when I was trying to catch her!

679 Saint Quartz thrown in the trash and another 180 that I had to get from the Free Quest that I didn't do.

The amount of salt I felt was soul-wrenching. Anyway. Changing the subject.

I saw the trailer showing all the members of the Stones Hearts and I have to admit I didn't expect to see a reference to Elizabeth Bathory's bloody baths. This gave me some ideas, but I'll think more carefully about this, you can be sure that Ritsuka will interact with the Stones Hearts, especially considering the connection he has with Qlipoth.