Honkai Star Rail: Summoning the Chrysos Heirs — Chapter 93

Chapter 93: Time to Go Participate in the Event~

Inside the Ability User apartment, Cyrene’s consciousness gently detached from the Physical Data Space, settling back into her physical body.

She fluttered her eyes open. Pale morning light filtered through the narrow gaps in the curtains, painting long, golden streaks across the polished wooden floor. She mentally inventoried the three new Supernatural Abilities she had just acquired, a faint, satisfied smile dancing in her eyes.

“Phew… the harvest this time is truly bountiful~” Cyrene murmured softly to the empty room.

Her pristine pink hair cascaded over her shoulders with the slight movement. Although two of her newly acquired abilities were bound by the strict rules of the Physical Data Space—restricting their usage entirely to that domain—the raw growth in her overall power still left a pleasant thrill humming beneath her skin.

She rolled out of bed, her bare toes meeting the crisp, cool surface of the floorboards. Pulling open the wardrobe, she let her fingertips brush lightly across the row of hangers before selecting a loose, comfortable set of everyday clothes.

After smoothing out the minor wrinkles at her hem, Cyrene pushed open her bedroom door and stepped into the corridor, intending to make her way toward the cafeteria.

She hadn’t taken more than a few steps before the distinct, crinkling rustle of plastic bags caught her attention.

Cyrene paused and looked up. Not far ahead, a familiar figure was strolling down the hall toward her. Lin Xiaoya was carrying three bulging plastic bags in her left hand, happily humming a cheerful little tune as she walked.

The moment she noticed Cyrene looking her way, Xiaoya jolted in surprise, freezing in her tracks. Almost instantly, the girl scrambled to adjust her posture. She slid her left leg back into a dramatic stance, lifted her chin with practiced arrogance, and cleared her throat. Lowering her pitch, she launched into a long, theatrical aria.

“O, my ally! How is it that you have broken the seal today before the dawn has even fully broken? What a truly rare sight!”

Cyrene blinked her eyes slowly, tilting her head in genuine confusion. “Xiaoya, do you get up this early every day? It should only be a little past five, right?”

Hearing this, Xiaoya frowned, a flash of genuine bewilderment breaking through her grand facade. She mirrored Cyrene’s head tilt and asked in return, “Past five? Have you been consumed by nightmares and lost your reason, misremembering the hour? It is already nearing seven o’clock now, how could it possibly be five?”

Just as she finished speaking, Xiaoya seemed to remember her persona. She immediately straightened her spine, folded her arms across her chest, and plastered a proud, haughty expression onto her face.

“As for why I broke the seal before the dawn had broken… Hmph! Because this is a manifestation of my great strength! Nightmares cannot bind my steps!”

Cyrene stood stunned for a second. She reached into her pocket, pulled out her phone, and tapped the power button.

‘Has more than an hour and a half really passed?’

She stared at the glowing numbers in mild astonishment. After testing out her new Supernatural Abilities, she had lingered in the data space to chat with Phainon and Mydei. She simply hadn’t expected their little conversation to eat up over an hour. Time really did fly.

Sliding her phone back into her pocket, Cyrene reached up to rub the tip of her nose, offering Xiaoya an apologetic, sweet smile.

“Oh my, I’m so sorry, I remembered it wrong~”

Seeing Cyrene admit her mistake so easily, Xiaoya didn’t press the issue, though she couldn’t resist a dramatic warning.

“Hmph, hmph. My ally, you are the Golden Recorder who inscribes all things! Do not make such low-level mistakes in the future, otherwise you will give the enemy an opportunity to strike!”

Having delivered her warning, Xiaoya expertly untied the knot of one of the plastic bags, extracted a portion of the food, and held it out. Heat radiated through the thin, transparent plastic, carrying the mouthwatering, mixed aroma of freshly ground soy milk and steaming hot meat buns.

“This is the Essence of All Things I have procured for you; consume it quickly.” Xiaoya lifted her chin, delivering her lore with an entirely straight face. “This Essence of All Things must be consumed at the break of dawn for the absolute best effect. If the time limit passes, the Essence will enter a frozen state. At that point, the texture and the magic power contained within will drop significantly!”

“Thank you, Xiaoya~”

Taking the breakfast, Cyrene felt the comforting warmth seep into her fingers. Her eyes curved into happy little crescents as she thanked the younger girl with a radiant smile.

Faced with such a direct, sincere expression of gratitude, a faint dusting of red crept across Xiaoya’s cheeks. She hurriedly averted her gaze, waving her right hand sharply through the air in a desperate attempt to cover up her breaking character.

“Ahem! As for the other portion of the Essence of All Things, I still need to deliver it to the Thunder Tyrant, so I shall excuse myself!”

Dropping that final sentence, Xiaoya spun on her heel and practically fled down the hall toward An Ning’s apartment. Her hurried footsteps echoed loudly against the walls.

Cyrene stood in the corridor, looking down at the steaming breakfast in her hands, then back up at Xiaoya’s retreating back. She shook her head helplessly, a soft, amused smile blooming on her lips.

“This Apostle of Condemnation is truly full of energy~”

Since breakfast had practically been delivered to her door, her trip to the cafeteria was officially canceled. Cyrene turned around, pushed her door open, and stepped back into her apartment.

She set the food down on her desk, pulled out her chair, and took a seat. She took a delicate bite of the steamed bun, the rich, savory meat juices instantly spreading across her tongue. A sip of the warm, sweet soy milk slid smoothly down her throat, completely dispelling the lingering chill of the early morning.

It didn’t take long for her to polish off the meal.

Just as she swallowed the last bite and prepared to stand up to clean her desk, a sudden burst of rapid, excited footsteps echoed from the hallway outside.

Cyrene paused, turning toward the entryway. She placed her hand on the doorknob, pressed down, and pulled the door open. Her gaze swept past the doorframe, landing squarely on Lin Xiaoya.

The girl was practically skipping down the hall, a bright, genuinely excited smile plastered across her face.

However, the exact second she realized Cyrene was standing there watching her, Xiaoya’s entire body froze stiff. For a split second, she looked entirely caught off guard. Then, taking a sharp, deep breath, she forcibly wrestled the corners of her mouth down into a flat, indifferent line.

Her happy, bouncy skipping instantly morphed into a slow, measured stride as she approached.

“Ahem…” Xiaoya curled her right hand into a fist, pressed it against her lips, and coughed twice, desperately trying to bury the deeply uncool scene that had just unfolded. “It seems you have already sensed my aura in advance. Truly impressive.”

Cyrene leaned against the doorframe, having watched the entire, stiff performance from start to finish. Her face was brimming with amusement, but she mercifully held back her laughter, choosing to play along instead.

“Indeed. After all, the aura of the Apostle of Condemnation is just too strong~”

Hearing Cyrene smoothly feed her the right lines, Xiaoya’s tense shoulders visibly relaxed. Her gaze then swept up to meet Cyrene’s, a bright glimmer of anticipation shining in her eyes.

“Since that is the case, do you remember the contract I forged with you at sunset yesterday?”

Looking at the girl’s barely contained excitement, Cyrene smiled warmly.

“Of course I remember~ Didn’t you say yesterday that you wanted to take me to participate in that ‘Remembrance Challenge’ held at the mall?”

At the mere mention of the event’s name, Xiaoya’s eyes lit up like stars. She nodded vigorously, her hands unconsciously gripping the hem of her shirt.

Cyrene turned around, plucking her keys off the entryway cabinet with a soft jingle.

“If that event is open now, let’s set off. I will definitely go all out and win back the prize. I won’t let you down~”

Hearing that promise, the last remnants of Xiaoya’s disguised persona instantly shattered, replaced by an expression of pure, unadulterated joy.