"Hmm? Is that... you?"
Time flew by. While Lumina was busy replying to comments, Jingliu had already completed the initial segment of the Stellaron Hunters storyline.
Unsurprisingly, as a female player, Jingliu had chosen Stelle as her starting character. After selecting her character and playing through the brief introductory sequence, she frowned at the sight of Lumina on the screen. She poked Lumina's arm, nudged the phone closer, and asked, "Isn't it obvious?"
Hearing this, Lumina set aside her work and turned to face Jingliu. "Is she as brimming with wisdom and beauty as I am?" She tilted her head and gave Jingliu a smile that was both holy and endearingly cute.
"..."
Jingliu remained unimpressed by the remark and the smile. She glanced at Lumina briefly before refocusing on the game, asking in a flat tone, "Did the Garden of Recollection collaborate with the Interastral Peace Corporation to develop this game?"
Whether it was the Stellaron Hunters (Kafka and Silver Wolf) in the game, Lumina radiating maternal warmth, or the Stellaron collected by Herta, everything felt astonishingly real.
Jingliu couldn't find a single flaw. The characters were plausible enough, but the Stellaron... it was identical to the ones she knew.
Only someone who had truly witnessed a Stellaron could depict it with such accuracy.
This meant the game must have been developed by a top-tier organization with vast knowledge and experience.
If the rest of the game's content maintained this level of realism, Jingliu considered personally playing through it as a means of expanding her own knowledge.
Hearing this, Lumina shook her head. "This game has little to do with either the Garden of Recollection or the Interastral Peace Corporation."
"Little to do with them?" Jingliu was puzzled. If the game's scenarios were based on actual events, the only possible explanation was a collaboration between the Garden of Recollection and the Interastral Peace Corporation.
But Lumina insisted otherwise, leaving Jingliu utterly perplexed. Could some top-tier power have emerged during these past centuries?
"Can you stop jumping to silly conclusions like March 7th?" Lumina said, watching Jingliu's shifting expressions and internal deliberations with a hint of exasperation.
Then, her expression turned serious and earnest as she met Jingliu's gaze. "Jingliu, if I told you this game originated from another world, would you... believe me?"
"So that's it," Jingliu replied, showing no shock whatsoever. Instead, she seemed enlightened, as if a long-standing mental block had instantly dissolved with Lumina's explanation.
"I don't really care who made this game," Jingliu said, shaking her head. Her expression gradually grew solemn. "There's only one thing I want to know."
"Are the events we experience in this game... real, or...?"
"They're all real events that happened in the past and are still happening now," Lumina answered truthfully with a smile, making no attempt to conceal the truth.
"But..."
"I'm telling you, this is something that actually happened in the past and is still happening in reality right now."
Jingliu had barely opened her mouth to speak when Lumina silenced her by pressing a finger against her lips.
"...?" The faint fragrance wafting from Lumina's fingertip brushed against Jingliu's nose. Her gaze drifted downward to the slender digit blocking her mouth, and her expression gradually turned icy.
A dangerous glint flashed in her eyes, but no ice crystals materialized. It seemed Jingliu had no intention of punishing Lumina's audacity with her "Ultimate" technique.
Lumina inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
Showing no sign of embarrassment, she gracefully withdrew her hand and placed it on her lap, radiating an air of refined elegance.
Jingliu cast a perfunctory glance at Lumina, now exuding intellectual grace, before refocusing on the game on her phone.
If these events truly occurred in reality, then following the Astral Express's journey through the game should yield valuable insights...
With that thought, Jingliu resolved to delve into the engaging world of Honkai: Star Rail!
Seeing Jingliu, who seemed to be completely hooked on the game, Lumina smiled, leaned in, and memorized Jingliu's UID.
She then pulled out her phone, opened the game, navigated to the friends page, entered Jingliu's UID, and sent a friend request.
After finishing, Lumina put her phone away and turned to Jingliu. "I sent you a friend request. Remember to accept it."
"Mhm..." Jingliu murmured absently, her eyes glued to the phone screen, a picture of a stereotypical internet addict. Or perhaps an internet-addicted old lady?
"Ugh..." Lumina sighed, abandoning the thought. She stood up, stretched languidly, and displayed her perfect figure before Jingliu.
Unfortunately, Jingliu remained absorbed in the game, not even sparing Lumina a glance.
Lumina felt a mix of amusement and exasperation. Here I am, a peerless beauty standing right in front of you, and you can't even look up from that stupid game?!
Though Lumina was inwardly cursing Jingliu, her radiant smile remained firmly in place.
Checking the time, she realized it was almost time to join the others. Her gaze returned to Jingliu, still engrossed in her game on the chair.
A mischievous glint appeared in Lumina's eyes as she playfully teased Jingliu, "My dear bestie, I have to leave now. Is there anything you want to say to me?"
Lumina waited expectantly, half-hoping for a scene where Jingliu would cling to her leg, sobbing and begging her not to go.
"Mmm, go ahead," Jingliu replied casually, without even looking up.
To Lumina's surprise—yet also somewhat predictably—Jingliu showed absolutely no emotion, let alone tears or protests. She responded distractedly, as if she barely registered Lumina's presence.
"..." Lumina's lip twitched.
Watching Jingliu continue to play her game, Lumina's frustration boiled over. An inexplicable anger surged within her.
She snatched the phone from Jingliu's hands and yanked her out of the chair.
Switching the phone to camera mode, Lumina looped her arm around Jingliu's, held the device at arm's length, and snapped a photo of the two of them, posed as if they were the closest of sisters.
Click!
With the decisive click of the shutter, Jingliu was forever captured in a photograph with Lumina—whether she liked it or not.
-
Jingliu's Thoughts on Lumina
Unreasonable, self-assured, self-righteous... These three things perfectly capture her personality.
Hmm... I must admit, the time I spent with her was the most enjoyable, relaxed, and carefree I've had in centuries.
But pleasant days are always fleeting. My sword remains unsheathed, and I cannot halt my advance.
As His Emanator, she might one day become my enemy.
When that day comes... I suppose I'll have no hesitation in drawing my sword against her...
Until then... I'll remain her good friend... or, rather, her bestie.