The main story of the Herta Space Station lasts for a total of seven days.
The Trailblazer soon arrived at the final moment to decide her own fate.
"Have you decided? Are you staying here to do research with me? Or are you leaving with the people from the Astral Express?"
The master of the space station, Madam Herta, disliked nonsense and didn't bother with roundabout pleasantries. She was only enthusiastic about things that interested her, so her actions were decisive and efficient. She came to find the gray-haired girl on the spot to ask about her future plans.
As for Stelle, she stared at the Herta puppet before her and couldn't help but think of Orchis, who was also a puppet girl.
The gray-haired girl didn't remain silent for long. She immediately told Herta her decision.
"I've decided. I want to stay."
"Oh?" Madam Herta's expression looked a little surprised. For real? She had thought their relationship would end here.
After all, the gray-haired girl seemed like the restless type no matter how you looked at her. Characters who got along with Herta were invariably those with a strong sense of self. Uninteresting mediocrities without a self held no appeal for a genius. For a curious baby like the Stellaron vessel to choose to abandon the allure of the unknown in favor of a settled reality and a peaceful future—this baffled Herta and felt somewhat unfamiliar. But then again, she had only known the other for seven days.
In such a short time, how much of a person's inner nature could one truly see?
"You really are strange. What's so great about this place? Even I don't really like staying here."
"Fine. To be honest, if I really wanted to seal a mere Stellaron, I have plenty of ways—it's just that you might not have much freedom."
"Since you're so set on staying, alright, I won't object. Go find Asta. She's the station's lead researcher; she has the final say."
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In a remote corner, Orchis maintained her state as a phantom memetic entity, observing the words and actions of the gray-haired girl and Herta.
The Trailblazer chose to stay at the Herta Space Station?
This choice, which deviated from the main storyline and existed only in an "if" world, was not at all surprising.
After all, Stelle's self-awareness was like a blank sheet of paper.
Putting aside the meme-worthy jokes and the absurdly abstract dialogue options in the game, the gray-haired girl was actually far from assertive on her path of Trailblazing. Her personality had always been one to go with the flow.
In Belobog, she took up the Lance of the Preservation because the city was in a state of panic and the Supreme Guardian had surrendered to the voice of the Stellaron, so she acted as a champion of justice.
On the Xianzhou, she assisted Jing Yuan in vanquishing Phantylia to clear the Express Crew's name and restore their innocence.
As for Penacony and Amphoreus—one an Aeon of Order, the other a Lord Ravager who could crush the entire universe—when faced with enemies so closely tied to the safety of the cosmos, no living being could afford to remain aloof.
Thus, from a player's perspective, we witness a rather magical scene in the game's story.
Nous asks the protagonist: Akivili, why do you trailblaze?
The player character of the other gender, retorts: I trailblaze because my own eyes have not seen the end.
Out of curiosity, because she understood nothing, she yearned for that infinite world.
So what about you? Why did you, the player, set out? How did the Trailblazer answer?
"I choose to 'trailblaze' because I am already on this path!"
At first glance, it seems fine, but upon closer inspection, isn't it just another way of saying—why do I go to work? Because I'm already at work.
Therefore, the story's protagonist, the gray-haired girl, was simply being swept along by the atmosphere!
The essence of her actions was to find a place to belong. Because the family on the Astral Express gave her a sense of belonging, she trailblazed for the sake of trailblazing.
So, when she encountered Orchis, a girl who clearly knew her past and seemed to care deeply for her, what would she choose?
Would she board the Express? Or would she stay at the Herta Space Station to find the truth of her origins? The answer was self-evident.
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"Next, I'll go tell Miss Himeko my decision."
Orchis's eyes narrowed as she watched the gray-haired girl bid farewell to Herta. She had no intention of letting the Trailblazer actually stay.
The gray-haired girl's go-with-the-flow personality and amnesia, while convenient for players with a god's-eye view to immerse themselves, didn't mean she should remain so empty forever. That wouldn't do. As the protagonist of the story, she couldn't lack subjective initiative.
The development of the female lead and the development of the story's protagonist are complementary and inseparable!
To put it bluntly, beautiful girls in anime nowadays are just various combinations of tropes. Good looks and a solid core have long become commonplace.
To create a good female lead, a good protagonist is indispensable. The protagonist determines the upper limit of a story!
The female characters are just the safety net to get the audience to buy in. When miHoYo is short on cash, they just squeeze the wallets of Firefly's fans a couple of times.
It's not that a go-with-the-flow protagonist is bad, but such a personality can hardly sustain a devoted romance.
Orchis had endured humiliation and debased herself to become the little girlfriend, not to be some consolation prize! If you're going to do something, you do it to the best of your ability!
The Trailblazer must be given a soul!
A motivation must be created for the gray-haired girl's Trailblazing journey!
A sense of protagonism must be tailor-made for Stelle!
The protagonist must make her own choices, know where she is, what she can do, what she must do, and what she will ultimately obtain!
Just as the Trailblazer's line goes—"Reach the end with my own will."
The reason why the protagonist must board the Astral Express is of paramount importance.
It will determine the protagonist's foundation and provide a reasonable explanation for her future choice of a female lead!
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The scene changes, shifting to the Astral Express's location.
After careful consideration, the Trailblazer decided to decline Himeko's invitation.
The whistle hummed as the Astral Express prepared for departure.
The friends she had met by chance waved goodbye to the gray-haired girl. Parting, like their meeting, came and went in a flash.
Himeko, March 7th, and Dan Heng—each with their own calm, gentle, or encouraging demeanor—spoke to the gray-haired girl who had come to say farewell.
"I see. So you've decided to stay?"
"In that case... we respect your choice. Please take care."
"You have to take good care of yourself, Stelle! We'll come back to visit you often!"
The Express Crew showed no displeasure at the gray-haired girl's decision to stay. On the contrary, they sincerely wished the girl well.
The matter of the gray-haired girl's future was decided without a hitch.
It was so swift, with no room for persuasion, that it actually made Stelle herself feel a little uneasy.
Her thoughts were in turmoil.
Although it was her own decision... whether it was the Express Crew or Madam Herta, they were all so decisive and acted without any hesitation. Each of them had a vision for their own future.
Only Stelle herself, lacking memories of her past, chose to stand still.
Feeling as if she couldn't keep up with those around her, a sense of disparity arose, and an anxiety she couldn't name naturally sprouted in the girl's heart.
Stelle found it hard to describe this feeling.
Just watching the backs of the Astral Express's Nameless as they walked toward the train car door, the girl's voice was slightly choked as she spoke up.
"Can I ask you one last question?"
"Oh?"
The group stopped, and Himeko turned her head, asking with a smile.
"If it's something I can answer, please go ahead."
Stelle took a deep breath and asked cautiously.
"You people on the Astral Express, why do you trailblaze?"
Because she had no purpose of her own, the gray-haired girl wanted to know the purposes of others. Perhaps then, she could find what she was missing.
And the Nameless before her, who walked the Path of the Trailblaze, did not hesitate to enlighten her.
Himeko confessed that when her past self looked up at the night sky, the vast sea of stars gazed back gently, and her heart had already soared on the wind.
March 7th said that she, like Stelle, was a person with no memories of her past. Waking up from being sealed in ice, the Express had given her a place to return to.
Since she had lost her memories, then she would just create new ones, using the camera in her hands to record every little moment.
If she just gained more, believing that these precious travels could become more beautiful than the memories she lost, wouldn't that be enough to move on?
Listening to the words of March 7th, a fellow traveler, Stelle felt a deep sense of envy. Despite also having no past, the optimistic and cheerful girl before her had already reached a conclusion and was heading toward her own future.
Finally, there was Dan Heng. The young man seemed unwilling to bring up his past, saying it wasn't worth mentioning. But no matter what others said, he was no one's shadow. He would walk a path different from before, one not decided by others, but a path of his own choosing.
The Nameless each possessed their own distinct color. Madam Herta, too, was devoted to breaking through the boundaries of Nous's knowledge, a lifelong struggle.
(Why does every one of them... have something they want?)
Watching Himeko and the others board the train, the silver tracks of the Trailblaze carving a path through the universe, the humming whistle echoing across the platform, Stelle bit her lip.
She had thought that by hearing about others' purposes and weighing the pros and cons for herself, she would feel better.
But seeing the Nameless, so full of life and passion for every moment, she found it both unbearable and helpless.
And so, as the Astral Express slowly pulled away a short distance, the gray-haired girl subconsciously took a step forward.
She was a little surprised. What was wrong with her?
Involuntarily, she reached a hand forward, her steps faltering.
Was it to hold them back? Or to give chase? It was more like she was restraining herself, trying to stay put, yet unable to hold back.
Only at the true moment of decision does one's real inner voice emerge from the depths of the heart.
When a person decides to use a coin to obey fate, their subconscious has already made a choice in the instant the coin is tossed into the air.
I don't want it to end like this...
Although she couldn't say why, Stelle slowly began to walk, her pace quickening, wanting to catch up to the end of the train.
"Why... Why?"
She kept asking herself, What is my reason? What is my reason? Why do I want to trailblaze? Why do I want to board that train?
Stelle still didn't understand. At the same time, the Astral Express was getting farther and farther away, and the girl's hesitant, small steps seemed unlikely to catch up.
And at this critical moment!
A girl with silver twin-tails appeared, her familiar black dress swaying in the wind, arriving out of the blue.
"——!"
Surprise showed on Stelle's face as she looked at Orchis, who had come to her side. Without a word, Orchis took her hand.
Together, they ran forward!
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I'd call this scene the "Honkai: Star Rail Main Girl Run."
When the protagonist is lost and confused, the female lead makes a heroic entrance, pushing the plot forward and adding a huge burst of fuel to the protagonist's resolve!
It's the epic scene that always appears in the promotional PV or main story of every spicy little girlfriend!
Like Firefly taking the gray-haired girl's hand and running to their secret base, Cyrene taking her hand to face the Irontomb, or Castorice taking her hand to walk toward the story's end.
At this moment, Orchis looked at the bewildered Stelle with a complex expression and spoke with a sigh.
"As I thought, you still made this choice. Regardless of whether you catch that train this time... your heart will never belong to this place."
"Why are you helping me?" the gray-haired girl asked, confused. "Don't you want me to stay here?"
"That melancholic expression doesn't suit your face," Orchis said, shaking her head.
"And what I want is not for you to stand still. The bitterness of being a caged bird—that is by no means something that befits you. I sincerely hope you can have a happy and brilliant future. If that's the case, then go. Go and trailblaze for your own sake."
"For my own sake..." Stelle panted, her steps sluggish, her brow furrowed. "How do I do that?"
Clueless, she still had no idea what she wanted or what she should do.
"Don't you already have the answer, Gray? From the moment you took that first step," Orchis replied in a gentle tone.
"Everyone you've met since you woke up, they all have something they're pursuing. They have beliefs, they have obsessions. They press forward single-mindedly for something more inspiring, for a better version of themselves, for a better tomorrow."
Like an arrow released from a bow, never turning back.
"Every one of them has something they want. What about you?"
"...Me?"
"It's not about what you should do, but what kind of life you want to live. What kind of person do you want to become?"
"——" Stelle's eyes widened. In that instant, a flash of understanding sparked in the girl's mind.
What kind of life do I want to live? What kind of person... do I want to become?
What had thrown the gray-haired girl's heart into turmoil was precisely the people of the Express Crew and Madam Herta—all of them spirited and living vibrant lives, shining with their own passions.
And so, the colorless gray person longed for color, striving to earn a color she could be proud of.
She wanted to be like them. She didn't want to be left behind. She wanted to move forward, to stand alongside them, to surpass them.
Stelle suddenly felt her body lighten, an indescribable power surging from within her.
Her will had become clear. The Trailblaze was favoring her, or rather, welcoming her return.
The gray-haired girl leaped, landing right on the rearmost car of the train. Stelle immediately turned back to look at the silver-haired girl left behind. Just as she was about to speak, she witnessed an ineffably beautiful moment.
At some point, the gothic puppet girl had taken down her parasol, revealing her true face.
There was a reason for deliberately hiding her appearance.
The first time, mystery brews anticipation. The second time, a tantalizing desire for discovery overflows. One thing leads to another, and at the peak of anticipation, Orchis revealed her true appearance to the Trailblazer, no longer hiding.
This is called delayed gratification.
An exquisite face, beautiful enough to topple nations. For a moment, the Trailblazer was completely captivated, her breathing slowing to half-time.
A supreme work of art that rivaled creation itself. The puppet girl's ruby-like eyes, which seemed to speak, offered the Trailblazer a gentle smile, yet within it was concealed an indescribable sadness.
It was as if she was offering a blessing, yet couldn't let go, reluctantly releasing her hand.
(Why are you making that face? Who... are you to me?)
Stelle bit her lip, but at this moment of parting, the gray-haired girl stumbled through her words, mustering her strength to offer a sincere thank you to the silver-haired girl who saw her off.
The reason for boarding the train became clear at this very moment!
"I... want to know my past..."
"I... want to be like everyone else, to have something I can be proud of and passionate about."
"Living on the space station might be safe, but I! I also want to live a life I can be proud of, one that is praiseworthy and worthy of pride! To be able to hold my head high and boast about myself to someone! I don't want to—feel bad about myself for stagnating!"
No matter when, one must hold their head high and embrace their beliefs, to live with a personality full of pride.
To pursue a better, cooler version of herself. With that, her thoughts became clear.
May your path be prosperous, O Trailblazer.
"Thank you for worrying about me. I don't know who you are, but... you helped me make up my mind, you showed me the way forward."
I will never forget what happened today.
"My name is Stelle. Just Stelle."
A dim star, a rising star, a star that will one day join the brilliant constellations!
The gray-haired girl did her best, pouring out her thoughts in a jumble to the gothic girl behind her, before asking.
"Please tell me, what is your—"
"Orchis."
The gradually blurring puppet girl left a final reply, waving a gentle goodbye. And in Stelle's eyes, that figure, just like in their previous encounters, dissolved into fading embers, with only forget-me-not flowers faintly drifting in the sea of stars before vanishing.
Beneath the stars, blue petals graced the silver tracks of the Trailblazing path.
Orchis...? Stelle silently repeated the name in her heart, one hand covering her chest as ripples spread through her.
The protagonist and the female lead, a brief encounter and parting, concluded here.
By guiding her path and clarifying her conviction, Orchis had left a unique and unparalleled color in the Trailblazer's life.
She was now dyed in Orchis's color.