Dock.
Stelle circled around Leon, staring so hard that the latter could only smile helplessly.
"Is there seaweed from the ancient sea stuck to my clothes?"
"No, I'm just curious—how exactly did you swallow that much Ambrosial Arbor power?"
"Didn't Dan Heng already tell you? The Sky Haven Clan's unique Nirvana secret art, and then, conveniently, a Masked Fool showed up and told everyone how to save me."
"But the energy required for Nirvana is insane. You… you're not actually an Emanator of an Aeon, are you?"
Stelle recalled what Leon had said to her and March 7th not long ago.
She had thought it was a joke at the time.
Now, looking back, combined with Leon's experiences in the Izumo Kingdom from her memories…
It didn't seem like a joke anymore.
"I was, once. I said it clearly back then—you just didn't believe me."
"Your tone was kinda… uh haha, it was March who didn't believe first and influenced me. Blame her."
Seeing Leon's squinting eyes, emotions unreadable, Stelle immediately activated her troll attribute and dumped the blame on little March without hesitation.
"You can't say that…" Leon's tone was strange.
Stelle spread her hands carelessly. "It's fine, March isn't here. She can't hear."
The curve of Leon's smile grew wider. He silently raised his phone.
A familiar, angry, cute scolding came through—Stelle's neck shrank instinctively.
"You've got some nerve, Stelle! Say it—what do you mean I didn't believe first and influenced you? If you can't explain, when we're back on the Express I'm gonna stomp on you hard as punishment!"
Stelle's mouth twitched. She looked at Leon with a pitiful expression.
Leon: "March called. I accidentally swiped to answer and speaker when I picked up the phone. Sorry."
Stelle's little face turned red instantly.
The next second, she pinched her throat and tried hard to imitate Sparkle's voice.
"Heeheehee~~ Little pink-hair, you believed it, you believed it? Mwahah~~ So easy to fool, so easy to troll~~"
"Sparkle?"
On the other end, March 7th's voice clearly paused.
"Why are you next to Leon?"
Seeing Stelle's pleading eyes and hearing her strained imitation, Leon laughed even happier.
Still, he threw her a lifeline.
"Sparkle left something with me. Returning it to its owner. Stelle and Dan Heng went to Scalegorge Waterscape—they're not with me."
"Oh right, I totally forgot. It's all Stelle's fault for always making me mad—that's why I reflexively react like this now!"
"You called out of the blue. Need something?"
"Kinda bored. Wanna go play at that garden you're in—Fyxestroll Garden, yeah, Fyxestroll Garden!"
"Wait till Stelle's business is done. Have her take you. I already left."
"That works too. Ugh, feels like everyone's busy except me…"
Hearing the dejection in March 7th's voice, Leon paused slightly.
Just as he was about to invite her to the food street for a meal, Himeko's gentle voice came from the other end.
"Little March, who are you calling? Suddenly want to shop on the Luofu—wanna come with me?"
"Yes yes yes!"
The dejection in March's tone vanished instantly, replaced by cheerful laughter.
"Then I'll hang up first, Leon. I'll have Stelle take me to Fyxestroll Garden another day."
"Hehe, sure."
"Bye-bye~~"
Call ended.
Leon pocketed his phone.
Stelle sighed.
"Caring for empty-nest little March—everyone's responsibility…"
"…Actually the call wasn't disconnected yet."
"I was joking." Stelle immediately changed her tune.
Leon nodded with a squinting smile. "Mhm… I was joking too."
"…"
Stelle scratched the back of her head and showed an awkward yet polite smile.
Players never expected that right after shifting perspective from Dan Heng and Bailu's conversation—
The dock side would immediately serve up a heartwarming (dog-blood) family drama of the Express crew loving (trolling) each other.
Options popped up.
① "Leon… what turned you into this?"
② "Leon, you big meanie!"
③ "Oh no, I've become the entertainment."
"No red-text normal option in ages! Wait, no, these aren't exactly normal either…"
Ah Xian, who had been crying buckets from getting stabbed earlier, was now all smiles.
Choose ①.
Stelle: "…Leon, you never used to joke around. What turned you into this?"
Leon squinted again. "If I told you, you'd probably be scared. It was Aha."
Stelle's eye twitched.
That sounded familiar…
Oh, right—Sparkle!
Back then Sparkle had also said Aha told her to come give everyone ideas and provide the curio to save Leon.
It couldn't actually be true, right?!
She immediately turned to look at Jing Yuan, who had been silently eating melon as a transparent background character for a long time.
Hiss—?!
General, with those thick brows and big eyes, how did you turn into a squinting fox too?!
At this moment, Stelle deeply realized one thing—
Dear little March never lied to her.
Scheming doctor isn't just a nickname.
"No more mutual trolling… look, Dan Heng and Bailu are back!"
As if finding a way out, Stelle pointed at the big and small dragon duo skimming across the sea.
Actually, she already knew why Leon had picked up that hint of Elation.
Sigh…
If he didn't find some joy, he probably would've gone insane long ago, right?
Even if he didn't go insane, his mental state would've been far worse.
She didn't know the exact duties of the Sky Haven Clan—only that they helped those in need.
Classic goody two-shoes.
There's a saying:
The one who keeps saving others is often the one who needs saving the most.
Leon had come into contact with far, far too many negative emotions along the way.
If he stayed a complete introvert with no self-regulation…
Even an Aeon of Nihility with THEIR level of apathy would probably spare him a glance.
The way he was now—occasionally teasing people, finding little joys to relax—was good.
Players had no idea what Stelle was thinking. Seeing Leon and Jing Yuan wearing identical expressions, they laughed in delight.
[Broad daylight, two old foxes actually doing… to an innocent cute gray raccoon…]
[You sure know clickbait.]
[Grandpa trolls little March → gets trolled by Father → then we all get the entertainment. Everyone wins.]
[Known: Leon doesn't lie. What if Aha really did turn him like this?]
[Previous commenter, care to repeat that? Punishment: rewatch Father's animated short 100 times!]
[Mei's been completely fooled by Leon. Sure, all lies were kind, but that kindness made her suffer even worse cuts.]
[Can't imagine if she were still around—what would happen when she meets Leon again.]
[Eroded by Nihility and still here… even if she is, she'd probably be Nihility herself by now. What else?]
[If this were a certain game genre, guaranteed yandere. But in a general-rated gacha, at most bittersweet acceptance.]
[Got it. Ship them in private doujins.]
[Where's Kiana? Mei's here, how is she not? And that white-haired ghost—why does the back and hair look like Ancestor Kevin?]
[Nah, Mihoyo is free.]
"Honkai 3rd is Honkai 3rd, Star Rail is Star Rail. Counterparts have different experiences and personalities. Enough with the substitutes, yeah."