Honkai: Star Rail – From the Moment Tom The Cat Became My Passenger

Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!

The sharp cracks echoed nonstop, and a growing pile of flattened True Sting corpses accumulated around Tom.

Seeing this, Yevenko's eyes sparkled, and he eagerly pulled out a flyswatter from behind his back, swiping at an approaching True Sting.

Instead of flattening, the bug bounced like a rubber ball straight toward Tom.

Tom promptly caught it with his own swatter, smacking it back at Yevenko.

As the two exchanged volleys, they casually smacked more True Stings into the mix.

Gradually, countless True Stings merged into one giant ball the size of a yoga ball, hovering above Tom's head. Tom confidently swung upward.

But the enormous bug-ball was too heavy—it didn't budge an inch. Tom blinked incredulously, quickly trying again with three rapid smacks.

Still no movement.

Tom's neck stretched nervously as he gulped. He carefully returned the swatter behind his back and smoothly produced a bottle of milk, drinking it elegantly in one gulp. Crumpling the empty bottle back into place, he flashed a dignified smile and spread his arms open wide.

WHAM—!

The enormous bug-ball crashed down instantly, flattening Tom into a thin, pancake-like form. The ball then rolled harmlessly to the side.

A gentle breeze blew past, lifting Tom's flattened body into the air. It fluttered like paper before landing softly at Yevenko's feet.

Yevenko stared into Tom's innocently blinking, flattened eyes before casually pulling an air pump from behind his back and roughly shoving the nozzle into Tom's mouth.

With vigorous pumping, Tom gradually inflated into a huge, round balloon. As soon as Yevenko removed the nozzle, Tom shot upward like a released balloon, eventually landing safely and restoring to his normal shape.

Tom touched his restored body gleefully, grabbing Yevenko's hand and shaking it vigorously in gratitude.

Fuming, Tom then marched back to the huge ball of True Stings. Pulling a match from behind his back, he struck it casually.

In an instant, the enormous bug-ball burst into flames, quickly turning into nothing more than charred ash.

Satisfied, Tom clapped his hands smugly.

Seele watched the entire scene unfold in absolute astonishment. Her wide eyes stared vacantly, her mind scrambling to reorganize a jumbled mess that refused to straighten out no matter how she tried.

Clatter!

Her scythe slipped from her stunned grasp, clattering loudly on the ground.

The sudden noise startled her, bringing her mind back from the brink of madness. She forced herself not to think too deeply about the surreal scene she had just witnessed.

Maybe it's a blessing my imagination isn't stronger... Seele thought vaguely.

Otherwise, I'd surely lose my sanity.

She looked curiously at the trio approaching her. Strangely enough, one of the cats walked confidently at the front, as if he was clearly the leader.

Seele shook off the thought and stepped toward them.

She carefully arranged her thoughts, her lips gently pressed together as she spoke softly:

"Hello. I'm Seele, a member of Wildfire in Belobog's Underworld. Thank you so much for your help back there."

"If it weren't for you, most of my comrades wouldn't have made it back safely. Even I might not have escaped unharmed."

Yevenko casually waved a paw in dismissal.

"It was nothing."

Hearing Yevenko speak, Seele's eyes widened in astonishment, and she responded reflexively:

"You can talk?!"

Yevenko tilted his head curiously in return.

"Is it that strange that I can speak?"

Seele considered it briefly, remembering the bizarre scenes from moments ago, then shook her head.

"Actually… not that strange, I suppose."

Compared to everything else she'd just witnessed, a talking animal seemed positively normal.

Seele could now confirm these strangers certainly weren't from the Underworld. The purple-haired girl's elegant clothing was clearly too refined to have been crafted down here—never mind the cats.

If such an odd group had ever appeared in the Underworld before, there was no way Seele, as a Wildfire member, wouldn't have known.

"I assume you're from the Overworld, then."

"Speaking of which, Natasha mentioned that Sampo rescued three people from the Overworld. They're resting in her clinic now. Perhaps they're related to you?"

Hearing Seele's words, Yevenko quickly realized who she meant—probably March 7th, Stelle, and Dan Heng.

Seeing Yevenko's brief silence, Seele nodded knowingly.

"So you do know them. I can take you to meet them if you like."

Yevenko nodded gratefully.

"Thanks for the trouble."

Only now did Seele fully relax, seeing clearly that the peculiar group before her meant no harm. The tension left her expression, and a gentle smile spread across her lips.

"It's no trouble at all. If anything, we owe you our lives."

Seele swiftly led them through the Underground to Natasha's clinic.

It wasn't long before Yevenko spotted March 7th lying in bed, eyes still closed. Just as he approached her bedside, she suddenly stirred awake, eyes fluttering open in confusion.

Yevenko spoke promptly:

"You're finally awake. The surgery was successful. Congratulations—you're officially a girl now."

Still dazed, March 7th's eyes immediately widened like saucers. She exclaimed in panic:

"Huh? No way!!"

She instinctively reached downward but stopped halfway as realization hit her sharply.

"Wait! I was a girl to begin with!"