Chapter 356: Envision a Rose Forthcoming, Ruthlessly Locking onto the True Romance Route!
The "Dream of Order" that once shrouded the entire Asdana Star System has come to an end.
Online, everyone is saying that this was a victory belonging to the Star Rail players.
But in reality.
For some people, today is not much different from yesterday.
The surging tides of the outside world hold little significance for them.
Life is not all ideals and poetry…
After waking up, one still has to pack their luggage and head to work.
The Golden Hour.
A woman with short black hair has finally finished a work cycle.
Her skin tone is slightly sallow, but her facial features are exquisitely defined.
However.
At this moment.
That exquisite face carries a trace of deep exhaustion.
Rest within the dream.
It is impossible to even truly enter a peaceful sleep.
She opens her phone and checks her memo.
[ Cocona, in two system hours you need to go to the warehouse to confirm the quality of this batch of new goods ]
"Only two system hours of rest time…"
Cocona rubs her temples.
She might as well not bother resting.
She opens a livestream on her phone.
Recently, Robin has been very popular online.
Information about her can be seen everywhere.
[ Robin's "Life is a Song" concert pre-sale is in full swing! ]
She clicks into the pre-sale interface.
As expected.
The pre-sale tickets have already been snapped up.
As the manager of a luxury goods store, she has no time to look at her phone while working.
Cocona shakes her head.
Even if she had managed to grab a ticket, what of it?
Would she even have the time to go to the concert?
As of now.
The only time for relaxation.
Is in these fleeting moments of leisure, watching the storyline of Honkai: Star Rail.
Cocona herself has a character account, of course.
But because work is too busy, she has no time to experience it herself.
Her game progress is still stuck at the space station…
She opens the exclusive livestream for Star Rail.
Originally, she didn't want to watch Penacony; she wanted to see other worlds outside the universe.
However,
She was attracted by the name of one of the livestream rooms.
[ Penacony Hidden Side Quest Livestream! ]
[ Current progress: Imagine a Rose of the Future… ]
Seeing this keyword.
Cocona's heart skips a beat!
She once composed a song with the same name.
The title was exactly [ Imagine a Rose of the Future ]!
But this name actually originated from a poet.
"Could it be… a player with shared interests…?"
Driven by a strange impulse, she clicks in.
However!
She didn't know until she looked,
And once she looked, she was shocked!
In the livestream right now.
The protagonist… is actually herself!?
"Ah?"
"This…"
Cocona is stunned for a moment!
This is the storyline of Honkai: Star Rail!
How could she appear in it?
Cocona checks again and again.
If it weren't for the name "Cocona" clearly written above the character, she would definitely have thought this was just a character who happened to look like her.
But the iron-clad facts tell her!
This is her!
Not only has she appeared in Honkai: Star Rail.
There is even a storyline about her!
For a moment, Cocona even doubts the reality of this world!
A woman like her, mediocre and reeking of corporate slavery.
What right does she have to appear in the Star Rail storyline?
She has no epic history.
She has no unique abilities.
And she has no unwavering will of the Trailblaze.
Only a future full of scars and shattered ideals…
Does a person like her…
Deserve to appear in the story?
Did something go wrong somewhere?
Soon.
Cocona is drawn into the content of this storyline.
The version of herself in the story looks younger than she is now.
It seems to be just after graduation.
The mentor in front of her is smiling and clapping, praising: "Cocona, that's wonderful!"
"Whether it's pitch, rhythm, or emotion, your singing level far exceeds your peers. Your understanding of music is especially high. Being able to quickly capture the spirit the song wants to convey… it's truly rare!"
"And your timbre—soft as silk, maintaining a considerable degree of tonal consistency from low notes to high notes, truly a rare talent…"
The younger her scratches her head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
She says: "Thank you very much for your guidance, Teacher! I never thought that such beautiful singing could come out of my throat…"
"Don't thank me. Thank your own talent and hard work more. To become one in a million as a singer… you need to find better teachers and undergo more rigorous training."
The teacher says earnestly,
"The competition in this industry is very cruel. Those who can enjoy the applause under the spotlight are always only a few."
Ah…
She remembers.
Cocona feels as if there is a needle in her heart.
The teacher's next words pierce her heart fiercely.
"Not ready yet? I can understand… but you will have to make a choice one day."
"When I was your age, I missed many precious opportunities… take a piece of advice from your teacher, Cocona—cherish your talent, don't make decisions that you will regret."
"Having a dream is a cruel thing—once you fail to achieve it, the pain of a shattered dream might completely destroy a person."
"Strive forward, child… don't look back, you belong to a wider, more beautiful stage."
Cocona notices.
This streamer specializes in side quest livestreams.
The number of people in the room is neither high nor low, in a lukewarm state.
Some bullet comments are scrolling in real-time.
…
"This teacher is a good person, worth listening to."
"Kafka: When you have the chance to make a choice, don't let yourself have regrets."
"I can only say the teacher's words have become a prophecy."
"This is Cocona's memory, and the current her is a sales clerk in a luxury store, which is enough to show that her dream of becoming a singer eventually shattered…"
…
Not just the teacher.
Friends who graduated together also believed that Cocona should become a singer.
"I just knew Nana was different! When Nana performs at the Penacony Opera House, I'm going to brag to everyone: Look, that's my best friend!"
"Nana is so smart, she'll be excellent at whatever she does. I'm so looking forward to the day I can wave a glow stick and cheer for you on stage. I can imagine what you'll look like then, it must be beautiful!"
The youthful face is filled with longing.
If only everything could be like it was then, full of hope, full of passion.
In front of the screen.
Cocona's eyes are already glistening.
This is naturally a beautiful memory.
But it is precisely because of this beauty that it forms a stark contrast with the current cruelty.
Sure enough…
Immediately following, is the scene she least wants to see.
Her parents stand before her.
After Cocona says, "I want to work in something related to music."
Her mother looks incredulous and immediately shrieks: "I knew it… I shouldn't have let her join that student choir!"
Her father looks solemn: "Music… singing… Little Na, have you been too tired lately to have such naive thoughts?"
"You haven't had formal training, and you aren't exactly pretty. Your voice can only be described as ordinary… Little Na, let's choose a practical path, okay?"
…
"Who said that! Little Na is very sweet! And she sings well too!"
"I'm dying of laughter, are you more professional than a professional vocal teacher?"
"Deeply empathized, my parents are the same, they act like they know everything when it comes to crucial issues."
"Destroying their daughter's dream with their own hands?"
…
Cocona replies seriously: "The teacher said I can take this path."
"I want to go out and study, and work hard to get a scholarship."
And as soon as her mother hears this.
She gets angry immediately: "Study… how many more years do you want to study? How old are you, don't be so naive like a child all day long."
"Did you get tricked by that vocal teacher again, which is why you have these strange ideas? She just sees that you are simple and easy to fool, and wants to use fancy words to squeeze more tuition out of you!"
"Nana, you have to remember, we are not like the Family or those wealthy Dreamchasers… We are locals of Penacony, compared to those rich people, we don't have that many good choices."
"Listen to your mom and dad, we've worked in the hotel for so long, we've established some connections with the Family. I heard there's a luxury store hiring clerks in the Golden Hour, why don't you go try that."
Following this.
No matter how she chooses to pursue work related to music.
Her parents always have reasons to guide Cocona in the direction they want.
There is only one final outcome.
The screen slowly turns black.
A line of subtitles appears on it.
[ Of course, Mom and Dad… no matter what you say or do… ]
[ It's all for my own good. ]
…
"Wuuuuuu…"
"Star Rail is worthy of being Star Rail, just got blood-pumping in the main quest, and now the side quest makes me empathize deeply, as if I'm seeing myself."
"This sentence 'for my own good' really broke my defenses."
"Suddenly feeling suffocated."
"Real, it's fucking real!"
…