They Call Me Daddy (Honkai Star Rail)

“Seriously, if one day you found yourself inside a game and became a playable character, what would you do?”

In a bedroom, a tall man sat at his desk, writing these words in his notebook.

But as he wrote, he set down his pen, got up, and walked over to the window to look outside.

There was no grass or flowers, no tall buildings—only the deep, tranquil expanse of space outside the window, with the vast expanse of stars casting varying degrees of light, accompanying the train’s journey.

Knock, knock, knock

“Wende! Come for afternoon tea!”

“Okay, I’m coming.”

A lively voice called from the bedroom door. The man known as “Wende” turned towards the girl outside the door and replied.

He glanced back at the starry sky outside, smiled wryly, opened the bedroom door, and walked towards the train’s observation car.

The story begins on Earth, April 26, 2023.

On this day, the new game "Honkai: Star Rail" by MiHoYo officially launched its open beta. As a MiHoYo enthusiast and a fan of turn-based games, Wende certainly wouldn’t miss a game that suited his tastes so well.

In fact, he had been waiting for this game for a long time, following it from its initial announcement through its beta tests. Why was he just following? Because as someone who couldn’t qualify to be a beta tester, he could only watch others experience the game’s content.

But today, launch day finally came! He could finally experience the game’s storyline himself!

At eight in the morning, Wende, fresh out of bed and washing up, was startled by his phone vibrating wildly.

【QQ Group: Astral Express African Division】

【(Group Owner) Major March 7th Fan: OMG! Guys! The train has opened ahead of schedule! Everyone, hurry up and grab your UID!】

【(Admin) Evil Will Bury Me: Trying to trick us again, huh?!】

【(Group Owner) Major March 7th Fan: I’m not lying! "Login Screen Screenshot.jpg"】

【(Admin) Evil Will Bury Me: OMG!】

【Kafka is My Eternal Wife: OMG!】

【Himeko is Dead! : OMG!】

【(Group Owner) Major March 7th Fan: @Himeko is Dead! Change your name already! “You Little Shit.jpg”】

Wende, groggy from waking up early, stared wide-eyed at the conversation in the QQ group, quickly wiped the toothpaste off his mouth, and rushed back to his bedroom. He sat down in front of his computer and quickly launched the game with the pink-haired energetic girl as its icon.

“Honkai Impact 3rd! No, wait... Honkai: Star Rail! Start!!!!”

“Buzz...”

As he clicked to start the game, Wende felt himself begin to blackout and lose consciousness.

..........................

“Himeko! Try the new mango pudding our Pom-Pom just made!”

A girl with pink hair and blue-pink eyes handed a spoonful of yellow pudding to an elegant woman sitting on the sofa. The elegant lady, dressed in a white long dress and a black cloak, brushed a strand of fiery red hair behind her ear and smiled as she accepted the pudding.

“Looks like our lovely conductor has improved their skills recently.”

The red-haired woman elegantly tasted the pudding, which was rich with mango flavor, and praised the “conductor” who was holding several drinks.

“Of course! Passenger Himeko, you have good taste!”

The cute, fluffy conductor placed the tray with drinks on the coffee table beside the sofa and put its little round hands on its hips, looking proud.

“What new treat has our conductor come up with this time?”

A middle-aged man with glasses and a handsome young man walked into the observation car.

“Mr. Yang! Come try Pom-Pom’s new drink! Dan Heng, you too!”

March 7 waved at the two, still holding her mango pudding.

“Alright.”

Dan Heng nodded and walked over to the table, picking up a green drink.

“This is... mint lemonade?”

Savoring the sweet and sour taste along with the refreshing sensation, Dan Heng looked surprised at the plain-looking drink in his hand.

“Hehe! How is it? Tastes good, right?!”

Seeing Dan Heng’s surprise, Pom-Pom smiled and nodded in satisfaction.

“This was the idea of the new passenger! Pretty cool right!”

“The new passenger? You mean Wende?”

Himeko recalled the day they rescued the attacked fleet, realizing the survivor’s name was Wende.

“Yes, that’s right. I just went to call him for afternoon tea!”

March 7 nodded.

“So he’s okay now?”

Himeko’s gaze softened with concern. The boy seemed young, and despite his tall stature, he might have lingering effects from such a severe accident.

“Thank you all for your concern, but I’m fine.”

Wende entered the observation car with a tray of various cute desserts and pastries.

“These are fresh out of the oven, please help yourselves!”

Wende smiled at the familiar faces around him.

It was truly astonishing—he had only wanted to secure an early UID, but ended up in the world of Honkai: Star Rail.

“Wende! Are you okay?”

March 7, with her usual lively demeanor, saw Wende’s helpless smile and began imagining countless dramatic scenarios in her head.

“Uh... don’t worry. I’m fine, really.”

Seeing March 7’s sudden concern, Wende felt exhausted.

Thinking about how he had just crossed into this world on a spaceship about to break apart, Wende was filled with dread. If the Astral Express had arrived any later, he might have been sent to the afterlife.

That disaster happened only three days ago, and with the help of the Astral Express, he had been recovering for three days.

The others on the train noticed Wende’s changing expression and thought he was still affected by the disaster.

“Sorry, passenger Wende. I shouldn’t have pulled you into the kitchen...”

Pom-Pom looked down, feeling somewhat guilty.

“Eh?... I really am fine!”

“Really? Don’t force yourself! Maybe you should go back and rest a bit? A nap might help?”

March 7 looked at him with her pink-blue eyes, seriously.

‘Damn it, if you keep this up, I’ll really end up with a complex!’

“All right, March. I think our friend Wende should be fine now.”

Seeing Wende’s increasingly helpless expression, the ever so calm Welt stepped in to rescue the situation.

“Oh... really? Don’t keep your discomfort to yourself!”

As March 7 was about to say more, the scenery outside the train’s window suddenly changed. A silver light appeared in the void of space and began approaching the Astral Express.

“Attention, passengers! We are about to enter Herta’s Space Station!”

Pom-Pom’s voice filled the observation hall, and their figure had mysteriously disappeared from the room.

Meanwhile, Wende, who had been smiling helplessly, suddenly froze, then began frowned.

“Ding! Honkai: Star Rail has begun its open beta! Please prepare for your role as the protagonist.

Note: The more beloved you are by players, the stronger your abilities will become.”

“What….?”

Stunned in the observation hall, Wende heard the voice in his mind and involuntarily cursed.