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

Just as Tom was about to kiss his way from Yevenko's calf up to his thigh, Yevenko quickly called out.

"Stop—Tom, hold it right there."

"Stay put, don't move."

Hearing that, Tom immediately halted his actions. As if suddenly realizing how filthy he must look after a long journey, he pulled out a small red doormat from behind his back, spread it neatly on the floor, and knelt onto it like a hamster, paws folded at his chest, sitting obediently.

Then, with wide, hopeful eyes, he looked up at Yevenko.

And in Yevenko's vision, Tom's profile popped up:

[Passenger: Tom]

[Aliases: Tom the Mighty, Faux Sophisticate, Big Yam, Ultra-Blue Cat, King of Aruban Slaps, etc.]

[Bio: A recurring character from Tom and Jerry and its related works. A British Shorthair cat with all-around capabilities. A frenemies dynamic with Jerry — equal parts rivalry and camaraderie.]

[You have drawn a character! Bonus: Star Rail Special Pass ×10]

Although Yevenko had recognized the magical feline the moment he laid eyes on him, this profile confirmed it without a doubt.

And even better, it came with ten more special passes.

Still, there was no rush to use them. First things first—take care of Tom.

Yevenko had a sharp eye. Despite the cat's perky attitude when he first saw Yevenko, it was clear Tom had been through a long and exhausting journey. On the surface he seemed fine, but those darting little glances toward the nearby milk bottles gave him away.

Without hesitation, Yevenko picked up a bottle and handed it to him.

"Here, Tom."

"You must be exhausted."

He reached out and gently patted Tom on the head.

Tom looked at the milk bottle, then back at Yevenko, eyes wide in disbelief. He pointed to himself.

Yevenko caught on immediately. "That's right, Tom. It's for you."

As soon as he got confirmation, Tom could barely contain himself. He tilted his head back and poured the milk straight down his throat.

The final drop was especially stubborn, clinging to the lip of the bottle in a long thread before gravity finally won, and it plopped into Tom's waiting mouth.

Tom lowered the empty bottle and shut his eyes in bliss, smacking his lips in satisfaction.

"Slurp, slurp~"

Meanwhile, Yevenko figured he might as well use the ten bonus passes now and then try warping afterward.

To his surprise, drawing with the passes didn't require physically feeding them into the door slot. The moment he focused his intent, ten items from Tom's world appeared around him.

Eight shimmered with blue light. The other two pulsed with a purple glow.

He casually picked up the nearest blue-glow item.

[Tom's Cat Bed: Tom's favorite spot to nap. Helps him relax physically and mentally. (Except when Jerry's around.)]

Yevenko placed the cat bed in front of Tom. Tom stared at it, stunned. He popped a finger into his mouth like a kid, eyes wide, then began circling the bed in disbelief—as if trying to work out how it had ended up here.

He definitely didn't pack this when he left home…

The other blue-glow items weren't particularly noteworthy. Mostly snacks, milk, or toys—things from Tom's universe, but nothing with special effects.

Yevenko walked over and picked up one of the two purple-glow items.

[Tom's Fencing Rapier: With this sword, you can hold your own in a duel—at least for a while.]

Yevenko's eyes lit up.

Finally—a proper weapon from the gag universe.

Sure, comedic characters were technically invincible, but that only applied to Tom. Yevenko could rely on Tom for now, but if anything targeted him directly, it could be game over in an instant.

But with this rapier, he at least had a fighting chance.

Tom, seeing the rapier in Yevenko's hand, perked up as well. He pulled a classic D'Artagnan-style musketeer hat from behind his back and plopped it on his head. Then he retrieved a matching rapier—identical to Yevenko's—and twirled it through the air in a few flashy flourishes, clearly inviting Yevenko to a duel.

Yevenko chuckled and shook his head.

"Later, Tom. I've got something I need to take care of first."

Tom nodded rapidly like a pecking chicken and tucked the sword away.

Yevenko, now brimming with curiosity, took a few more steps and began rummaging through the rest of the draw results. Near a wedge of cheese, he found something the size of an ant—a tiny… firecracker?

He gingerly picked it up between his thumb and forefinger.

[Tuffy's Little Firecracker: Trust me. Its bang won't disappoint.]

The moment Tom saw it, his expression changed completely. His jaw dropped open, and his entire face popped forward like a spring-loaded cartoon mask.

His legs spun into a blur as he dashed over to Yevenko, snatched the firecracker from his hand, and hurled it off into the distance. Then he grabbed Yevenko by the arms and sprinted full speed toward the train door.

BOOM—————!!

A thunderous explosion followed.

The supposedly indestructible door of the Astral Express now bore a Tom-and-Yevenko-shaped outline blasted clean through it.

They were hurtling through the stars—out in the open universe.

Yevenko: "…"

He tried to speak, but nothing came out—he couldn't breathe.

Unbelievable. After all that effort not to die by suicide, now he was going to get killed… by Tom.

A montage of memories from childhood to the present flickered through his mind like a carousel. Meanwhile, Tom—oblivious to the fact they were literally in space—was still running like it was solid ground.

But then he noticed something was off.

He darted a panicked glance around—only now realizing they were in deep space.

Looking back at Yevenko, he saw a small glowing blue spirit version of Yevenko rising from his mouth, floating upward.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH———!!!"

Tom let out a sharp, shrieking yowl, every hair on his body standing on end.

Without missing a beat, he sandwiched Yevenko between his legs, struck a freestyle swimming pose with his arms, and frantically swam back toward the train.

Back aboard the Astral Express, Tom gently set Yevenko down on the floor.

In a flurry of panic, he reached up and grabbed the little spirit-form Yevenko, stuffing it back into Yevenko's mouth. Then he flipped his eyelids, checked his tongue, and pulled a stethoscope from behind his back to check Yevenko's heartbeat.

Finally, Tom exhaled in relief, wiping the sweat pouring down his face. The droplets pooled into a tiny puddle on the floor.

A long time passed before Yevenko slowly sat up in a daze. He found a blanket draped over him, and not far away, Tom was zipping around with a broom, sweeping up at lightning speed.

Yevenko: "…"

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