I Became Robin?! (Honkai Star Rail)

Robin and Cheng Hui hurried into the bakery. The dazzling array of pastries and the tempting aroma of butter and cream instantly made Robin feel even hungrier.

She immediately opened the nearest glass display case, grabbed a cream-filled bun, and began eating it. The sweet, rich flavor filling her mouth caused her to squint slightly, a blissful expression spreading across her face.

"See? Anything tastes delicious when you're starving!"

Cheng Hui, who had accompanied Robin, spoke up hesitantly. "Isn't just taking it like this a bit wrong? It feels like we're robbing the place."

"Don't worry, don't worry," Robin reassured her. "We're dealing with an emergency. I'll talk to the owner later and buy all the bread. Then we can distribute it to everyone as temporary rations."

The food supplies on this half-block should be enough to keep everyone from starving. But in this situation, Robin doubted anyone would be in the mood for hot pot. Even if someone were, the chefs and servers at the hot pot restaurants probably wouldn't be working anyway.

Hot pot was too much trouble. A simple bun per person was far more convenient.

Robin devoured her bread, her eyes scanning the price tags. Instinctively, she calculated how much it would cost to buy out the entire bakery. Her current savings should cover it, but she wondered if the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations would reimburse her for this.

Cheng Hui nodded in agreement and began nibbling delicately on her bread, her refined demeanor a stark contrast to Robin's hurried eating.

As they walked, Robin suddenly spotted a set of clothes lying on the floor between two display cases: a blue short-sleeved shirt and dark trousers. Her brow furrowed.

The clothes weren't neatly arranged; they looked as if they had been hastily stripped off and tossed aside, crumpled and wrinkled. She crouched down to examine them. The fabric was cool to the touch. Inside the trouser pocket, she found a smartphone. Beneath the shirt and trousers lay a pair of brown leather boots, each containing a sock.

No closer inspection was needed. The moment Robin lifted the clothes and saw the boots, a pungent foot odor assaulted her nostrils.

Her chewing faltered. She quickly covered the boots with the clothes again and stood up, her face pale. The stench was nauseating, but more importantly... a body must be involved.

It's impossible someone just stripped naked out of boredom, right?

The only logical explanation was that something had attacked the owner of these clothes. Ruling out a perverted killer with a bizarre fetish for undressing victims, the most likely scenario was that the victim's body had simply vanished upon death.

Robin couldn't help but recall Cheng Hui's account of the nearly thousand people who had disappeared during Qingcheng's last Dimensional Rift incident.

Is there some kind of monster that can erase its victims? The thought sent a chill down Robin's spine. The temperature of the clothes indicated the attack had happened some time ago. She had initially assumed the area was relatively safe, but perhaps the enemy had emerged the moment the Dimensional Rift opened and the veil descended—she just hadn't noticed.

This monster might possess invisibility, be incredibly small, or employ some unimaginable form of attack. Regardless, it was likely still lurking somewhere on this half-block stretch of street!

"We need to get out of here, now!" Even though the monster had likely already moved on, Robin still felt a lingering unease. She grabbed Cheng Hui, who was still munching on her bread, and hurried them away from the scene.

"Huh? What's going on?" Cheng Hui asked, utterly bewildered. Robin didn't have time to explain. She hurried to the hotpot restaurant and the clothing store, repeating the name of the bakery and asking for the owner.

Her reasoning was simple: she had initially planned to buy all the bread in the bakery. Normally, the owner would have stepped forward immediately in such a situation. But no one had appeared, clearly revealing the deceased's identity.

In a way, buying bread is free now... What a twisted joke, Robin thought. Then, she urgently instructed, "Everyone, listen up! If you see any clothes scattered on the ground..."

She paused abruptly, noticing that many people in the clothing store had spread the brand-new, expensive garments on the floor, using them as makeshift carpets or blankets. This was precisely why Robin had initially allowed half the group to enter the store—sleeping on the cold, hard floor would be miserable.

Now, however, she had to revise her orders immediately. She directed everyone in the clothing store to move to a large supermarket next to the hotpot restaurant.

The order was bizarre. Just moments ago, everyone had been told to take shelter here, and now they were being ordered to move again. What was the point? Was this some kind of joke? Understandably, many felt frustrated.

Yet Robin's ability kept them relatively calm, and in the end, they followed her instructions and headed to the supermarket. As she gazed at the disheveled clothing store, bathed in stark white light, Robin felt as if something unseen was secretly watching her. A chill crept into her heart.

She didn't dare enter alone, instead asking Cheng Hui for help. Together, they furtively recounted the group.

The result was shocking: two people were missing! In such a short time, two more had fallen victim to the invisible monster. What was most terrifying was that no one had noticed their disappearance.

At 8:30 PM, Robin sat in a chair at the hotpot restaurant, her hands pressed together against her forehead. She had no idea what to do next.

An invisible monster, capable of erasing people from existence. She didn't even know if she should reveal this horror to the others.

What difference would it make if she revealed the truth? She had no combat ability whatsoever; all she could do was sing. Even if the enemy abandoned their concealment and launched a full-scale assault, she would be powerless to stop them.

Robin pursed her lips. Despite her calm demeanor and focused efforts to manage the situation, she was terrified.

Her composure stemmed entirely from her ability's effect on herself, temporarily suppressing her fear. Robin was certain that the moment she stopped using it, she would collapse into a trembling heap in some corner.

She was no hero; before this, she had been utterly ordinary, indistinguishable from the crowd.

"If you're tired, why don't you rest for a while?" Cheng Hui suggested, sitting opposite Robin, her face etched with worry. She knew only that four people had gone missing, unaware of the full extent of the situation. Robin hadn't shared her terrifying deductions.