After watching the episode, she would go straight to Sparkle and settle the duel.
-----------------------------
After March 7th brought Rappa to the small screening room, the two of them prepared snacks and drinks, ready to enjoy themselves.
Rappa had just been thinking about looking for Sparkle, but once she sat on the sofa and entered this room, she suddenly remembered that this time it seemed that official episodes were airing.
Next, there would be hundreds of millions of people watching her performance.
Whether it was acting in dramas before, or rapping, it was all done with a kind of clumsy impulsive drive.
Now that she thought back on it, Rappa finally started to feel nervous.
But as a rapper, she couldn't let such emotions show on her face.
So, keeping a straight face, Rappa began watching together with March 7th.
...
On the official Mihoyo website.
Before the main story, two PVs were released first.
The cover of the first PV was very unusual.
Its title: Cosmic Ninjutsu Inscriptions , Havoc Exorcism: Lunar Vileslayer Scroll.
And the content was also quite different from usual PVs.
Though it used a neon-style title, once it started playing, it was in a comic style.
It wasn't even 3D! And the story was even more puzzling.
It told the tale of a flashy ninja spraying graffiti while fighting a group of monkeys.
The PV went on until the boss monkey was defeated, the ninja left, and the PV ended.
The audience was left completely confused.
...
: A new character, Rappa? And even with her own PV?!
: Damn, after watching it I even went back to check the official site to confirm it was really Honkai.
: If you didn't know, you'd think I clicked on some cartoon episode.
: Never thought one day I'd actually see such an art style here.
: And there were so many tributes hidden inside!
: Honkai: Star Rail is playing memes again, hhh.
...
After discussing the art style, a large number of viewers tried to analyze the PV's content.
But no matter how they analyzed, the only conclusion they could reach was: this is a good ninja.
Then, everyone rushed to the second PV.
This PV was much more normal.
The screen opened with brilliant lights and special effects.
Unfolding slowly under a torrential downpour of electronic beats.
Just like the last PV, a group of monkeys appeared again.
Only this time, it was live-action footage.
And then, a stylish girl wearing a hat, trendy clothes, exuding a sense of fashion, walked in holding a loudspeaker.
Before the crowd even realized what was about to happen, a loud "Awoooh!" suddenly rang out.
The electronic beats grew more and more urgent.
Finally, they exploded all at once at the climax.
The rhythmic rap and powerful drumbeats instantly struck deep into the hearts of the viewers.
Even more dazzling visuals unfolded with the music.
Compared to a PV, this was practically an Music Video!
As the explosive music played, the live comment feed also flooded the screen.
...
: Holy crap! I don't even know what's happening?! But why is my head nodding by itself!
: The rhythm is just too good!
: Damn awesome!
: This rap, this drumbeat, ahhhhh it feels so good!
: I'm trying to think! But my brain refuses to think, it just orders me to sway with the beat!
: Is this really Honkai?! Where the hell did the Astral Express bring me this time?!
: Whatever! At this point, I'll just treat it as a concert and rock out!
...
The viewers had already given up on thinking.
The music only got more and more infectious.
Especially when it reached the climax.
Under the electronic effects, that repeated WAH! oh-oh-oh-oh was simply too brainwashing.
People couldn't help but sing along, their heads bobbing unconsciously.
Rappa's skateboard stunts under brilliant special effects were already colorful and dazzling.
Now paired with the increasingly addictive music, there was only one word!
Cool!
After another transition segment ended, a background track played Rappa's low Awoooh chant.
On screen, Rappa stood atop a skyscraper, holding a massive shuriken in one hand, forming seals with the other, and then leapt handsomely from the rooftop.
Seven-colored light streamed behind her like a cape, trailing like graffiti across the cityscape.
During the dive, the tall skyscrapers reflected into rainbow hues, as if Rappa had sprayed graffiti across them.
"I don't wanna get tricked."
As the lyrics rang out, Rappa landed on her skateboard.
The skyscraper turned into a wall of light, letting her race along it.
Everything around her flipped upside down, turning dazzling like a starry sky.
Rappa, riding her skateboard, dyed the surroundings with her own colors.
At that very moment, the music also reached its final climax!
"Take a bow and get wrecked!"
The stylish vocal stretched the word wrecked into a long trailing note, then sliced it into rhythmic electronic clips,
the human voice itself becoming EDM.
Rappa then put on her goggles, transforming into a dazzling figure.
The view suddenly shifted into first person perspective!
The audience followed Rappa's vision, throwing shuriken to defeat one enemy after another, just like in a video game.
Even better, each kill came with a kill icon, just like in a game!
That kind of feedback, undoubtedly amped up the viewers' excitement even more.
Meanwhile,
WAH! oh-oh-oh-oh
WAH! oh-oh-oh-oh
The brainwashing melody rang out again.
Countless viewers' heads bobbed like little chicks at that moment.
On screen, Rappa had already wiped out all the enemies, leaving only one monkey hiding behind a wall.
Rappa threw a flashbang, leapt from the sky, hurled a shuriken, and nailed the target.
The music and visuals both reached climax, and ended at that exact moment.
On screen, four bold characters appeared:
[No Dazzle, No Break]
The comment feed froze for a second.
Then erupted into madness.
...
: Too awesome! Damn!
: They even gave us an first-person view!
: This is so stylish it's triggering my rheumatism!
: Mihoyo, I demand to see this song at the concert!
: Perfect, my brain cells are completely fried! I don't even get it, but who cares!
: The moment the music started, I couldn't help nodding! The groove is insane!
: Once today's main episode is over, I'm going to replay this nonstop!
: And that last part was just too damn cool!
: Sh*t, I can't hold it anymore, Rappa even knows to use flash when pushing in! My useless teammates should learn from her!
: Lol, weird focus point!
: And those kill icons on the enemies, that killed me laughing.
: But admit it, those icons were pretty damn cool, right?
...
The live chat was buzzing with heated discussion.
Meanwhile, inside the screening hall, March 7th clapped and shouted excitedly: "That was amazing! Did you see that, Rappa!"
"Yeah, that was so cool."
Even Rappa was stunned by the actual film's effects.
Clearly, on the set, she had just been skating back and forth on a skateboard.
She could hardly believe that the person weaving through dazzling light and shadow was actually herself.
So this is Mihoyo's special effects?
Although after recording the music, Rappa had realized the song was powerful, she never expected that combined with visuals, it could turn into such a stylish MV.
She had been struggling for so many years. Forget about such a cool MV, she hadn't even managed to release a decent single.
The word Mihoyo became even more vivid in her mind.
"So this… is power!" Rappa murmured.
On the screen.
After two PVs had bombarded the audience, even if they didn't understand the hidden meanings, Rappa, this suddenly introduced character, naturally left a deep impression on the viewers.
...
: The main story must have a big connection with Rappa, right?
: Hahaha, I'm really looking forward to how this rapper is going to blend into the Honkai: Star Rail universe.
: Such a fresh feeling!
: I honestly can't guess what today's episode will be about!
: Can't wait, can't wait!
...
After finishing the PV, the audience sat on time, waiting for noon to arrive.
At that same familiar hour, "Banana Outrage: Battles Without Ninja and Humanity" began.
After the familiar Mihoyo logo disappeared, what appeared wasn't the usual footage, but instead, a super low-resolution cartoon animation?
A group of monkeys and bananas suddenly broke into the viewers' sight.
Without any kind of prelude, the brainwashing lyrics rang out:
"An island full of bananas, a lovely nest for Slumbernanas!"
"Ba na na na~"
"Eat bananas, nap the day away~"
"Ba na na na~"
"Worry no more, be happy everyday~"
"Ba na na na~"
"Slumbernana Monkey is the very best"
"Ba na na na~"
"He's the monkey living life without a stress~"
"Ba na na na~"
With this completely meaningless, nursery rhyme–like tune...
Cute little monkeys spun across the screen together with bananas, one after another.
What's more bizarre was that the footage wasn't only low-resolution, but also imitated the glowing blur of an old television.
Colorful rings rippled outward from the center of the screen.
Combined with the catchy tune and monkeys, it left people feeling a bit dizzy and entranced.
At this moment, the entire screen was filled with rows and rows of question marks.
...
: Wait, what the hell is happening here?
: I checked again and again, this is the Mihoyo official site, I didn't go to the wrong place, right?
: Great! If it's official, then we're doomed!
: This is insane, oh my god, even Honkai's "canon" is shaking apart at three points!
: Slumbernanas? Bananas? Hahaha, this makes zero sense! Is this supposed to be the Trailblazer's dying hallucination after drinking too much mung bean juice on the Xianzhou?
: I can't take this anymore.
: But I gotta admit, it's kinda catchy.
: Yeah, really sticks in your head, after just two lines, I can already sing along!
...
In the sea of question marks and laughter, the Banana Song ended.
The screen went black.
Finally, the camera shifted back to the Express.
The story picked up after the Xianzhou arc ended.
Everyone was resting on the train, discussing their next destination.
But then, an invitation came from Penacony.
It wasn't because something had happened, but rather because Paperfold University College had sent a formal invitation.
They hoped the Astral Express crew could come for an academic exchange.
It was an official invitation.
Paperfold University College is even one of the most renowned art schools in the cosmos.
Although the fuel issue gave Pom-Pom a headache, Himeko and Welt, holding to the principle of making more friends, agreed within reasonable limits to take the detour.
As for the trio, Himeko arranged for them to attend Paperfold University College as auditing students, to experience campus life.
This proposal was immediately met with March 7th's enthusiastic response.
After all, little March had never experienced school life.
"This is amazing! A lively, beautiful girl embracing youth on campus, it's basically tailor-made fluff for the main character!"
Dan Heng was also interested.
"I've heard Paperfold University College is a top-tier art academy known throughout the universe. I'd like to see it."
Stelle, hearing her companions say this, raised her hand happily.
"Great! Now we'll have diplomas!"
The three kids were like little treasures, brimming with humanity. Just seeing them made people smile.
....
: Seeing Dan Heng, March, and Stelle still so full of energy and comedy, I feel relieved.
: Yeah, it looks like this universe is still normal.
: Honestly, just this part alone almost made me forget that brainwashing thing even appeared earlier.
: Damn, don't remind me, now that you said it, the song just started playing automatically in my head again.
: Ba na na na~.
: On the island full of bananas~
: Ba na na na~.
: Enough!! Shut up already!
...
While chat played around with memes, the scene showed the train preparing for its next warp jump.
Stelle closed her eyes, sinking into the seat.
But just as the train warped into the Asdana star system, Stelle, unsurprisingly, dozed off.
Then…
"Ba na↑ na↑ na~ na↓"
"Ba~ na↑ na↑ na~"
The cursed tune invaded her mind again!
And this time, it was in the melody of a school bell.
This time, it was still damn catchy!
"What the hell is that sound?" Stelle questioned inside her head.
This scene also stunned the meme-making viewers.
It felt oddly familiar.
Only, back then, what had echoed in Stelle's mind was Jingliu's voice.
And now, it was the monkeys'.
...
: ???
: Damn it, they're still running with this meme!
: So now it's the school bell tune, huh!
: Does this mean the next episode is going to be a full-on campus comedy?
: Wait, could it be this is just a slice-of-life arc where we'll actually meet these monkeys and play with them?
: These monkeys are insane, their voices can even reach Stelle's mind during warp! The last time that happened, it was with Jingliu's voice!
...
Caught completely off guard, the audience simply sank into the cute banana banana chant, never suspecting what these monkeys were really capable of...