In the real world, Star Rail players were advancing through the game's main storyline with fiery enthusiasm.
Many players from the beta test discovered a subtle deviation in the official release's plot compared to the final version of the experience server. Through word of mouth, the new Trailblazers gradually learned of the doll-like girl under the moonlight, a brand-new character.
For miHoYo to go so far as to alter the plot just to add this character to the story, she must be entangled in a great deal of the main storyline.
It's not like some kid who didn't know better just threw her in for fun, right? The character must have a reason for being! A story must have an outline!
While casual players watched the excitement unfold, collected waifus, and had fun as armchair critics, the lore enthusiasts and various content creators began sharpening their knives, eager to dig up some heavy-hitting lore from Orchis. Could it be... that something big was coming?!
They had to ride the wave of traffic and seize the opportunity before anyone else. Film a reaction video, make a character analysis—a million views would be the bare minimum!
As players, driven by curiosity, tried to probe into Orchis's background, a mainstream theory began to circulate in the community.
[You guys think this character could be one of Herta's alts?]
After all, Orchis and the Herta puppets shared a considerable number of design elements.
Both were dolls, both had a gothic style, both had petite female figures, and both appeared on the space station.
It seemed logically plausible that the developers were laying the groundwork for a future Herta SP, showing off this alternate persona in advance. If it was just to get her face out there and attract players' attention, it wouldn't affect the main story's progression too much.
The more players thought about it, the more sense it made. This theory immediately gained a large amount of support and, in the time that followed, gradually came to dominate public opinion—because Orchis had completely vanished from the plot.
Those who wanted to study Orchis's story, after the initial stunning impression, fell into utter disappointment.
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"...How is the plot still the same old thing with no changes?"
In her dorm room, Kisaragi sported dark, exhausted circles under her eyes. Sixteen hours had passed since the game's launch. She had skipped both lunch and dinner, sitting in front of her computer with high intensity like a ruthless, main-quest-grinding machine.
Now, in the dead of night, she was slumped in her chair, staring at the protagonist on the screen who had just apprehended Dan Shu of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. This was already the final part of the Xianzhou storyline. Kisaragi had gone from initially looking forward to Orchis's story to becoming increasingly numb, her spirits completely crushed.
It was a classic case of the two "on one's own" principles: getting one's hopes up on one's own, and getting disappointed on one's own.
She had banked on miHoYo burying some heavy-hitting foreshadowing, but it all came to nothing. Kisaragi was practically dead at her keyboard, smoke fuming from her mouth.
"I can't take it anymore, fam."
The pretty girl was burned out. That was it for today's stream.
[Streamer, don't you die in my phone.]
[I already woke up from a nap, how is the streamer still on?]
[Just woke up. Can someone tell me what happened with that new character?]
[No plot at all. She only appeared in that one scene.]
[We followed Geng all the way through the snow planet and the Xianzhou and got nothing. A total defeat!]
[Sigh, we got played by miHoYo.]
[If I were the writer, I'd be laughing my ass off. Who knew a single picture could stir up so much discussion? We were just messing with you.]
With a half-dead expression, Kisaragi closed the streaming software, preparing to get some late-night snacks before getting some proper rest.
Making her own food at this hour was too much trouble. She might as well just order takeout.
With that thought, the young woman picked up her phone. However, as soon as she unlocked the screen, she subconsciously swiped to her forum app.
As a streamer, she was always surfing the web at high intensity, checking the community's pulse and stealing some jokes and memes to use.
And since Tieba just reposted leftovers from Zhihu and the lewd forums, she casually opened NGA.
The girl glanced at the Star Rail sub-forum, and just then, a newly published post instantly caught Kisaragi's attention.
[This Orchis character story, why do I feel like miHoYo is planning to bait people in with a space comedy and then hit them with tragedy? It's so deeply tied to the Stellaron host's past, the flavor of this angst is so obvious they're not even trying to hide it. A true sister work to Honkai Impact 3rd.]
Who was Orchis...? A player who just followed the normal story and got on the train would only get that one artistic shot.
Kisaragi scratched her head, trying to recall if this name was from some obscure text or side quest, and clicked on the post.
Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
The post opened with an image, a very impactful one.
That silvery-white twin-tailed hair, that black gothic lolita dress—the character in it was undoubtedly the girl players saw after defeating the Doomsday Beast, but it was a brand-new in-game CG. In this picture, the little gray-hair had stepped onto the rearmost car of the Astral Express, looking back at the space station. The doll-like girl had also revealed her true face. Her sorrowful red eyes and beautifully crafted face with an encouraging smile made it impossible for Kisaragi to look away!
Wh-what is this?
I've already finished the main story and I've never seen this scene!
Not only was Kisaragi in disbelief, but the replies below the post were also filled with a screen full of question marks.
[?????]
[What is this scene? How come I never saw it after finishing the main story?]
[Did the leakers finally do something useful? This must be a CG from a future update.]
[The most useful the dataminers have ever been.]
[Whoa, her face is seriously gorgeous. No wonder they kept it hidden with an umbrella. The white hair, red eyes, dark aesthetic design is just too classic.]
[miHoYo must be trying to copy Gojo Satoru, waiting for the right moment to do a Domain Expansion and reveal her face. Sealing her beauty like this to build up a huge wave of popularity.]
[The OP didn't just generate this with AI, did they? It looks so real.]
[Hey everyone, has anyone seen Orchis? She's fine, I just wanted to introduce you all to my wife first.]
[The Trailblazer-goblin upstairs is joking.]
[Is no one going to discuss the plot? That deep gaze with the Stellaron host, the vibes of amnesia and regret, I guarantee something big is coming later.]
[I want to see the Final Lesson~ I want to see Rubia~ I want to see Everlasting Flames~ I want to see the Elysian Realm get shattered and Thus Spoke Apocalypse~]
[Someone get Ling Yiniang a pen, time to start the tragic grand reunion script.]
[You guys upstairs need to get a grip. How are you already assuming the plot is going to go off the deep end?]
[We're all mature Honkai series players now. We have to learn to find our own angst to eat.]
Kisaragi watched as the post's reply count stacked higher and higher. At the same time, the original poster also seemed to realize something was amiss.
The OP's original intention was to discuss the plot, but they hadn't expected so many people to have never seen this CG. They were also baffled and proceeded to explain their gameplay process.
First, the OP had barely touched the main story quest and hadn't even left the space station. They had simply been messing around in the Simulated Universe. This was because any player who had played through miHoYo's entire library knew that their writers loved to hide things in obscure places. Seeing those bits of lore could lead to a completely different understanding of the plot. Therefore, rather than rushing the main story, they chose to explore all the side quests on the space station and all the events and achievements in the Simulated Universe. This not only brought a different kind of fun but also allowed for a better appreciation of the game.
[Though my real intention was to have ammo to lord over the lore debaters later.]
Kisaragi pouted at the OP's cheerful comment. Who asked you that? Get to the point!!!
The OP then explained that after collecting everything in the Simulated Universe, just as they were about to start the main story, they found a pocket watch at the observation deck near the space station's parking spot. It was a special item that triggered a hidden character story.
The pocket watch would make the doll-like girl from before appear and provide the protagonist with a lot of information. It seemed this character even knew the protagonist? The two even held hands, fingers intertwined. Although it was only for a moment, it was incredibly impactful. It was hard to imagine this level of intensity at the game's launch. Could March 7th do that?!
I felt the pull of destiny!
Later in the story, the little gray-hair would follow the original main story's path and choose whether or not to board the train, talking to a bunch of people. At this point, specially highlighted red terms would appear in the protagonist's dialogue options. After choosing all the red options, the Trailblazer would trigger a unique "boarding the train" scene.
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What the heck, it was hidden that deep?!
As soon as this post was published, many office workers who hadn't had time to play yet tried the method described by the OP. Sure enough, they really could find the pocket watch on the platform!
And for players who had already completed the main story, after fully clearing the Simulated Universe, they would also trigger a scene where they found the pocket watch.
But only the former method could fully trigger the doll-like girl's standalone story.
The speculation was that the girl's appearance was triggered when the Trailblazer was lost, unhappy, and had severely deviated from the main story's path.
If the protagonist was one who boarded the train or stayed at the space station without much thought, that kind of Stellaron host was just chill, not depressed. Orchis would then quietly watch over them from an unknown corner.
Only when the protagonist was in immense pain, feeling like they were no longer themselves, would their hidden little girlfriend be unable to hold back and come out to comfort them!
It was absolutely brilliant!!!!
[Video Title: DO NOT rush the main story anymore! Or you'll miss your loving white-haired wife seeing you off!]
Before long, story-focused videos about Orchis began popping up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
The next day, the streamer Kisaragi and her viewers opened the video with the highest popularity in the Star Rail section.
Kisaragi herself had already missed the trigger conditions for the standalone story, and watching a recording was more direct than restarting with a new account.
Everyone in the stream was also there for the lively atmosphere. Some might have already pulled an all-nighter to see it, but they all tacitly agreed to act as if it were their first time.
Soon, the video began to play, and the hidden story commenced!
Kisaragi glanced at the quest log on the side. The content was labeled as [Trailblaze Continuance], meaning it had the potential to be recognized as part of the main story!
Late at night, the Trailblazer wakes up in front of the Simulated Universe, drawn by the melody of a music box.
In the quiet scene, the beautiful yet sorrowful music made all the viewers unconsciously focus with full attention.
Just listening to this soundtrack, it was already a completely different style from the sci-fi romantic space opera of Star Rail so far.
The lost Trailblazer picks up the pocket watch from the platform and once again encounters the silver-haired, twin-tailed doll girl. From her, the players heard about the end of the universe, and a prophecy that the Stellaron host would experience endless suffering—key information that was never mentioned in the main story!
The doll girl then intertwined her fingers with the Trailblazer's. Her comforting words and the undisguised concern she showed for the protagonist made Kisaragi do a tactical lean-back—this was something I could actually see in Honkai: Star Rail?
As the plot progressed, the Stellaron host tried to ask the doll girl about their past, only to see her vanish without a trace.
The little gray-hair was left standing there, clutching the pocket watch, lips pressed tightly together, with only the sorrowful melody echoing through the space station.
It tinged this encounter with a kind of flawed beauty.
The story continued. The melancholy Trailblazer ultimately chose to stay at the Herta Space Station, refusing the journey of Trailblaze.
But unable to suppress the surging passion in their heart, they chased after the rear of the Astral Express, their hand taken by the suddenly appearing doll girl as they ran forward together!
The girl clearly knew the Trailblazer's true thoughts. She perfectly articulated the little gray-hair's reasons for hesitation and their deepest desires!
The players instantly felt that the girl on the screen was the protagonist's true confidante and supporter.
She didn't want you to live as someone you're not; she didn't want you to lose your own worth.
If being a safe bird in a cage would make you lose your brilliant luster and prevent you from finding true happiness, then she would help you grow. From initially going with the flow and lacking personal drive, to finally understanding your heart's desire, completing a character arc.
Please pursue a life you can be proud of, and obtain your own happiness. If the Trailblazer chose to move forward, the doll girl would not stand in their way.
Caring for you, pitying you, watching over you in silence, supporting you in secret—an unknown love that existed only in a hidden story.
The motion of leaping onto the train, the moment Orchis revealed her true face, the scattering of forget-me-not petals, and the part where Stelle shouted her inner monologue—the scene was filled with infinite emotional power. Players couldn't understand why this content was a hidden scenario; it had the scale of the main story!
[Kids, I'm asking, why wasn't Orchis in the main story?]
[What a magnificent face. She's so beautiful.]
[Her concern for the little gray-hair is overflowing from the screen. Ugh, waifu—]
[She accurately voices the protagonist's thoughts and feelings, an unusual relationship, dispelling the gloom in their heart. This is major female lead energy, I don't care what you say.]
[Except for when we were being hunted... I've gone through the whole main story and haven't seen the Stellaron host hold hands with anyone else.]
[Checking March 7th's status.]
[Little March is just a friend, we're not that close.]
[Who the hell is Orchis?! To be so intimate and show such undisguised affection for the protagonist right from the start, her power level is a bit too high.]
[In such a short story, she's already maxed out the widow vibes and the main partner vibes, with her meticulous care and support for your decision.]
[A powerhouse like this is too much to serve up at launch, so they could only stuff her in a hidden story and banish her to the shadow realm!]
[She's not in the main story, could she be watching over the gray-hair from a small corner, caring so much but having to let go with regret?!]
[This is no ordinary pretty girl! She's the shadow protagonist, the heroine of the secret route! Don't tell me we can only see her in this little bit of content? I feel like miHoYo planted a seed, and they're going to go crazy with chronicles and write some torturous little tidbits for the audience later.]
[Just like the Elysian Realm, a super-large DLC that tells you everyone is already dead, focusing on inheritance and letting go, allowing characters to resolve their lifelong regrets.]
[Let go my ass, get those forget-me-nots away from me. The flower effect is making me uneasy, desu. Don't you dare bully my wife.]
[If the writers kill off Orchis I wouldn't mind destroying the entire world.]
An enthusiastic outcry erupted in the player community!
Someone who understands the protagonist's thoughts, who can sympathize with the protagonist's plight, and who can support the protagonist's resolve. Guiding the way forward, supporting from the shadows, and deeply connected to the protagonist's past—such a strong bond and connection is so rare in gacha games, my god.
miHoYo is on the right track! The protagonist shouldn't be a camera! Give them the best weapon in the village! A beautiful girl should point at the protagonist and say she loves them, stop with all the other nonsense. Watching a high-quality story and honestly pulling on your little girlfriend's banner are not mutually exclusive! Can't we have it all?!
With Orchis's uniqueness and devotion, she would fit perfectly into the main story as the female lead without any sense of incongruity.
So why is this girl hidden in a secret route? It makes no sense!!
Damn it, don't tell me some female executive was parachuted into miHoYo and said this was too pandering to male players and not "balanced" enough, so they cut our spicy little girlfriend.
And the writer, in a painful struggle, stuffed the last of her ripple into a tiny corner or something—don't let that happen!!!