A Honkai: Zhongli x Star Rail

The Astral Express hummed quietly as it drifted through space, carrying its crew toward their next destination.

Yet today, there would be no epic battles or ancient contracts to uncover.

No, today… Pom-Pom had declared a cleaning day.

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A Declaration of Order

Pom-Pom stood in the main hallway, their tiny arms folded with absolute authority. The crew had gathered before them, standing in what could almost be called formation—though March was slouching, Himeko was suppressing a laugh, and Dan Heng looked like he'd rather be anywhere else.

Pom-Pom cleared their throat. "The Astral Express has been neglected for far too long! Pom-Pom will not tolerate dust, clutter, or—" their ears twitched in annoyance, " mysterious tea stains on the furniture!"

Welt adjusted his glasses. "That last one was likely from our recent tea lesson."

Pom-Pom glared at him. "Then that makes you a suspect!"

March raised a hand. "Sooo… do we have to do this? Because I think I left my—"

Pom-Pom cut her off. "YES! This is mandatory!"

March groaned. "Ugh, I knew it."

Zhongli, ever calm, nodded. "Maintaining balance and harmony extends even to one's surroundings. A clean space cultivates a clear mind."

Pom-Pom pointed at him dramatically. "See?! Zhongli understands! That's why he's in charge of the supply room!"

March choked. "Wait, he gets an easy job and I'm stuck with storage duty?!"

Pom-Pom ignored her complaints and continued assigning roles.

- March and Dan Heng -> Storage cleanup.

(A disaster waiting to happen.)

- Himeko and Welt -> Fixing the parlor's broken furniture. (Welt was already regretting this.)

- Zhongli -> Overseeing Pom-Pom's personal cleaning efforts.

Pom-Pom nodded in satisfaction. "Now, let's get to work!"

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March vs. The Storage Room

March stared at the towering mess of items piled in the Express storage room.

Boxes were stacked at unstable angles.

Random alien artifacts were crammed into corners.

And worst of all—there was a mysterious hissing sound coming from somewhere inside.

Dan Heng crossed his arms. "This is worse than I expected."

March groaned. "Ughhh, how did it get this bad?"

Dan Heng gave her a look.

March sighed. "Okay, okay, some of it might be my fault."

Dan Heng raised a brow. "Some?"

March quickly changed the subject. "Look, let's just start with the easy stuff!"

She picked up a weirdly glowing orb and turned it in her hands. "What's this?"

The moment she shook it—

The lights flickered.

Dan Heng immediately grabbed it from her hands. "Don't touch things you don't understand."

March put her hands up in surrender. "Fine, fine! Geez, who knew storage duty would be so dangerous?"

Dan Heng sighed. "Only when you're involved."

March pouted but got to work. Though, she couldn't help but feel like… something was still watching them.

The hissing noise continued.

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Zhongli and Pom-Pom: The Art of Cleaning

Meanwhile, in the main hallway, Zhongli watched as Pom-Pom scrubbed furiously at a stain on the floor.

Pom-Pom grumbled. "Pom-Pom does not know what kind of tea you drink, but it should be ILLEGAL!"

Zhongli chuckled softly. "Osmanthus tea is quite potent, but it is harmless."

Pom-Pom glared at the stain. "THEN WHY WON'T IT COME OUT?!"

Zhongli placed a calming hand on their tiny shoulder. "Allow me."

With a slow, practiced motion, Zhongli took a cloth, soaked it in warm water, and pressed it gently against the stain. With slow, deliberate circles, he lifted the mark—not with force, but with patience.

Pom-Pom watched in awe. "How…?"

Zhongli smiled. "Cleaning is much like balance in all things. Rushing leads to mistakes. But steady effort yields results."

Pom-Pom nodded slowly, absorbing the wisdom.

Then, they pointed across the hall. "What about THAT stain?"

Zhongli followed their gaze to a massive dark mark on the wall.

Pom-Pom folded their arms. "That's from when March tried to make space soup. It did not go well."

Zhongli sighed. "Perhaps some lessons should never be repeated."

---

Himeko and Welt vs. The Broken Couch

Himeko stared at the half-destroyed couch in the parlor car.

She turned to Welt. "Remind me again why we're fixing this instead of replacing it?"

Welt sighed. "Because someone—" he glanced at March's direction, "—thought it would be a good idea to use it as a 'launch pad' during low gravity mode."

Himeko smirked. "Honestly? I wish I'd seen that."

Welt pinched the bridge of his nose. "It was… a disaster."

Together, they worked on re-securing the cushions, fixing the frame, and stabilizing the supports.

Himeko grinned as she tested the couch. "You know, we're weirdly good at this."

Welt adjusted his glasses. "It is not my first time dealing with damages caused by reckless individuals."

Himeko smirked. "Oh? Sounds like there's a story there."

Welt simply took a sip of his coffee. "Many."

---

The Aftermath

Hours later, the Astral Express was spotless.

Pom-Pom stood proudly at the front of the group. "Pom-Pom is pleased! The Express has never looked better!"

March wiped imaginary sweat from her forehead. "Whew! That was way harder than fighting space monsters."

Dan Heng glanced at her. "Only because you almost got buried under a pile of boxes."

March huffed. "Details."

Himeko stretched. "Well, at least the parlor won't collapse under us now."

Welt nodded. "It is… acceptable."

Pom-Pom beamed. "GOOD! Because Pom-Pom has already planned the next cleaning day!"

March froze. "Wait, what?!"

Pom-Pom held up a schedule. "Pom-Pom will ensure the Express remains clean every week!"

March's soul left her body.

Zhongli chuckled. "Discipline is essential in all things."

March turned to him. "Don't encourage this!"

Pom-Pom ignored her. "Now then—Pom-Pom deserves a reward! Zhongli, make Pom-Pom tea!"

Zhongli smiled. "Very well. A fitting reward for a job well done."

As they all settled back into their usual routines, laughter filled the freshly cleaned halls of the Express.

The adventure of the day had not been cosmic battles or ancient contracts…

But sometimes, even cleaning duty was an adventure in itself.

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Chapter 14 Preview: The Case of the Missing Noodles

The Astral Express enjoys a peaceful evening—until Pom-Pom's noodle stash mysteriously vanishes!

March is the prime suspect.

Dan Heng is reluctantly dragged into the investigation.

And Zhongli, the former God of Contracts, is tasked with solving…

A noodle heist.

Who is the true culprit?

And can Zhongli restore justice to the kitchen?

Find out in the next chapter!

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Author's Note: (⁠•⁠‿⁠•⁠) (⁠눈⁠‸⁠눈⁠)