[Honkai: Star Rail] Sunday of Sundays

1

Zhou Tian is a graphic designer at a little-known mobile game company.

Recently, Honkai: Star Rail released its Penacony update, and Sunday’s famous line about a "seven-day holiday" became a hit. For a while, every overworked employee prayed that their boss would inexplicably catch the "Order."

One day, Zhou Tian’s boss called everyone into a meeting. After an impassioned round of grand promises and toxic motivational talk, the balding boss turned to Zhou Tian.

"That 'Sunday' character has been pretty popular lately. Xiao Zhou, do you think your team could design a character like that?"

Zhou Tian stared at him in confusion and pointed at herself. "Huh? Me?"

2

After being given a hard time by her boss countless times, Zhou Tian finally ran out of inspiration. She decided to head to a convention and shake off some of her overwhelming office-worker stink.

She got up at four thirty, put on makeup, donned a gravity-defying Robin wig, and crossed half the city to reach the convention venue. There, she came face-to-face with an incredibly accurate Sunday cosplayer.

She slid right over to him. "Excuse me, would you mind taking a photo with me?"

The cosplayer opposite her was surprisingly dedicated. He frowned slightly and called out in a very soft voice, "Little sister?"

Zhou Tian was instantly moved. She nodded, took the cosplayer's hand, and cried out with feeling, "Big brother!"

3

Zhou Tian soon realized something was off. This cosplayer was not only completely unfamiliar with fandom jargon, but also knew next to nothing about modern life.

Oh no. This might actually be Sunday.

After the convention ended, Sunday had nowhere to go, so Zhou Tian had no choice but to bring him back to her shabby rental on the outskirts of the city.

Fortunately, the overtime culture at Zhou Tian's company was intense, sparing them the awkwardness of sharing a home.

"Don't you have any time off?"

One day, Zhou Tian came home after working overtime until midnight and was met with Sunday's question.

She was close to tears. "May the world grant me a seven-day holiday."

4

Sunday began looking for work, but his standards were extremely high. He wanted a nine-to-five job with weekends off. Countless HR representatives gave him a disdainful glance. "If you won't do it, there are plenty of people who will."

By chance, Sunday discovered livestreaming.

"Why do birds fly..."

He began explaining philosophy to his viewers. His uncannily accurate looks, paired with his livestream content, soon had everyone wondering whether he was doing some kind of absurdist act.

Sunday's livestreaming career followed a perfect nine-to-five schedule. Zhou Tian was deeply crushed when she saw the income in his creator dashboard. So this was a world where looks were everything.

One day, Sunday spotted a discarded game design Zhou Tian had made. He asked her, "What is this?"

Her gaze brushed over it. "A dream I once had."

The feathers on the Halovian's head twitched, and his golden eyes turned toward Zhou Tian, like a god gazing upon all living things.

"Do you still want to make it come true?"

Zhou Tian met Sunday's gaze. "Of course."

[We have all lost our way]

[But time never stands still, so we broke through every obstacle, battered and bleeding, in search of the way home]

[Before You Read]

1. Apologies for the out-of-character moments. I wrote this just for myself.

2. Comments are welcome. Let's keep things civil.

3. Blurb archived on February 10, 2025.

Theme: Labor creates a better life.