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In the beginning of the game, Kafka activates Stelle's receptacle and seals the Stellaron within her body. When Stelle wakes up, the first person she sees, and also recognizes, is Kafka, hinting of a past they have together that she doesn't remember. Stelle can have the option to ask Kafka who she is, which shocks Kafka, thinking Stelle would remember her. Kafka tells her that people will love her, treat her like family, and she has a long journey ahead of her; This is the future Elio has foreseen. Whether or not Stelle accepts this future, Kafka will say her answer is lovely, telling Stelle that the version of her determined enough to reach the end of her journey is the "you I like." Another dialogue option here leads to Kafka making a comment that the two are paving the way for a written future like weaving brocade, and the two together will make a gorgeous pattern eventually. Kafka also remarks that Stelle will be able to remember her before she's seen. After being hurried by Silver Wolf, Kafka leaves after spending another minute with Stelle, though Stelle doesn't want her to go. Kafka's lasts words to her are that when faced with a chance to make a choice, don't make a choice she'll regret. This line is echoed in the mission description in the prologue/
Belobog[]
While Kafka does not appear in Belobog, when resting at the hotel after having defeated Cocolia, Stelle hears Kafka's voice in her sleep telling her that "At the end of your journey, all that perplexes you and troubles you will resolve."
Xianzhou Luofu[]
Kafka interrupts the Astral Express's navigation meeting, appearing as a hologram. Stelle looks at her as she walks past, though Kafka doesn't acknowledge her. Kafka requests for the crew to deal with the Stellaron in the Xianzhou Luofu in order to clear the Stellaron Hunters' name and save her companion, Blade. March 7th is suspicious of Kafka, though all of Stelle's potential dialogue choices show that she is considering accepting Kafka's request, to which March exclaims not to listen to her. Kafka ends the transmission allowing the crew to decide for themselves. When talking to Himeko afterwards, Stelle can declare her position on whether or not they should go. If she doesn't believe they should go, Stelle can say that they can't trust Kafka as her reason. When interacting with Himeko a second time, Himeko points out that Kafka never mentioned Stelle at all. She warns that Kafka implanting her with a Stellaron hints at a far-off purpose, and that Kafka won't always turn a blind eye.
March and Stelle fill Dan Heng in on the situation. When talking to March, she'll reiterate her frustration with the Stellaron Hunter, asking Stelle if Kafka was always like this. Stelle can reply that she doesn't remember, that Kafka used to be nice, or remain secretive.
Once Stelle, March, and Welt arrive at the Xianzhou Luofu, they aren't accepted to deal with the Stellaron. However, Jing Yuan tells them that they can track down Kafka for them. With Tingyun's help, the trio are able to catch up to Kafka, though Kafka has gotten Cloud Knights to fight them for her. When Tingyun asks what she did to them, Kafka alludes to her ability to control people, saying Stelle should know all about that. After a boss fight, Kafka gets arrested by Fu Xuan. Welt and Stelle feel uneasy about the fact that Kafka seemed to have been expecting Fu Xuan's arrival, showing that Kafka is planning something.
Once Fu Xuan looks into Kafka's true motives, she is shocked. Stelle asks what she saw, but Fu Xuan hurries to report to Jing Yuan, telling the Astral Express crew that they can question Kafka. Welt and March know that Stelle has a lot to ask Kafka, so they let her do the questioning. Kafka greets Stelle, saying she hasn't changed one bit, and apologizes for her sorry state. Stelle can be aggressive, saying not to talk to her like a friend, which Kafka accepts, or express worry, to which Kafka replies she's fine. Alternatively, if Stelle replies that Kafka does not look to be in a sorry state, Kafka is glad, not wanting to affect Stelle's perception of her. She tells Stelle that she didn't talk to her on the train because she knew they'd have a chance to talk alone. Kafka reveals that the Stellaron Hunters have no connection to the Stellaron in Xianzhou; rather, they are here for Stelle. She explains that they lured the Astral Express crew here because the future Elio chose requires the Astral Express to have the Xianzhou Alliance on their side. Elio foresees that they will face Nanook the Destruction in the future, a struggle they won't have a glimmer of hope in without following Elio's plan. Kafka then tells her that even Aeons can be killed. She tells of past Aeons, like Akivili the Trailblaze, that fell and two ways how. Stelle questions her further, but Kafka tells her to wait, watching in satisfaction as the Ambrosial Arbor resurrects. Kafka breaks free of her restraints. Stelle pursues her, but is blocked by Blade, and the two jump off.
Letter from a Strange Woman[]
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The fighting was put on hold, but the Stellaron Hunters did not leave. Kafka sent you a request for help...
Daily Messages[]
In Kafka's first daily message, she reaches out to Stelle, telling Stelle that although she is not by her side, she aware Stelle has done a lot of missions recently, asking Stelle how she feels after completing them. If Stelle responds saying she feels satisfied, Kafka remarks that Stelle is like that now, saying it is very nice, before telling Stelle if she ever needs help, Kafka will come to her, as she is still the same. If Stelle says she feels empty, Kafka says that it is truly a shame she is like this now because she can not help much in that sense, as she is still the same. Stelle can chose to remark that she knows or she does not remember anything, to which Kafka affirms the statement, before remarking that she accidentally stained her coat, and she will have to deal with her coat now as the mission is over, leaving Stelle with the parting message that they will talk again.
In Kafka's second daily message, she texts Stelle a simple "Hi", to which Stelle can either respond with recognizing her as Kafka, or asking who she is. If Stelle remarks that it is her, Kafka affirms it, remarking that she guessed right away, and asking Stelle how her time on the Express has been. If Stelle instead asks who Kafka is, Kafka comments that she forgot about her so quickly, before melancholically stating to forget it, as it is no wonder Stelle forgot her, asking how Stelle's time on the Express has been. Stelle can state that she misses Kafka, to which Kafka is surprised, asking if that is the case. If Stelle says it is the truth and asks Kafka if she believes it, Kafka says she does believe it, and although Stelle can not see it, that truly made her very happy. If Stelle chooses to say it is not true, and that she did not expect Kafka to see right through her, Kafka comments that her intuition is always correct. She then states that as long as Stelle is with the Express, she knows she does not need to worry, and Stelle should remember that too. If Stelle says she is living well and she likes her life, Kafka simply says that is good, and she knows she does not have to worry if Stelle is with the Express, and that Stelle should remember that too, the conversation coming to a close.
In Kafka's third daily message, she casually reaches out to Stelle, prompting Stelle to either ask what is wrong, to which Kafka says nothing, that she merely thought of her, or to remark that Kafka messaged her again, prompting Kafka to ask Stelle if she is welcome. She then comments that she did not expect to be the only person in the cinema, as she thought lots of people liked this movie. Stelle can either ask why she did not go with anyone else, to which Kafka remarks that all the Stellaron Hunters have their own preferences, so it would not be good to force them to come, or tell Kafka that next time they can go and see it together, to which Kafka agrees and remarks Stelle should not forget this time. She then asks Stelle what type of movie she likes now, to which Stelle can either respond with biographical films, action movies or sci-fi movies. If Stelle chooses to tell Kafka that she likes biographical films, Kafka agrees, stating she also likes reading about and watching others, but she hopes no one would ever make a movie about her, as she would not want to be shown based on a director's perspective of her. If Stelle remarks she likes action movies, Kafka tells her that because she finds herself in scenarios like in action films, she does not find it exciting or involving. If Stelle states she likes sci-fi films, Kafka remarks that although movies like that are set in the future, what happens in the past will always happen again and again in the future, as life is that way. She then tells Stelle that the movie is about to start, so she has to go, bidding her farewell.
Other Interactions[]
Critter Pick Event[]
Upon sending the photo of Shader Cat to Kafka, she says she is really happy and likes it a lot, and the achievement "Suum Cuique" would be unlocked. The achievement in Chinese is "彼此的命运“ ("Each Other's Destiny"), referencing the line "In other words, you and I are each other's destiny" from Kafka's companion quest.
Additionally, when three Shader Cats are placed together, one of the dialogues among them is "I am here to see her." The "her" here can be confirmed to be Stelle since a different pronoun is used if the player plays as the other Trailblazer.
Quote[]
“Stelle, we meet again.”
— Kafka's voiceline when added to the same team as Stelle
Stelle – “She used to be nice.”
March 7th – “Oh yeah? Huh, maybe she really liked you...”
— Stelle and March about Kafka, "An Invitation Without Proffer"
Stelle – “She sure is a Stellaron Hunter...”
March 7th – “Ugh, why don't you go and marry her, huh?”
— "Stars Sun, Prescience Sprung"
“Are you alright? Are you hurt?”
— Stelle to Kafka (optional)
“One day, Elio handed you over to me. He said that if things continued to transpire according to the future possibility he foresaw, you would eventually change me and I would change you. In other words, you and I are each other's destiny.”
— Kafka to Stelle in "Letter from a Strange Woman".
“"I am your destiny." The woman replied, "It took me a long time to find you and an even longer time to become restrained and patient. I didn't act until Elio found the best of futures. He told me that you will change me." She smiled bitterly, "So, you are my destiny too."”
— Kafka interaction in Simulated Universe, Closed Beta Test 2 (not in final game).
Fanon[]
KafStel gained interest from their very first interaction, noting their shared history and how Stelle seems to care for Kafka, and in turn Kafka seems to care for Stelle too. KafStel is one of the most popular ships for both characters, but is rivaled by KafHime and KafBlade on Kafka's side, and Starch and Stellefly on Stelle's.
Fan depictions of KafStel usually like to lean into the angst potential they have and often depict them as "tragic" or "doomed", in scenarios such as Stelle feeling abandoned by Kafka and desperately longing for her whilst she is away, or on Kafka's side with Stelle being unable to remember her or her being unable to open up to Stelle due to her past.
Currently, they have 320+ fanfictions on AO3.
Familial[]
On May 28, 2023, a dialogue from Kafka's companion mission was leaked on Twitter, in which Kafka told the Trailblazer that she is genetically their mother.[1] This dialogue was actually Kafka telling a lie, though this wasn't clarified until hours later. The leak caused lots of devastation to KafStel shippers, since their ship became widely considered problematic during that time. The leaker received some backlash for leaking the initial dialogue without context, seemingly to make KafStel look bad.[2][3] That said, the misunderstanding that the two are related is still rampant, due to players mistaking the lie as truth.
Kafka and Stelle are also commonly interpreted as a mother-daughter relationship, due to leaks which suggested that Kafka created Stelle, but this was proven to be a lie when her companion quest released. Her caring words could been seen as the guidance of a mother. In the Western fandom, people with this interpretation like to touch on Stelle's potential abandonment issues due to her mother figure, the only person she remembers, leaving her. In the Japanese fandom, KafStel is often seen as familial due to Kafka being viewed by the fandom as the player, and in turn Stelle's, mother, with many people calling Kafka "カフカママ" (Kafka mama).
Kafka’s companion mission, Letter from a Strange Woman (陌生女人的来信) references Stefan Zweig’s novella Letter from an Unknown Woman (一个陌生女人的来信), which describes a woman’s passionate but sorrowful one-sided crush on a man that forgets her and never recognizes her. The woman, who has surrounded her entire life around her crush, leaves a letter for him in her last hours, finally confessing her love.
Kafka's "Health Recovery" voiceline in Chinese is "谢谢，你是个好人。" ("Thank you, you're a good person.")
Vietnamese HoYolab lists Kafka as having "special feelings" for Stelle.
In "A Foxian Tale of the Haunted", there is an option to pick "She is beautiful" as a response to seeing a haunted Kafka poster.
In "Dreamjolt Hostelry", Kafka's drink description calls her "the love of your dreams".
One of Blade's daily messages is Kafka messaging Stelle, as her phone was broken and she wanted to talk to Stelle.
In one of Firefly's daily messages, she states that Kafka always talks about Stelle, which is why she thought the two knew each other well.
A poem can be found that seems to allude to Kafka and Stelle during the Xianzhou Luofu quest while chasing Kafka, referencing the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, a classic Chinese romance.
"Destined to be together"
The achievement "Suum Cuique" (Chinese: 彼此的命运, Each Other's Destiny), which is obtained after creating "Shader Cat" for the first time in the Lifeform Oven, is translated as "Destinados a estar juntos" ("Destined to be together") in the Spanish version of Honkai Star Rail.
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