Acheron left.
Her steps were unsteady, as if she were walking on clouds, or lost inside some formless maze — an indescribable sense of detachment enveloped her, the kind of state that would make her a perfect fit for joining MyGO.
In the depths of those eyes that were usually so indifferent, an emotional whirlpool churned — one that not even a pie chart could accurately capture.
Thirty percent sorrow, thirty percent relief, thirty percent bittersweet ache, thirty percent pain, thirty percent blessing... and the remaining eighty-five percent, sheer complexity.
[Th-that... Ki-Kiana...]
Watching Acheron vanish through the door like a lost traveler, Kiana-baby stayed silent for a full two minutes before finally speaking up, her voice unable to hide how strange it sounded.
[What... is this...?]
[Just as you see!]
A voice, full of energy and tinged with a bit of pride, answered at once.
[A triangle is the most stable structure, you know! The three of us — aren't we a perfect triangle? And this one was built by yours truly, with my own two hands~!]
Th-that's something to be proud of?
Kiana-baby's eyes went wide, and for a moment she was speechless.
She wasn't sure how to even begin evaluating this.
Even if it was a parallel-world version of herself, even if it was a parallel-world version of Mei, still...
Just as Kiana-baby sank into deep existential contemplation, Mei — her arm affectionately hooked through Caelus's — turned her gaze, along with his, toward White Comet.
As the saying goes.
The world is just one giant makeshift stage show.
So, when every judge, every evaluator, plus the organizer and co-organizer of this makeshift stage — every single one of them — is my own person, what exactly can you do about it?
What could Kiana-baby say?
She'd been thoroughly hoodwinked~
Under Caelus's masterfully polished three-way act, passively receiving information relayed from all three parties backstage in her own body, Kiana-baby felt as though she were stumbling along, one foot deep and one foot shallow, on a bed of cotton.
The massive information overload regressed her battle-hardened processor — long since evolved into the Mega Kiana-cat of Finality — back into the dazed, larval stage of a Paramecium.
Watching, in first-person view, herself, Mei, and Caelus interact, Kiana-baby's mind was left with nothing but the three great philosophical questions spamming through it on repeat:
Who am I?
Where am I?
What am I doing?
For a moment, the shared mental space fell into an eerie stillness, as if time itself had frozen.
Kiana-baby didn't even notice when Mei had left.
Until...
A warm, soft pressure touched her lips, and a palm settled over the supple curve of her stomach.
The intimate physical contact slowly pulled her back from the chaos in her mind.
You've got to be kidding.
Not again already?
Thankfully, it seemed to be nothing more than the tender, lovey-dovey affection unique to couples deep in the honeymoon phase — just a deep embrace.
But.
Still, Kiana-baby's composure cracked.
Since all five senses and six perceptions were completely shared, Kiana-baby had already braced herself to endure this strange, comfortable experience with the mindset of a fully immersed bystander.
So she hadn't resisted, passively receiving the kiss and caresses — until halfway through, she suddenly realized something.
Control had returned to her hands, without any warning at all!
Even though the physical sensations hadn't changed one bit, having her younger parallel-world 'self' in control versus being in control herself was an entirely different psychological experience!
An indescribable sense of guilt and taboo, mixed with a strange thrill, shot through her whole body like an electric current.
Her brain seemed to leap through an entire evolutionary chain — from single-celled organism to Kiana-cat of Finality — in a fraction of a second.
To avoid dragging the two of them into an unprecedented pit of awkwardness, Kiana-baby forced down her instinct to immediately shove Caelus away.
With her pretty face instantly flushed crimson enough to look like it might start steaming, Kiana-baby, a little stiffly, let the residual momentum of her body carry the lovey-dovey kiss to its finish.
Then she immediately made an excuse and fled the room as if escaping.
Watching that slender figure vanish through the doorway in a flustered rush, Caelus couldn't help the corner of his mouth curling up into a delighted arc.
"She really is adorable~ Kiana-baby."
He was the one who'd turned on Auto-Battle — of course he knew exactly when Kiana-baby's consciousness had taken over control of the body.
Poor Tom, played like a fool the whole time.
What?
You're saying Tom-in-the-flesh is right next door?
Never mind then.
"Now then."
Caelus's gaze seemed to pierce straight through the thick wall, landing on the corridor outside the door.
The white-haired girl looked as if every ounce of strength had been drained from her, slumping limply against the cold door.
Hot breath, mixed with a scent that belonged only to Caelus, escaped uncontrollably from between Kiana-baby's slightly parted, glossy, moisture-slicked cherry lips, punctuated by ragged, uneven gasps.
"Call it a little gift. I think you'll like it."
[Um, wh-why didn't you warn me?]
From deep within their shared consciousness, Kiana-baby's voice rose, flustered and irritated, with an obvious tremor to it.
Faced with a presence that was, in some sense, 'another version of herself,' the natural closeness between them stripped away the politeness she'd show a stranger, leaving room for blunt accusation.
[You're blaming me? I don't even know when the switch is going to happen~]
Her tone started with a faint note of wronged complaint, then shifted seamlessly into a spirited, bashful sweetness, laced with a stubborn refusal to admit fault.
[This lady's attention just wasn't on it, okay...]
Caelus imitated the young Paramecium version's distinctive blend of cute naivety, stubbornness, and a touch of willfulness to absolute perfection.
Acting chops and killer moves~ little sister.
The 'killer moves,' of course, referred to Caelus's ability to freely adjust his own mind and personality at will.
[You... I...]
That vivid, overflowing-with-cuteness performance acted like a mirror, instantly pulling Kiana-baby back to her days at St. Freya.
She seemed to see her old self again — youthful, green, fearless, that innocent, radiant Kiana Kaslana who'd once shone like a newborn sun.
True, the her of now had weathered storms and long since shed that naivety, yet her wholehearted passion for the world, her original resolve, had never changed.
But still, it wasn't the same anymore.
It was like the three stages of life:
'Seeing mountains as mountains,' 'seeing mountains as not mountains,' and 'seeing mountains as mountains once more.'
In the first and third stages, what the eyes see is still mountains — yet the understanding and the weight carried between them are worlds apart.
The pure, carefree liveliness of Kiana in her Paramecium days, and the liveliness of the Herrscher of Finality she'd become — weathered by hardship, yet still choosing to shine.
As her thoughts reached this point, the figure that had inevitably shaped the trajectory of her life — Teacher Himeko — naturally surfaced in the sea of her mind.
By now, whenever Kiana-baby recalled that figure who had dissolved into crimson flames, sorrow no longer followed.
Instead, a bit of student-like pride rose up in her, as if a student who had finally completed a project momentous enough to change the world now stood before her guiding mentor's grave, silently offering comfort:
"Are you still watching me, Teacher Himeko..."
As if answering her silent thought, in her mind's eye, Teacher Himeko actually turned around on the sun-drenched sports field of St. Freya Academy and smiled gently at her.
For an instant, Kiana-baby's eyes shimmered with light.
Only, she never expected the carefree Teacher Himeko to be wearing a formal gown at school, of all things?
Hmph, did she go drinking again and forget she had class today~
And why did she look a little younger?
Ohhh, did she try some new makeup that just came out?
Come on, hurry up and share it already!
Wait, hadn't this nostalgic slideshow of memories been running a little... too long?
"..."
All of Kiana-baby's thoughts came to an abrupt halt.
She froze, her breath nearly stopping.
At the end of the corridor, a graceful figure with hair like burning flame was walking toward her, unhurried.
The newcomer clearly noticed the white-haired girl leaning against the door, her expression a tangle of confusion and complicated emotion.
Himeko's steps paused slightly, a flicker of surprise crossing her eyes.
Whatever lay behind the girl's unblinking stare was nothing a stranger meeting her for the first time should have.
An inexplicable flutter of familiarity stirred in Himeko's heart. She pushed down her confusion, and a warm, concerned smile naturally rose to her face, her voice soft as sunlight:
"Hello there, little one? Did something happen? Do you need help?"
That voice, gentle down to the very soul, crashed into Kiana-baby's ears like thunder from the ninth heaven!
"Hi... Himeko... Teacher...?!"
Kiana-baby stared blankly at that achingly familiar face, her eyes flying wide in shock.
Fierce, fragmented waves of emotion churned within those deep blue eyes.
Her body trembled faintly, her lips parting as if to speak, though no words came.
The gentle smile on Himeko's face faltered for a moment, a flash of confusion crossing it.
"Teacher?"
She certainly wasn't a teacher.
Had this child mistaken her for someone else?
But the girl had called out her name correctly, and the emotions churning in her eyes — shock, wild joy, deep longing... all woven together like a net — instantly seized Himeko's attention.
It kept her from simply writing this off as a case of mistaken identity.
Himeko's fine brows knit slightly as she studied the white-haired girl's face closely.
"Little one, do we... know each other?"
A faint, thin sense of familiarity rose in her chest, like a lighthouse flickering in and out of fog. Himeko's gaze turned probing:
"Why did you call me Teacher?"
"You don't... recognize me?"
Kiana-baby looked up, seeing the unfamiliarity in the other woman's eyes, and it dawned on her.
I see.
Right. This must be...
a parallel-world version of Teacher Himeko...
Just as Kiana-baby managed to work out this relationship and was trying to calm herself, Himeko's next words dropped into her like a stone into a still lake, sending the emotions she'd only just suppressed surging back up violently.
"I just feel like... I've seen you somewhere before."
"I used to have dreams often, back before — not the sweet dreams here in Penacony."
Himeko's tone carried a distant, reminiscent air, as if she were sharing a small everyday secret:
"In the dream, I saw a group of blurry faces. I didn't know who they were, but we were like family, always fighting against some transcendent existence..."
"I remember clearly their confusion, their fear — but I also remember, they never once chose to give up..."
Himeko's gaze settled back on Kiana-baby's face, carrying a strange tenderness along with a barely perceptible searching quality:
"In the dream, I remember I had an incredibly, incredibly outstanding student. She always made me feel so proud."
Himeko tried hard to piece together the blurred outlines of that dream.
But the girl before her suddenly began to tremble. Himeko noticed, and her tone gentled:
"You don't look well. Do you want me to call hotel staff for you?"
Himeko reached out instinctively, wanting to steady Kiana-baby's trembling body.
The next second.
"Teacher Himeko!"
All her pent-up emotion burst like a breached dam, impossible to hold back any longer. The moment Kiana-baby heard Himeko speak of her own dreams and 'a student she was proud of,' she lunged forward and threw her arms around Himeko with all her strength.
"I've missed you! I've missed you so, so much...!"
Kiana-baby's smile was radiant, but mist had already gathered in her eyes, and a sob crept into her voice.
Ever since becoming the Herrscher of Finality, she had never once cried.
But now, those long-buried tears, glistening like pearls, finally spilled free once more, rolling down her radiant smile.
This was the first time she had cried since becoming the Herrscher of Finality.
"Eh—"
The unexpected action left Himeko briefly at a loss — but only for an instant, as she felt the emotion pouring from the girl in her arms.
She let out a soft, helpless laugh, and instead of pushing Kiana-baby away, she lifted her arms and wrapped them gently but firmly around the trembling white-haired girl, one hand softly patting her thin back.
"There, there... don't cry now..."
Himeko's warm, soft voice sounded by her ear:
"I might not be the Teacher Himeko you're talking about, but if that story is true, she must be deeply, deeply proud of you."
Himeko pulled back a little and gently wiped the tears from Kiana-baby's face with her fingertips:
"Look, it's not really convenient to talk here. Why don't we... go sit in my room?"
She held out her hand to Kiana-baby, her smile sincere and welcoming:
"If you're willing... I'd love to hear about you. About your Teacher Himeko's story."
...
Back in the room, Caelus, having watched this whole 'reunion' from both first-person and third-person perspective, nodded in satisfaction.
Come on, say it — thank you, Director Caelus!
At the same time, a question nagged at him.
"Was what Sister Himeko said real or not?"
"She's dreamed about the Honkai World?"
It was probably true — Himeko wouldn't lie at a time like this.
"Resonance between parallel world isotopes?"
Thinking of the ever-tightening mental link between part of his own consciousness and his 'stand-in AI,' Caelus figured this counted as 'normal' too — at least, normal by his standards.
Kiana-baby followed Himeko to her room. White Comet, thoughtfully, didn't cause any trouble. Caelus clapped his hands, took off his shoes, and started undressing.
"Okay, time to enter the dream."
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