Fortunately, Kiana was no longer the girl she used to be.
Having endured so much and even transcended Finality, she had naturally matured.
The emotional outburst didn't last long; Kiana took the initiative to steady her breathing and rein in the tears.
Her eyes were rimmed with red as she pulled away from Himeko, blushing when she noticed the damp patch her tears had left on Himeko's outfit.
"I—I'm sorry, Himeko-sensei."
"There's no need to apologize, Kiana. Do you feel any better?" Himeko raised a hand with a gentle smile, tidying Kiana's messy bangs and stray hairs.
This girl was born beautiful; it wouldn't do to let a crying fit spoil that face.
"Much better. Thank you, Himeko-sensei."
As Kiana finished speaking, her face flushed even deeper.
She whipped her head around to glare at 'Finality Kiana', who was standing nearby enjoying the show. The expression on the other's face was practically screaming, 'This is exactly what I came to see!'
"Hey! You knew this was going to happen, didn't you? That's why you dropped me off here alone!"
'Finality Kiana' gave a breezy chuckle and spread her hands. "How could you say that? I brought you here to see Welt, remember?"
"...The other me, the current you is really mean!" Kiana bared her teeth at her counterpart. This person was clearly doing this on purpose.
Heaven help her. She was such a pure, cute, and kind-hearted girl—how could her alternate self in this world be such a little devil?
'Finality Kiana' pursed her lips, fighting back a laugh, and casually manifested a Light Cone.
Displayed clearly on the surface was an image of Kiana just moments ago, looking utterly pathetic while crying her eyes out.
Honestly, Kiana didn't look much better now; her nose and eyes were still red, and tear tracks lingered on her cheeks, giving her a pitiable, fragile look.
Then, right before Kiana's wide, disbelieving eyes, 'Finality Kiana' pressed the Light Cone into her palm.
"Here. Your first gift in this world. Keep it as a souvenir."
"Who would want something like this as a souvenir?!" Kiana nearly fainted, exasperated by her other self's wicked sense of humor.
As they spoke, Mei approached from behind the group. She walked straight to 'Finality Kiana's' side, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with her in an atmosphere of intimacy that was noticeably different from everyone else.
It was only now that Kiana finally got a clear look at this Mei, whose face had been partially obscured by her hair. Her entire face lit up with joy as she shouted:
"Mei?! There's another Mei on the Express too!"
Kiana let out a cry of surprise and lunged forward, instinctively wanting to wrap her in a hug.
Thwack. A soft, fair hand pressed firmly against Kiana's forehead, stopping her in her tracks.
With one hand holding Kiana at bay and the other's fingers tightly interlaced with Mei's, 'Finality Kiana' grumbled, "Hey, hands off. This isn't your Mei, she's mine!"
"...Huh? What do you mean 'yours' and 'mine'? Mei is just Me—wait, what's with the vibe between you two?!"
At first, the rejected Kiana didn't process the words. She took a step back, puffing out her cheeks and glaring at her other self. She had been ready to argue that Mei was Mei and what was the harm in a little snuggle, but then her gaze drifted down to their intertwined hands.
She saw the way Mei looked at her counterpart—a gaze so thick with affection it was practically melting. Suddenly, the way she looked at her other self changed completely.
Wait, hold on... why did it feel like the 'me' of this world and the Mei of this world had already done... this and that?
That look in their eyes, the natural way they held hands, and that physical closeness she'd overlooked until now—they were practically glued together.
Sssss—
My god! Kiana felt like she had just stumbled upon something earth-shattering.
Had the relationship between this world's Kiana and Mei actually progressed to this stage?!
She was close with her own Mei, of course. They had been through so much, fought, reconciled, and shared a bond deeper than anything. But because she had become the Herrscher of Finality and stayed on the moon for so long, they had been living on two different celestial bodies.
Over the years, their feelings hadn't faded, but there hadn't been any sign of things moving to the next level either.
And yet—look at the situation here.
Dammit!! How is this fair?! We're both Kiana, so why does the other me get to eat so well?! Why does she have to be stuck on the moon alone, unable to move forward with Mei?!
She refused to accept this! Envy was practically distorting Kiana's features.
Seeing Kiana's shocked and "face-twisted-with-jealousy" expression, 'Finality Kiana' couldn't hold back her laughter anymore.
"No way, no way... is there really someone who hasn't made it official after all these years?"
Kiana froze for a second, then her face visibly began to overheat.
"Waaaaah—Himeko-sensei!!!! Look at her, she's bullying me!!!"
Unable to handle being mocked to her face about such a sensitive topic, Kiana turned and dove right back into Himeko's arms.
Himeko looked down at the girl she had just finished comforting, who was now buried in her chest and wailing again.
She gave 'Finality Kiana' a look of utter exasperation, silently scolding her for flaunting her romance in front of a young girl. It's not like you're the one who has to soothe her when she starts crying, right?
Even Mei turned her head toward 'Finality Kiana' with a look of disbelief.
How old was she... acting so childishly. For an Aeon, she really lacked any sense of dignity.
Void Archives had been watching the drama unfold from a nearby sofa like a spectator at a play. As for Welt...
Watching Kiana, he rubbed his temples awkwardly. Before he came here, Kiana hadn't seemed like this. It was as if being in this environment had allowed her true nature to run wild.
Welt had originally wanted to talk to her about the current state of Earth and perhaps send a message home to let his family know he was safe.
But seeing Kiana clinging to Himeko like a stubborn burr, it was clear he wouldn't be getting any answers for a while.
Still, this was fine. A small smile tugged at the corner of Welt's mouth.
As an elder, he had always felt a lingering sense of guilt that the "reliable adults" couldn't solve the problems themselves, forcing a young girl to shoulder such heavy burdens.
It wasn't anything complicated; just a simple heartache for a junior.
Now, seeing Kiana so lively after so long, Welt hoped she could temporarily set aside the weight of being Earth's God and the Herrscher of Finality.
Here on the Astral Express, she could just be Kiana Kaslana and relax for a while.
--+--
Meanwhile, on the distant Earth.
Raiden Mei, who had no idea what Kiana was currently going through, suddenly felt an inexplicable chill and a sense of foreboding. It was as if someone was watching her, plotting something.
The feeling vanished as quickly as it had come, leaving no trace behind. This immediately put Mei on high alert.
Could it be... that something happened to Kiana?
The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became. Mei immediately decided to contact Bronya to discuss a plan of action.
--+--
Elsewhere, at the Herta Space Station.
After an intense round of cyber-warfare against the two Madam Hertas, Silver Wolf, who had been in high spirits, suddenly sensed something. She glanced sideways and was instantly struck as if by lightning.
Her sister was gone!!
In that moment of distraction, Divine Herta spotted a fatal opening. Silver Wolf's defensive line collapsed instantly.
But Silver Wolf didn't care about winning or losing right now. She turned to Screwllum in a panic and asked, "Where did Sister go? She didn't leave because she thought I was wasting time here, did she?"
Her voice held a trace of fear, the genuine worry of being abandoned.
This made Herta, who had been enjoying watching the brat fail, frown.
"I'm surprised you even call her 'Sister.' Though I don't like you, since you're the one that person brought back, there's no way she'd just dump you and leave."
"Ha?! What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying I don't know my own sister?! Of course I know she wouldn't abandon me! I don't need you to tell me that!" Silver Wolf's voice jumped several octaves as she snapped back defensively.
"Hmph. Brat," Herta snorted, indifferent to the girl's bristling. A rebellious teenager wasn't worth the great Herta's time to argue with.
Of course, she was mostly giving Bai Ming face. If Silver Wolf hadn't been brought back by Bai Ming, Herta would have ensured she had five retorts for every one of the girl's insults.
Just as Silver Wolf was about to snap back again, Screwllum smoothly entered the conversation.
"Madam Bai Ming spoke with me before she departed. She mentioned she was going to assist a lost traveler in finding their way home. She went alone because she didn't want to disturb Miss Bronya's enjoyment."
Screwllum had seen that Silver Wolf's focused state during the cyber-battle was genuine.
This young girl was truly talented and loved the craft. On a technical level, Screwllum felt they were evenly matched, which sparked a certain appreciation for her talent.
Hearing this, Silver Wolf pouted, looking a bit unhappy. But since she was the one who had started the duel with Herta, she could only be mad at herself. It was very frustrating.
"Then... do you know where she went?"
"I do not. However, since Miss Bronya calls her 'Sister,' surely sending a message would provide an answer, would it not?"
Silver Wolf's face turned red.
That was true. Her brain had just short-circuited; she'd completely forgotten she could just ask.
As she shyly summoned her chat interface, she whispered a small "thank you" to Screwllum.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL