'Finality Kiana' pondered the best way to play host to Kiana.
On one hand, it was about harvesting emotion points.
On the other, she truly did view Kiana as a guest to be cared for.
Besides, when she thought about everything Kiana had endured... seeing her finally able to lay down those heavy burdens and wander about as an ordinary girl was a sight she genuinely welcomed.
She could maintain this temporary physical form indefinitely, keeping it as a vessel for Kiana whenever she felt like dropping by to relax.
Conversely, 'Finality Kiana' could have Kiana construct a synthetic body back on her side, allowing her own consciousness to hop over and stroll around Earth.
All in all, while transporting people between worlds was a tall order, the two of them could manage some low-profile back-and-forth by leaning on each other's unique abilities.
Even amidst these thoughts, 'Finality Kiana' didn't lose track of Silver Wolf.
"How are you back so soon? How did the match with Herta go?"
"I lost."
"Huh?"
Silver Wolf's answer caught her off guard. How could she have lost?
Even if Herta had the assistance of Divine Herta, she wasn't necessarily a match for Screwllum when it came to network security—so how did Silver Wolf slip up?
Silver Wolf seemed quite satisfied by 'Finality Kiana's' stunned reaction.
She let out a small huff before explaining, "I suddenly realized you weren't there anymore, Sis. I got distracted for a second, and Herta caught the opening."
"Oh... sorry? But I guess that doesn't really count as a loss then."
'Finality Kiana' scratched her head awkwardly. So, the culprit behind Silver Wolf's defeat right after her big comeback was actually her?
"A loss is a loss. And don't apologize, Sis. It just means I wasn't strong enough."
Silver Wolf puffed out her cheeks and shot a glare her way. Losing was losing; making excuses was pointless. Furthermore, she wouldn't accept an apology.
This had nothing to do with her sister—it was her own lack of focus that led to the collapse of her defenses.
'Finality Kiana' knew Silver Wolf was the type who hated losing and never made excuses. If she insisted on apologizing, she'd likely only end up annoying her.
"Fine, I take back the apology."
"Good."
"Do you plan on following me for a bit? I'll probably be spending the next while showing Kiana around."
"No problem. Unless... do you think I'll be in the way?"
Silver Wolf's tone was serious. It wasn't some coy, fishing-for-compliments remark; she truly wanted an answer. If 'Finality Kiana' said it was inconvenient, she'd go find something else to do for a while.
But honestly, with Silver Wolf putting it like that, 'Finality Kiana' didn't have the heart to send her off to play alone. One more wouldn't hurt; besides, she had a face Kiana was familiar with.
As for Acheron...
She had noticed something. That girl named Kiana had a very close relationship with someone who looked exactly like her and shared her name.
From the looks of it, even the nature of their bond seemed nearly identical.
In a situation like this, Acheron felt it was better not to tag along. Otherwise, Kiana's gaze would inadvertently drift toward her with a look of deep affection that felt... unsettling.
It made her feel quite awkward, especially back when she and 'Finality Kiana' were holding hands. Kiana's look then had been particularly embarrassing to witness.
Acheron was no longer the person she used to be—someone drowned in Nihility, her emotions barely visible.
She was currently in a period where emotions suppressed for countless years were finally erupting.
Though she kept them hidden out of habit, her inner thoughts were terrifyingly active, and she had become incredibly sensitive to the feelings of others.
After thinking it over, Acheron decided not to go. It would just be too awkward.
After finishing her tour of the Astral Express, Kiana heard that Himeko gave a ticket to every passenger willing to board, signifying they were a member of the Crew.
The moment Kiana heard that, she grabbed Himeko's hand, pleading for a ticket of her own.
In principle, Kiana was going to be running around with 'Finality Kiana' for the foreseeable future; even if she were to join the train, it would be days from now. But... no one could resist Kiana's pouting.
Himeko herself was puzzled, unable to fathom why her heart softened so easily for this white-haired girl.
It was as if... the girl truly were a cherished student of hers. This tangle of emotions left Himeko feeling conflicted.
She knew Welt and 'Finality Kiana' definitely knew something. Otherwise, the two of them wouldn't have worn such heart-warmed expressions while Kiana was acting spoiled. But with Kiana right there, Himeko couldn't exactly pry for information.
Unable to withstand the onslaught of cuteness, Himeko's heart melted. She pulled out a temporary ticket and handed it to Kiana.
"That said, Miss Kiana, if you take this ticket but never actually board, I won't let you on ever again. Understood?"
"There's no way I won't board! I'm definitely going to travel with Himeko-sensei later, absolutely!"
Kiana carefully pinned the ticket to her collar.
She looked down and stroked it, already thinking that if things weren't too busy back on Earth, she would keep a portion of her consciousness here long-term just to travel with Himeko and see the sights.
As the Herrscher of Finality, splitting her focus was easy. Even if the distance was vast, with the help of her other self, it was a simple feat.
Seeing Kiana treat the ticket like a priceless treasure, Himeko smiled softly. She really was a good kid. In just this short time, even setting aside those strange feelings, Himeko found she genuinely liked her.
Standing off to the side, 'Finality Kiana' opened her mouth to speak but ultimately stayed silent.
Though she had used the Equation left in Kiana's body to block the influence of the Path of Trailblaze—stopping the power at the surface of her physical form—she couldn't guarantee that Kiana wouldn't be tainted by a bit of Path power if she truly followed the Express for the long haul.
However, seeing the wonderful atmosphere between Kiana and Himeko, 'Finality Kiana' didn't want to spoil the mood.
She would wait until they were alone to stress the importance of the matter.
After Kiana said a lingering goodbye to Himeko and promised to tell Welt he was safe, she left the Astral Express with her other self.
Kiana mentioned she wanted to experience what interstellar travel and riding a spaceship felt like, so 'Finality Kiana' casually manifested a small warp-capable vessel.
The three of them boarded. However, seeing that Silver Wolf was among those leaving, Kiana asked curiously, "Hm? Is Silver Wolf coming with us too?"
"Yeah."
'Finality Kiana' figured Silver Wolf was at that adolescent age where pride mattered, so she didn't give away the specific reason. But Kiana wasn't an idiot. The two of them hadn't exactly hidden their conversation earlier; while their voices were low, Kiana had definitely overheard.
She could see exactly why she was tagging along. Kiana let out a shameless laugh.
"Haha~ So you're just a little kid who can't bear to leave her big sister's side? Figures. The Bronya I know was just as clingy with Mei when she was little."
"..."
Silver Wolf turned beet red with rage on the spot. Gritting her teeth, she snapped, "I am NOT a kid!!!"
"Right, right, sure you aren't, you little sis-con brat."
Kiana was currently sporting her White Comet armor and braided hair, and standing before her was a tiny Bronya lookalike.
It made her feel like she had been transported back years, to her school days at St. Freya. She instinctively slipped back into her old habit of bickering with Bronya.
As she gave her "right, right" response, she even held up a hand to mockingly measure their height difference. It was a move designed for maximum psychological damage.
This was the breaking point for Silver Wolf. She was already sensitive about being short and having a petite frame.
Standing next to her sister always made her feel like an undeveloped child. Now, being mocked to her face by this white-haired woman who had stolen her sister's face?
She immediately summoned the iron fist of Project Bunny and lunged at Kiana!
Kiana was revitalized. She had spent countless hours scuffling with Bronya back in their student days.
Usually, however, Bronya would talk her into a corner until Kiana snapped and started the fight. This time, the roles were reversed, and Kiana found it quite refreshing.
With an excited grin and a loud battle cry, she charged forward to meet the challenge.
"You guys, don't... ah, well... whatever..."
'Finality Kiana' watched the two of them start rolling around in a scrap, and she honestly couldn't keep a straight face.
Seriously? Silver Wolf is in her teens, but Kiana, are you still a teenager too?
You used to mess around with your Bronya back then, but you're a grown-up now—how are you getting into a playground scuffle with my Silver Wolf?
Watching Kiana bicker with a child, 'Finality Kiana' began to ponder something else.
Compared to the embarrassing footage Kiana had captured of Bronya calling someone "Sister," didn't this "High Lady Herrscher of Finality" have significantly more skeletons in her closet now?
Crying to Himeko, acting like a spoiled brat, fighting with Silver Wolf like a toddler... they had only just started, and the Herrscher of Finality had already left behind a trail of cringeworthy memories.
She'd have to find a secure way to send these memories back to the other side for Mei and the others to see. Otherwise, wouldn't all of Kiana's hard work in creating this "dark history" go to waste?
It was just a shame the Bronya on that side had grown up to become the tallest "peak" and the biggest "duck" in the Honkai series.
Otherwise, if she could have heard a stoic little brat throwing shade at Kiana, the scene would have been perfect. What a pity.
As 'Finality Kiana' plotted this "Kiana Blackmail Project" in the shadows of her mind, Kiana felt a sudden shiver run down her spine. She sensed someone was scheming against her.
However, her eyes quickly caught Silver Wolf trying to pull a fast one with some Aether Editing, so she immediately pinned the blame on her.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL