"I think... maybe we should just go and stay at my place."
Raiden Mei placed her right hand over her heart and looked at Xia Yu. "Aunt, there are many rooms at home."
Mm, it was definitely not because she woke up this morning to find Kiana hugging her entirely, with her face buried in Mei's chest.
"Anything is fine," Xia Yu looked toward Kiana upon hearing this.
"Hmm? I can go too?" Kiana looked at Mei expectantly.
"Of course you can," Mei answered, though she avoided looking directly at her.
"Then let's go!" Kiana jumped up in excitement. "I've had enough of this crappy room!"
"Uh, then see if there's anything you need to pack..." Mei froze for a moment.
"Oh," Kiana turned around, grabbed her bag, packed her only two sets of clothes, stuffed her textbooks inside, and picked up her baseball bat.
"That's it."
"Just this?" Mei was stunned. How could a girl have so few personal belongings?
"Heh, I've been traveling all over since I was a kid," Kiana waved her hand dismissively. "I can't exactly run around with a huge pile of stuff."
"Let's go. I've wanted to see what living in a mansion feels like for a long... uh."
She strode forward boldly and opened the door.
There, she saw a silver-haired, twin-tailed girl curled up on the floor, hugging her legs right outside the door.
"Little sister, what happened to you?" Kiana was stunned for a moment, then stepped forward with concern to help her up. "Why are you lying alone at my doorstep?"
Bronya looked up at her, a hint of disappointment appearing in her eyes, and then spoke in an emotionless voice: "Looking for someone."
"Uh, who are you looking for?" Kiana was completely confused. "There aren't any of your relatives here..."
Hearing this, Bronya originally wanted to say she was looking for that person, but the words caught in her throat as she suddenly realized she didn't even know her name.
That was awkward.
"Looking for me," Xia Yu walked out unhurriedly, patted Kiana on the shoulder, and looked at Bronya. "Why didn't you knock?"
"Bronya found this place at 1:30 AM," Bronya said with a flat face. "You were all resting then."
"1:30 AM..." Kiana looked at Xia Yu with a strange expression. "Sister Acheron, why did this little girl come looking for you in the middle of the night?"
So... her name is Acheron? Bronya became thoughtful.
"Presumably she found out something," Xia Yu stood before her. "Confirmed it?"
"Yes, what you said was not false," Bronya stood up and bowed respectfully to Xia Yu. "Bronya... has come to seek an answer from you."
"I think I know what you want to ask," Xia Yu nodded, then said, "But I cannot tell you now because the conditions are not yet ripe. Even if I told you, you wouldn't be able to do anything."
"...Then can Bronya stay by your side?" Bronya wasn't surprised and continued to ask.
"You can. From now on, just address me the same way Kiana does," Xia Yu patted her head. "Constant 'yous' and formal address make me feel uncomfortable."
"Understood. Bronya understands," Bronya lowered her head obediently, leaning into the head-pat.
"Uh, Aunt, this is..." Mei poked her head out from behind her.
"Entrusted by someone to look after her," Xia Yu said calmly. "She'll be following me from now on."
"Oh, hello, I'm Raiden Mei," Mei quickly extended her hand toward Bronya.
"Hey, little sister, just call me Big Sister Kiana," Kiana also reached out with a smile, wanting to pat her head.
Bronya dodged Kiana's hand first, then looked at Raiden Mei's extended hand and fell into silence.
Mei felt a bit at a loss.
"Is it really okay?" Bronya looked at Xia Yu.
"There's nothing 'not okay' about it," Xia Yu nodded casually.
"Fine, then Bronya will be blunt," after getting confirmation, she looked at Mei. "Raiden Mei, perhaps you don't know yet, but Bronya is from Anti-Entropy."
"Uh..." Mei looked blank. "That... what is Anti-Entropy?"
Bronya looked at Xia Yu with a flat expression.
"How should I put it? These two children have some... unique understandings of the current world," Xia Yu flashed a smile. "And I don't plan on correcting them right now."
"I see..." Though she didn't know what these 'unique understandings' were, Bronya nodded and said to Mei, "Anti-Entropy is an organization."
"Oh, an organization, right," Mei and Kiana looked at each other and nodded.
"And your father, as well as Bronya's mother, are both Enforcers of Anti-Entropy," Bronya continued.
"Wait, if that's the case..." Mei froze.
"Yes. Your father, Raiden Ryoma, was sent away by Bronya and Mother," Bronya said softly.
"...Is that so," to her surprise, Mei merely lowered her head with a face full of bitterness.
"Do you not hate Bronya?" Bronya was somewhat surprised.
"Did Father... really embezzle the funds?" Raiden Mei only asked this.
"There was indeed a hole of 9.2 billion dollars in ME Corp's accounts," Bronya nodded. It was precisely because this loophole actually existed that Cocolia could meddle in ME Corp so legitimately.
"As his daughter, I should hate you, but Father really did..." Raiden Mei's face was bitter, caught in a dilemma.
Raiden Ryoma did embezzle it, but it was for the sake of his daughter...
As for the girl in front of her, she was just officially investigating the whereabouts of organization funds (in Mei's view)...
To Mei, embezzlement was indeed a wrong act, but the reason her father did it was to save her life... Even if he was entirely at fault, it wasn't her place as his daughter to condemn him.
At sixteen, Raiden Mei truly didn't know what to do in this situation.
"Ryoma took 9.2 billion; that hole has to be filled eventually," Xia Yu spoke up. "For the sake of his devotion to you, I will pay it back for him."
"Mei, you're still young. You don't need to worry about such things. These matters are for us elders to worry about. As for Ryoma, staying in prison for a few years won't hurt."
"Aunt..." Raiden Mei looked at her with teary eyes.
"Bronya must remind you," seeing this, Bronya realized that this Young Lady was still completely unaware of her own situation. "Though... I don't want to admit it, you are currently in danger."
"Mother Cocolia... she seems to have found out something and has other plans for you. Most of the bullying you experienced at school was actually fueled by her behind the scenes."
For Seele's sake, Bronya very smoothly sold out Cocolia's intelligence to Raiden Mei.
Because she knew that such things couldn't be hidden from Sister Acheron—she knew from the moment Xia Yu had her lead the way to break so many people's limbs. So, it was better to use this intelligence that would expire sooner or later to gain some favor from her niece.
"What?" Raiden Mei was stunned. "Why?"
"Bronya doesn't know," Bronya wasn't lying; Cocolia really hadn't told her the truth. "But being targeted by Mother Cocolia like this is definitely not a good thing."
"So we should move house immediately," Kiana spoke up right away. "We don't know what that Cocolia person is plotting, but since you could find us, it means this place isn't safe either."
"Maybe we should find a more hidden residence..."
"No need, we're going back to Mei's house," Xia Yu interrupted. "Cocolia... if she dares to come to the door, I'm looking forward to it."
"However, your superior is actually the one who opened the orphanage to adopt you?" She frowned. "Didn't Seele say she was a very gentle person? Why did she become like this?"
"After Seele's incident, the orphanage has lost many sisters," Bronya lowered her head, her voice deep. "Pain and illness torture them at all times."
"Mother Cocolia... is already being driven mad. She has been walking on the edge of mental collapse for these years."
And I could do nothing, only watch as the situation slid toward an irreversible abyss.
"I see..." Xia Yu sighed.
ME Corp Headquarters.
"Lady Cocolia, Miss Bronya..." The soldier under Cocolia looked at her in front of the screen, hesitating to speak.
"Speak."
"We spotted Miss Bronya on the surveillance footage near Raiden Mei. May I ask what mission she is on?"
In fact, everyone knew she couldn't be on a mission.
Since this morning, Lady Cocolia's state had been very off, and coupled with Miss Bronya's unexplained disappearance... everyone had their guesses.
"...Ignore it," Cocolia took a deep breath. "Bronya... she will take care of herself."
"Yes, Lady Cocolia," the subordinate had no choice but to continue the report. "We have captured a photo of the mystery person appearing beside Raiden Mei. There is no match in the intelligence database, but after analysis, that person definitely has an inseparable connection to the Raiden Family."
Cocolia frowned and looked at the photo.
As if she needed them to tell her that.
Just looking at that face was enough... she looked so much like Raiden Mei, how could they not be related?
"I want to interrogate Raiden Ryoma," Cocolia ordered. "Tell the transport team to wait."
Originally, Raiden Ryoma was to be transferred out of Nagazora City today, but since this had come up, she would interrogate him first.
Cocolia's soldiers moved quickly. In a specialized Interrogation Room, Raiden Ryoma was already inside.
"Hoh, I remember today was the day I was to be escorted back to the Anti-Entropy North American Headquarters," Raiden Ryoma looked at Cocolia as she entered, speaking sarcastically. "What, regretted it? Want to silence me?"
Of course, he knew Cocolia couldn't possibly move against him at this time.
"Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you have the Sovereign backing you," Cocolia snorted coldly and looked at him. "Anti-Entropy does not belong to the Sovereign alone!"
"Such high-sounding words," Raiden Ryoma mocked. "Who doesn't know what you're plotting?"
"If that's the case, tell me the whereabouts of that 9.2 billion dollars," Cocolia didn't indulge him. "An embezzler actually has the nerve to shout?"
At this, Raiden Ryoma went silent.
Clearly, this was his weakness, a secret that must never be known.
He didn't know yet that the secret he was trying so hard to hide had already been seen through completely.
He knew even less about what Cocolia planned to do using his daughter. Even if Raiden Ryoma racked his brain, he could never imagine Cocolia's startling plan.
Forcing the birth of a Herrscher, then defeating and capturing her for research... it could only be said that one wouldn't think of such an absurd plan without years of brain rot. Who knows what kind of kool-aid World Serpent fed her to make her think she could oppose a Herrscher with her own power?
World Serpent's involvement was easy to understand; all they wanted was the data from the Great Honkai to perfect their Project Stigma. But Cocolia... how did her brain work?
Even someone like Otto would have to ponder for hours to deduce what Cocolia was thinking; Raiden Ryoma stood even less of a chance.
Cocolia's willingness to send Raiden Ryoma back to the North American Headquarters was also easy to understand. Nominally he was to stand trial, but in reality, she used this move to prove to others that she didn't intend to take things to the extreme, thereby paralyzing them.
In fact, she did very well. Until the Third Honkai outbreak, no one in Anti-Entropy realized her true intentions.
Even after the Honkai broke out, few thought it had anything to do with her.
They even entrusted her with heavy responsibilities because she was closest, letting her handle the Honkai matters first while the headquarters determined the true identity of the Third Herrscher before planning how to suppress her.
As a result, due to Kiana's efforts, Mei was persuaded to surrender at light speed, leaving Anti-Entropy with nothing.
Cocolia's true colors were only exposed after that, as the sequence of events was gradually pieced together.
Now, Cocolia, seeing Raiden Ryoma's silence, threw a photo at him.
"Who is this?" She asked with a frown. "Does your family have such a relative?"
"Relative?" Raiden Ryoma sneered. "I don't recall our family having any rel—hmm?"
He saw Acheron in the photo.
"Who is this?" At this moment, the confusion in his heart was even greater than that of Cocolia.
"I am the one asking you!" Cocolia slammed the table hard.
"But..." Raiden Ryoma stared intently at the photo. The person inside looked far too familiar...
But weren't there no people left in his wife's family?
Who on earth is this? Why have I never heard of her?