For now, she pushed the thought aside. She remembered Fischl, of course—a character from the game. And yeah, since she got here, she'd figured out she could actually turn into her.
Weren't Genshin and Honkai supposed to be connected somehow? Same universe, shared stories?
But she shook her head. That was a problem for another time. Right now, she had more pressing things to deal with. She was already inside the Valkyrie dorm, standing just outside Kiana's door.
The door was cracked open, little clouds of dust puffing out into the hall. Inside, Kiana, Raiden Mei, Bronya, and Himeko were all in the middle of a messy cleanup, while Theresa supervised from the side, sipping her bitter melon juice.
Xia Qi leaned against the doorframe and watched.
Thanks to the feather's power, Mei and the others had no idea she was there. She'd made herself a ghost in their perception—something that even worked on Sirin, who was waking up bit by bit, and the still-sleeping Herrscher of Thunder.
"Mei, Mei! Are we really gonna live here? This place looks like a dump!"
"It is not a dump! It's just… lived-in!"
"Lived-in? It's all wrinkled clothes, dusty furniture, and boxes of empty beer cans!"
"Okay, everyone, let's just focus. We're almost done."
They kept bustling around, completely unaware they had an invisible audience.
In the middle of it all, Kiana suddenly piped up, "Hey, Mei, when I was knocked out… did you see anyone who looked just like me?"
"Huh? No, I didn't."
Mei shook her head, then glanced at Theresa, confused. "Principal Theresa, are there any other relatives of Kiana's here?"
To Mei—who didn't know Theresa's real background—the strong resemblance just seemed like a weirdly strong family trait.
"No, it's just me here," Theresa said, shaking her head. She gave Kiana a worried look. "And what you mentioned earlier, about dreaming of another you fighting you over and over… that was definitely just a nightmare from stress. I'll have someone talk to you about it later."
"But it felt real!" Kiana insisted, frustration clear in her voice. She really wanted them to believe her. "And back in Nagazora, when that giant monster attacked, it was because of that dream that I woke up and got us out of the way!"
"Foolish Kiana, that can be explained as a heightened survival instinct," Bronya stated flatly, not looking up from the box she was sorting.
"But… she taught me moves from the Kaslana Gun-Kata in the dream," Kiana mumbled, quieter now. "Stuff even my dad never taught me."
Seeing the serious, unconvinced looks on Theresa and the others' faces, she let it drop for now, planning to check again once she fell asleep.
"…"
Xia Qi stood silently to the side, listening.
She wasn't going to show herself. It didn't feel right to just barge into their lives like that. Her being here would only make things weird, leave them unsure how to act around her. They were the ones who had to live through what was coming, who had to carry that future. She'd just be in the way.
Besides, they still had about three years before things really kicked off. For now, let them have this last bit of peace—something they could look back on later, something to hold onto when things got tough.
But…
Xia Qi's eyes moved from Kiana to the others in the room.
Kiana alone wasn't enough. Everyone needed to get serious. Everyone needed to get stronger.
Watching them quietly, she started thinking about who to work with next.
It didn't take long to decide.
The gentlest of them… Raiden Mei.
Once she's settled in, I'll visit her… as the Herrscher of Thunder.
Then Bronya.
Then Himeko and Theresa.
Decision made, Xia Qi just waited. She watched them finish cleaning, take out the trash, buy new furniture and groceries. She watched Mei cook a big, warm meal, and saw them all sit down to eat together.
Afterward, Theresa left, and they went to their rooms.
Kiana and Bronya were sharing. Himeko was with Raiden Mei. Kiana had thrown a fit, demanding to room with Mei, but Bronya shut that down fast.
Night fell completely. Tired from the long day, they all showered and got ready for bed.
"Ugh… seriously! I should be the one sharing with Mei! We could've even shared a bed!"
Kiana, in her white pajamas, hugged her pillow and puffed out her cheeks, glaring at Bronya.
"If foolish Kiana shared a room with Mei-senpai, she would cause trouble. Therefore, Bronya will not allow it," Bronya said from her own bed, her face blank and firm.
"I'm not foolish, you tiny Bronya!" Kiana shot back. "And Mei and I have something special! She's gonna marry me someday, so sharing a bed is basically practice!"
"As long as Bronya is here, that will not happen. Also, Bronya is still growing. She will be taller than foolish Kiana in the future."
They kept going, neither backing down.
Standing invisibly in the corner, Xia Qi facepalmed, watching them with a mix of amusement and annoyance.
She was waiting for Kiana to fall asleep so she could start dream training again. But at this rate, who knew when that would be. She didn't want to hypnotize them—it felt wrong.
Besides… watching Kiana and Bronya argue like this was kind of nostalgic. It was like seeing an anime scene play out in real life. For a second, it was actually nice.
Just as she thought that, she felt it—another consciousness, deep inside Kiana.
Ah.
Sirin had been awake this whole time, too. She'd stirred when Mei awakened as the Herrscher, though she was still too weak to pull Kiana into a dream.
Well… if that's how it is, I might as well go say hi to Sirin.
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A/n: New content and Story posted on my patreon go check it out!
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