"What?! What happened here? Did that stinky dad wake up? And then... destroyed public property to escape, trying to skip out on paying Zeke's astronomical medical bills?"
Inside Anti-Entropy Headquarters' Inner City, Kiana stood by the massive hole in the wall of Siegfried Kaslana's recovery room—the once-strongest knight of Schicksal. She stared wide-eyed at the tunnel stretching outward, punched clean through layer after layer until it reached the open sky beyond.
Behind her, several Cecilia maids worked alongside cleaning robots, gathering debris for repair work.
One maid approached and bowed courteously to Kiana, Bronya, and Sin.
"Good afternoon, ladies. My apologies for disturbing you all," Cecilia 1415 sincerely apologized, hoping this unforeseen incident wouldn't lead to a deduction in her wages and increase her debt.
"Big Sister 1415, do you know what happened? Have you seen that stinky dad? Is he okay?" Kiana turned, her bright, wide eyes filled with questions.
Cecilia 1415 gently nodded.
"Yes, Mr. Ziegfried indeed awakened. The final recorded vital signs were remarkably healthy, leading 1415 to conclude there are no physical issues. However, Mr. Ziegfried did not meet with 1415 as expected. Instead, when unguarded, he directly destroyed the structure and left. As for the reasons behind this event, 1415 speculates two possibilities: First, during his slumber, an unknown malfunction may have occurred in Mr. Ziegfried's brain. Second, it could be due to this—" Cecilia 1415 earnestly hypothesized while presenting a suspicious device found at the scene.
Kiana took a palm-sized black circular disc from Cecilia 1415, hesitated briefly, then pressed the curved button on its surface.
Under everyone's watchful gaze, a miniature projection of a nun carrying a golden cross emerged above the black disc.
"Siegfried, you've been asleep for over a decade now. This is Anti-Entropy Headquarters—Zeke and Kiana's territory. You might even see clones of Cecilia here; Zeke rescued them, so don't be alarmed."
"The details can wait until later. In any case, I'm giving you three days. Listen carefully, this is your last chance. If you still love Cecilia and Kiana, if you remember your responsibilities as a husband and father, come to Saint Freya and find me. After that time, it'll be too late."
"Siegfried, Kiana may still be waiting for you."
"Siegfried, if you truly miss Kiana, crawl to Saint Freya if you must, but get there."
"Lastly, my heartfelt wish for both Kianas: May they live healthy and happy lives!"
With these words filled with genuine hope and warmth, the message ended on a long sigh, and the hologram projection dissipated.
Kiana held the projector tightly, her lips pursed, a complex expression flickering in her eyes.
"Miss Kiana, once you're finished viewing, please return the evidence. It serves as proof for future compensation claims," Cecilia 1415 suggested urgently, noticing Kiana's unusual emotional state and fearing the evidence might be damaged.
The three monotones jolted Kiana back to her senses.
With a faint smile, she handed the device over to Cecilia 1415.
After bowing and stepping back, the maid retreated while Kiana gazed at the sky outside through the tunnel piercing countless walls, sighing softly.
"Ah, Auntie's still Auntie, and that darn old man is still the same—always causing chaos," Kiana muttered with a shake of her head.
Somewhere along the way, without realizing it, she had grown accustomed to referring to her aunt as "Auntie." Gone were the awkwardness and mixed feelings from before.
Beside her, Bronya nudged the corner of the wall with her foot. "I can't speak for Uncle Siegfried, but Principal Theresa isn't acting recklessly."
"How so?"
"You're aware of the changes happening in our world right now. When Zeke returned, it marked the official beginning of a new era—a time when humanity would unite all its strength against Honkai. Given this backdrop, even if Principal Theresa wanted to pursue something different, circumstances wouldn't allow it. This current phase truly represents her last chance to confront Schicksal and challenge Otto for control over the other Kiana."
"The problem is, standing up to Otto might feel good, but it won't accomplish much. The other Kiana's situation isn't even under his control anymore," Kiana muttered to herself.
Bronya looked up at her, slightly puzzled.
Otto no longer had sway over the other Kiana?
She hadn't heard anything about that before.
Kiana glanced at Bronya but didn't elaborate further. Although she knew from Zeke that the alternate version of herself was highly skilled and capable of acting independently now, she still couldn't understand why this Kiana never visited Theresa or Siegfried.
In any case, setting aside these complex matters, if Theresa and Siegfried intended to confront Otto at Schicksal—potentially escalating into direct conflict—it was crucial not to remain passive bystanders!
"I should go check on them. Hopefully, they don't do anything rash."
"Need assistance? You're well aware of how inscrutable Otto can be."
"No need for that. Auntie is his granddaughter after all, and as for my stinky dad... Otto won't cause any trouble out of respect for Zeke's sake. Anyway, this is more of a family matter. I don't want to involve too many people and risk escalating things."
"Kiana, don't be too careless; he's still..."
Bronya continued her deep-seated concern unabated. Despite her bold move to approach Otto directly for Spring Medicine to advance their relationship with Zeke, she had carefully assessed the situation, understanding the delicate balance between Zeke and Otto. She fully comprehended how highly Zeke regarded and cautiously dealt with Otto, which made her acutely aware of the dangers he posed.
Just as Bronya was about to further advise Kiana, a red window popped up beside them, interrupting her words:
[Maranda Branch Assistance Request: Detected A-level Honkai Energy anomaly; insufficient combat resources at branch, requesting Headquarters support...]
Bronya furrowed her brow.
Kiana and Sin leaned in, joining her to read the message.
Then, Kiana rubbed her chin and said:
"It looks like we're going to be busy again today. Bronya, Sin, don't worry about me; Otto wouldn't dare make a move against me, so you can rest assured on that front. I'll go check on Auntie and that stinky old man's situation, and I leave everything else here to you two."
"...All right, just take care," Bronya hesitated for a moment before shaking her head helplessly.
Setting aside the potential danger from Otto, Kiana was correct—no matter what, he wouldn't harm her, and that assurance was enough.
With a wave goodbye, Kiana sprinted out of the base.
"BOOM!"
"CRASH!"
Following the path Zeke had carved earlier, Kiana charged without holding back, further widening his trail and demolishing even more building walls.
After a brief silence, Bronya turned to Cecilia 1415, who stood nearby, and instructed, "Charge all damages to Uncle Siegfried's account—and aim high with the estimates. It's not like he'll ever return to verify them."
"Yes, ma'am"—Cecilia 1415 readily complied.
Bronya then reached out and gently tousled Sin's hair, her expression stern.
"Ready for another mission?"
"No problem! Whatever Bronya asks, Sin can do it!"
"I've always admired your confidence, but don't push yourself too hard. Serious injuries can be quite troublesome."
"Yes~"
Sin smiled sweetly as she affectionately wrapped her arm around Bronya's, and together they left the scene of the incident.