1998 was not the year of full economic recovery that the Russian government had hoped for. This year saw a comprehensive recession, with the nation's macroeconomic indicators continuing to worsen. The budget and debt crises had already developed to an extremely severe degree.
Until a certain Mr. Ye, who wished to remain anonymous, stepped down and was replaced by the gentleman known as the King of Riding, the Bear's economy was in a half-dead state (though it's not exactly in great shape now, either).
A half-dead economy naturally leads to a depressed market.
But for Sirin, who had been locked away in a laboratory her whole life, even a depressed city was unbelievably bustling.
Not long after finishing breakfast, she went out with Miss Mei to buy some daily necessities.
Perhaps because some of the trinkets on the roadside were so exquisite, she instinctively stared at them for a few extra moments, getting separated from Miss Mei, who had gone to buy groceries, for just a few minutes…
And then—
And then there was no 'and then.'
She was lost.
---o---
"Thank you so very much."
Mei, carrying a vegetable basket, thanked the white-haired woman who had led a certain road-idiot back to her.
"It's nothing, really. It's quite dangerous for such a little child to be standing alone on the street."
The captain of the Snow Wolf Squad waved her hand at the girl who looked like she would be an excellent cook, her tone gentle and affectionate.
After clearing out the Honkai Beasts on the outskirts of the surrounding towns, which had stood there like dumb practice targets, Cecilia Schariac had decided to rest with her team in this small town.
Then, while looking for a suitable place to rest, she saw a certain girl standing all alone on the street, waiting for Miss Mei to come back and find her.
The ever-motherly Mrs. Cecilia had naturally grown a little worried.
Without much hesitation, she arranged a meeting point and time with her teammates, then chose to have a chat with Miss Pufferfish, deciding to help the child find her family.
And then—
That led to the current scene.
"Thank you, truly."
Miss Mei's expression was one of astonishment as she looked at the face that often appeared in the textbooks of St. Freya Academy.
She…
She seemed to have run into quite the extraordinary character.
Cecilia Schariac, Schicksal's former number one Valkyrie, Kiana's real mother, and the very reason a certain time traveler had willingly come to the era of the Second Honkai Eruption.
So this is Lady Cecilia? She's even more approachable than the textbooks described.
Miss Mei thought, looking at that beautiful face, never having expected to meet the ultimate goal of her lover's journey here.
"It was nothing."
The captain of the Snow Wolf Squad, completely unaware that the two people in front of her were bona fide Herrschers, waved her hand.
"It was just a small effort."
"Do you have any plans? If it's convenient, I'd like to invite you to my place to sit for a while."
Miss Mei took Sirin's hand and warmly extended an invitation to Cecilia, who had helped her out immensely.
It was a perfectly reasonable thing to do.
Logically, Cecilia had helped her find Sirin, so she should express her gratitude.
Emotionally, Raiden Mei, who actually admired Cecilia greatly, hoped that Li Zihan could take Cecilia's soul and allow her to escape her fate of death.
Cecilia glanced at the time.
There was still an hour before the scheduled meeting time with Cheng Lixue and Shigure Kira. It didn't seem like quite enough time.
"It's very close," Raiden Mei added.
Very close?
Seeing the enthusiastic smile on the purple-black-haired girl's face, Miss Cecilia hesitated for a moment.
Well, I can go for a cup of tea.
"Then thank you very much," Cecilia said to Miss Raiden Mei, accepting the offer.
Led by Miss Mei, Miss Cecilia easily arrived at the temporary residence a certain someone had procured.
"Excuse me, would you prefer coffee or tea?"
Mei, who had quickly taken out her key and opened the door, slipped into her indoor shoes and then asked her guest.
"Anything is fine."
The strongest Valkyrie, who had only come because she was too embarrassed to refuse Miss Mei's request, followed her into the living room and took a seat.
"Then let's have some black tea."
The girl, slightly disappointed that her fiancé wasn't around, thought for a moment before suggesting a plan for refreshments.
"Okay."
Cecilia nodded.
Just as she nodded, a slight ripple spread through the space.
Then, from the direction of the second floor, a handsome young man with medium-length black hair walked down.
"Zihan, you're back?"
As if seeing something incredible, Miss Mei looked at the boy who, by all rights, should still be dealing with Welt, her expression a little surprised.
"Yeah, I finished up some things ahead of schedule."
The boy, who had rushed back from the moon using the power of the Imaginary Space, was breathing a little unsteadily.
Clearly, opening a spatial gate and jumping all the way from the moon to the Earth in one go was quite taxing. Even for the current Li Zihan, it was no easy feat.
And then—
He lowered his head slightly and glanced at the woman sitting on the living room sofa, his expression a little complicated.
He had just knocked Siegfried unconscious and thrown him to Anti-Entropy—who now knew they could use a gene activation agent to make him power up—to be used as a disposable Kevin…
And now, not long after, he had run into Cecilia.
Beating the crap out of his father-in-law and then immediately meeting his mother-in-law… this turn of events was a bit hard to adjust to.
However, this would also make it easier to complete his mission—to retrieve Cecilia's soul.
The best way to take Cecilia's soul was to do it in an instant, killing her and extracting it directly.
But wouldn't that be a bit too crude?
If Kiana found out, she would definitely blame him.
Li Zihan thought to himself.
So, how exactly could he get his mother-in-law to willingly hand over her soul and choose to reunite with Kiana in the future?
Forget it, I'll just play it by ear.
With a somewhat complicated feeling in his heart, Li Zihan took a step down.
Is it my imagination?
For some reason, it felt like someone was watching him.
The moment the boy appeared, Cecilia was instantly on alert.
The gaze held no hostility, but it was somewhat unsettling.
She looked up and, unsurprisingly, met the eyes of the boy who had just appeared.
What does he want?
Cecilia, unaware that the person before her had just tossed her husband to Anti-Entropy to be used as a disposable Kevin, was on guard.
There weren't many people who could make her feel a sense of crisis.
And then—
The boy spoke.
"Excuse me, guest. Could you and I have a private chat?"