"As for Aponia..." Miss Sakura trailed off, hesitating.
Kiana grew curious at once. "What about Aponia?"
"Aponia said... she would leave the time to me and you. At the time, I didn't understand what she meant..."
But now, Miss Sakura understood.
Aponia had clearly foreseen that Kiana would return early.
Once she left, only Sakura and Kiana would remain here.
And indeed, that was exactly the situation now.
It felt as though a perfect scenario for the two of them had been deliberately set up!
Before, Sakura hadn't thought much of it, but now, suddenly aware of the implication, she grew a little flustered.
Even though it didn't show on the surface. She remained as cool and detached as ever.
But inside, her heart had already begun to race.
A part of her wanted to retreat.
For some reason, she felt a little timid.
Kiana, too, had grasped Aponia's intention.
Noticing Sakura's hesitation, without a second thought, she reached out and took Sakura's delicate hands in her own.
"So, what does Sakura think?"
"Wh-what…"
The moment her hands were captured, Sakura's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.
Having resolved the Honkai incident and undergone a sort of super evolution, Kiana was naturally in high spirits.
And now, that translated into initiative, even a hint of aggression, as she gazed steadily at Sakura.
"After thinking for so long... Sakura, have you reached an answer?"
"Wh-what... I-I don't understand what you're talking about..." Miss Sakura floundered, stumbling over her words.
It was a rare sight—this sisterly figure, usually so dignified and imposing, now acting shy and vulnerable, so utterly charming.
Kiana only liked her more for it.
"That question—'Do I like Miss Kiana?' You've been thinking about it for so long. Do you have an answer now?" Kiana asked with a playful smile, her tone light but pressing forward all the same.
Sakura's worries were easy to read. Kiana knew exactly what she had been hesitating about all this time.
Now that she had laid it bare, it felt like waiting for a fruit to ripen—finally, it was time to pick it.
Sometimes, falling for someone happens in an instant.
Your heart stirs, your feelings shift, and you want to take the next step. So you take it!
"I..." Miss Sakura grew even more flustered.
Under Kiana's intense gaze, she felt unlike her usual self—neither the kind, composed older sister nor the shadowy, blade-wielding assassin. Instead, she felt like a little white rabbit, about to be devoured bit by bit by Kiana.
Did she dislike it?
No...
Not at all!
It was just... such an unfamiliar feeling!
"I don't know..." Sakura mumbled, lost and uncertain.
She still didn't know how to answer. Did she like Kiana? Of course she did.
But was this like genuine affection? Or merely gratitude?
She couldn't tell.
When the heart is newly awakened, a reserved girl can become even more delicate, more sensitive.
A strong-willed girl who has her own opinions about everything might, in matters like this, find herself stuck in a loop, unable to think clearly.
And so!
She'd unconsciously try to escape.
However, Kiana couldn't let her run away any longer.
Ever since she'd flipped some internal switch and started genuinely drawing closer to the girls around her, her assertiveness had grown by leaps and bounds.
If Sakura didn't like her, she might have held back.
But she could feel that Sakura did like her. She'd sensed it before! And now, even more so. So why not give it a little push?
If Sakura wouldn't confess.
Then she'd be the one to do it!
But then again...
Watching this softer, shyer, uniquely vulnerable side of Sakura—so different from her usual self—really! She just wanted to tease her a little~
Kiana propped her chin in her hands, tilting her head with an innocent smile as she asked Sakura:
"Do you dislike being with me?"
"No... I don't dislike it," Sakura shook her head slightly.
"Then you must like it!" Kiana seized on her words.
Sakura panicked. "That's not—"
"Then you don't like me?" Kiana grinned mischievously.
"..." Sakura fell silent.
She realized that no matter what she said, it would come out wrong. Her lips parted slightly, looking unbearably adorable.
"Rin always says she wants me to be her sister-in-law... Sakura, you wouldn't want to disappoint Rin, would you?" Kiana continued, her eyes curving into happy crescents.
"..." Sakura stared wide-eyed at Kiana.
This was just absurd!
"Alright, Sakura~"
Kiana sat up straight, then leaned forward slightly, once again placing her hands over Sakura's.
"In the past, I was like you—overthinking, tangled up in doubts."
"But looking back now... what's there to doubt about?"
"Like is like. If you like someone, be with them. If you don't, then let it be. As long as it's how you truly feel... why hesitate so much?"
"Kiana..." Sakura was taken aback.
Kiana went on, "Just like me—I like Sakura."
"I like how cool you are, how beautiful, your personality, and how you take care of me, spoil me, like an older sister next door..."
"Don't you like me?"
Sakura remained quiet for a moment.
"Do you?" Kiana pressed.
"Of course... I like you..."Sakura answered softly, her eyes lowered demurely.
Like a hazy dream, shimmering and tender.
"Then that's settled!"
Kiana laughed joyfully, quickly moving around the table to sit beside Sakura. She clasped Sakura's hands, lifting her gaze with sweet anticipation.
"I like Sakura, and Sakura likes me! Sometimes, liking someone is a sudden spark, other times it's built over time. But taking that leap, confessing on impulse..."
"Isn't that wonderful too?!"
She spoke cheerfully, encouraging Sakura.
"This isn't the end—it's the beginning. We still have a long time, a long road ahead."
"Surely, Sakura... my Miss Forget-me-Not... you're not too afraid to keep walking it with me, are you? I'd be so disappointed if that were the case~"
"..."
Sakura looked at the Kiana before her—the way she was now was truly enough to make anyone's heart flutter.
"Of course I have the courage."
She spoke with budding conviction, "I... I want to walk that road with you, too."
"Then it's settled!"
Kiana laughed in delight.
And after that.
There was no need to send word.
The other girls, well aware that Kiana had returned, began gathering one after another, as if by unspoken agreement.
Kiana's mother fussed over her, asking if she was well.
Elysia, Mobius, and Vill-V, on the other hand, practically swarmed over Kiana, hands roaming as if they wanted to strip her bare and examine every inch.
Sakura watched the scene with a soft smile.
She didn't join in, nor did she try to stop them.
She simply watched quietly, just as she always had.
But Aponia smiled serenely.
Because she could sense that Sakura was different from before—no longer the troubled, lost soul dwelling in quiet solitude, but finally beginning to accept herself as she was now.
And that, truly, was a good thing.
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T/N: Mihoyo x Multiverse Fanfic Up!
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
20+ advanced chaps on my patreon.
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If you guys wanna check it out.