The boomerang of greed had finally come back to hit her in the face. No matter how hard Kiana thought about it, she couldn't understand why two people whose relationship had previously only been slightly better than strangers would end up doing something so absurd.
Getting along better was a good thing, sure.
But why would something like this happen?
Was this reasonable?
Was she really not still dreaming?
"Not happy?"
Ruan Mei's slender, beautiful hand reached over, gently stroking her delicate face. She seemed to like using this method to express her feelings toward Kiana.
That kind of question...
"No no, I like it very much!"
Wanting everything had been her own choice. Could she say she didn't like it at a time like this? Of course not!
And... it did feel pretty good.
Thinking about what had just happened, Kiana's gaze drifted, and her already pink cheeks turned even redder.
"Then next time we continue?"
Ruan Mei's reason for agreeing at the time had been very simple. She didn't want to just watch, and the relationship between Kiana and Acheron was something that would continue.
Since Acheron had taken the initiative to show goodwill,
She didn't mind accepting it.
After all, if things stayed the way they had been, Kiana being caught in the middle would feel very uncomfortable, even though it was what she deserved.
"...Spare me."
Kiana's expression changed, and she hurriedly begged for mercy. Something like this was fine once in a while, but if it continued all the time, that would be a little too stimulating.
Thinking about things she shouldn't think about, the sensations that had just settled down in her body showed signs of reigniting.
Calm down, calm down!
"You've stayed in Izumo for so long. Is everything alright on Herta's side?"
She stiffly changed the topic. Acheron wasn't currently in the room.
After things had ended, Acheron had received a communication from someone and was now outside taking the call.
"Herta..."
Herta's appearance flashed through her mind, and Ruan Mei nodded. "I should go back to the space station for a while."
Before Kiana could relax and continue chatting, she heard Ruan Mei continue, "You want it again, don't you?"
"Absolutely not!"
Kiana, whose waist ached and body felt sore, widened her eyes and even shifted slightly to the side, shaking her head to deny it.
"But your body isn't saying that."
Ruan Mei's hand touched a soft place as she spoke in a gentle tone that made Kiana's entire body stiffen. "Your desire doesn't seem to have been satisfied yet. It's still craving."
"Th-that's because..."
Kiana stammered, not knowing how to explain that she had simply thought about certain colored thoughts, which caused her body to recall the previous sensations.
In truth, she was already satisfied.
"No need to explain."
Ruan Mei's index finger pressed against her lips. Kiana could feel Ruan Mei's body pressing closer as she heard a voice tinged with warmth say, "There's no need to feel embarrassed. As your partner, I have the responsibility to satisfy you."
"I didn't... mm..."
Her stubborn words were blocked, and half resisting, half yielding, she was pressed back onto the bed again.
...
"Finally finished."
After cooperating with Ruan Mei to complete a comprehensive examination, Kiana let out a long sigh of relief as she walked out of the laboratory.
She had done that kind of thing right after waking up.
After resting for a day, she immediately cooperated with Ruan Mei's examination, and only now had everything finally ended.
"This is all for your safety."
Acheron rarely spoke up for Ruan Mei. It was thanks entirely to Ruan Mei that Kiana had been awakened from her slumber, and she had gained a new understanding of Ruan Mei's abilities.
"Your situation is special. If something like this happens again in the future, Ruan Mei will also have the ability to wake you again."
As for herself,
Aside from waiting, she hadn't been able to play much of a role. She had only provided some assistance to Ruan Mei as a Herrscher.
If not for Ruan Mei,
If she had relied only on herself, she didn't know how long it would have taken before she realized that Kiana's so-called sleep was actually a state where even her soul had left her body and disappeared.
Ruan Mei could help Kiana.
She had been able to help Kiana in the past, and she still could now. As for herself, she did not possess that kind of ability.
This was the true reason Acheron had let go of her reservations. Before this, her feelings toward Ruan Mei had always been complicated and somewhat resistant.
After all, no one would willingly take the person they loved and share them with someone else.
Previously accepting it had only been forced by reality. She didn't want to lose Kiana, and even less did she want Kiana to suffer, so she had no choice but to accept it.
She did not truly acknowledge Ruan Mei.
Ruan Mei was probably the same. However, Ruan Mei saw things more clearly. Once she realized that this matter had already become inevitable, if she didn't want to be left out then she could only accept it. After understanding that it could not be changed, she calmly chose acceptance.
It was precisely Ruan Mei's calm acceptance without struggle that caused all her attempts to mediate and try to change Kiana's thoughts to turn into nothing.
This matter thus became a settled conclusion.
During the time Kiana was asleep, in order to awaken her, she and Ruan Mei cooperated.
She also realized Ruan Mei's importance.
Only then did she completely let go of her reservations.
What was done was done. They both loved Kiana, and neither was the type to let go. With Kiana present, their future destinies would inevitably become intertwined.
"Mei and Ruan..."
Hearing Acheron say what she had wanted to hear, Kiana blinked and tentatively spoke, wanting to ask about some things that had happened while she was asleep.
Why was it that after waking up from one sleep,
The two of them could actually accept something like this? The last time they met, they could barely speak a sentence to each other in a day and avoided meeting whenever possible.
"What is it?"
Acheron raised an eyebrow, hooking her finger lightly into Kiana's palm. She looked at her meaningfully as she said, "Isn't this what you wanted to see?"
"That's true..."
Kiana scratched her head awkwardly. Of course she hoped that the relationship between Acheron and Ruan Mei wouldn't be so stiff, but she had never imagined their relationship would suddenly jump to this level.
From cold indifference to a three-person relationship...
The leap was way too big.
"I just figured things out."
Acheron sighed, playing with her hand as she said, "No matter what, I couldn't change your thoughts. Since that's the case, then I could only accept it."
In the past she thought that simply seeing Kiana again would be enough, but there were still too many mysteries surrounding Kiana.
Her own strength alone wasn't enough. She needed someone like Ruan Mei to help her when unexpected situations occurred.
That woman Ruan Mei...
The matter she had struggled over for so long probably existed in Ruan Mei's mind for no more than two thoughts.
Making a decision and then calmly accepting everything that came with it. She truly envied that state of mind.
"Right, since you're awake, send a message to Sirin and the others too. She's still over at the Luofu and has been very worried about you."
Kiana, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to reality. She felt around herself, didn't find her phone, and then suddenly remembered something.
Her pupils tightened. "Oh no, Jyahnar!"
Things had happened too suddenly. She hadn't even had time to say much to Acheron beside her, and Ruan Mei hadn't known anything either. It was only after noticing something was wrong herself that she came looking.
As for Jyahnar...
Kiana suddenly felt a headache coming on.
"Jyahnar... that one. She's still on the planet Jarilo-VI right now."
Acheron noticed her distress and spoke to comfort her. "Don't worry. I already told her about your situation. She knows the reason you haven't replied during this period and won't make a fuss."
"Eh?"
Kiana, who had been troubled over how to explain things to Jyahnar, felt surprised. "She knows about my situation? And you told her, Mei? What's going on? I remember... it didn't seem like you and Jyahnar were in contact before."
Why did everything feel different after waking up from one sleep? Jyahnar and Acheron had also been quite incompatible. Back in Belobog, Jyahnar had clearly disliked Acheron.
So she truly felt very surprised.
"It was Ruan Mei."
Acheron told her honestly, "Only after she arrived did I learn what had happened to you. Although I've known you the longest, when it comes to understanding Honkai, I don't even compare to Ruan Mei."
"Jyahnar is your Honkai Beast. She should know more, so I took the initiative to contact her and inform her about your condition."
Kiana felt a little curious. "Did Jyahnar say anything?"
Jyahnar did indeed know a lot.
"She said some things. In any case, there were gains. After learning you weren't missing, she calmed down."
Acheron paused briefly, then smiled calmly. "You should send her a message too. And Miss Robin as well. She's also been very worried about you. Sirin asked me to pass that along."
"Your relationship with Miss Robin is quite good too. Well, you went on tour together for so long, so it makes sense that you're very good friends."
Rather than asking Kiana, she spoke as if answering her own thoughts. At this moment, Kiana also noticed that Acheron was speaking much more than before. She seemed more spirited than previously, with far less silence.
"She seems to have something she wants to ask you about."
"Mei, did you..."
Kiana mentally noted these matters and didn't continue chatting about them for now. Instead, she shifted the topic toward Acheron herself.
She seemed less affected by Nihility.
Why?
"You're asking about the changes in me, right? It should count as a good thing. At the end of the Stigmata trial, what the Stigmata granted was a Herrscher Core. It helped bear most of the erosion from Nihility."
Right!
Kiana's eyes widened as she finally remembered this matter. She had wondered why Mei had suddenly taken on a Herrscher state.
So it was the Stigmata trial.
"A Stigmata ultimately becoming a Herrscher... that's really..."
Kiana's expression was complicated.
For now, for both herself and Acheron, it seemed to be a good thing in the short term.
Because of this, she had completely filled her own progress and no longer needed to focus her thoughts in that direction.
And Acheron had rid herself of Nihility's influence.
Wait, could it be that Acheron said something so bold earlier because she was no longer affected by Nihility, so...
No, that didn't seem right.
Forget it. Things had already turned out like this. There was no point thinking further.
"It should count as a good thing. This power is currently controllable. As for you..."
Acheron reached out and touched her head. "Is there anything else you want to tell me?"
Kiana froze for a moment, turned to look at Acheron who was much taller than her, and after a brief silence tentatively said, "I like Mei the most?"
Acheron hadn't expected her to suddenly say something like that. The hand resting on her head stiffened slightly. Although that wasn't what she had meant to ask, hearing Kiana's sudden confession was truly...
Pleasant.
"I also like Kiana the most."
She left a kiss on Kiana's face, then spoke in an obviously good mood. "The Shadow covering Izumo has completely disappeared. I've already confirmed it. There is no longer any influence of Nihility here."
"Oh, that."
So that was what she wanted to ask. Kiana touched the spot that had just been kissed and smiled. "That's because Izumo has now completely become a world that belongs to me."
"There's no need to worry about Nihility anymore, and there's no need to worry about Honkai either. As long as I remain here, the Honkai on this planet will forever stay within a controllable and usable range."
From a perilous dead end, it had become livable once again. Even the climate had returned to normal, and one could finally see sunlight.
Kiana recalled her original thoughts, and something stirred in her heart. Before, she had been forced to give up those ideas under Acheron and the others' persuasion.
Because they had been too distant and too difficult.
But now things were different.
She could now accomplish many things she had previously been unable to do. Especially now that this world had been completely assimilated by Honkai, there were even more things she could achieve.
The Stigmata world...
Perhaps it was no longer a dream.
"...Sirin is still on the Xianzhou, at the Luofu, discussing cooperation matters. I told her about Izumo's situation. Within the Ark, two different voices have emerged. After some time passes, there should be a group of people returning to Izumo."
There was no rule saying they had to choose only one option, so taking everything was fine. One portion would return to rebuild Izumo, while another would temporarily remain at the Luofu to learn technology and discuss cooperation with the Luofu side.
Kiana nodded, though what occupied her thoughts was the Stigmata world. Even though she now felt confident she could accomplish it, she still didn't quite dare to bring up the matter to Acheron again.
Better to discuss it with Ruan Mei first.
She would also need to go to Belobog to find Jyahnar, but there was no rush right now. She still needed to return somewhere first.
Yae Sakura's Stigmata wasn't with Jyahnar.
She needed to go back and retrieve Yae Sakura's Stigmata, then place it into Jyahnar's Stigmata world as well.
Only then could she carry out the final experiment.
She found the phone she hadn't used for a long time. As expected, there were many unread messages. She hurriedly began checking them one by one.
The person who had sent the most messages was Jyahnar, sending them continuously for a long time before finally stopping not long ago. She probably already knew about her situation.
She quickly replied with a few comforting words.
Other friends had also sent messages here and there, and she responded to each of them in turn.
Everyone else was fine.
Only when she looked at the messages sent by Robin did she pause slightly, feeling momentarily dazed.
Ignoring the earlier messages asking about her wellbeing, which she had already replied to, she stared at the two newly appeared messages.
[Robin: I want to ask you for a favor.]
[Robin: It's about the Penacony Charmony Festival. If you have time, I'd like to meet and talk. Is that alright?]
Penacony... Charmony Festival...
This year?
"How long was I actually asleep?"
Kiana murmured absentmindedly.