"A fluctuation? I didn't do anything that would lower her favorability…"
Kiana tried hard to think. Her time with Mei was clearly very pleasant.
She didn't find anything wrong; everything was normal.
From the cold drink at the beginning to the movie later, Mei seemed quite happy, didn't she?
Kiana was very confident in her ability to judge emotions. Mei's heartfelt smile wouldn't lie.
"By the way, you guys are actually monitoring her?"
She thought that after being sealed, she was left to her own devices. It turned out they were also paying attention to Honkai energy fluctuations.
"How could we not monitor her? That's the Third Herrscher who could destroy a large City. Who would be confident enough to keep her by their side without monitoring her?"
Himeko didn't think Theresa would carelessly leave a bunch of Herrschers in the Academy and not care about anything. What would be the difference from a demon's den then?
"Although the seal is very strong, if something goes wrong with your emotional relationship with her, it will become unstable. So… don't cheat~"
To be honest, Himeko's intuition told her that any fluctuation must be because of another girl.
So… it smells like cheating!
Of course, there was no 'smell of lies' face-licking.
"Who cheated?! Wait… if I still have to conquer Herrschers later…"
"Go for it! Before a Herrscher appears, raise her favorability to the point where it's okay even if you cheat!"
Himeko rubbed Kiana's head encouragingly.
"Why is that the premise?!"
Damn it! Why was Aunt Himeko always joking with her!
"By the way, can't you give me a portable instrument?"
That way, she could see if the favorability she was gaining was effective.
"No, you can't. Kiana, you'll definitely be discovered by others."
Himeko had no doubts about Kiana's unguarded demeanor.
"But actually, there's no big problem. If there were a big problem, I wouldn't be the one to warn you. Instead, you'd hear… a 'boom'! Herrscher of Thunder makes a grand entrance~"
Even as she left, Himeko was still joking.
"…Ah! I need to quickly ask how to take care of a patient!"
After watching Himeko leave, Kiana suddenly remembered her purpose and quickly went to find someone.
"We were enemies before, weren't we? It feels a bit strange to be alone in this room…"
After Kiana left, Mei couldn't stand the quiet atmosphere and couldn't help but say.
Otherwise, the already stark white hospital room, coupled with the faint hum of the air conditioning, would feel especially silent and awkward if she didn't speak.
Perhaps because she had spent a long time with Kiana, she now disliked such quiet environments.
"Don't worry, Sister Mei. Bronya… made a promise to someone and will not harm anyone else again."
Bronya explained. Unlike her sharp exchanges with Kiana, she was quite easy to talk to.
As for why she was like that with Kiana… because Kiana really was Idiot Kiana.
"A promise? If it's convenient, can you tell me who it was to?"
Mei couldn't help but feel a little curious.
"…Sorry, I don't really want to say."
Bronya didn't want to mention Seele right now, after all, to this day… she still had no way to save Seele.
"Alright, but what I wanted to say wasn't that, but rather… aren't you worried I'll attack you? You're so fragile right now, it feels like anyone could take care of you…"
Not to mention Mei wasn't an ordinary person, but the Herrscher of Thunder whom Bronya was controlled to capture and bring back.
And she… did have a tiny thought about whether to eliminate Bronya.
However, with her time spent with Kiana, plus coming here with Kiana, and the fact that Kiana wanted to save her.
That thought was gone.
"It's still because of the promise… things that have been promised will not be gone back on."
Bronya was very clear that Kiana must have gotten Mei's consent to rescue her. The two of them came together to save her, who had been controlled.
"How could Sister Mei, who promised to save Bronya, possibly harm Bronya."
"Bronya, you're really persistent about promises…"
Mei hadn't spent much time with Bronya before, but now she had a new understanding of Bronya.
However… bringing out that girl's photo, tying Kiana's hair, looking at the starry sky alone at night, always remembering the sakura…
Ultimately, she was also very persistent.
She had promised Kiana to be with her and atone for the mistakes she made when she became a Herrscher. How could she possibly attack Bronya for that reason…
Mei completely understood her true feelings.
"Ah, do you want me to peel an apple for you to eat?"
With a knot in her heart untied, Mei felt the vexation in her heart vanish.
The originally pale hospital room now also became bright.
"…Bronya just had surgery."
How did Bronya feel… like Kiana's previous conversation was replaying?
These two must be teaming up to prank her!
"I asked and I'm back!"
Speaking of Kiana, Kiana quickly returned, but the content of what she said…
"But I didn't remember much. The nurse finally said to let her do it herself…"
Kiana wasn't very good at nursing patients after all. Such things should be left to the suitable person!
"In short… let's leave it to the nurse. Mei, let's go back! But Bronya, don't worry, we'll come to see you every day!"
"…"
Bronya didn't even have the strength to say "Idiot Kiana."
After returning to the dormitory, they naturally prepared their own dinner.
Himeko did return sheepishly and didn't spend the night out.
It was a rare evening, and Kiana, having little homework, naturally went to find Mei to play.
She finally found Mei on the rooftop, which had become Mei's regular spot in the evenings.
"The wind on the rooftop is strong. After a hot day, a slightly warm breeze feels very comfortable. It's a pity… you can't see the stars from here, otherwise it would be beautiful!"
Kiana said with a hint of regret, moving a stool and sitting next to Mei.
It was a pity this Mei hadn't seen it; in that apocalyptic City, watching the sky full of stars from a rooftop was truly a magnificent sight.
"Yes, although you can't see the stars, there is always… the moon. It always appears at night, illuminating and guiding the way."
Looking at Kiana beside her, Mei smiled slightly. She… also had her own direction.
"Mm!"
The following days, naturally, continued as before: attending Academy, then visiting Bronya.
Although Bronya still hadn't recovered and looked sickly, Kiana felt that her relationship with Mei was steadily improving!
This was called… flourishing!