The stunning white-haired girl lay on the pristine hospital bed, the thin sheet clinging to her body, accentuating her graceful, lithe curves.
In her slumber, the girl's face lacked its usual lively energy and goofy charm. Her refined, snow-white features were calm and elegant, serene like a winter princess awaiting her prince's kiss to awaken.
Her butterfly-wing-like eyelashes fluttered softly, and Kiana slowly opened her eyes, greeted by the worried face of a purple-haired girl.
"Mei…?"
As her consciousness sharpened from a haze, Kiana's lips parted. The next moment, the purple-haired girl enveloped her in a tight embrace.
"Kiana! Kiana! You're finally awake."
Clinging to the girl before her, tears trickled down Raiden Mei's fair cheeks, tracing delicate arcs.
Without yet calling out her "password," the stern, majestic Herrscher of Thunder was still the gentle, nurturing Herrscher of Rice.
"Mei, and Auntie, Bronya…"
Kiana gently returned Mei's hug, lifting her gaze to the two approaching figures. When her eyes landed on Shiraki, quietly stepping back to give her space, a smile tugged at her lips.
"Sorry for worrying everyone. I'm fine now."
The white-haired girl's radiant smile could outshine even the sun's brilliance.
No trace of fragility remained, and that familiar, dazzling grin left everyone momentarily stunned.
"Kiana, are you really okay? If there's anything you want to say, please tell us. No matter what, we'll always be by your side!"
Theresa locked eyes with Kiana, her gaze intense.
After three years together, didn't she know her niece?
She'd definitely bury everything in her heart to avoid worrying them, forcing herself to face it alone.
Sirin's revival had laid bare a cruel truth: Kiana was a clone created for Sirin's plan.
Being a mere replica—how could anyone easily accept such a harsh, cold reality?
Raiden Mei, Bronya, and Theresa all believed Kiana was putting on a brave face to spare them worry.
Only Shiraki knew Kiana was truly fine.
Without her memories restored, Kiana might've spiraled into despair, as in the game's plot, tormented by the fact that she wasn't the "real" Kiana but the Void Herrscher who killed millions.
But now, Kiana felt only guilt for the millions lost in the Second Honkai Eruption.
She knew guilt was useless, but it spurred her to wield this power to fight for the world!
"Don't worry, Auntie, I'm really fine." Kiana shook her head gently.
"What about the Void Herrscher Sirin? Is she still trying to take your body?" Bronya asked the question on everyone's mind.
"Sirin…" Sensing the other self within her, Kiana's lips curved into a soft smile. "She won't try to take my body anymore."
"Kiana, what did you say!? Could it be the Void Herrscher is already…" Theresa's face lit up with a mix of joy and complexity.
"No, no, no, Sirin's not dead. She's very much alive!" Kiana shook her head quickly, patting her chest.
"Then why?"
Three puzzled gazes fixed on Kiana, making her scratch her head.
Restoring her memories had snapped Sirin out of her near-manic thirst for revenge.
Damn it, letting negative emotions lead her by the nose for so long—how embarrassing for Shiraki!
Though their core was Shiraki, their personalities differed.
Regarding the Second Honkai Eruption and the Babel Tower researchers, Sirin's stance, then and now, was a curt—*good riddance*!
Revenge meant justly wielding violence, not harming innocents. A self consumed by hatred and vengeance, dragging in countless innocents, deserved to be taken out.
Every debt has its debtor. Destiny's Valkyries shouldn't have been her targets.
Recognizing this clearly, unlike Kiana, Sirin, burdened with too many negative memories, felt no guilt for the humans she'd killed, nor resentment for her own death.
The only special case was Destiny's Bishop, Otto Apokalypse.
How to put it?
The human experiments weren't Otto's direct orders, because he knew someone would do it anyway.
No one understood humanity better than him~!
Otto only needed to tacitly allow it, pretending ignorance.
As a "story" spectator, Shiraki admired this pure-love warrior of the Honkai world.
But as a villain protagonist in the story, killed once by this old geezer during the Second Honkai Eruption, her feelings were complicated.
Still, as the saying goes, only a dead Otto is a good Otto!
But in the future, countless versions of herself would enter the mysterious space, across infinite dimensions and worlds, where the odds of finding one with resurrection abilities weren't low.
So, should she just kill Otto outright?
Or invite him to dinner, behead him, and keep him as a dog?
In many ways, this old geezer could be quite useful.
Sirin sank into deeper contemplation.
"Ahem, it's a very complicated matter. In short, just know that Sirin's our ally now!" Kiana raised a slender finger, emphasizing with a confident flourish.
"What!? A-ally!?"
Identical shocked expressions—mere hours ago, they were fighting to the death against the civilization-ending Void Herrscher, and now she's an ally?
Mei's face was blank.
Hours ago, this Herrscher choked her, seized Kiana's body, and aimed to destroy humanity. Now she's an ally?
That's as surreal as Kiana suddenly having a boyfriend!
"Oh, right!"
Raiden Mei, realizing something critical, turned to Shiraki, who'd stepped back quietly before Kiana awoke.
His calm, smiling gaze left Mei with an odd feeling, unable to muster any sense of facing a "rival."
"Kiana, this gentleman who saved you and Teacher Himeko, is he… is he your boy… boyfriend?"
Her voice trembled with a mix of astonishment and disbelief, Mei watched Kiana nervously.
Theresa and Bronya's gazes sharpened, awaiting Kiana's response.
Honestly, they'd prefer Shiraki was lying.
"Wha!? What? Boyfriend?"
The sudden question left Kiana visibly flustered, her head tilting back tactically as she looked at Shiraki in confusion.
Seeing Kiana's reaction, the girls let out a collective sigh of relief.
As expected, it was a lie. How could Kiana have a boyfriend?
Their gazes toward Shiraki turned sharper, a fleeting flicker of disappointment in a certain duck's eyes—no drama to watch!
Shiraki remained composed, merely winking at Kiana with a light smile.
"!" Kiana's expression shifted to realization.
No words, no telepathy—just a simple glance, and Kiana pieced together the whole story.
That's what it means to be "one person"!
Her clear, bright eyes sparkled, her arched brows framing fluttering lashes. A faint, captivating blush spread across her flawless cheeks.
Boyfriend, huh?
Fair enough.
Without revealing the truth, this was indeed the most fitting label for their relationship.
The thought of announcing a romantic relationship with Shiraki to her friends made Kiana feel a bit shy.
It might slightly affect her bond with Mei, but what choice was there?
If the roles were reversed, Kiana would call herself Shiraki's girlfriend without hesitation!
Taking a deep breath, just as Mei was about to demand why Shiraki told such a malicious lie, words that shattered her worldview rang out.
"Um, um… I'm so sorry for hiding it from everyone for so long. I was just too embarrassed to tell you all~!" The white-haired girl's expression was soft and bashful, sweet as the faint scent of malt.
It was hard to imagine such an expression on Kiana's face.
"Pfft~!" Hearing this, Theresa, mid-sip from a cup, sprayed water everywhere.
Bronya kept her poker face, but the exoskeleton armor on her legs nearly short-circuited from erratic signals.
Raiden Mei looked thunderstruck, her expression… well, indescribable with mere words.
If forced to describe it, it was two parts disbelief, two parts incredulity, two parts joy, two parts worry, one part sorrow, and one part relief.
A true pie chart of emotions!
"Wha!?"
A scream of unmatched shock nearly blew the roof off.
"K-Kiana, h-him… y-you, you two are really b-boyfriend and g-girlfriend!?" Theresa stammered, her hand trembling around the cup.
She'd long fretted over her niece's orientation. Given Valkyries' fate and St. Freya's environment, plus Mei being a standard, gentle Yamato Nadeshiko, she hadn't intervened much.
But deep down, Theresa hoped Kiana would find a guy—she was still counting on grandnephews!
"Yup, that's right!" Kiana nodded firmly, then, as if remembering something, grabbed Mei's hand. "But I still like Mei the most, and I won't leave your side!"
As for Shiraki, that was a bond and relationship beyond love—they were one!
"Uh, this…" Already flustered, Mei was thrown into deeper confusion by Kiana's move.
"Kiana, w-what are you saying in front of your boyfriend?" Surely, she hadn't woken up after the Conquest Gem was removed and was still dreaming, right?
"Mei, don't worry, he won't mind!" Kiana wrapped her arms around the panicking, flailing Mei, hugging her tightly, while scheming how to make Mei like Shiraki and get Shiraki to accept Mei.
Theresa, Bronya, and Mei, still in Kiana's embrace, all turned their gazes to Shiraki.
Your girlfriend saying she likes someone else in front of you—even another woman—most people wouldn't tolerate that, right?
Shiraki chuckled softly and nodded. "Whatever Kiana says goes."
Being Kiana, he knew her thoughts. Mei held a place in his heart as a close friend, not quite love.
If Kiana wanted a more-than-friendly relationship with her best friend, he could grudgingly go along with it—not like it was impossible~