Having earned money through her own labor today, Kiana was in high spirits. After treating herself to a big meal in the evening, she couldn't stop humming and bouncing around.
Genuine smiles are contagious. Seeing Kiana so happy brought joy to Ryn as well, but he couldn't shake off his concerns about what lay ahead on their journey.
The TV continued to randomly play programs while Kiana leaned against Ryn. He held a comic called Adventures of Hoom and began recounting the story of King Hoom to Kiana.
Academy City is located on the outskirts of Changkong City in the Far East. This city is home to the world's most advanced equipment and educational institutions, covering all levels from preschool to specialized high-tech academies. Within its borders are distinctive institutions like Chiba Academy and Familiar Academy. Chiba Academy, in particular, is an independent all-girls school dedicated to cultivating the perfect young women of the new era...
Halfway through the program, a commercial break began, featuring an advertisement for Academy City in the Far East.
Kiana's ahoge twitched, as if sensing a keyword.
"World, perfect girls, Chiyu Academy... Ryn, Ryn! My Beautiful Girl Detector is going off!" Kiana tugged on Ryn's arm, pointing excitedly at her ahoge.
"Why does your hair have that kind of function, you moron?" Ryn, turning into a relentless roast machine, snapped without mercy. "Isn't it just like that jackhammer guy? His badge wiggles whenever there's a girl around."
Ryn tickled Kiana's nose with one hand while gently pinching her chubby cheeks with the other. Agh, it's so ticklish! Oh no, I hope she doesn't start thinking.
"Speaking of which, Kiana, you're only 12 this year. It's time for you to start school. So, are you going to that Chiba Academy or what? There'll be lots of kids your age there. You should make plenty of friends, Kiana."
"I don't want to go to school. Every day, they have to sit in class? I can't handle that." Kiana flicked Ryn's hand away and made a silly face. "I just thought about my dad being such a pervert. There must be lots of pretty girls at Chiba Academy. He'll definitely go there, so we can lie low and wait for him!"
(In Honkai Impact 2, Kiana discovered a Honkai Reactor underground at Chiba Academy, which is why she went there.
In Honkai Impact 3, it was because she figured Siegfried, as a pervert, would go to Chiba Academy, so she went there too.)
"Wow, even my little paramecium friend knows fancy words now. But I think you're just eager to see those pretty girls."
"I am not paramecium! And sure, the girls sound nice, but finding our dad is more important."
"We better hurry, then. The ads said Chiba Academy will start school soon. It's still a long way away, so we'll need to find jobs in Changkong City to earn some tuition money when the time comes."
"I don't want to go to school! I just want to take a look."
"Sure, sure, whatever Kiana says..."
They chatted for a while longer, until Kiana got sleepy and went to bed. After looking over some information about Chiba Academy, Ryn planned their next route and then rested, too.
Tsk, tsk, tsk. Did you end up on the same path as Chiba Academy after all... What a boring fate... I need to prepare something for Ryn so he can handle what's coming at Chiba Academy.
Hey, hey, hey! Are you there? Send me some powers or that Herrscher core already.
The white-haired girl in the Stigma Space started calling out to her original form in another world.
A light, yet suffocating, voice echoed through the Stigma Space, "Sometimes I feel like you're not even me."
Of course I'm not you! I'm just the Stigma consciousness with your memories. Isn't this my true form now, Kiana Kaslana? You've already forgotten who you used to be!
"Do what you want. It's been who knows how many billions of years since then. If it wasn't for half of you still being here with me, I probably would have gone crazy long ago. Right now, I just hope Penglai Temple Ryn will come and save me—or kill me—already."
Don't be ridiculous. Your so-called other half is just a puppet. You'd be better off checking on Raiden Mei, who's still alive in the real world.
"You're talking too much. Take the authority and scram."
You're being rude to me? You're actually being rude to me? Fine, I won't argue with you. The fact that you can still be rude means some of your emotions remain. If they were completely gone, I'd cut ties with you immediately and go live with Ryn instead.
By the way, he's really good to Kiana~
"..."
Early one morning, Ryn felt something different about the Stigmata on his hand, but he didn't think much of it. It's part of my body anyway. It wouldn't harm me, right? Maybe Ms. Stigmata is up to her tricks again? (Raiden Mei: Ah, right, right, Stigmata wouldn't harm you.)
After washing up, Ryn braided Kiana's hair into two thick pigtails. They had a simple breakfast before setting out. They wanted to buy plane tickets, but neither of them had an ID. Riding a train wouldn't be faster than walking, and Kiana didn't like trains anyway. She preferred traveling with Ryn on foot.
Kiana hadn't fully experienced the gentleness of this world when Siegfried left her. But now Ryn was showing her all the beauty and the hardships of the world. She liked that—it felt right.
But Ryn wasn't about to coddle her. Once they knew their destination, the sooner they got there, the better. He downloaded a map on his phone and planned the shortest route.
Originally, Kiana wanted to go to Europe to find Siegfried, but Ryn thought they'd just end up searching aimlessly. He figured it'd be better to start with places similar to their home world, so they headed straight for the Far East, skipping Europe entirely.
It was fortunate that they had arrived in the Far East first, so reaching the Far East would be quicker. If they came from Europe, then across the Far East to the Far East, they wouldn't make it before the start of the school year.
After two months of travel, despite having to rough it all along the way, they finally arrived at a coastal port in Shenzhou. After buying tickets for the Far East, the two of them boarded the train with their suitcases.
Ryn was now fifteen years old, and thanks to the Stigma's enhancement, he had already reached a height of 1.7 meters. Having gone through puberty, Ryn looked like a beautiful young girl, but his voice still clearly identified him as male. (Male and female voices are distinct and easily distinguishable.)
Kiana was 12, still only about 1.10 meters tall, with a round little face and a bright smile. This made everyone on the road think they were a family out on a trip.
When people assumed Ryn and Kiana were married, Ryn shamelessly played along each time. Kiana, still modest, would blush and act embarrassed every time. It was clear she also thought people thought she and Ryn were a couple, but she didn't seem to mind.