Let's rewind thirty minutes.
Kiana pushed open the door and ran, head down, until she reached the edge of the orphanage grounds, where she finally skidded to a stop.
The sea breeze blew in from the cliff, and the rushing sound of the waves washed away some of the frustration in her heart.
Kiana stopped by the railing, panting softly as she stared blankly at the vast ocean.
Shu is an idiot! A total idiot, no matter how you look at it!
After spacing out for a while, Kiana's thoughts uncontrollably returned to what had just happened. Suddenly, the vast sky and sea before her no longer felt so liberating.
She sat on the railing with her back to the sea. "That damn old hag, what right does she have to make decisions for Bronya... We're the ones who decided to follow Shu, what does it have to do with him..."
Kiana muttered under her breath, but deep down, she knew Cocolia was right.
She had really been captured by a Herrscher before, and that situation had been unique; Benares had been the one guarding her, which was an unexpected twist.
What if she were captured and held hostage by a Herrscher?
Shu would definitely come to save her... Kiana would stake her Kaslana honor on it. No matter who the opponent was, Shu would save her at any cost...
But that was precisely why Kiana couldn't speak up. She knew exactly what Shu's "at any cost" meant.
"Damn it..." She bit her lip, grabbing her twin braids in frustration and yanking them a few times.
"Idiot, idiot, idiot!" she cursed repeatedly, then curled into a miserable ball.
But there was nothing she could do... She really couldn't help anymore. Without the Key of Evolution, she didn't even have the right to stand before a Herrscher. She couldn't even handle some of the more powerful Honkai Beasts.
And if something happened to her, that guy Shu would definitely...
"Aaargh—so frustrating!!" She started stomping and jumping around like a child, spinning in circles, puffing her cheeks out like a bun, then squishing her face and rubbing it vigorously.
The roar of a car engine came from the direction of the bridge. Kiana saw a gleaming red sports car speed away, and she immediately realized Shu was in it.
After waiting for a long time without seeing a second car, Kiana finally understood that Shu had really gone alone with Cocolia to find that Herrscher.
Before, she had just been sulking, letting off steam from the frustration of being unable to speak her mind. But now, Kiana felt a real sense of panic.
Could it be... that Shu will be like this from now on?
Acting all by himself...
If that's the case, what if we run into an enemy like the Herrscher of Memory again? What will Shu do if he doesn't have [Hope] and there's no one around?
What if Shu could have been saved, but because no one was there for him in time...
Just like during the battle with Evolution, when I couldn't find him...
If that happens, Shu would...
Kiana took two steps back, then turned to chase after them.
But the moment she turned, she saw a pair of dead-fish eyes, just like Bronya's, staring at her.
The golden eyes startled Kiana, making her stumble back several steps before she caught her balance.
"Jump," Sin Mal said with a bone-dry smile that felt almost mocking. "Why'd you stop jumping?"
"Wh-what... jump?" Kiana averted her gaze, feeling a pang of guilt. "Ahem, Sin, aren't you playing games with Bronya?"
"That kind of game is for kids. This great me isn't in the mood to humor her."
Sin Mal looked Kiana up and down, then snorted with laughter. "You, on the other hand, acting like this seems perfectly in character."
"What... feeling wronged?" Sin Mal grinned, revealing a mouth full of shark-like teeth, and leaned in close to Kiana with a mischievous look. "Come on, tell this great me all about it so I can have a good laugh."
Kiana's eye twitched. Having spent so much time with Shu, she had picked up his exasperated mannerisms pretty well.
"Hmph, it's nothing," Kiana said, looking away, her guilt palpable.
Sin Mal held up a drink bottle in her hand, then pointed to the side. Kiana looked and saw a small pile of empty bottles already accumulated there.
"This is this great me's exclusive ocean-viewing spot. You're the one who's trespassing, understand?" Sin Mal raised an eyebrow at Kiana. Even though Kiana was the older one, she somehow felt like Sin Mal had her completely pinned down.
"Aww~ come on, tell me, who bullied you?" Sin Mal leaned in closer again, holding out a can of soda. It looked like both a bribe and an opening fee.
Kiana opened her mouth and stared blankly for a moment, suddenly remembering that night in ARC City.
She had been caught sulking all by herself then, too.
She looked down at the can of Homu drink Sin Mal was offering. Having skipped meals for the past two days, she couldn't help but swallow.
"It was Cocolia..." Kiana took the drink and muttered.
"Oh, it was her!" Sin Mal said, looking completely unsurprised. "She's not exactly a pleasant person to talk to. It's normal to get angry at her!"
Is it really okay to talk about the woman you call "Mama" like that?
Kiana looked at Sin Mal with some surprise, and Sin Mal returned the look with an unapologetic eye roll.
"What, you surprised? That's just how she is. You expect people to lie through their teeth and praise her for being gentle and considerate~?"
As she spoke, she shivered and made a disgusted face.
"This great me isn't going to play along with her. Not causing trouble and not going crazy is the best this great me can do!"
Kiana was taken aback by Sin Mal's words. She found it hard to believe that this person came from the same place as Bronya and Seele.
"Ah~ I know, I know. 'Kids have to be obedient~ or else they'll suffer~' Tch, this great me knows what I'm doing, who is she to lecture me!"
Sin Mal's way of speaking also felt familiar to Kiana. Thinking back, it was just like the tone she and Shu used when they argued about her reckless style back in Nagazora City.
"So, what did she say to you?" Sin Mal suddenly changed tack, catching Kiana completely off guard.
"Uhh..." Kiana hesitated, but still ended up telling her. "She wants Bronya to leave our team, and she said... that the rest of us are just a burden to Shu..."
"Huh?" Sin Mal let out a questioning sound. "Was she wrong?"
Kiana: "..."