"This... is this right? That seems right. No, no, it's not. Ah, yes, it is."
Xin Yu scratched his head as he looked at the massive ball of yarn that had been mostly untangled. Although the causal network within it had been sorted out, he looked at what he had woven and found that some of the joints were knotted together again. He shook his head in frustration and continued the painful process of fixing the bugs.
Meanwhile, at St. Freya Academy, Kiana sat with her head hung low, completely ignoring her great-aunt's speech at the opening ceremony. Instead, she was endlessly pondering the encounter at the school gate. Why did that girl, Raiden Mei, know her name?
And why did that girl look at her so strangely?
"Could it be that she knows my mom and dad?"
Kiana could only guess that the girl was connected to her elders—either her parents, her older sister, or her great-aunt. Otherwise, for someone to know her when she didn't know them, they must have learned about her from a relative.
Could it be that her useless old dad had been bragging too much outside, and when someone actually met her, they found she didn't live up to his boasts, leading to Raiden Mei's disappointment?
Although that line of thinking seemed reasonable, Kiana felt that wasn't the reason. There had to be something she didn't understand. But what could it be?
On the other side of the assembly, Raiden Mei was in a similar state to Kiana, not really listening to Theresa's speech. She, too, was lost in her own thoughts.
I wonder how Xin Yu is doing? According to historical records, the frequency and scale of Honkai Eruptions have decreased significantly over the last few decades, even the last century. Even the 1st and 2nd Honkai Wars, which should have caused massive casualties, have been erased... Xin Yu, has something gone wrong? Is he pushing himself too hard by changing history on such a massive scale?
Mei's eyes were filled with worry. Of course she knew how powerful Xin Yu was, but regardless, changing time and history was an unprecedented act. What kind of risks and price he had to bear was something only Xin Yu himself knew. No matter how much or how little he said, how could anyone else possibly understand?
And besides, why hasn't Kiana remembered anything from the previous worldline yet? What's going on here? It's impossible for Xin Yu to not have any feelings for Kiana at all, so why can't she remember? Did Xin Yu do something?
Raiden Mei was deeply worried. Even her own parents had retained their previous memories after this worldline was changed, so why was Kiana still completely oblivious?
Xin Yu, do you truly hold a grudge against Kiana?
"Achoo!"
Xin Yu suddenly sneezed. Sniffling, he followed the thread of causality from someone thinking of him and traced it back, hearing Raiden Mei's inner thoughts.
Upon understanding the situation, he couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and exasperation. In truth, this really wasn't Kiana's fault.
"Because the rewriting of the 1st and 2nd Honkai Wars completely negated the proof of Kiana's personal existence, I deliberately sealed Kiana's memories before I completely fixed all those bugs and errors. Otherwise, if I let her remember that she's not supposed to exist right now, the progress and difficulty of fixing these bugs would skyrocket."
This really wasn't Mei's fault for worrying. If he didn't impose a restriction, Kiana would have remembered her past long ago amidst such a massive worldline change. It was Xin Yu who had specifically arranged it so that Kiana's memory recovery would be slower.
It was like Schrödinger's cat. Once an observation is made and the state is determined, changing the reality of it becomes much more troublesome.
As Raiden Mei was lost in her anxious thoughts, she suddenly heard Xin Yu's voice in her ear.
"Kiana's situation is special, so she can't remember the past for now. I'm fine, I'm just dealing with a massive amount of historical changes, so I'm busy fixing bugs like a programmer. Don't worry."
Raiden Mei's expression went blank for a moment, then the worry and anxiety in her eyes faded away, and her entire demeanor became peaceful.
As long as he's okay. As long as he's okay.
Soon, Theresa finished reading her speech, and the opening ceremony concluded. The newly enrolled students were free to explore the school.
Raiden Mei, filled with curiosity, began to wander around the campus. After all, this was technically her second time enrolling at St. Freya. She wanted to see what had changed after history had been altered.
The commercial street on campus was much more bustling than she remembered. Not only was there a greater variety of food, but there were also all sorts of new recreational facilities.
Mei even found a flower shop on a street corner. Hmm, why does this shop look so familiar?
Finding that the shop looked identical to one opened by a certain person, Mei curiously stepped inside. There, she saw a woman with long, sakura-pink hair wearing a miko outfit, smiling and chatting with a white-haired woman with braided hair.
"Oh my, the flowers you grow are so beautiful, Sakura. Just as beautiful as you are."
"Thank you for the compliment. So, are you buying a flower to take back to your husband?"
"Mm, actually, that's what I'm struggling with. What kind of flower should I get for him? I know he'll like whatever I give him, but still, this is a token of my feelings. I can't just be too casual about it, but would roses be too direct?"
As the two beautiful women conversed, they noticed someone else had entered the shop. Their gazes shifted to Raiden Mei.
The moment Yae Sakura saw Raiden Mei, she understood. This person was also a part of the family.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Yae Sakura."
"I see. Hello, I am Raiden Mei."
Their eyes met for a brief moment, and in that instant, they understood each other's identity. They exchanged smiling nods. Meanwhile, Kallen, who was watching from the side, felt completely out of place. Why did these two seem to have a full conversation with just a single glance, an exchange she knew nothing about?
"Kallen, have you bought what you needed? If we wait any longer, little Theresa will get anxious."
A blond-haired man pushed open the door to the flower shop as he spoke. He froze for a moment upon seeing the situation inside, then smiled and nodded at Raiden Mei and Yae Sakura.
This left Kallen even more bewildered. What was going on? How could even Otto join in on this exchange of glances, while she was left completely out of it?
"Otto, I have a feeling you're all hiding something from me. Why is there this strange sense of rapport between you all, as if you already know each other?"
"Oh, that would be a very long story, Kallen. If you want to hear it, we can talk about it slowly when we get back. Right now, we should go see little Theresa. As her elders, it wouldn't be right to break our promise to a child, would it?"
Kallen nodded. Indeed, as a grandmother and grandfather, she and Otto couldn't set a bad example for their granddaughter.
"Then we'll see you next time, Sakura."
Kallen smiled and was the first to leave. Otto, standing behind her, looked at Raiden Mei and Yae Sakura in the shop and said, "I know He can see you right now. So, please... tell Him I said thank you."
With that, Otto walked out of the shop, a blissful smile on his face unlike any he had worn before.