Honkai: Strijder
Chapter 459: I'm Your Big Aunt, You Know
Otto walked through the vast, white expanse. His red-and-gold-trimmed bishop's robe fluttered lightly as he sighed with a troubled expression.
"Sigh… my dear friend is good in every way, except for his habit of throwing me under the bus, it really is a headache… Should I protest a little? But he probably wouldn't listen anyway, would he?"
Otto sighed again, but soon his expression gradually returned to calm.
After all, this had originally been part of his plan. Breaking free from the grip of the God of Honkai was an extremely difficult task. Otto trusted Theresa's will, but he had to prepare for the worst.
He would not allow anything to happen to Theresa, so he had long been ready to personally step into danger.
This time, he would simply treat it as proceeding according to the original plan.
With that thought, Otto reassured himself, easing the frustration in his heart.
…
"Theresa, wake up."
In a daze, Theresa lifted her head from the table, rubbing her eyes as she looked at the gentle and pure mature woman before her—a silver-haired beauty radiating maternal warmth.
"You… Ceci… lia?!"
"What are you thinking about? You look so absent-minded—that's not like you at all."
"I…"
"Alright, hurry up and wake yourself up. Don't forget, you're the main character today. Everyone's waiting for you!"
With a graceful figure and a soft, pleasant laugh, the woman left the room.
Theresa stared blankly at the scene, tears silently sliding down from the corners of her eyes.
"What… this is so strange… but today seems to be my birthday!"
She rubbed her face, then slapped her cheeks lightly, gathering her spirits before leaving the room.
Walking through the all-too-familiar hallway of Cecilia's home from her memories, Theresa arrived at the living room—and once again, her eyes reddened.
"Big Aunt, what are you doing? You're so slow!"
"Don't say that. Big Aunt isn't like you, a lazy little pig who only knows how to eat and sleep all day. She's very busy with work."
"Mom! Look, Sis is bullying me again! Just because she's the strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal! I'm pretty amazing too, you know—why do you always criticize me? Hmph!"
Kiana and Durandal—the silver-haired and golden-haired sisters—both turned toward Cecilia with smiles. One was acting spoiled, seeking affection; the other awaited a fair judgment.
Cecilia smiled, gently pulling the two children into her arms, rubbing their heads.
"Durandal, Kiana, no fighting. Sisters should get along well—just like Theresa and I."
"Okay~~"
"You're right, Mother."
Kiana hugged Cecilia's waist carefree, her smile completely free of shadows. Durandal showed a hint of shyness, but under her mother's embrace, she too revealed a sweet smile.
At that moment, Theresa walked over. The dreamlike scene made her steps feel almost weightless.
"I… where's my bitter melon cake? Don't tell me Kiana stole it again!"
"I don't even like bitter melon! Big Aunt, don't wrong me!"
"Maybe before you say that, dear foolish niece, you should think about how many times you've snuck into the kitchen to steal food?"
"I won't think about it! Do you count how many pieces of bread you've eaten? Bleh~~"
Kiana stuck out her tongue defiantly.
Then Cecilia lightly tapped her on the head.
"Kiana!"
"Alright, alright, I get it! I'll try not to sneak food anymore, okay? Mom, don't be mad!"
Kiana squirmed in Cecilia's arms, continuing to act spoiled.
Cecilia sighed helplessly, then looked at Theresa.
"This child… sigh~ Theresa, I really can't handle her anymore. You'll have to help me educate her more in the future. At this rate, she'll definitely be disliked by her boyfriend!"
"Leave it to me! I'm the principal of St. Freya Academy—teaching is my specialty!"
Theresa raised her arm and flexed confidently.
"Good. The cake is ready—I'll go bring it out. We must celebrate properly today."
Cecilia smiled as she headed toward the kitchen.
Theresa sat down at the table, with Durandal on her left and Kiana on her right, smiling warmly.
"Durandal, has your training been tough lately?"
"Everything's fine, Big Aunt. I'll keep working hard and strive to become even stronger!"
"Mm, but don't overdo it. Make sure you don't exhaust yourself."
"I understand, Big Aunt."
"And you, Kiana—have the number of times you caused trouble gone down recently?"
When the topic turned to Kiana, the tone suddenly shifted, making her face darken as she scratched her head and complained:
"Why is it always that kind of question when you ask me?!"
"You should have some self-awareness, Kiana."
"Ahhh! You're all bullying me! I refuse to accept this—I'm amazing too, you know!"
"Alright, alright. It's my birthday today, so I won't say much more. Sit down and wait for the cake."
Theresa waved her hand dismissively.
Kiana crossed her arms, puffing up her cheeks in frustration, sulking on her own, while Durandal covered her mouth and giggled.
Amid the warm and harmonious atmosphere, Cecilia returned with a light green bitter melon cake.
"Theresa, I forgot to buy candles, so we won't put any on this time. How about we just make a wish directly?"
Cecilia smiled gently, tactfully avoiding touching on Theresa's sensitive topic of age—thoughtful and considerate as ever.
Understanding this, Theresa scratched her cheek awkwardly.
"I-it's fine… let's just do it like that."
"Huh? So how old is Big Aunt today? Forty-five? Fifty? Or six—"
BANG!!!
Before Kiana could finish, she slammed face-first onto the table, a large bump instantly forming on her head.
The room fell silent for a few seconds.
Then Cecilia smiled as if nothing had happened.
"Happy birthday, Theresa. From now on, keep being as lively, clever, and adorable as you are!"
"Mm, happy birthday, Big Aunt!"
Durandal echoed, as if completely unaware of Kiana's fate.
Theresa's expression softened as she accepted their wishes with a smile.
Rumble!!!
At that moment, a massive tremor came from outside, shaking even the entire room.
Yet the people inside seemed completely oblivious.
Cecilia and Durandal kept smiling. Kiana rubbed her head and lifted it again. The three of them looked at Theresa, waiting for her to make a wish.
Theresa broke into a wide, happy smile—even as she wiped away tears.
"My wish… I hope that one day, I can truly see you all celebrate my birthday like this. If… if this were real… how wonderful that would be…"
Cecilia, Kiana, and Durandal all reached out at the same time, gently holding Theresa's hands.
"Theresa, pull yourself together. That day will definitely come!" Cecilia encouraged her with a smile.
With tears streaming down her face, Theresa smiled back.
"So… what exactly is this? My dream, or some strange place?"
"This is the Stigma Space. We come from your memories—and from the memories of many Kaslanas… Sorry, Big Aunt. This is as much as we can do. We can't protect you any further. You have to keep going—don't lose to the Honkai. The real me and my sister are waiting for you outside!"
"That's right, Big Aunt! You haven't even heard the real me call you 'Big Aunt' yet—you absolutely can't fall here!"
Kiana and Durandal looked at Theresa with burning determination, offering their encouragement.
"Hah…"
Theresa took a deep breath, stopping her sobbing. Then she puffed her cheeks and said:
"That's enough! Who do you think I am? I'm Theresa—your most reliable Big Aunt! Don't worry, I absolutely, absolutely won't lose!" She spoke with firm resolve.
Then, like a mirror shattering, the warm room broke apart and vanished. Before Theresa once again appeared the blank world—and the silent, unmoving god.