"Hmm..."
Bronya stroked her chin, a rare hint of seriousness gracing her adorable little face.
"The Bronya believes the key to this question lies in the word 'save.' That must be the core of the answer."
"Options A and B are to seek help from Schicksal and Anti-Entropy, respectively."
"Honestly, of the four options, A seems the most plausible. Saving an entire city is something that is difficult to achieve with one person's strength."
"However, neither of these two options provides any specific information. They vaguely mention 'help,' but we know nothing about how or why the city was saved. This lack of detail doesn't seem to fit the nature of a key answer. Therefore, the Bronya believes these two options have the lowest probability of being correct."
"I know, I know! It's that classic rule: 'Three long, one short, pick the shortest; three short, one long, pick the longest!'" Kiana exclaimed excitedly.
"Kiana..." Raiden Mei looked at her, exasperated, and couldn't help but facepalm. "We're not taking an exam right now..."
"After eliminating options A and B, let's look at C and D," Bronya continued, completely ignoring Kiana's interruption.
"Compared to the first two, the information contained in these options is what the Bronya finds somewhat difficult to believe."
"...Herrscher..."
Raiden Mei pressed her lips together. She and Bronya exchanged a glance, both seeing the same incredulity in each other's eyes.
The word "Herrscher" was not unfamiliar to them, because she, Raiden Mei, was the Third Herrscher, the Herrscher of Thunder.
No one understood what those two words represented better than she did.
"This option... it has to be wrong, right?"
After a moment of silence, Raiden Mei spoke with some difficulty.
"...I don't know."
Bronya shook her head. "There is still too little information. The Bronya cannot make an accurate judgment. The current Kiana is indeed not a Herrscher, but as for the future... who can say?"
"You mean, this question is asking about something that will happen to Kiana in the future?" Mei asked, stunned.
"That is a possibility," Bronya stated calmly.
"Ooh... so you're saying I'm really going to save a city in the future? Haha, that would make me so awesome, wouldn't it?" Kiana scratched her head, looking pleased.
"Kiana..." Mei looked at her, her eyes filled with worry.
"Hey, Mei, you don't have to worry about me. We don't even know if this question is for real yet," Kiana said with a wide grin, trying to reassure her. She then patted her own ample chest and said, "How about this? We can't seem to figure anything out by analyzing it, so let's just pick one randomly."
"Idiot Kiana, if we answer incorrectly, we will lose a year of our lifespan," Bronya reminded her.
"Who cares? It's just one year of my life. I'd like to grow up faster anyway," Kiana waved her hand dismissively. She thought for a moment, then said,
"Hmm... I'll just pick the fourth option. 'Single-handedly storming a laboratory and stopping their plan.' Hehe, that sounds so cool, just like my style of doing things."
"Hey! Whoever you are, did you hear me? I choose D!"
[Answer... incorrect. The correct answer is C: Kiana briefly gained control of Herrscher powers to push a bomb filled with Honkai energy into the sky, saving everyone in Arc City.]
The cold, mechanical voice echoed in their ears. Immediately after, Kiana felt as if something had been forcibly drained from her body. Her legs instantly lost all strength, and she collapsed to the ground.
"Kiana!" Raiden Mei quickly caught her, her face etched with panic and worry.
Bronya didn't say a word, but she immediately had Project Bunny initiate a scan to check Kiana's physical condition.
"I-I'm fine, just a little weak."
Kiana shook her head. The feeling of weakness had come on fast, but it faded just as quickly. After a few seconds, she already felt a bit better.
"Are you really okay? Kiana, please don't try to act tough!" Mei carefully held Kiana's shoulders, her beautiful blue eyes filled with concern.
"I'm really fine, Mei." Kiana leaned into Raiden Mei's embrace, unable to resist rubbing her cheek against the soft sensation.
The feeling of weakness that had just coursed through her body vanished without a trace. She felt like she was in heaven and wished she could just lie in Mei's arms forever.
"Idiot Kiana, if you're fine, then get up. Don't think about taking advantage of Sister Mei."
On the other side, Bronya let out a sigh of relief after Project Bunny's scan confirmed Kiana was indeed fine. However, when she noticed the suspicious blush on Kiana's face, she immediately understood and spoke up.
"I-I was not!"
Her intentions exposed, Kiana flusteredly tried to defend herself, but how could she hide anything from the sharp-eyed Miss Mei?
And so, the embarrassed and annoyed Miss Mei unceremoniously pushed Kiana out of her arms.
Kiana rubbed her head and let out a dry laugh. She was about to say something when suddenly, an image flickered into existence in the space before them.
On the screen was a city glittering with neon lights in the dead of night, and a girl in a hoodie, dancing like a butterfly through the concrete jungle.
"This is..." Watching the strange sight, Raiden Mei completely forgot about Kiana taking advantage of her, her eyes fixed on the screen.
"Huh? Is that person me?" Kiana stared in astonishment at the figure on the screen.
The Kiana in the video was like a protagonist from Assassin's Creed, leaping and sprinting across skyscrapers as if she was heading towards a specific destination.
Finally, with a beautiful aerial flip, she landed on the roof of a tall building, her sharp gaze locked on another brightly lit rooftop not far ahead.
And in front of her, a group of blue mechs stood like sentinels, blocking her path forward.
Facing the mechs, the future Kiana's face was devoid of expression. She simply took a deep breath, shed her somewhat cumbersome jacket, and then pulled a baseball bat from thin air.
"I don't have time... to play with you!"
As her resolute words fell, Kiana launched herself forward, sprinting along a narrow path between the buildings.
But the mechs were no pushovers. Faced with this intruder, they attacked without hesitation.
In an instant, a volley of shells and missiles flew toward Kiana. But she remained calm and composed, easily neutralizing the assault with the baseball bat in her hand and her nimble movements.
---o---
Author's Notes:
(PS: To pull for my wife, I lost 3,300 of my hard-earned dollars. Crying tears of dowry money.)
(PPS: This is the first time this newbie is writing a book. I hope my brothers can comment more and vote, so I don't feel like I'm playing a single-player game (╹▽╹).)