The situation hung in the balance. Kyuusyou's impassioned words brought Mei to a momentary silence, her inner turmoil raging. Her grip on Kiana's hand tightened and loosened, tightened and loosened.
"Mei—" Kiana pleaded, her eyes fixed on her friend's face. The deathly silence was shattered by the sound of something heavy hitting the ground.
"What's wrong with you two?! Waking up and just lying around on the rainy rooftop, right at the edge of the eaves!" A familiar voice made the purple-haired Kyuusyou's face light up with relief, while Raiden Mei, recognizing the familiar scolding tone, instinctively shuddered. Her already weak grip on Kiana's arm slipped significantly, sending her sliding further down.
"Mei! Hold on tight!" Kiana screamed.
"Snow, hurry and help! Miss Mei's trying to jump!" Kyuusyou wailed at the top of her lungs, not caring if the commotion attracted nearby Zombies or Honkai Beasts.
"I think you three are all a little... crazy," the blonde girl scoffed, stepping forward. Instead of offering a hand, she delivered a flying kick to the white-haired girl's rear, sending the lovey-dovey Yuri couple tumbling off the roof, much to Houraiji Kyuusyou's horror.
"Holy shit..." Kyuusyou was so stunned by her companion's audacity that she could only stammer.
"Oh, and you too—down you go!" the blonde girl noticed Kyuusyou still sprawled on the ground like a forgotten fish.
"Wait, no—fuck!"
"What a bunch of troublemakers and drama queens..." Before she could finish, Snow leapt off the roof as well, landing safely on the massive inflatable cushion and foam padding prepared below.
"Next time, before jumping off a building, check what's below first. Maybe think for a moment about what you actually are—whether you can even die from a fall..." Stepping onto the air cushion, the blonde girl strode toward the trio she had just kicked off the roof.
Houraiji Kyuusyou quickly recovered, scrambling to her feet and sidling up to Snow, muttering, "...Couldn't you have told us earlier? You scared me half to death when you kicked us off!"
"You guys never even bothered to look at what was beneath your feet, did you?" Snow retorted.
"We were too stressed to notice! Besides, even if we had seen it, we couldn't have let go in that situation," Kyuusyou said, scratching her head.
"That's why I kicked you all off. It was the optimal solution to break this tedious stalemate. What's the problem? Or would you rather waste the whole day here like dried-out bacon, waiting for Raiden Mei to change her mind?" Snow retorted, taking over the conversation.
"Couldn't you have just pulled us back up properly?" Kyuusyou grumbled.
"No. Even if I had pulled you up, if her mindset hadn't changed, she would ultimately choose the same path."
"When people truly face death, they often recall their most important people, the things they can't bear to part with, and—their longing for life. And... it seems some even revel in it."
The two approached Kiana and Raiden Mei, who had been kicked down the stairs earlier. Mei was clutching Kiana tightly, cradling her against her chest.
"You've made your choice, haven't you, Raiden Mei Senpai?" The blonde girl's azure eyes stared intently at the black-haired girl before her. Such beautiful eyes, Mei thought absently, just like Kiana's... She gazed blankly at the girl, but why... why was her body trembling slightly?
"Mei Senpai?" The girl's voice snapped Mei back to reality.
"...You're... Snow-chan, right?" Mei asked, her tone uncertain as she looked at the blonde girl.
"It's me, Mei Senpai. Have you found your answer yet?" Snow's unwavering gaze remained fixed on the black-haired girl.
"..." Raiden Mei lowered her head, staring silently at the white-haired bundle she held tightly in her arms for a long moment. Then, as if steeling her resolve, she abruptly lifted her head and met Snow's serene, water-like gaze directly.
"I'm ready," the black-haired young girl declared, her short words brimming with resolve. At that moment, she made the most important and profound decision of her life. "I'll use my power to protect Kiana and everyone. If I—"
"There are no 'ifs'," the blonde young girl interrupted, her expression unwavering. "We won't let that happen. As friends, it's our duty to help and correct each other's mistakes."
"Hmm... friends... we're friends," Raiden Mei repeated, savoring the unfamiliar yet familiar word. Lowering her gaze, she saw the white-haired bundle lying in her arms, eyes closed, a dreamy smile playing on her lips. Worry crept across her face.
Good... at least for now, I don't have to worry about the Herrscher Persona suddenly emerging. Still, can this white-haired girl tone it down a bit?
Snow and Kyuusyou exchanged strained glances, their lips twitching as they watched Mei's worried expression and Kiana's blissful smile. The blonde young girl, unable to bear the sight any longer, left with a curt, "I believe you've already gotten the answer you wanted, Miss Kiana Kaslana," and turned away sharply.
Left behind, Kyuusyou watched Kiana lying in Mei's arms and cautiously asked, "Miss Kiana?"
Hearing Kyuusyou's call and the sound of the blonde girl's footsteps fading into the distance, the white-haired dumpling sprang from Mei's embrace, yelling loudly, "Waaah! All the cool lines and dramatic entrance I prepared—ruined! Aaaargh! This is infuriating!" Halfway through her rant, Kiana suddenly remembered something and threw herself back onto Raiden Mei.
"Mei, are you okay? That annoying blonde monster actually kicked me off the rooftop! I'll never forgive her! Aaaargh!" Kiana complained loudly, but her hands didn't stop moving, groping from the black-haired girl's thigh up to her waist, as if determined to get her fill of groping.
You'll come to hate far more blonde monsters than just her in the future... Houraiji Kyuusyou thought darkly, standing nearby like a third wheel.
"Kiana! I'm fine. And stop groping me..." The black-haired girl, pinned beneath Kiana, flushed crimson and gasped for breath, as if the white-haired dumpling's wandering hands had just touched something sensitive.
"Hehehe... Mei, my Mei," the white-haired girl chuckled, showing no signs of restraint. The repeated electrotherapy seemed to have finally awakened something formidable within the Kaslana genes. Seized by this sudden affliction, the white-haired girl's wicked hands groped a pair of hemispherical shapes, completely oblivious to Houraiji Kyuusyou's presence nearby.
Houraiji Kyuusyou, playing the awkward third wheel, dutifully remained silent, pretending to cover her eyes with her hands. But the pretense was thin—if one ignored her flushed cheeks and the telltale gaps between her fingers revealing eyes that screamed, So thrilling! Just one more peek.jpg, then perhaps she was covering them after all...
"Kiana—!" Raiden Mei's voice grew increasingly flustered and furious, sparks crackling around her body. Yet the girl whose name had been directly called out seemed utterly oblivious to the gravity of the situation.
Then, a blinding flash of lightning erupted, accompanied by the agonized screams of the suddenly afflicted white-haired girl. The screams were so piercingly horrific, surpassing even the death throes of a slaughtered pig, sending shivers down Snow's spine as she fought off Zombies in the distance, nearly causing her to be struck by a Zombie's katana.
"Tsk tsk tsk, that perverted yuri freak probably went too far and got zapped by Mei Senpai," Snow muttered, shaking her head as she cleaved the Zombie that had nearly struck her in two.
"...Hmm, almost done clearing them out." As the last Zombie fell, its ominous hiss faded into the wind, and the surroundings fell silent once more.
"The Herrscher's complete awakening was interrupted... So the stray Honkai energy that had been gathering here is now coalescing into these Zombies? Their evolution rate is truly astonishing." Snow glanced at her already-blunted watermelon knife and clicked her tongue. She tossed the useless blade into a nearby trash bin and hurried back the way she had come.
"They should be recovered enough by now. We'll leave this place tomorrow, right? Lingering here would mean dealing with troublesome things like large Honkai Beasts. Plus, keeping a Herrscher in such a high-concentration Honkai environment for too long isn't wise." The young girl muttered to herself as she sprinted toward her companions' gathering point, her mind racing with calculations.
"Thankfully, Mei Senpai doesn't seem to share certain memories with the Herrscher Persona—at least, she shows no recollection of me beating up the Herrscher Persona so far. That means I can still use my ability as a hidden trump card."
"If possible, I should avoid demonstrating this ability in front of members of Schicksal or Anti-Entropy, especially the radical factions within Anti-Entropy and members of World Serpent. Defeating the Herrscher of Thunder after her protracted battle with Kiana Kaslana isn't exactly a praiseworthy feat. That white-haired dumpling might seem unreliable, but in terms of pure combat strength, she's easily a B-rank Valkyrie, possibly even A-rank."
"And then there's Houraiji Kyuusyou, another transmigrator like me... Perhaps I should warn her—the first thing she said to me was a character's name she shouldn't have known, one who shouldn't even exist here. That's not a good habit."
"Tch, this is so restrictive. And a bunch of troublesome teammates... No, no... Since I've promised to acknowledge them as companions and friends, these troubles are inevitable. But as a problem child myself—"
"Why do these people all seem to be magnets for trouble and drama...?" The blonde young girl shook her head helplessly and entered the already-cleared Academic Building. Kiana's energetic voice echoed from the rooftop, as if the pig-slaughtering screams that had just echoed through the halls hadn't come from her at all.
-
The thunderstorm and wind and rain had retreated, leaving a clear night sky sparkling with stars. On the rooftop of the disaster-prone Academic Building, a bright campfire crackled, surrounded by three young girls. A makeshift grill had been set up over the flames, and the food they had gathered earlier, after Raiden Mei's simple preparations, was slowly roasting over the fire.
Kiana watched the sizzling food on the grill, her throat involuntarily gulping. But under the stern gaze of Mei, who was tending the grill, she reluctantly restrained her eager hands—for now. As soon as the gentle and capable Mei turned her back to fetch more ingredients, the food on the grill would vanish at an alarming rate. Kyuusyou, watching the disappearing morsels, could only twitch her eye—resistance was futile, after all, since a white-haired girl could easily pummel an entire reinforced platoon of purple-haired fighters.
Just as the ravenous glutton was indulging in her thievery, acting as if she were in a deserted wasteland, the rooftop door swung open again. A tall, golden-haired girl stepped inside.
"...Food that isn't thoroughly cooked often harbors large quantities of microorganisms, bacteria, and even parasites. This is particularly severe in undercooked meat and seafood, making them extremely prone to causing gastrointestinal infections and poisoning."
"While I'm confident this food won't harm your stomach or constitution, Miss Kiana Kaslana—still, cooked food is always better," Snow said, shaking her head as she observed the white-haired girl stuffing her pockets and waistband with skewers of grilled meat.
"Kiana!" Before Kiana, her mouth still full, could reply, Mei's voice called out from behind her. "Put back those undercooked skewers! You'll get a stomachache."
"Mmm... It's fine, Mei, and Snow too! Thanks for worrying about me," Kiana mumbled, swallowing the food after a long struggle. She waved dismissively. "When I was wandering alone, I got used to it. There wasn't any good food back then—you just get used to it." Kiana grabbed another skewer and brazenly shoved it into her mouth—only to have her arms and shoulders seized by the three girls beside her.
"Uh... what are you doing?"
"Kiana..." Mei gazed at the girl before her, wanting to say something but struggling to find the right words.
"Miss Kiana... you... we..." Houraiji Kyuusyou, equally at a loss for words, trailed off.
"Hey... what's wrong with you guys? Mei, why do you look like you're about to cry? This lady doesn't need your pity!"
"Miss Kiana Kaslana... please look at us," the golden-haired young girl said formally to the white-haired girl before her.
"Remember, you're not alone anymore—" Snow cut through the awkwardness, voicing the thoughts in the hearts of Kyuusyou and Mei beside her.
"Ugh... why the sudden seriousness? Okay, okay, this lady gets it! From now on, I won't eat half-cooked stuff anymore!" Kiana forced a dry laugh, pulling out the food she had hidden on her person and placing it back on the grill one by one.
She doesn't seem used to this sudden closeness, but it doesn't matter. Just like she said herself, she'll get used to it eventually, Snow thought as she watched the white-haired girl retrieve her hidden snacks. Then... her expression gradually twisted into a grimace.
...What is this...?
"You... how much stuff did you hide on your body?! Are you a hamster or something?!"
"Aha ha ha ha! Wrong! I haven't settled accounts with you for kicking me down the stairs!"
"Oh? Really? I seem to recall you rather enjoying yourself at the time."
"What?! Enough talk! Prepare to face my wrath!"
"Ooh, Ooh, someone's getting impatient. I won't say who~"
"Aaaargh! I'm going to put holes in you! Holes!"