Seeing that Ana and her family of three were all eager to see Cecilia, Shun didn't delay any further. He activated the Cosmic Juggernaut and teleported all four of them to Theresa's house.
"Where is this?" Elena looked at the room full of Homu decorations and dolls, trying to guess the age of the room's owner.
"Uh… Theresa's room." Shun said somewhat awkwardly, because among all the rooms in Theresa's house, only hers had a spatial coordinate left by him.
"Cecilia's news hasn't been made public yet, so she's most likely in the living room. Let's go out first."
As soon as Shun finished speaking, Friedrich impatiently pulled open the door and rushed out.
Because it was approaching Christmas, St. Freya had already given the students winter break. Even the principal Theresa was on holiday.
She was currently sitting with Cecilia in front of the kotatsu in the living room, watching TV. Upon closer look, it was something called Homu's Great Adventure. As expected of her.
"Who is it!" There was sudden movement near the room. Theresa wasn't deaf, so she naturally heard it. But on second thought, the only person who could appear in her room without making a sound was that certain someone with the surname Ye.
However, what happened next shocked both of them. The person who burst out of the room, showing not the slightest aristocratic demeanor, was Friedrich — who usually prided himself on being a proper old European noble.
"Bro… Brother?" Cecilia couldn't help but widen her eyes. When was the last time she had seen her brother?
One couldn't feel the passage of time on Theresa, whose appearance hadn't changed in over ten years. But when she saw Friedrich, who after more than ten years no longer looked young and already had traces of age between his brows, she finally realized just how much time had passed.
Friedrich stumbled toward Cecilia and embraced this biological younger sister he hadn't seen in over ten years. She looked exactly the same as she had back then.
"Cecilia, you're still alive… That's wonderful."
At this moment, Cecilia also reacted. After all, to everyone else in this world, she might as well have been dead.
"Don't worry, Brother. I was just in the Sea of Quanta for a very long time. I was only found by little Shun recently."
Theresa stood with her hands on her hips, looking at Shun who had just come out of the room, as if questioning him.
Shun helplessly spread his hands, as if to say: Isn't this pretty good too?
"Was it that guy who saved you?" Friedrich realized that the "little Shun" Cecilia mentioned was naturally Shun.
"Is this surprise big enough?" Shun said with a smile.
"Big enough, big enough." Friedrich kept nodding. The last bit of dissatisfaction in his heart about Shun stealing Ana completely vanished.
"Big Sister Cecilia, do you still remember me?" Elena also stepped forward at the right moment. Come to think of it, there were actually four Schariacs in this room.
"Elena, it really has been a long time. How have you and Brother been doing lately?"
"We've been fine. It's just that Friedrich has been staying up late playing games with his son-in-law who is half a world away almost every night, and he keeps eating late-night snacks. He's gained quite a few pounds." Elena quietly complained, sounding quite resentful.
Shun gave Friedrich a shocked look and thought to himself: My father-in-law, when you stay up late gaming with me, you don't even know how to coax your wife first. When I get up at night to game, I always wait until Ana is asleep first.
Ana glanced at Shun and whispered, "Dad's health isn't as good as ours. In the future, game less with him at night."
"Once I marry you, I won't have to wrong myself anymore. I'll definitely spend every night with you." Shun leaned close to Ana's earlobe and whispered.
Ana's little face instantly turned red. She quietly scolded, "You're never serious from morning to night. That well-behaved appearance at the beginning must have all been an act. How did I ever fall for you?"
"Uh, hahaha, I won't do it next time." Friedrich was now grinning so widely he couldn't close his mouth. At this moment, no matter what was said to him, he would probably just keep smiling.
For him, this was a family reunion after more than ten years. There really was no happier occasion than this.
Theresa stood quietly in place, her gaze falling on the five people not far away who seemed harmonious, happy, and full of laughter. They sat together, chatting and laughing, the atmosphere so warm it looked like a perfectly happy big family. However, at this moment, a strong sense of alienation surged over Theresa like a tide, making her feel out of place in this scene, as if this wasn't her home at all.
Especially when she caught a glimpse of Shun and Ana whispering together, the depression in her heart was instantly magnified several times. The two of them seemed completely unaware of Theresa's gaze and continued their quiet conversation, occasionally letting out soft laughs they couldn't suppress. Theresa's mood grew heavier and heavier. Her chest felt as if a large stone was blocking it, making it hard to breathe.
Should she… go back to Schicksal Headquarters for Christmas this year? She missed her grandfather and the food he made.
She also remembered the Christmases she had spent at Schicksal Headquarters in the past. Every Christmas Eve, after she fell asleep, she would wake up to find her grandfather had filled her room with Christmas presents and prepared a lavish Christmas meal.
Fortunately, when Friedrich suggested that Cecilia come back with him, Cecilia said she would rather stay at Theresa's place for now and remained behind.
When Shun was about to leave, Theresa specifically asked him to stay as well. After all, some matters concerning Cecilia still needed to be discussed with him.
The three of them sat down at the dining table. Theresa silently sat beside Shun. In the upcoming conversation, she would most likely just be a listener.
"Then I'll get straight to the point. Cecilia, about Kiana, Siegfried, and Bianca — Theresa should have already told you, right?"
"Mm." Cecilia nodded.
"So, among these three people, whose matter do you want to resolve first? Siegfried is with me right now and is probably still participating in some kind of trial. Bianca is still in a state of amnesia. Although I don't really recommend you recognize each other like this, you are her mother after all, so I won't stop you. As for… Kiana, let me call her Kiana in front of you for now. This depends on whether you acknowledge her."
"Little Shun, I trust you. Let's go see Kiana first. After all, suddenly having an extra child after more than ten years — I'm quite curious about her too. But rather than me acknowledging her, I hope this child will acknowledge me as her mother."
As expected, Cecilia chose the most troublesome and difficult one first — Kiana. After all, Kiana's identity was somewhat special.
"Alright. Then I'll take you to see her."