During a burst of laughter and playful teasing, Luo Mo finally succeeded in extracting Raiden Mei's Stigmata. After persistent effort, he could now proudly declare:
"Not bad. We finally pulled Raiden Mei's Stigmata—completing the full set of the 'Three Royal Stigmata.' The key to final victory is now in our hands. And with that, we've found a new lead on a synchronized combo technique. Time to put the Three Royals Combo to the test."
Thinking that, his mood was visibly lifted. He didn't even bother to pay attention to who had just been writing in their journal. Eventually, Bronya and others who had also arrived on the ship met up—proof of the bond and fate between them.
Was it the thread of destiny? Or just an indescribable connection? Though each had experienced the game differently, in the end, they still gathered here, together once again.
As for the water-use draw? Of course, it dropped them into a valley. But remembering that the crystal water could be used for blade forging—it wasn't exactly a waste.
At this moment, Luo Mo was in an especially good mood, even feeling cheerful toward the two chirping girls beside him, not minding them at all.
Then suddenly, a cool and crisp voice came from beside him—Kongming, still in her usual back-and-forth banter with Bronie.
"Ah, but in reality, I never had control of the Hyperion's systems, nor did I ever write any logs or reports."
"Yeah? I never said you did," Bronie replied, hands on her hips with a smirk. "Why so defensive? Feeling guilty?"
"Oh really~? Sounds to me like someone did leave behind a few 'criminal records.' What do you think, Captain Luo Mo? Want to go have a look? Who knows, you might discover some shy little secrets from a certain girl's heart~"
"Ah~ I forgot. That person's no longer a maiden, huh."
She clicked her tongue, eyeing Kongming up and down, then shook her head with exaggerated pity.
It was a jab clearly aimed at both age and figure—a line that had been crossed too many times.
"You!" Kongming's anger flared. Her clenched knuckles turned pale as her face shifted between green and red in fury and embarrassment. "You're nothing but a slippery trickster! A future internet criminal, for sure. Sooner or later, someone's going to arrest you for this nonsense."
Clearly, she wasn't about to let it go. She was extremely unhappy that Bronie kept trying to steer the topic toward her personal journals.
She knew exactly what she wrote during her idle time. And if Mr Assassin saw it...
Just the thought made her want to dig a hole and vanish. Her face flushed, and she quickly raised her fan to hide the redness. She didn't even dare meet Luo Mo's eyes.
"...Hm?" Luo Mo glanced at her, suspicious. He couldn't shake the feeling that the conversation had taken an odd turn. Were there secrets here he wasn't aware of…? And Kongming's behavior wasn't normal either—most people would just delete embarrassing stuff, or at least deny it outright. But she was clearly leaking clues, despite being smart enough to know better.
Was she… baiting him? Trying to catch him in some trap?
The thought flickered through his mind, but in reality, he still played the role of peacemaker and referee, stepping in to stop the squabble between the two.
"Ahem… The bunny hacker story kinda goes like that, I guess. Though I'm not sure how much of it matches reality…"
Luo Mo looked up at Bronie. She didn't seem to mind at all—in fact, she tilted her head and smiled, clearly enjoying the drama.
"Eh, not far off. My story isn't anything special anyway," Bronie shrugged. Then her eyes narrowed as she turned to look at Kasumi . "But this lightning-blade ninja over here… mm~ I bet she's hiding a whole lot of secrets~"
"...Just a few random matters from the past," Kasumi replied calmly, sipping her tea while sitting properly. Her eyes didn't even glance toward Kallen, who sat next to her. It was as if the two had never met before. Her expression didn't stir in the slightest, even though the woman beside her looked eerily familiar.
"Is that so..." Bronie didn't give a definitive opinion. In this matter, she truly wasn't great at digging out answers. But that didn't mean she hadn't noticed the way the Overseer reacted the first time she saw Kasumi — that emotional disturbance was hard to miss...
"Naturally. I may have had some entanglements with Otto or even Head Saint Kallen in the game, but I am a ninja, not a shrine maiden. In parallel worlds, things are clearly not so simple or universal. I'm sure Miss Bronie, having interacted with Principal Theresa, would understand this well."
Kasumi replied calmly, lifting her teacup to obscure part of her face, concealing her expression behind the porcelain — hidden from view from start to finish.
"...Ah, fine then. Let's just leave it at that. No big deal anyway." Bronie responded casually. She had no intention of starting a direct conflict — not out of friendliness, but because offending the other party entirely might not be wise. Besides... she was genuinely curious about Kasumi's ninja techniques.
Heh, when she returned, maybe she could show Cioara a thing or two. Wouldn't that blow her mind?
Kasumi said no more, simply taking a deep breath and shifting her gaze in Luo Mo's direction, not continuing the conversation.
Seeing the atmosphere calm down, Luo Mo also opened Kasumi's story script.
Compared to Bronie's, Kasumi's script felt more "forbidden" — not in content, but because it involved two heavyweights: Kallen and Otto. Yae Sakura's portrayal, in contrast, didn't differ much from how she was depicted five hundred years ago — still a shrine maiden sealing away a fox demon.
As for the mysterious elements like the Six Paths Seals and the Ferryman, the script lightly touched on them. However, the real meat — the love and hate, the emotional entanglements, and the sealing of the fox demon from 500 years ago — was written in a subtle and historical style, vague and poetic rather than straightforward. The truth of the matter was mostly buried in written documents rather than clear dialogue. If you wanted to dig, you could.
The emotional fluctuations shown weren't overly dramatic either. Luo Mo realized that side stories like this were likely more about world-building and expanding on character connections, rather than farming emotional value. With the exception of a few scenes with character deaths, there really wasn't much angst to squeeze out.
Interestingly, Otto's few appearances in this version of the story didn't provoke the usual rage from everyone. In fact, there was even a slightly different feeling to his portrayal — subtle, perhaps even tolerant in tone. It seemed like the branch version of Otto here was more restrained.
The plot itself was simple: Kasumi was sent eastward by the Schicksal Church on a long-distance mission to retrieve the Six Paths Seals. Her past with Kallen had been edited down significantly, while the focus shifted toward Mei. In this script, Mei and her father Raiden Ryoma didn't seem to be on the "good side."
After enduring countless hardships, Kasumi eventually succeeded in retrieving the Six Paths Seals. But what awaited her wasn't a bright future — instead, the truth of her origin and her identity was exposed, leading to the fox demon's reawakening and the world descending into chaos.
Kasumi had received the substitute object from her brother — it was a chain Otto had used to imprison the demon. It was also the tool used to break the seal and allow her brother to escape. From beginning to end, Otto still only wished for Kallen's survival. Even after Yae Sakura's death, he was still willing to cooperate secretly with the demon to magnify her desire to live — granting her 500 more years of life.
Yet in the end, it was Kallen who vanished into thin air, holding her brother's body.
Kasumi, burdened with Yae Sakura's soul, was unable to take her place in the final ritual. With nowhere left to go, she accepted the Ferryman's invitation and boarded the Hyperion.
"Take me... away."
Her voice echoed as though from the depths of her throat — weighed down with dull eyes and endless exhaustion. She leaned against a shattered stone pillar in the ruins, gazing at the disappearing figure, whispering quietly. She had long since become someone with no place to return to — a truth she had understood for some time.
What does it mean to be unfortunate?
Is it never having seen the light, or having touched it only to be imprisoned again in darkness?
She seemed to know the answer — vaguely — but she had no strength left to resist.
Just like how Kallen's warmth came from a brother five hundred years ago, and Otto's twisted love built a home for Kallen, all rooted in his affection...
Now, she had no more value.
But she had to find a new value for herself — only then would she not be abandoned.
-----
Inside Theresa's villa–
Kallen quietly watched the scene unfold. Her fingers rested still on the table, and her eyes briefly flashed with contemplation.
She was surprised by how emotionally stirred she felt by this world… but at the same time, there was an odd sense of déjà vu.
Why did she feel as if she and Otto had both survived past the scenario?
The fox spirit, the shrine maiden, and the clone named Kasumi —every part of it gave her a strange familiarity, as if she had once personally witnessed it all...
Naturally, it was a creative narrative for Kasumi's appearance in the story, but it also carried some smuggled "unofficial content"...
Not exactly unheard of.
This version of herself, who also lived until 500 years later, somehow felt different from the current her.
Did the Kallen in the story have... odd feelings toward Otto?
Of course, she herself was willing to help him, even to the point of sacrificing her life to save him,
but that didn't mean other people's lives weren't important too, right?
As a Saint, no matter what, she should've returned to Schicksal to oppose unjust acts—even if those acts came from her own side.
That was the part she didn't understand.
It didn't align with her inner ideals.
She could never place him above the entire world and just quietly become the Head of a far-off eastern city.
"..."
She closed her eyes slightly, but didn't outright refute anything. After all, it was just a game.
....
"Your backstory… it's much more tragic than mine. Alright, alright. I admit my attitude before was a bit off."
Bronie frowned slightly as she looked over the script.
She hadn't expected Kasumi's position to be so… wedged in the cracks.
Of course, both of them moved within the cracks of major powers, but while Bronie had chosen this path herself, Kasumi had no choice—
and that was a key difference.
Now that it was laid bare before her, Bronie found herself feeling a bit too emotional.
"I don't particularly mind any of this," Kasumi said softly, her expression still calm.
She naturally admired the shrine maiden who sacrificed herself 500 years ago.
But she was not her.
And she could never become her.
She was willing to live as a shadow in the dark,
but she had no intention of becoming a stand-in who harmed herself and others.
From the start, it was good to have clarity.
---
Meanwhile, off to the side, Kiana and Mei whispered to each other, leaning in close to talk —
"Mei, you… you played a villain character again, huh!"
"...That's pretty normal, Kiana. I can't always play the good guy in every event."
"Well, yeah... But Rita always seems to play characters that look like villains,
but aren't actually villains! That's weird!"
"So… what are you trying to say exactly?" Mei asked, a bit confused, not sure what Kiana was getting at.
Kiana didn't notice the awkward vibe and went on proudly,
"It's the outfits! Don't you think Rita's costumes are super alluring? The 'Midnight Absinthe,' 'Night Bloom'... Rita's outfits are just…"
"Just what?"
A voice suddenly chimed in by her ear.
Rita had silently walked over to her side without either of them noticing.
She smiled calmly at Kiana.
Maybe it was due to the influence from the Stigmata Kiana drew earlier,
but there was a faintly dismissive air about her.
Honestly, Rita hadn't intended to eavesdrop.
She wouldn't normally do such a thing—these were her closest companions.
Without an explicit order from the Overseer, she wouldn't act rashly.
But since she had already been named multiple times, she had no choice but to take a few steps over and see what Kiana was trying to say.
"...I mean, really nice! The elegance suits you so much!"
Kiana looked completely sincere, her eyes wide open to show her honesty.
"..."
Rita remained quiet for a moment, then gently smiled and walked away.
Liking beautiful clothes was clearly not a crime.
And the one wearing them... was indeed her.
(T/C: the one who wears it is Irene though)