Raiden Mei was the most silent of the three. Standing behind Kiana and Bronya, the complex, surging emotions within her heart were palpable. She gazed at Xin Yu, unable to stop herself from recalling their first meeting, unable to stop herself from remembering the feeling of listening to his song and falling asleep in his arms when she was young.
She had even suspected before that those childhood memories might have been mere illusions. But upon seeing Xin Yu again, she was absolutely certain: it was not her illusion, nor was it a false memory residue left after a dream. It was a past that had truly happened.
Yet, at this moment, Raiden Mei had lost all courage, only daring to peek at Xin Yu from behind the others.
Because no matter what schemes were involved, it was ultimately she who had destroyed Nagazora, and it was only through the sacrifices of others that she existed now.
She feared seeing disgust in Xin Yu's eyes, seeing annoyance, seeing rejection.
Why had she become like this?
Kiana stared deeply at Xin Yu before her. The moment she saw him, her once somewhat blurry memories sharpened once more. She clearly remembered meeting him when she was young, even having a meal with him and her father.
Could it be that he was someone who had lived for a very long time, like her Great Aunt Theresa, whose appearance remained unchanged due to some reason?
But when she had encountered him, that sense of fragility and rawness he exuded was definitely not faked.
Xin Yu… what kind of person are you really? Why is it that every time we meet, I feel you're different from before?
Xin Yu looked down at himself in some confusion. Why had the atmosphere suddenly become so quiet? Why were Bronya, Raiden Mei, and Kiana all staring intently at him? He hadn't spilled anything on himself, nor was he wearing his clothes incorrectly.
And why did he suddenly feel like the surrounding gravity was a bit abnormal, as if it had become much heavier? What was going on?
To prevent this strange atmosphere from continuing, Xin Yu silently—though from an outsider's perspective, it looked like he took it from his clothes—retrieved a crystal.
It was the one Future Kiana had stuffed into his hand when they parted ways, saying it was a gift for her past self.
"Kiana, it's been a while. This is a gift for you."
Xin Yu stood up, took a few steps forward, and handed the crystal to Kiana. She took it and examined it with curiosity, and then a purple light flickered in the depths of her eyes.
Xin Yu inexplicably felt the surrounding gravity become somewhat abnormal again, as if it was about to intensify further. He then looked at the other two beside him. He thought, since he was giving gifts, wouldn't it seem too conspicuous if he only gave one to Kiana?
So, Xin Yu took out two more crystals of different colors from his pocket. Both of these crystals were condensed by him using the power of space-time. When the wearer encountered danger, they would automatically form a space-time amber to envelop them, protecting them from harm, and would also notify him immediately.
"Of course, Raiden Mei and Bronya get one too."
Xin Yu smiled as he distributed the gifts. Seeing all three holding crystals, he nodded in satisfaction. This way, his act of giving Kiana a crystal wouldn't seem so abrupt.
And Theresa, sitting behind her desk watching this scene, her expression grew even graver.
She suddenly felt that letting these three meet Xin Yu again might have been a mistake.
At this moment, Kiana, cradling the crystal in her hands, her eyes completely overtaken by purple, lowered her head. Her consciousness had already arrived in another space.
Kiana stood on a patch of grass, wondering where this place was. When she looked up, she saw an endless starry sky above. It was only when the young woman turned and saw the azure planet that she realized she was on the moon.
"Hello, my past self."
Kiana from the future appeared in this Consciousness Space, facing her past self.
"...What do you want to tell me?"
The current Kiana didn't question the other self she saw. The resonance at the soul level told Kiana that the person opposite her was truly herself, truly the future self the other claimed to be.
"I'm here to tell you what happened in the future. And I also hope you can firmly tie down that guy who runs amok across timelines."
The environment around Kiana transformed in an instant. She found herself back in St. Freya Academy, only this time, there was a third Kiana.
And that Kiana was currently sprawled on a desk, fast asleep, while at the podium stood a helpless-looking Teacher Himeko.
"What happens next is the future we would have experienced if Xin Yu hadn't appeared in our lives."
Just like that, Kiana, who had already become the Herrscher of the End, took her past self through their story once more, allowing her to witness the growth of the young woman named Kiana, from a replica who had stolen another's name and life, to the Herrscher of the End who saved the world.
Although the road was filled with regrets and hardships, the final outcome was good.
Then, the scene changed again. This time, it was Kiana, already the Herrscher of the End, who one day, missing the taste of instant noodles from Earth, secretly took out her treasured snacks. As she was enjoying the delicious instant noodles, a bewildered young man appeared beside her.
Later, it was this bewildered young man who traveled back to the past to change it, and it also included the Herrscher of the End Kiana's confession.
"I didn't mix any personal emotions into these past memories... Past me, I regret my confession. Although I successfully tied him to my side at that time, Xin Yu could see that my love wasn't pure."
Future Kiana looked at the image of Xin Yu lying in her embrace, smiling softly at her.
"He doesn't love me, and he also believes my love for him isn't pure. In fact, it's the same for me; I also feel my love isn't pure, after all, I even intend to share my beloved with others."
"Do you think I truly love Xin Yu? Or is it purely because I feel indebted and must compensate, a mere illusion born from my own kindness?"
Kiana looked at her confused future self and, for the first time in this Consciousness Space, revealed her own sunny, warm smile.
"I see, so that's what you're struggling with?"
"How come my future self has experienced so much, yet sees things less clearly than I do now?"
"Love is love, not loving is not loving. When you yearn for someone, when you constantly pay attention to their thoughts about you, when you always want to give them better things, we have actually already fallen in love with them."
"All love cannot be pure at the beginning, just like my love for Mei back then, wasn't it also because I was lusting after her body?"
"Since you've already fallen in love, why think so much! Pursue him openly and honorably, tell him the love in your heart openly and honorably, embrace him, kiss him, feel each other's breath and warmth with him! Obtain him, possess him, instead of constantly questioning whether you are qualified to love."
"...It seems I truly don't understand as well as my past self."
"Thank you for telling me everything that idiot has done behind the scenes."
"Then what should you do?"
"Of course, I'll do what Kiana should do."
In the outside world, Kiana's eyes returned to their sky-blue color. She looked up and, under the astonished and shocked gazes of everyone present, strode forward, grabbed Xin Yu by the collar, and under his utterly bewildered expression, deeply kissed his lips.
At that moment, it was as if everything around them fell silent, until Kiana released his lips, and the silver thread connecting them broke.
"Xin Yu, this young lady has taken a liking to you!"
Kiana declared with a laugh, her hands on her hips like a female bandit.
"Ah!!!"
Theresa clasped her head in her hands and let out a miserable cry.
Xin Yu, on the other hand, was completely blank, lost in the three existential questions: Who am I? Where am I? What am I to do?