"How did you two meet?"
"When did you become a couple?"
"How long have you been together?"
"What stage are you at now?"
"Why did you hide it from us?"
In the medical bay, Kiana on the hospital bed and Shiraki, dragged over, were surrounded tightly, with Shiraki at the center as if he were some rare, exotic creature on display.
Theresa and Bronya's gazes were sharp and piercing, their petite, delicate frames exuding an imposing aura, like a tribunal judging the couple's future fate.
"Uh, this…"
The barrage of questions came like a bomber unloading high-speed explosives, overwhelming to say the least.
Shiraki blinked, sucking in a breath.
Then he reached out, wrapping his arm around Kiana's slender, curvaceous waist. Amid her cute yelp, he pulled her in front of him, clearly using her as a shield.
"Kiana, hurry and answer everyone's questions!"
"Huh? W-why do I have to answer?"
Her shapely hips, outlining a breathtakingly alluring curve, pressed against Shiraki's lap. Under the scrutinizing stares of her aunt and best friend, Kiana shrank slightly, puffing out her cheeks in an adorable, mock-dissatisfied pout, throwing Shiraki a coy glance.
Of course, she knew Shiraki was leaving the detailed setup of their "relationship" to her, the "local" of this world. Knowing was one thing, but she still had to grumble a bit~!
"…" Mouths slightly agape.
Whether it was her close friends or Theresa, her elder, this was the first time they'd seen Kiana like this, radiating an enticing allure like dewy rose petals.
"Bronya cannot understand…"
The duck shook her little head in disbelief, utterly baffled!
To think she'd one day be fed dog food by Kiana and a guy!?
It felt less real than Kiana being the Void Herrscher set to destroy civilization!
Raiden Mei's delicate fingers fidgeted with the hem of her clothes, watching the scene. Her expression was a complex pie chart of emotions.
She vaguely felt something precious was being taken from her, yet faced with Shiraki's inexplicably odd attitude and his warm, spring-breeze-like smile, Mei couldn't muster any hostility.
Especially after Kiana and Shiraki's earlier words, which left her stunned and bewildered, unable to wrap her head around it!
But honestly, the fact that Kiana had a boyfriend brought a sense of relieved ease.
Though, rather than a "boyfriend," Shiraki and Kiana felt more like a single "entity," as if Shiraki were Kiana's clone…
Just kidding, how could that be!
Mei let out a helpless sigh.
No matter what, as long as Kiana was okay, that was enough!
As for the future… let it unfold naturally~!
Shiraki's hand gently caressed the white-haired girl's lithe, snowy waist, listening to her stammer through a fabricated tale of how they met, bonded, and fell in love for her friends.
The silky, tender texture was irresistible, making one marvel—could such an exaggerated waistline really exist?
Back on Earth, Reverie was browsing Bilibili for Honkai Impact 3rd's plot timeline. Through Reverie's eyes, Shiraki studied a detailed event chart compiled by a dedicated fan, contemplating "her" future.
In the game's plot, after Himeko's "Last Lesson," Kiana fled alone to Sky City.
Destiny and Anti-Entropy clashed at World Serpent's Stigmata Plan test site, vying for Kiana.
Kiana transformed into the Sky Ranger, becoming a meteor to save the city, only to be taken by Durandal.
Gray Serpent struck a deal with Cocolia.
Cocolia agreed to open the Eye of the Abyss, and in exchange, Gray Serpent offered Seele's return to reality, trading Cocolia's Desire Gem to let Kevin Chen return from the other side.
Now, Kiana hadn't fled alone, but Sky City was still a must-visit soon.
A person's character is shaped partly by innate traits, but mostly by their environment's feedback.
Seeming friendly with everyone was just a protective shell. Years of experiences had made Shiraki's heart icy, the type to run far away rather than help an elderly person fallen on the ground.
If he didn't cause the fall, why should he help?
Gambling is illegal. Win, and you get a thank-you; lose, and you're ruined. He'd learned that lesson once and wouldn't repeat it!
Even with Sky City's millions of people, they were all strangers to him, so Shiraki would stand by coldly.
But Kiana wouldn't!
Her personality was a collection of Shiraki's gentle, kind, and innocent sides, a radiant flower still blooming in this cruel world.
Shiraki would consider saving Sky City's people purely because Kiana wanted to.
Now, Kiana and Shiraki had the power to stop Kevin's return from the Quantum Sea, but it didn't seem necessary.
Kevin's return had pros and cons. The pro was bolstering the world's resistance to Honkai; the con was obvious—the Stigmata Plan.
Compared to Honkai Gakuen 2's "any death is a good ending," Honkai Impact 3rd's ending could be called a yend!
If they followed the game's worldline step-by-step, overcoming the Stigmata Plan and taking the power of Finality from Kevin seemed promising.
Plus, Kiana wouldn't have to guard the Moon alone. Using the mysterious space to filter Finality's power, she could cross to Earth and live with Shiraki.
[I'm not against that, but compared to the original ending, we now have plenty of better options, don't we?]
Since Shiraki and Kiana were in physical contact, his thoughts echoed fully in her mind.
Having restored all of Shiraki's memories, but protected by the mysterious space, Kiana's thoughts and identity remained unchanged. She was Shiraki, but also the Kiana who grew up in this world!
She was the daughter of Siegfried Kaslana and Cecilia Schariac, Theresa's niece, Durandal's sister.
[Yeah, that's true.]
The Cocoon of Finality, a mechanism set by some advanced civilization to "embrace" its kin, had tortured Earth's civilizations through countless cycles!
Every civilization born on this planet was buried in Finality's cycles!
All for that advanced civilization's one-sided embrace!
Why should they?
If they could gain power beyond the Cocoon of Finality…
Screw that embrace!
Cocoon of Finality, you deserve to die~!
I'll crush you! A thousand times wouldn't be enough!
I'll hack your filthy body, slice it, chop it to bits!
Of course, reaching that level would require hoping for a golden-thigh-tier Shiraki to join the mysterious space.
[Then you decide the future plan. I'll offer suggestions and support you.]
Shiraki turned his head, planting a gentle kiss on Kiana's fair, tender cheek.
Theresa, Bronya, and Mei, listening to Kiana's story, froze at the sight.
Kiana shot Shiraki a look mixed with indulgence and exasperation, followed by a coy, kitten-like whine, as if scratching at one's heart.
"Why'd you do that in front of everyone~?"
Seemingly annoyed, but through their telepathic bond, Shiraki felt the warm, gentle current surging in her heart.
[Yup!]
Theresa frowned at the lovey-dovey pair, tiptoeing to huddle with Bronya and Mei.
"You two, do you believe what Kiana just said?"
"Bronya doesn't." The duck answered instantly.
"I also feel something's off." Mei wanted to trust Kiana, but those hole-riddled lies just didn't sit right!
"What about you, Principal? Do you believe it?" Bronya tilted her head toward Theresa. If Theresa bought it, Bronya would need to reassess her adorable idiocy.
"Of course I don't." Theresa spread her small hands. "But…"
She glanced at Kiana and Shiraki, their aura so intertwined. She'd seen countless couples, but none this intense.
Even Siegfried and Cecilia weren't this close. Outsiders could feel their inseparable bond, making Shiraki's boyfriend status undeniable!
"Fine, if they won't say, so be it. Maybe it's something hard to talk about."
As long as his identity checked out, the details of their meeting and romance could be dug up later.
"I'm going to check on Teacher Himeko."
Though Shiraki had updated her on Himeko's condition, Kiana wanted to see for herself.
At Hyperion's medical bay, gazing at the withered figure in the treatment pod, wearing an oxygen mask as if burned to ash, Kiana bit her lower lip, tears welling in her eyes.
"Teacher Himeko…"
Behind Kiana, Theresa, Mei, and Bronya's expressions darkened.
"Is there really no other way?"
Another Shiraki with healing magic would surely enter the mysterious space someday, but who knew how long that would take?
How long could Teacher Himeko hold on in this state?
Shiraki watched Kiana, thinking silently and seriously. After a long pause, he looked up. "There might be a method we could try."
"What method!?"
The moment he spoke, everyone whipped their heads toward him, faces lit with surprise.
Shiraki didn't answer, instead stepping to Kiana and taking her slender hand.
As their fingers intertwined, Kiana's eyes widened slightly, a spark of realization in her gaze.
Teacher Himeko's body was eroded by Honkai energy to a critical point, ruling out any "Honkai energy" related methods. Only non-Honkai tech or her own vitality could help her recover.
The former—most advanced treatments in this world relied on Honkai tech.
The latter—Murata Himeko was just an ordinary human, not a fusion warrior like Fu Hua with Honkai beast genes. Her natural recovery was within normal limits, utterly inadequate for injuries of this magnitude.
To pull Himeko out of danger, her self-healing ability needed a boost.
Self-healing tied to human physiology—how could that be enhanced?
But don't forget, another "Shiraki" existed in a world with creatures that could regenerate from mere cells—demons!
Upper Moon Six, Daki, was burned to ash, yet as a demon, she bounced back lively.
Turn Himeko into a demon, let her recover, then turn her back to human!
Or use demon cells to create a specialized recovery serum—both were viable options!
Of course, researching demon cells in a limited timeframe required a civilization-level biologist.
While no living civilization-grade biologists existed on Earth now, there were dead ones~!
"Elysian Realm, Mobius!"
Kiana murmured words the girls couldn't understand, her tone shifting from realization to excitement.