Kiana wasn't surprised at all by what Leo Ash said.
From the moment Leo Ash had chased her to the television tower and then jumped with her from a height of over twenty stories, Kiana, if she had even a shred of intelligence, should have guessed Leo Ash's identity.
To put it bluntly, the hidden side of this world contained powers that surpassed those of ordinary humans.
Not to mention others, Kiana, with her Kaslana bloodline, was actually much stronger than ordinary people.
But those who could wield such power usually had some sort of background.
Furthermore, Siegfried had also told Kiana that Anti-Entropy focused on mechanical technology to create mechs, while Schicksal leaned more towards using biotechnology to enhance the human body. When Kiana saw that Leo Ash's physical strength was considerable, she had already roughly guessed that Leo Ash was from Schicksal.
But now, Leo Ash chose not to hide this information, instead openly and honestly revealing his identity and purpose to Kiana...
Frankly, it was a big plus.
But a plus was a plus. Kiana wasn't about to obediently follow Leo Ash back to Schicksal HQ just because he said so.
"Senior, even if you say that—I still don't want to go back to Schicksal HQ."
Kiana let out a soft sigh and said to Leo Ash with a sense of helplessness.
"My dad also told me that there are actually a lot of good people in Schicksal."
"But the top boss isn't a good person, and he has a grudge against my dad—if I go back at a time like this, he'll definitely find a way to get back at me."
*No, no, no, he is absolutely the person most concerned about your safety.*
*Besides your dad, he is definitely the last person who would want any harm to come to you.*
"So, Senior, thank you very much for your care."
After mounting Leo Ash's motorcycle, Kiana picked up a helmet, preparing to put it on.
"But I still won't go back to Schicksal with you."
"Wait a minute."
Seeing Kiana about to leave, Leo Ash immediately called out to her.
"Did you forget something?"
"Huh? Forget what?"
At this moment, Leo Ash walked to the front of the motorcycle, looked at Kiana calmly, and said slowly.
"This is my bike."
"Robbing me in broad daylight, that's not very nice, is it?"
...
*No, wait a second.*
*The atmosphere was just right. Shouldn't you be choosing to watch me ride off into the distance at a time like this????*
Looking at the boy before her, Kiana angrily put the helmet back down.
"Cheapskate! You were the one who told me to ditch the motorcycle before!"
"Nonsense. Your junky motorcycle, were you going to leave it there to be chased down by car and then shot at with a rocket launcher?"
"Besides..."
Recalling Kiana's motorcycle, Leo Ash revealed a disdainful smile.
"That was a men's motorcycle, and with that color scheme and design, it looked like something from a bōsōzoku gang no matter how you look at it."
"Are you sure that bike was yours?"
"What about you, then?"
Looking at this brand-new motorcycle, Kiana said irritably.
"This bike isn't cheap either. Where did you get so much money!"
And after saying this, Kiana saw the expression on Leo Ash's face change instantly.
She could feel that Leo Ash seemed... much more relieved.
*Strange, does that sentence have such a good calming effect?*
"Are you stupid, Kiana?"
"I'm from Schicksal. Schicksal is the world's largest anti-Honkai organization."
"Why would you think that I, as a member of Schicksal, would have this kind of funding problem while on a mission?"
Reaching into his clothes, Leo Ash took something out of his storage space.
But in Kiana's eyes, she only saw Leo Ash pull out a... from an inner pocket of his clothes.
"This is the receipt."
Seeing the humbled look on Kiana's face, Leo Ash genuinely felt much more at ease.
Ever since he saw Kiana this morning, he had felt that she was a completely different person from the legendary paramecium.
Clear-headed, quick-witted, the idea of being tricked into bed twenty-something times was simply non-existent.
She didn't press on many matters purely because she didn't care, not because she was truly an idiot.
But just now, when she started wanting to argue over these trivialities, Leo Ash realized something.
Kiana's intelligence was there, but her common sense didn't necessarily keep up with her line of thought.
*If there's a flaw in her thinking, then at least I still have a chance to dupe her into coming with me.*
At the same time, Leo Ash suddenly saw a panel pop up from the System.
*Oh, Kiana's character profile template.*
[Name: Kiana Kaslana (K423)]
[Identity: Herrscher of the Void's host, may awaken when stimulated, your junior.]
[Current Affection: 48]
[Note: If your previous actions hadn't been so extreme, and you hadn't punched her, the affection level would probably be higher.]
Then, he saw the 48 in the affection level suddenly start to drop.
47.9... 47.8... 47.7...
Although it was dropping slowly, it meant—this little brat was still angry after all.
"Alright, I'll stop teasing you."
Looking at the fuming Kiana, Leo Ash put away the receipt, pulled the key from the ignition, and handed it to her.
"Here, it's yours."
Looking at the key Leo Ash handed over, the anger on Kiana's face gradually disappeared.
Then, a look of confusion appeared on her face.
"...Aren't you afraid I'll ride off on the motorcycle?"
"Nonsense. If you want to run, can I stop you?"
"I can't do anything if you want to run, but before you do, there are some things I need to tell you."
"Schicksal dispatched a bunch of people to Nagazora City to protect you this time, but my comrades are all dead."
"Although there's no proof, they were most likely killed by people from Anti-Entropy."
"And according to our investigation, Cocolia, an Anti-Entropy executive, plans to trigger a large-scale Honkai Eruption in Nagazora City."
"Based on analysis of data in the Schicksal database, this large-scale eruption might be on the same level as the Second Eruption from fourteen years ago, where the S-rank Valkyrie Cecilia Schariac died in battle."
Hearing that name, Kiana couldn't help but interrupt Leo Ash on the spot.
"Wait a minute? This eruption is on the same level as the Second Eruption where my mom Cecilia died?"
"I, I'm a bit confused."
"Anti-Entropy... Dad had a high opinion of them."
"They're now preparing to cause a Honkai Eruption... Is, is that really possible?"
.