In fact, it wasn't just Kiana. Even Mei, who had just finished preparing breakfast and came out of the kitchen, and Yuno, who had prepared study materials for Kiana, were both taken aback when they saw Fu Hua's appearance.
Although they had no prejudice against Fu Hua herself, the established impression everyone had of Fu Hua was that of a prim and proper student.
And now, her clothes... well, actually, what Fu Hua was wearing was just a very ordinary girlish outfit.
But seeing this outfit on Fu Hua gave everyone a huge sense of contrast.
It wasn't that Fu Hua had instantly transformed into a peerless beauty capable of toppling cities just by changing her clothes.
In fact, even now, the impression Fu Hua gave was merely that of a rather pretty, youthful girl.
But, when comparing the previous impression of Fu Hua with her current image, everyone suddenly realized—the sense of novelty brought by this contrast was indeed quite attractive.
"Ah, you're ready?"
Leo, who had also changed into casual clothes, walked out of his room and naturally headed towards the main door.
Seeing Leo, Fu Hua also calmly followed him.
For Kiana, there was now good news and bad news.
The good news was that she could see that the two people leaving the house calmly did not have the intimacy of lovers on their faces.
But the bad news was—the atmosphere between the two was just too strange.
It was so stable, almost like an old married couple who had been together for years. There was not a single trace of abnormality in their actions.
At this moment, Kiana even recalled a line from a Shenzhou movie she had watched some time ago.
'They are a talented man and a beautiful woman, a match made in heaven. What right do you, a demon, have to object?'
Kiana wasn't a demon, but if she had to say, she really had no right to object...
Pfft, pfft, pfft!
What's this about a talented man and a beautiful woman!
They're just going out together for a bit. My relationship with Senior was forged through life and death!
*Don't overthink it, don't overthink it—anyway, the invincible Bronya will give me updates in the morning.*
"Big Sister Kiana."
Bronya, walking out of her room, looked at Kiana speechlessly and said softly to the still-dazed girl.
"Big Brother Leo is already far away. You should hurry up and finish breakfast and start studying."
"...I know, I know."
Reluctantly walking to the dining table, Kiana channeled her frustration into strength and began to devour the food in front of her at top speed.
"According to the plan we made last night, Big Sister Yuno is responsible for helping Big Sister Kiana with her studies, and Big Sister Mei is responsible for preparing lunch—after all, there's a high probability that Big Brother Leo and Class Rep Fu Hua will eat out before coming back, so we can't count on him to cook today."
Picking up a dish, Bronya looked at Kiana, who was rapidly demolishing her food, and sighed faintly.
"Also, Big Sister Kiana, you promised Bronya that you would study hard."
"Only when Big Sister Yuno tells Bronya that you can pass the pop quiz after your tutoring session will Bronya tell you the information she's gathered."
"Hmph, that's just a piece of cake for me!"
Taking a fierce bite of the hot dog in her hand, Kiana said viciously.
"Today, this young lady will prove with her skills—that this young lady is not an idiot!"
*No, from the moment everyone could see what you were thinking, you were already an idiot.*
Looking at the still-fuming Kiana, Bronya suddenly felt that she didn't quite understand what she was doing anymore.
Helping her companions to score points with Himeko and Theresa, thereby allowing her to get promoted faster within Schicksal and gain more say.
These plans were sound in theory, but in terms of execution...
—Ah, helping a jealous idiot to see what another clueless idiot is doing, how does Bronya feel that this is just a waste of time.
But for now, the girl ultimately chose to hide her inner thoughts and began to finish her own portion of the food on the table.
The reason she planned to hide in her room this morning, waiting for Yuno's message before sending the intel to Yuno and Kiana, was actually for another reason.
Although today was a day off, Theresa and Himeko had been forced to go to St. Freya High School for overtime to handle some matters.
And Fu Hua, who was always meticulous, and Leo, who knew her true identity, wouldn't be appearing in the dorm anytime soon.
Under these circumstances, she could safely and boldly use the dorm's network to gather recent news about Anti-Entropy.
*Sigh, because I'm worried that Schicksal might trace me, I've proactively blocked the signals from the bio-chip in my brain.*
*I hope Mother Cocolia hasn't continued to use extreme methods to provoke people she shouldn't have during this time.*
She doesn't have many Titan mechs left on hand. If she pulls off a few more unreliable grand plans like the one in Nagazora City, then...
—Before she could find a way to rescue Seele, Bronya would probably have to find a way to save her own life first.
In the commercial street, Fu Hua looked at Leo walking ahead and took the initiative to speak to him.
"Leo, you haven't said yet, what exactly do you need my help with?"
"Ah, about that."
Leo stopped in his tracks, looking at the shops along the street with a troubled expression, and said to Fu Hua beside him.
"My older sister's birthday is coming up. But... I'm ashamed to say, I don't know what she likes."
"For the past two years, because of the trauma in my heart, I didn't care about these things."
"But now that I think about it, she saved my life, yet I didn't even remember her birthday or give her a birthday present. That's really not right."
*His older sister... I see, he means Rita Rossweisse.*
Fu Hua, who knew Leo's background, sighed softly upon hearing his words.
If she didn't know Leo's past, his actions just now would have made him seem like a slightly shy boy who wanted to repay his sister and asked for help in choosing a birthday gift.
But the problem was, for someone who valued family but had actively become an avenger, the act of giving a gift might not be a good sign.
According to Rita's private conversations with Fu Hua, in Rita's eyes, Leo had become 'a naughty little brother who acts recklessly behind my back.'
And in reality—Leo was indeed such a person.
He obtained his Stigmata in Nagazora City, and although the mission in Nagazora City only became so dangerous later on, Leo himself had applied for this mission to accumulate merit for a chance to go to the battlefield.
For Leo, stepping onto the battlefield was the first step in his revenge against the Honkai.
But for Rita, it was 'my stupid little brother is trying to get himself killed, what a headache.'
*Sigh, it seems that Leo, just as he said, does possess the emotions a normal person should have.*
*But this doesn't mean that his self-destructive tendencies have decreased.*
*On the contrary, he has become even more 'dangerous' in my eyes.*
Leo feels gratitude towards his adoptive sister Rita, cares about the mental well-being of his companions, and has even noticed that the others are looking at him strangely.
However, for such a seemingly normal person to essentially be an avenger seeking revenge on the Honkai is even more terrifying.
His current actions are enough to show that he is taking such actions while being aware that Rita, Kiana, and the others are worried about him.
If even the bonds of family and friendship cannot stop him from walking the path of destruction, then now...
—It seems that only by passing the Edge of Taixu to him can I help him die a little slower.
Yes, in Fu Hua's eyes, the probability of Leo's death was actually very high.
Leo had enough talent, a terrifying mental state, and a reasonably good intellect. Given enough time, his growth into an S-rank knight would be a matter of course.
But this person, who seemed very stable on the surface, was more anxious than anyone else on the inside. For such a self-destructive Leo, the probability of him growing up was far more remote than that of him dying halfway.
"A gift for your sister, huh..."
After thinking for a moment, Fu Hua felt that she should just be direct.
She was not an eloquent person to begin with, so in this situation, she could only try to use sincerity to make Leo change his mind.
"I don't know what your sister likes. But believe me, more than any gift in these stores, what she wants most is for you to be safe and sound."
"Yeah, I know that too."
Listening to Fu Hua's words, Leo walked into a shop and deliberately muttered to himself in a low voice.
"Of course, I know that."
"So, why don't you..."
"—But, for me to stop, that's obviously impossible."
Walking over to a display of accessories, Leo said calmly to Fu Hua.
"I am my sister's younger brother, but at the same time, I am a warrior of Schicksal."
"In the past, I was a powerless weakling, so that was that. But now that I have power, to choose to be a coward who fears death at a time like this would be too shameful."
"If I chose to avoid battle for those reasons, my sister wouldn't have been able to save me from... from the Honkai Zombies."
"Without our seniors stepping up to fight the Honkai, 100% more ordinary people like my past self would have died."
"It's fine for those without ability to choose to retreat, but since I have the ability, I should of course continue to walk down the path that everyone has worked so hard to forge."
"I believe that as long as we keep moving forward, the path will continue to extend."
"So, I keep telling myself—don't you ever stop."
[Watching the astonishment and helplessness on Fu Hua's face, you understand that your speech has clearly moved her.]
[And facing Fu Hua, who is now showing a bitter smile, you know—she has been completely taken in by the persona you've established.]
[Sigh, at this moment, you can't help but marvel. This person has lived for fifty thousand years and is still so easy to deceive. Sooner or later, you can...]
*Forget it. Being able to fool someone for a moment doesn't mean you can fool them for a lifetime.*
*Those who treat others as fools will sooner or later face the consequences.*
As for Fu Hua, after hearing this speech, she suddenly felt that she was incredibly foolish.
Even if she had burned a large number of memories, over the years, she had seen far too many warriors who joined Schicksal to fight the Honkai.
To put it bluntly, for those who have joined Schicksal, who would be the kind of coward to shrink back because of fear and worry.
My earlier advice... I'm such an idiot.
Even if Leo is an avenger, he has his own beliefs.
For someone with firm beliefs, my useless words are not only ineffective but also an insult to his beliefs.
Looking at Leo before her, Fu Hua shook her head with a bitter smile and completely cast aside the idea of admonishing him.
Then, she looked at the items on the accessory rack and shook her head helplessly at Leo.
"I don't know your sister's tastes either, so I'm sorry, I can't give you much advice on this."
"But if I had to say..."
Casually picking up a doll charm, Fu Hua handed it to Leo.
"My intuition tells me that if you give her this, she might be a little happier."
After taking the charm from Fu Hua, Leo took a closer look—huh, isn't this Theresa?
Come to think of it, Theresa seems to have an identity in the real world... I think?
Oh, I remember now. Theresa seems to have an idol identity in the outside world.
He forgot whether the event with Kiana's zero-point test paper happened in a parallel world, but considering that Theresa herself probably didn't care about such things, it didn't seem to be a big problem for Theresa's charms to be sold in St. Freya High School.
Besides, Rita would actually like this thing.
From Fu Hua's reaction now, she should have firmly believed in the persona I've presented.
In Otto's absence, this level of deception is sufficient.
Alright, the first act of the play ends here.
The second act...
—Let's wait until March 15th to talk about it.
...