Kiana believed that the advantage was still hers.
As long as she could gather enough power before the Honkai Energy concentration skyrocketed to absurd levels—enough to stand against it—then every enemy would simply become fuel for her to grow stronger, the nourishment for her power to resist the shadow of oblivion threatening Izumo.
But what she needed most right now was a bit of starting capital—and an opportunity to begin that climb.
All her hopes rested on Sirin.
Kiana had never missed someone so much—not out of sentiment, but simply because she couldn't stop thinking about the money Sirin had promised her.
And in the midst of that growing impatience—
The next morning, Tanaka Nao finally brought good news.
After working tirelessly overnight, she had managed to get Yae Sakura's contact information from a friend, reached out to her, and—with Yae's permission—forwarded her contact to Mei.
Bless this kind-hearted Miss Tanaka.
Mei opened the contact that had been shared with her. The profile picture wasn't of the person herself, but of a sakura forest with petals gently falling.
"Yae Sakura?"
Kiana said she was a good person.
While sending a friend request, Mei's mind drifted back to what they had discussed yesterday, which she still hadn't fully sorted out.
"She accepted!" Kiana exclaimed.
"Hold on, I'll ask her now."
Mei opened the chat, ready to greet her—but before she could type, a message popped up: "Please wait a moment."
Please wait?
"Is she busy with something?"
Kiana frowned, a little puzzled. If she could reply immediately, she obviously wasn't in battle.
"It's fine," Mei said after thinking it over. "I'll just send the message anyway. She can reply when she's free."
"Oh, right—leave her a message."
It wasn't an urgent matter requiring back-and-forth conversation. They just needed to ask if she had Sirin's contact information. She'd reply when she had time.
'Hello, I'm Raiden Mei.'
'Sorry to bother you, but do you happen to have Miss Sirin's contact information?'
'There's something urgent I'd like to discuss with her.'
"This should be fine, right?"
After sending the three messages, Mei started thinking about what to say once they actually got in touch with Sirin.
She definitely needed to ask about what Tanaka Nao had mentioned yesterday—and, of course, there was the matter of the money Sirin owed Kiana. That was very important to her.
But how exactly did one bring up a debt like that?
She had no experience in this area.
Suddenly, the chat showed the words "Typing…" from Yae Sakura's end. Mei raised her eyebrows, expecting a reply.
But then the indicator disappeared again, as if she'd imagined it—and Yae Sakura's icon dimmed shortly after.
"She went offline?"
"Maybe something urgent came up?" Kiana tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Maybe she had to attend a meeting."
"…A meeting?"
"Yeah, you know—meetings are important, and you can't just play with your phone during them."
"Well, that's true."
Mei hadn't expected "meetings" to be a part of the Sentinels' daily lives. For a moment, she realized her own imagination might have been a bit old-fashioned.
Kiana placed a hand over Mei's. "It's fine. She'll definitely reply when she sees it."
"Hopefully she knows Sirin."
"And if she doesn't, that's okay too," Kiana said with a grin. "I can introduce them later. Besides, getting in touch with Yae Sakura is already a lucky bonus—she knows your father, and I bet she knows way more than Tanaka Nao. We can even ask her about what happened yesterday."
"…My father replied to me."
Mei had wanted to tell Kiana about it yesterday, but she'd accidentally fallen asleep, so she'd kept it to herself until now.
"Huh?"
She lowered her gaze, her tone faint. "Just a short message. I don't know what he's really thinking, but… it doesn't matter anymore."
Seeing Mei's saddened expression, Kiana held her hand tightly, fumbling for words of comfort. "Don't be sad, Mei. I'm here for you. No matter what happens, I'll always be by your side."
Always be by her side?
Mei looked up, surprised. "Really?"
Kiana nodded eagerly with a bright smile. "Of course it's true! As long as you need me, Mei, I'll always be right here!"
As long as she needed her, she would stay by her side?
Mei's eyes softened with emotion. She instinctively reached out and took Kiana's hands. "…Thank you, Kiana."
I'm really glad… you're here with me.
"This is what I should do," Kiana said shyly, a little flustered by Mei's heartfelt gratitude while holding her hands.
Mei shook her head gently. "Kiana, no matter what happens in the future, I'll stay by your side too."
Hearing her own words echoed back at her, Kiana suddenly realized just how dangerous her earlier impulsive promise had been.
No wonder Mei had gone silent for a moment.
"…Yeah! We'll always be together."
If they had to leave, they'd leave together. If they had to stay, they'd stay together. Kiana couldn't help but think that to herself.
The gloom that had hung in Mei's heart was gone. She relaxed, smiling softly at Kiana. But after a few seconds, she noticed something—how close they were. The warmth of Kiana's hands. The gaze they were sharing.
This… this was way beyond what friends usually did, wasn't it?
Who holds hands, looks each other in the eye, and says they'll always be together?
How was this any different from a confession?
Realizing it only now, Mei's face flushed a little. Still, her composure—honed through many trials—kept her from pulling away in embarrassment. She didn't retreat, didn't break eye contact.
Instead, she spoke as if nothing had happened. "Hopefully Miss Yae knows Miss Sirin. I know you're eager to hear news about her."
"…N-no, that's not it."
Kiana's face reddened even more. Was she that easy to read? Okay, maybe a little—fine, more than a little. The more she dreamed about punching her way through the world, the more impatient she got waiting for Sirin's promised payment.
"Sirin… she'll probably make a move soon," Kiana said quickly. "I'm sure she's been preparing my reward since she got back."
It would just take a little time.
After all, other people couldn't slay Kami without risking the curse or corruption that came with it. Turning that kind of power into a neat, portable crystal wasn't exactly easy.
She understood all that—but still, the waiting made her restless. Not anxious, just… eager! Yes, eager!
Seeing Kiana's utterly convinced expression, Mei couldn't help but ask, "Preparing your reward right away? I doubt it. The news about the Honkai is more urgent. And besides, haven't you only met her twice?"
"Yes, just twice—but we got along really well! And sure, the Honkai's a big deal, but I know she won't go back on her word. I can feel it. That's my intuition."
"…Your intuition, huh."
What a convenient explanation.
Still, wasn't Kiana a little too trusting of others?