Fortunately, she had found an excuse.
The thought flashed briefly through Kiana's mind.
Otherwise, she truly wouldn't have known how to face Sirin afterward. If she had rejected her directly, they might not have even been able to stay friends.
Leaving things with some ambiguity was the best possible outcome.
She didn't have those kinds of feelings for Sirin. To her, their bond was pure friendship—nothing more.
"Ruan, huh… I like Ruan. Back when I hadn't recovered my memories, she was always there with me."
Whatever Ruan Mei's reasons were for staying by her side didn't matter—what mattered was that she had filled the emptiness in Kiana's heart.
And besides, Ruan Mei…
She was simply impossible not to like.
Her looks, her presence—everything about her hit Kiana's type perfectly. Not to mention, she almost never refused Kiana's requests.
With such a stunning woman by her side—
Who wouldn't fall for her?
Kiana justified herself with confidence, taking advantage of the fact that the person standing in front of her wasn't Acheron.
"…Just because of that?"
Sirin hadn't expected that answer at all. After a brief pause, she managed to squeeze out a rather dry response.
"There's more!"
Kiana perked up immediately, starting to count on her fingers. "Ruan's beautiful, super smart, and she treats me in such a special way…"
As she listed Ruan Mei's good qualities one after another, her expression softened, and her smile became almost sugary sweet.
Sweet enough to make Sirin's chest tighten uncomfortably.
"See? There's no reason not to like her, right?"
When she finally looked up, her eyes were filled with joy—but that joy clearly wasn't for the person standing before her.
It was for someone else.
"So Raiden Mei just accepted that?"
Accepted it?
Kiana hesitated, scratching her head awkwardly—the classic move of someone guilty. "I think Mei accepted it."
"And that genius from the Genius Society accepted it too?"
There was disbelief in Sirin's tone.
"Ruan doesn't mind."
Kiana lowered her hand and spoke seriously.
Mei had her opinions, but Ruan didn't seem bothered at all.
Sirin immediately caught the difference in tone between the two names, her expression turning skeptical. Weren't all those so-called geniuses from the Society famously proud and stubborn?
"Because Ruan likes me too."
Kiana turned to gaze at the starlit void beyond the window. "In her heart, I'm different. She wants me to stay by her side."
Kiana understood Ruan Mei better than anyone—her lighthearted attitude wasn't just her personality but also part of her careful calculation.
Ruan had weighed her options, considered every factor.
Kiana knew exactly what led her to that decision.
"I can't give up on Ruan, and I could never give up on Mei either. They don't want me to be torn between them, so they've chosen to bear the hardship themselves."
Kiana took a deep breath, her smile returning as she looked back at Sirin.
"I understand their effort and their sacrifices. I'll live up to their trust—I won't let them down."
Sirin's expression softened again. Though her feelings were still mixed, she eventually smiled. "Then you'd better work hard. Neither Raiden Mei nor that genius sound like the easy type to deal with."
So… she was giving up?
Kiana felt a quiet sigh of relief escape her, though she pretended to frown in mock indignation. "Hey, hey, isn't it rude to talk about my wives like that in front of me?"
"Your wives?"
Sirin raised an eyebrow. "Kiana, don't you have that backward? You look more like Raiden Mei's wife—no, more like her little housewife."
She nodded to herself, smirking.
"No way!"
Kiana puffed out her cheeks, dropping the act entirely. "Don't talk nonsense! That's slander—Mei is my wife!"
Sirin rubbed her chin, glancing at Kiana with a teasing glint. "So you don't think you look like Raiden Mei's little housewife, then?"
"How do I look like that?!"
Kiana nearly exploded. Sure, she wasn't as imposing as Acheron, and maybe her vibe wasn't as "dominant," but "little housewife"? No way!
How was she small, delicate, or wifely in any way?!
This was slander!
"I am not!"
"Not doing too great, are you, Raiden Mei? Can't even handle your own wife."
Sirin's sudden comment made Kiana jump in shock.
Like a startled cat, she spun around—only to crash straight into Acheron, who had somehow appeared behind her.
Acheron, expecting this, caught her effortlessly. Without glancing at Sirin, she simply murmured, "Thanks."
She had never actually left.
With Kiana still here, how could she possibly go elsewhere?
But she had been curious—curious what Sirin intended to say to Kiana, and how Kiana would respond. So she had just lowered her presence and quietly watched from the side.
And the result…
She was quite pleased.
Even hearing Kiana list off all of Ruan Mei's virtues hadn't dampened her mood in the slightest.
"Boring. If I were you, I'd have pinned her to the wall by now and kissed her—so she'd see clearly who the real 'wife' is."
Kiana, still overwhelmed with shock and embarrassment, went bright red on the spot. She turned toward Sirin, puffing up in outrage as she ground out two syllables between clenched teeth: "Si—rin!"
"That's why you're not me."
Though Acheron appreciated the things Sirin had said to cheer Kiana up earlier, that didn't mean she was going to be polite with her.
She patted Kiana on the head, then addressed Sirin directly. "Don't forget, Bronya told you to get back to work."
"How dull."
Sirin turned briskly on her heel and left, leaving the space to the two of them.
Kiana was clearly still bothered by what she had said. As she watched Sirin's retreating figure, a trace of irritation remained on her face.
The less true something was, the more it bothered her.
And right now, that described Kiana perfectly.
She grabbed Acheron's sleeve and looked up at her. "Mei is my wife, right?"
Seeing how seriously she asked, Acheron couldn't help but laugh softly, her violet eyes filled with quiet amusement. "Of course."
Of course…
It was exactly the answer Kiana wanted to hear—but it didn't make her happy. She could tell Acheron only said it to comfort her.
That wasn't what she really thought!
Back in her room, Kiana grew increasingly indignant the more she thought about it.
She was the Herrscher of Finality!
Didn't she deserve some respect?
Frustration building, she sat up and pulled out her phone, firing off a message to Ruan Mei, who was far away at the Space Station.
[Kiana: Ruan, you're my wife, right?!]
It was fine. She still had another wife, after all.
Ruan Mei must have been resting—or perhaps she had Kiana on special alert—because her reply came quickly.
[Ruan Mei: Wife?]
[Ruan Mei: Have you changed your mind?]
[Ruan Mei: Objectively speaking, Kiana, you're far more suited to the 'mother' role than I am.]
Kiana silently set down her phone.
Was that a reasonable response?
"This doesn't make sense at all."
[Ruan Mei: Kiana?]
Her phone vibrated again. It was Ruan Mei—still waiting for a reply, sounding slightly puzzled.
[Kiana: I just missed you, that's all!]
"…Missed me?"
Ruan Mei stared at the message for a moment, her thoughts drifting to the image of Kiana's ever-present smile.
Unlike her own polite, distant demeanor, Kiana's smile—though frequent—was always genuine.
And also a bit… simple-minded.
Just like Kiana herself.
[Ruan Mei: Then why not visit Herta's Space Station? I can make some time for you.]
But whether Kiana was clever or not had never mattered to her. What drew her in was something else entirely—something about Kiana herself.
Emotions had long been a concept Ruan Mei had fully analyzed and deconstructed, something she could regulate with ease. Nothing special.
And yet, because of Kiana, she found herself reexamining those long-disassembled emotions—and the unpredictable variables they could bring.
In life, emotion… perhaps it was something that could never truly be dismissed.
It was essential.
[Kiana: The Simulated Universe project must be important, right? Don't worry about me, Ruan. I'm still with Sirin and the others!]
[Kiana: Speaking of which, we're heading to the Luofu Xianzhou next.]
"The Xianzhou… Luofu?"
Ruan Mei's eyes narrowed slightly. A thought surfaced in her mind—only to be forcibly suppressed an instant later.
[Kiana: Once you finish your project, I'll come visit you at the Space Station, okay?]
[Ruan Mei: Alright. I'll be waiting for you.]
After their brief exchange, Ruan Mei set her phone aside and turned her gaze toward the violet cube floating within a containment chamber.
Rest? She didn't have time for that.
Even during stolen moments of leisure, she continued her unfinished experiments in the Space Station's lab.
The crystalline object before her—pure Honkai crystal—was something she had refined personally from Honkai energy. This unfamiliar field of study had consumed much of her time and effort.
Why?
Why waste so much time on something so unfamiliar, on an entirely alien concept?
Ruan Mei lowered her gaze, her thoughts quiet and dark. Perhaps it had started with that first meeting—the strange, captivating aura Kiana had radiated.
Honkai energy was peculiar.
Ruan Mei picked up the container and studied the small, palm-sized crystal within. Staring at it, a new idea took root in her mind.
If she combined this material with the offspring of Propagation, could she perhaps extend…
Far away aboard the Ark, Kiana remained blissfully unaware of Ruan Mei's dangerously brilliant thoughts. Otherwise, she would have flown to the Space Station that instant to cling to her leg and beg her not to do anything reckless.
With nothing better to do—and not wanting to distract Ruan Mei any further—Kiana sat on her bed and checked through the messages she had received from others lately.
First was Jyahnar, still not very skilled with her phone. Then came Robin, chatting about how things had been.
She was still steadfastly following her own Path.
When Acheron returned to the room, Kiana had just finished replying to everyone and was now idly playing a game on her phone.
"I just spoke with them for a bit," Acheron said from the doorway. "The Ark will be docked at the Xianzhou for at least half a month."
"So we're staying that long too?"
Kiana put down her phone and looked at her curiously.
"Unless something else comes up," Acheron replied, sitting beside her. "Sirin's right—this is my responsibility."
"But as for dealings between the Ark and the Xianzhou, that's not our concern. Sirin and Bronya will handle everything."
"Let's just treat it as a little vacation."
After thinking for a moment, she added, "The rest is in Sirin's hands—and mine. You don't need to worry about it."
Diplomatic matters, huh?
Kiana thought about it. She really couldn't help much. If it were Yaoqing, she'd at least know a few people.
But Luofu…
While she was familiar with the generals and astrologers of Luofu—her familiarity was purely one-sided.
The Luofu's calamity hadn't happened yet, so Kiana naturally had no advantage of foresight.
"I'll follow your lead," she said simply.
It was only a diplomatic visit—far from any major turning point in the story. Nothing troublesome was likely to happen at this stage.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Kiana seized the moment to wrap her arms around Acheron, rubbing her cheek against hers with a playful grin.
"Mei is my wife, right?"
"You're still thinking about what Sirin said?"
Acheron's voice softened as she tilted her head, placing a light kiss on Kiana's cheek. Amusement flickered in her tone. "Does it bother you that much?"
Her voice was already pleasant, but whispering beside Kiana's ear, it sent shivers straight to her heart.
Kiana's face flushed red, her gaze darting nervously. "N-not really… it's not that big of a deal…"
"Don't let others' opinions matter to you."
"I don't care what other people think!" Kiana retorted quickly.
She really didn't. She never had. The only reason she cared so much now… was because she had been thinking about it.
But… if it was Mei…
Her face turned even redder. Abruptly pulling away from Acheron, she grabbed her phone from the bed and said, "We've got nothing else to do—come play a game with me!"
There were so many games on her phone that she didn't even know where to start.
It was the perfect way to kill time.
After all, there was nothing urgent to do, and aboard the Ark, there wasn't much else she could do. If she didn't play, she'd just end up chatting idly.
"Game?"
Feeling the sudden loss of warmth, Acheron blinked, a faint trace of longing in her eyes. Her half-raised hand curled loosely, unnoticed.
"Yes!"
Kiana grinned. "Play with me! I never got to play games with Mei before."
"But I…"
"I'll teach you!"
"…Then I'll try."
Acheron agreed, willing to share the experience—even if she had never once touched a game before.
...
Time passed quickly, and before long, several days had gone by.
Kiana wasn't sure how the process worked exactly, but eventually, the Ark passed through the Jade Gate and docked at the Central Starskiff Haven of the Luofu Xianzhou.
An envoy from the Sky-Faring Commission came to greet them—but to Kiana's mild disappointment, it wasn't Tingyun, the one she remembered, but a foxian she didn't recognize.
From their conversation with Sirin and the others, however, Kiana gathered one key detail.
This envoy had apparently met the Ark's crew in another world—and had been the one to suggest the possibility of collaboration with the Xianzhou in the first place.
Kiana's expression turned a little strange.
No wonder Sirin had the idea to partner with the Xianzhou instead of the IPC or another faction—it turned out she'd just taken a polite Xianzhou remark at face value.