Chapter 76: Kiana: Dating Su Mu? You'll Need My Permission First!
With Kiana's interruption, the heavy atmosphere in the livestream instantly lightened. The audience agreed with Pardo; since this was Schicksal Headquarters, surely there had to be a way to treat Himeko.
In the game, Himeko and the others successfully occupied the Third Airport, finally gaining a moment to breathe. During this time, Raiden Mei approached Murata Himeko and proactively requested the removal of the bomb in her heart.
This had been mentioned previously in the side story of the Third Honkai Impact. After being brought back to St. Freya by Himeko, Raiden Mei lived in fear that her power would rampage again and hurt those around her. The ultimate solution was to implant a bomb in her heart, which could kill her instantly if she lost control. This was Raiden Mei's own wish.
But now, she requested its removal. The reason was simple: Mei knew that without the power of the Herrscher of Thunder, she had no way to rescue Kiana. Every bit of extra power meant a slightly higher chance of victory. Originally, she had been terrified of the Herrscher of Thunder inside her, fearing she would become a cold-blooded demon. Now, to save Kiana, she chose to face the Herrscher—to face herself.
[It looks like Mei has truly made up her mind!]
[A peak-level match! It's really going to be the Third Herrscher vs. the Second Herrscher!]
[I heard that usually, later Herrschers are stronger than the earlier ones?]
[Is that so? It doesn't look like it. Cecilia, an S-rank Valkyrie, died fighting the Second... but the Third and Fourth Herrschers' performances were honestly a bit embarrassing.]
[Maybe the Second Herrscher is just special? That's why she's so hard to handle!]
The audience realized that the highlight moment for Raiden Mei, transformed into the Third Herrscher, was likely imminent. They were ecstatic. This "it's my turn to save you" trope never gets old!
"Looks like it's Sister Mei's turn to perform," Pardo said with a grin. "The mission to rescue Kiana-chan is in your hands!"
Pardo's sudden comment startled Mei. She paused for a long while before replying, "Eh? I... I'll do my best...?"
Kiana tilted her chin up: "Hehe! No matter what, I believe in Mei! She'll definitely give Sirin a piece of her mind!"
Raiden Mei was a bit worried: "Kiana, isn't your relationship with Sirin usually... bad?"
Kiana explained: "It's a game, Mei! You can't let the real Sirin hear that, or I won't get any dinner!"
Mei held her forehead, looking troubled. "As the older sister, you're being taken care of by a sister in high school... Kiana, can't you try learning to cook...?"
"Why don't you come live with us too, Mei? My house is quite big!"
"You just want me to cook for you, don't you? Not a chance. Kiana, you're not at school anymore; you should learn to be independent..."
"Okay, okay, I get it..." Kiana lowered her head like a child who had done something wrong.
Pardo looked surprised: "I didn't expect Sister Mei to suppress Kiana-chan so easily... I guess everyone has their match?"
[LMAO, President Kiana is a lifestyle disaster in real life?]
[Whatever, she's a company president; why shouldn't she enjoy herself?]
[President Kiana can just let her boyfriend cook for her!]
"W-What boyfriend! Stop talking nonsense!" Kiana glared huffily at the camera. "I don't have a boyfriend, stop spreading rumors!"
[Brothers, I work at a company in the Arc Commercial Building, I can testify! President Kiana is often seen in pairs with a handsome young guy!]
[True, my friend is a receptionist at the building. They say he's the Game Director, name's Su Mu!]
[Su Mu? Call him God Su! Don't you know God Su is a legend in the gaming world?]
[President Kiana, how's the progress with your little boyfriend?]
"If you keep spreading rumors, I'll ban all of you!" Little boyfriend? These guys just want to see the world burn!
"Kiana, you have a boyfriend?" Raiden Mei's expression was also surprised. But immediately, she used a tissue to dab her moistening eyes. "That's wonderful! Kiana... if someone is taking care of you, I can finally rest easy..."
Uh... wait.
"Hey, hey, hey! Mei, what's with this 'mother' tone?" What's with this 'overjoyed mother finally seeing her useless daughter get married' vibe?
"Nothing, I'm just so happy."
Pardo was sweating beside her. She could tell Mei was genuinely happy, but there was a hint of relief in that happiness. Seriously, Kiana-chan, what kind of image do you have in the minds of your friends and family?
It took Kiana quite some effort to clarify that she was currently single. "Besides, I'm several years older than him! How could I like a younger boy!"
Pardo suddenly interjected: "Really? I think Brother Su Mu is quite nice. He's handsome and smart; I almost want to pursue him myself."
Kiana, who had just finished explaining, suddenly slammed the table: "No! Absolutely not!"
Seeing Kiana's panicked state, Pardo asked teasingly: "Kiana-chan, why are you so nervous? I thought you didn't like him!"
"T-That and this are two different things!" Kiana didn't know how to explain. She couldn't exactly say Su Mu was bound by the system, could she?
"Oh~" Pardo gave Kiana a meaningful look that said, I get it, I totally get it.
Kiana put her hands on her hips: "Anyway, nobody is allowed to date Su Mu without my permission!"
Pardo's eyes twinkled with mischief: "Eh? But Kiana-chan, you don't 'own' Su Mu. You don't have a reason to stop Brother Su Mu from dating freely, do you?"
"Who says! I'm his boss!"
"A boss doesn't have the right to decide an employee's love life, right?"
"Uh..." Kiana was stumped for an argument.
Seeing Kiana in a bind, Pardo laughed and gave her an out: "Alright, alright, I was just teasing you! I know! It's because Director Su Mu is so focused on work that he doesn't have time to date, right?"
Kiana quickly took the exit: "Right, right! That's exactly it!"
The matter passed, but a warning bell rang in Kiana's mind. She wasn't sure if Pardo was serious about pursuing Su Mu! Regardless, she couldn't let Su Mu be taken away so easily! If he were to date... right, he should date someone closely connected to miHoYo! That way, he'd be tied to the company!
Someone closely connected to the company, on good terms with Su Mu, and with potential for development... Besides me, isn't that... Bronya?!
Kiana felt like she had discovered a new continent. Yes! Bronya! "As long as Su Mu and Bronya date, I won't have to worry about him being headhunted..." Kiana smiled to herself, her mind already spinning with new schemes.
After the antics, Pardo's stream continued. In the game, Himeko and Tesla went to shut down the Honkai Reactors in a certain sector. At the same time, Fu Hua, who had returned to Schicksal, rendezvoused with Rita.
She learned from Rita that Durandal, Captain of the Immortal Blades, was busy clearing Honkai Beasts from the headquarters, so Otto had ordered Rita to stay and assist Fu Hua. "Assist" likely carried a heavy implication of "surveil."
The mission details... Rita put it delicately:
["Lord Theresa of the Far East Branch has led Anti-Entropy forces to occupy the Third Airport. The Overseer hopes we can go and help her 'calm down'."]
["Understood. But I have one condition: do not harm them."]
["Rest assured. The Overseer does not wish for Theresa or her subordinates to be injured either."]
Thus, Fu Hua and Rita set off for the Third Airport to suppress the Far East Branch. Meanwhile, Himeko and Tesla entered Schicksal's defensive perimeter. When asked about the plan, Tesla replied:
["A plan? I think we should call Otto on a private line and ask him to turn off all the Honkai Reactors. Then he can roll out a red carpet for us, and we can open some champagne in the lab. What do you think of that plan?"]
["Hmph! What plan could there be? We smash everything in sight to smithereens, obviously!"]
The conversation between Himeko and Tesla gave the audience a better look at the twin-tailed Dr. Tesla.
[Haha! I love this hot-tempered redhead!]
[She's right! Smash it all! Fighting is what matters!]
[I'm starting to like Tesla, what do I do?]
The fans loved her bluntness, as she spoke what they felt: just smash everything! Combat was all that mattered! During their time together, Tesla finally revealed why she came on this dangerous mission: because she saw that Himeko was a fool. A fool who wanted to sacrifice herself to pave the way for her comrades. Precisely because Himeko didn't have much time left, she wanted to take on the most dangerous tasks. Though Tesla had a fiery temper, she was observant and sensitive.
Shutting down the reactors wasn't easy, but they managed it despite the resistance. After the task, Tesla stepped on a Schicksal mech and declared victory:
["Hmph! Schicksal is so weak! Calling this scrap metal 'mechs' is an insult to Titans!"]
However, before Tesla could celebrate, an uninvited guest appeared on her mech!
["Oh... a new Anti-Entropy model? It looks like... cleaning it up will be a bit troublesome..."]
Rita Rossweisse! In the next instant, Rita swung her weapon, destroying Tesla's mech in a flash!
["Dr. Tesla, watch out!"]
Rita's appearance put Himeko on high alert. She knew all too well how powerful the Vice-Captain of the Immortal Blades was!
["Please give up your resistance, Major."]
Himeko was about to draw her claymore, but Fu Hua appeared behind her as if out of thin air!
["Drop your weapon. I will not hurt you. Coming here was a mistake. Kiana, she..."]
Himeko already knew what Fu Hua was going to say and cut her off:
["She isn't the real Kiana. Theresa and I have known for a long time."]
Fu Hua was startled by her words and asked:
["Then why...? Her power is unstable and could rampage at any moment. Leaving her free is a threat to humanity."]
Facing Fu Hua, Murata Himeko replied:
["On one hand, you speak high-sounding words; on the other, you push an innocent girl toward death—Fu Hua, is this your justice?"]
Faced with Himeko's challenge, Fu Hua spoke again:
["To fight the Honkai, sacrifice is inevitable. Major, you should know better than anyone that ill-timed pity only leads to more terrible consequences."]
Himeko closed her eyes at Fu Hua's words and spoke slowly after a moment:
["You don't understand the meaning of 'sacrifice is inevitable'."]
["Fu Hua, what is truly terrifying isn't how many lives this world takes."]
["It's how many people become accustomed to the loss of those lives."]
With those words, the negotiations were clearly over. Himeko's line instantly set the livestream on fire.
[Holy crap! Auntie Himeko is so cool!]
[Is this the reliable speech of a mature adult?!]
[Himeko is a true teacher; even now, she doesn't forget to teach Fu Hua!]
"Mhm, Himeko is a great teacher. To say something like that, she must have truly experienced a lot," Pardo said with deep respect. Though she didn't know Himeko in real life, the Himeko in the game was a true "Valkyrie" and a true "Teacher."
"It really sounds like something Professor Himeko would say," Raiden Mei smiled. "For some reason, I feel that even though it's a game, the Himeko here is just like the one I know."
"Wait, those are really words Auntie Himeko could say? That drunkard Auntie? Is Su Mu just making her look good!?"
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
But Kiana suddenly remembered something. Due to her previous frantic state, she hadn't paid much attention. "Wait, now that I think about it... I never went to Auntie Himeko for her authorization? Then who did?"
Pardo looked confused: "Kiana-chan, don't you know?"
Kiana: "Know what?"
Pardo's expression was odd: "Brother Su Mu's landlord... is Murata Himeko."
Kiana's eyes went wide: "Who? You mean who?!"
Bad! I didn't see that coming! Help! That aging, single "old lady" Himeko—if she sees a "fresh meat" like Su Mu, she'll swallow him whole!
I've guarded against everyone, but am I going to be sniped by Auntie Himeko?!
END OF CHAPTER
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