"Mmm…"
With a soft groan, Sakura, who had fainted from blood loss, regained consciousness.
The first thing she did upon opening her eyes was to frantically search for Rin, but she saw nothing.
However, from the scent in the air, Sakura could tell that Rin wasn't far away.
She could sense Rin's joyful aura, and her anxious heart gradually calmed down.
Only then did she begin to examine where she was and the wound on her arm.
"My arm doesn't hurt… and the wound is gone… How strange, why is that…?
Ugh… this place looks a bit familiar… it seems to be my room.
Looks like Rin brought Ryn and the others back to our home."
Sakura scratched her head and extended her slender legs from under the covers, preparing to get out of bed to look for Rin.
But as her foot left the bed, the sensation that met her wasn't the cold floor, but a soft body.
Sakura quickly retracted her foot and then leaned over to see what was lying beside her bed.
Coincidentally, Elysia had also just woken up from being stepped on by Sakura.
The two of them, one on the bed and one below, looked at each other.
Elysia rubbed her eyes and then broke into a happy smile.
"Big Sis Sakura, you're awake!"
"Elysia… why are you here?"
Sakura subconsciously pulled the blanket tighter, protecting her body as she retreated to the far corner of the bed.
Then Sakura looked down at her body under the covers.
Hmm…
Her clothes were not the ones she and Rin had worn when they went out…
My innocence is gone…
Sakura lost all her strength and leaned against the wall. Her face became lifeless, completely devoid of any will to live.
Elysia blinked, then patted her own face. Was she seeing things? Why did it look like Sakura's soul had already left her body and ascended to the heavens?
"Sakura?"
"Big Sis Sakura?"
Elysia called out twice, but Sakura didn't respond, as if she were dead.
"Sakura, are you dead? If so, I'll have to get you while you're still warm! Hehehe—"
Elysia flashed a lewd grin, rubbing her hands together as she pounced towards Sakura.
"!!!"
Sakura quickly raised a pillow to block Elysia, dodging to the side and causing the lunging Elysia to crash headfirst into the wall.
"Miss Elysia, I'm sorry… but could you please act a little more normal? You're scaring me…"
"Ehehe, just kidding~"
Elysia rubbed her reddened forehead, sticking out her tongue to act cute.
Although Little Elysia loved pretty girls, she wasn't so desperate as to pounce on every beautiful girl she saw for a hug.
It was just that seeing Sakura, a rare and incredibly beautiful girl with the same hair color as her, had gotten Elysia a little excited.
Besides, in Elysia's mind, wasn't it normal for girls to be close?
Just like how boys would put their arms around each other's shoulders, huddle together, and occasionally even form a "human pyramid."
Girls holding hands while chatting and shopping, or pressing their cheeks together for a hug, isn't that all very normal~
"Miss Elysia, I'm very sorry for the harm I caused you due to my earlier impatience… but can you tell me where my little sister is now? Is she okay?"
Sakura already knew she had likely misunderstood Ryn and Elysia, but the image of Rin being frightened by her crazed appearance before she passed out was forever etched in her mind.
Elysia touched her lips with her fingertip, tilting her head slightly as she thought.
"Rin? She's doing great right now. But I'm not sure if she's woken up yet…"
"As long as she's okay…"
Hearing from Elysia that Rin was fine, combined with her own senses, Sakura was finally able to relax.
Afterward, Sakura knelt on the bed and performed a dogeza, a formal bow of apology, to Elysia.
"Ah! Sakura, what are you doing? Get up! Dad said I can't just accept people kowtowing to me."
"No… this isn't just any kowtow. It's a rather formal way of apologizing."
Sakura explained to Elysia with a serious face, then loudly apologized for attacking her earlier.
"I'm sorry, Elysia, for causing you significant harm due to my own emotional state! I'm truly sorry!"
"Get up, get up, there's no need to apologize!" Elysia grabbed Sakura's hands and pulled her up.
Ryn had already told her his theory, so Elysia knew that Sakura had gone berserk because Ryn had taken Rin and shielded them from the outside world, preventing Sakura from sensing her.
If they were to assign blame, shouldn't Ryn be the main culprit?
As for Sakura's attack? Sorry, it didn't even break her defense…
Although Ryn hadn't told Elysia that she was a natural-born Herrscher, Elysia knew she was different. Ryn had told her it was because she inherited Kiana's constitution—tough skin, thick flesh, and innate divine strength.
Aside from Honkai energy and Honkai energy-based weapons, normal methods couldn't break through her defenses.
So, Sakura's attacks, other than feeling a little uncomfortable, were like playing a game to Elysia.
Compared to the physical harm Sakura caused her, Elysia felt that cutting Sakura's arm and leaving a terrifying image in front of Rin caused her more emotional distress.
Because Sakura and Rin were sad…
Seeing others sad and in pain made Elysia feel very sad too.
So, Elysia, imitating Sakura's manner, sincerely and seriously apologized to Sakura.
But Sakura felt Elysia was being unreasonable. How could Elysia think that just because she wasn't hurt, Sakura didn't have to take responsibility for attacking her and even apologize to her instead.
So Sakura continued to apologize. Seeing that Sakura wasn't accepting it, Elysia also continued to apologize.
Elysia and Sakura kept apologizing to each other in the room.
Sakura felt she was in the wrong, while Elysia felt she was at fault.
Neither would back down, just continuously bowing and apologizing to the other.
Their voices grew louder, attracting the attention of Rin and Ryn, who were out for a walk.
Ryn and Rin, one tall and one small, crouched outside Sakura's room, opened the door a crack, and watched Sakura and Elysia bowing to each other.
"Brother, what are the big sisters doing?"
"Not sure. Maybe they're about to fight again, and this is the pre-fight etiquette, bowing to each other as a sign of respect."
"Huh? Then, Brother, we have to stop them!"
"No, no… let's wait a bit. Something doesn't feel right."
Watching Sakura and Elysia's perfectly synchronized movements, Ryn stroked his chin and thought for a while, finally patting Rin's head.
"Rin, you're going to be able to live a good life with plenty of money in the future!"
"Hmm? Why is that?"
"Because I'll be giving Elysia a very, very large bride price."
"???"
"Look, they're bowing so happily. Aren't they just practicing their wedding vows?"
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(Impaled in the brain by a fragment of an aircraft, then falling from a height of ten thousand meters… and nothing happened except for amnesia. Otto's treatment was just to activate the dorky goose's self-healing ability, and then she healed on her own…
Kiana's body was ravaged by Honkai energy corruption, yet she physically withstood a severe beating from Mei's Herrscher of Thunder Authority… ordinary fainting, minor injuries.
The Kaslanas are just that terrifying.
Elysia is also a cheat character. Even before becoming a MANTIS, she could overpower everyone with just her physical abilities, making her the undisputed number one combatant of the Fire Moths. Even Kevin, before the Chimera Project, couldn't suppress Elysia in a direct confrontation.
No reason was given, so let's just say that in this book's setting, as the child of Kiana and Ryn, possessing the bloodlines of Kaslana and Schariac, she's a natural holder of the Power of the Saintess.)
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