As everyone knows, in the original Honkai Impact 3rd storyline, both Mei and Kiana endured periods of "guarding an empty room" for one another.
After the Final Lesson, Kiana fled, leaving Mei to play the widow aboard the Hyperion.
Then, after the Lament of the Fallen, the roles reversed. The widow became Kiana, and the waiting room shifted from the Hyperion to Anti-Entropy's Salt Lake Base.
That was a different story, of course. In this world, Mei considered herself incredibly fortunate to have stayed by Kiana's side. Since the initial outbreak of the disaster, save for a brief separation at the very beginning, they had never been apart.
But now, that agonizing uncertainty—not knowing where the other was, if they were safe, or even if they were still alive—had once again swallowed Mei whole.
Where are they? Are they okay? Are they suffering?
A relentless tide of anxiety had battered her since their disappearance. Mei kept up a polite smile around the others, but in truth, she was never good at hiding her feelings.
Whether it was the Mei from the original story or the Mei of the present, her only defense mechanism was to keep a stone-cold face and freeze in place.
The moment she moved, her worry bled through for all to see.
She would space out. She would fall silent. When the others tried to comfort her, she would force a smile and claim she was fine, just "a little worried"...
Was it really just a little?
Even Bronya couldn't get through to her anymore, despite being worried sick herself.
"Sister Mei..." Bronya looked at the lavish spread on the dining table—a meal clearly meant for more than two people. After forcing down a small portion, she finally put her utensils down with an apologetic sigh. "Bronya really can't eat anymore."
On the other side of the table, Mei had barely touched her chopsticks.
At Bronya's voice, Mei snapped out of her daze. Looking at the virtually untouched mountain of food, she realized she had made the same mistake again.
She was still cooking portions meant for when Kiana was here.
"It's okay..." Mei gave Bronya a gentle, genuine smile. "As long as you're full, Bronya. I'll take care of the leftovers..."
She sighed softly, a look of distress crossing her face. "It's just a bit of a waste... sigh..."
"...Have faith in Shu and Kiana, Sister Mei." Seeing Mei's eyes glaze over with aimless memories again, Bronya had to speak up to pull her back to reality.
"Of course I believe in them... but..."
But the enemy Shu faced was a planetary-class Honkai Beast... It was a monster far more terrifying than anything they had ever encountered.
It wasn't an enemy their civilization was equipped to handle. Even with Shu, winning that battle was nothing short of a miracle.
Mei was terrified. She was terrified of whatever price Shu might have paid to buy them that victory. More than anything, she feared that the price... was his life.
And Kiana...
"No 'buts', Sister Mei." Bronya shook her head and placed a hand over her heart. "If even we use the word 'but' when worrying about Kiana and Shu, then there is truly no one left in this world who believes in them."
Mei pursed her lips and slowly exhaled the heavy knot in her chest.
She knew Bronya was right. Worrying now wouldn't change anything. The two of them being missing was already the worst-case scenario; all they could do was continue their preparations under the absolute assumption that they would return.
Sensing Mei's emotional state stabilizing slightly, Bronya was about to offer a few more words of comfort when her communicator suddenly rang.
The jarring ringtone made both girls jump. They exchanged a look before Bronya snatched up the device and answered.
"Sister Bronya!" Seele's frantic voice poured out of the speaker. Beneath the panic was an irrepressible, overflowing joy.
"Shu and Kiana are back!"
CLATTER—
Mei's chopsticks hit the floor with dramatic timing, and Bronya wasn't faring much better.
Without exchanging a single word, both girls sprang from their chairs and bolted.
They're back...
They're really back?
They sprinted into the elevator, enduring a suffocatingly agonizing descent.
When the doors finally parted to reveal the first floor, the heart that had been lodged in Mei's throat for days finally settled back into her chest.
At the entrance to the base, Shu and Kiana were already surrounded by a tight ring of familiar faces.
There was Seele, who had made the call; Fu Hua, who was guarding the base; the four members of the Immortal Blades, who had just returned to resupply; the orphanage crew; and even Schrödinger, who had finally found an excuse to escape the lab...
The crowd had packed Kiana and Shu in so tightly not even water could slip through. But hearing the elevator chime, the group turned, spotted Mei and Bronya, and instinctively parted to clear a path.
After a brief, paralyzed hesitation, Mei took a deep breath, forced her legs to move, and sprinted out of the elevator toward the people she had been agonizing over day and night.
"Mei!" Kiana spotted her instantly. Thrilled, she threw her arms up and waved frantically.
Shu, wearing a gentle smile, took a half-step back, intending to give the two girls room for their emotional reunion.
To his surprise, Kiana grabbed him and pulled him forward. Shu looked up in confusion, but before he could even register Kiana's expression, a pair of arms wrapped around him in a fierce, crushing embrace.
"Shu! Kiana!!"
Mei had thrown one arm around each of them, pulling them both tightly against her chest. Her grip was ironclad—so tight that Shu actually found it a bit hard to breathe.
But beneath the physical discomfort was a profound sense of... unexpected belonging.
"Thank god you're okay... thank god..." Over the past few days, Mei had been trapped in a low-pressure depression, but only now did her voice finally crack with the threat of tears.
"Alright, alright..." Kiana's cheeks were squished together by Mei's vice grip, making her voice sound muffled. "See? I'm perfectly fine... My arms and legs are attached, and my cheeks are still soft."
On the other side, Shu had no idea what to say.
He awkwardly raised his hands, unsure if he was supposed to return the hug.
But as he looked over Mei's shoulder and saw the sea of smiling faces watching them, his raised hand finally settled onto Mei's back, patting her gently.
"Yeah, we're back," he said softly. The first word was a little breathy, but by the last syllable, his emotions had completely settled.
He was back.
And here, there were people who would always wait for him. Comrades who would always believe in him.
Here, he had a new reason to survive, a reason to keep fighting.
Here, there was...
A group of people working tirelessly, making his continued survival the very purpose of their lives.
They love me.
And I love them.
...
Bronya was late to the reunion, but absolutely not because her shorter legs couldn't keep up. The moment she saw Mei sprint ahead, she deliberately suppressed her own urge to run.
Mei's desperate sprint carried Bronya's share of emotion as well. Seeing Mei wrap both of them in an equal, unconditional embrace brought a warm, peaceful smile to Bronya's face.
This was exactly what she wanted to see.
"Ah! Bronya! You're here too!" Still gasping for air in Mei's chokehold, Kiana spotted Bronya walking over and waved at her.
Taking the cue, Mei finally loosened her grip, stepping back to give everyone else some room.
Instantly, the crowd swarmed them again.
"Where exactly did you two go?! The Principal and everyone else were worried sick! Even if you couldn't make it back right away, you could have at least sent a message!"
"Whoa! Auntie, aren't you asking for the impossible?! How were we supposed to send a text in that kind of situation?!"
"Waaah... Kiana is yelling at me! Cecilia, look at her!"
"Huh?! Auntie, you—"
"I can't believe you're using that tactic! Theresa, you're despicable!"
"Bleh bleh bleh~"
"You're literally middle-aged! Stop acting cute like it's your god-given right!"
"The world's number-one cutie Theresa's appearance was specifically designed to act cute! Right, Cecilia~?"
"Dammit... I'm going to spend my merit points to pin your Teriri idol videos to the Spark intranet homepage for an entire month!!"
Otto's eyes immediately lit up with an audible ZAP.
Kallen herself had zero interest in making an "idol debut." For years, Otto had been the one handling all of her public relations and internal management.
It was just like Shu's current squad. Shu was socially anxious, Kiana was reckless, Bronya used her high emotional intelligence to deliver the most devastating verbal strikes imaginable, leaving Mei as the only one capable of handling normal social interactions.
Because of this, Otto had scrapped his grand plan to make Kallen the official mascot of the Fire Moth. He had been debating between nominating Mei or Bianka instead, but now—
"Grandpa, wipe that look of agreement off your face right now!!" Theresa shrieked in absolute horror.
She made a vow right then and there: if Otto actually pinned her dark history to the homepage, she was going to make that bastard grandfather of hers taste the full weight of the Oath of Judah.
Otto's expression instantly shifted from thrilling inspiration to profound disappointment, a dramatic flair entirely unbefitting of a scheming Overseer.
"Alright, alright, we're all family here," Siegfried laughed, stepping in as the peacemaker between Theresa and Kira. "Besides, Theresa's outfit really was super cute—ow!"
Watching her idiot dad and her aunt chase each other around completely dissolved the awkward tension of their reunion. Kiana didn't have to worry about what to say anymore.
The atmosphere instantly turned lively as everyone crowded around Shu and Kiana, bombarding them with questions.
"Hm? And who is this little one...?" Schrödinger, clutching a massive, fluffy white pig of a cat named Little White, looked with great interest at the cat perched on Kiana's head.
"His name is Rice Cake!" Kiana proudly pointed to the feline loafing on her hair. "He's our newest companion!"
A second later, Kiana realized the "fluffy white pig" Schrödinger was holding was actually Little White. Her face stiffened. Feigning nonchalance, she turned around and quickly plucked Rice Cake off her head.
"Rice Cake, you can never let yourself turn into that..." Kiana muttered nervously. It was unclear whether she was recalling Shu's strict diet warnings at the pet store or suddenly having a crisis over her own 49.9kg weight.
Yep. I'm just worried about Rice Cake's health. Totally not worried about getting fat myself...
On the other side of the circle, Bianka looked at Shu's smiling face, still unable to suppress her nervous tension.
"Senior... Shu. I'm glad you're back." Bianka now carried a mature, dignified aura that she hadn't possessed before, radiating a powerful, reliable presence.
Yet, standing in front of Shu, she still let a sliver of her "younger" self show.
"Yeah. Don't worry about me." Seeing Siegfried and the others goofing off had completely cured Shu of his awkwardness. He felt incredibly at peace—especially when he saw Otto's exaggerated, dramatic sigh of disappointment.
It made him want to laugh. He felt like the guy was doing it on purpose... Does he think I'm some kid who needs to be entertained with funny faces?
Warmed by the subtle, chaotic affection these people were showering him with, Shu felt a rare surge of proactivity. "Did anything happen at the base while I was gone?"
"Everything at the base is perfectly fine, Senior," Bianka answered with such formal military precision that Shu subconsciously straightened his posture. "Overseer Otto controlled the narrative regarding your disappearance.
"Everyone's attention was focused on the planetary-class Honkai Beast in the sky. Only we knew that you and Kiana were missing."
After a brief hesitation, Bianka finally added, "Everyone missed you."
"Lady Bianka was so worried she even skipped a meal, Lord Shu," Rita chimed in helpfully, providing specific examples.
"Rita!" Bianka quickly spun around to shush her adjutant, while Susannah clasped her hands together, practically radiating pink bubbles.
"Master Durandal and Senior Rita have such a wonderful relationship~ I'm so jealous..."
Li Sushang: "?"
The young Sushang was experiencing a massive culture shock.
Having seen this exact dynamic play out countless times, Fu Hua—who was thoroughly used to it by now—gently patted Sushang's head before giving Shu a silent, knowing nod.
For someone of few words, that nod was the greatest expression of her relief. The rest of the time belonged to those who actually had things to say.
Like Kallen, who immediately got hands-on.
"Let me see... alright, arms and legs are intact. You look energetic..." After circling Shu and giving him a thorough physical inspection, Kallen returned to Otto's side and smacked him on the shoulder, snapping him out of his depressed funk.
"Phew, scared me to death. I told you he and Kiana would be fine, but Otto kept scaring me, saying you definitely ran into huge trouble."
"I wouldn't call it huge trouble, just... well, it was definitely a bit troublesome for me," Shu scratched his head sheepishly.
Having his dramatic act ruined by Kallen, Otto didn't say anything, but he perked his ears up to listen as Kiana began enthusiastically spicing up the details of their adventure.
"Let me tell you guys..." Kiana started, and Shu's face immediately twitched.
He had a sinking feeling that the "oil and vinegar" Kiana was about to add to the story were going to take things in a very strange direction.
Whatever.
It wasn't a bad thing at all.
--- End Of Volume XII: Set Your Heart In Iron Will ---