"Aunt Himeko, please don't die! Wuaaaahhh!!!"
Kiana could finally hold it in no longer. She broke down, sobbing until she was out of breath, and threw herself into Himeko's arms. Her hands clutched tightly onto Himeko's back, as if she were terrified that the moment she let go, Himeko would fall helplessly into the abyss, just like in the video.
"Teacher Himeko, sob..."
Raiden Mei and Bronya were also a mess of tears.
To witness the death of someone so close to them, even if it was only a vision of the future... the overwhelming grief it brought forth could probably only be faced without a change in expression by someone with a heart of stone.
"...Alright, alright, stop crying, you three. Aren't I still here, perfectly fine?"
Looking at the bawling little ones, Himeko felt a mixture of helplessness, affection, and even a little bit of happiness.
Hmph, these rascals. They usually never listen to a word I say and are always snatching my booze away from me. But now they're all crying like this for my sake. It seems my standing in their hearts is still quite high after all~
Himeko opened her arms, offering a warm embrace, and comforted the three girls for a while until their sobs gradually subsided.
"Theresa, why are you crying too?"
After calming the three little ones down, Himeko looked over at Theresa, only to find that her eyes were also red, with the faint, un-wiped streaks of tears still on her face.
"I-I'm not crying!" Of course, Theresa would never admit to crying like a child at her age. She quickly turned her back, her voice thick and stuffy as she said, "I just got some sand in my eyes!"
"Er..."
Everyone was caught between laughter and tears. As if there was sand in the Q&A space! Was this just classic Theresa? Her ability to play dumb and act cute was truly top-tier.
"Major Himeko, you are a great teacher," Einstein said from the bottom of her heart. "It's a shame that someone like you is not in our Anti-Entropy."
"Hehe, Dr. Einstein, you flatter me. In any case, we're allies now, isn't that the same thing?" Himeko replied with a gentle smile.
"You are right. It is our honor to be allied with someone like you," Einstein smiled back.
"Not at all, not at all."
After the two exchanged a bit of polite flattery, Kiana, still clutching Himeko's hand, looked up at her with red-rimmed eyes and said in a choked voice, "Aunt Himeko, you're the one who said it! If a comrade loses their sanity, you must end their life immediately! So why did you... you big liar!"
"Kiana..."
Looking at the incredibly wronged Kiana, Himeko smiled and caressed her face, speaking gently, "But, I also said that I would never let something like that happen to any of you, my students."
"Y-You're just twisting the rules! No, that's not allowed!" Kiana shook her head desperately, looking at Himeko with an almost pleading gaze. "Teacher Himeko, please, I'm begging you, okay?"
"If, and I mean if, one day, I really end up like in the future, with a Herrscher taking over my body, you must, you absolutely must kill me! You cannot sacrifice yourself again!"
The moment she saw Himeko fall into the abyss, Kiana felt as if her own heart had stopped. And in that instant, she finally understood the despair and pain that her future self in Arc City had experienced.
Fortunately, none of this had happened yet.
That was why Kiana was so desperate to change that tragic future. She would rather die herself than see everyone get hurt and sacrifice themselves just to save her.
"..."
Faced with the highly emotional Kiana, Himeko simply smiled gently.
"....."
Kiana bit her lip hard. Seeing the expression on Himeko's face, even without her saying a word, how could Kiana not understand what she meant?
If the same situation were to happen again, Himeko's choice would not change, not after ten times, a hundred times, a thousand, or even ten thousand times.
Because her name was Murata Himeko.
"Kiana, don't make things difficult for Teacher Himeko." Raiden Mei put an arm around Kiana's shoulder from the side, looking at her with a pained expression. "If I were the one whose body was controlled by a Herrscher, hurting everyone... could you bring yourself to kill me?"
"Mei..."
Kiana opened her mouth, only to find that she was speechless.
That's right. If I put myself in her shoes... if it's something I can't even do, how can I ask Aunt Himeko to do it?
In her heart, she knew Himeko's character very well. It was nearly impossible to change her decision, but... she still had to try.
"Silly Kiana, instead of asking Teacher Himeko to kill you, you should be focused on controlling your own body and not letting the Herrscher consciousness succeed," Bronya added.
"She's right, Kiana. You have to believe in yourself. The you of today will absolutely not lose to the Herrscher consciousness," Fu Hua also persuaded. "I promise you, as long as you can master the Heart Principle, it will be absolutely impossible for the Herrscher consciousness to take over your body."
"...I understand. I understand, everyone. As long as I work hard, become strong, and defeat the Herrscher consciousness, then all the future tragedies won't happen..."
Kiana pursed her lips and said in a low voice, "But, I'm just so scared..."
"I'm really, really scared."
"I'm scared that everyone will fall before my very eyes. I'm scared Aunt Himeko will die for me. I'm scared that because of me, many more innocent people will die..."
"Even if the possibility is low, even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance, I can't rest easy, don't you understand!"
"After seeing what happens in the future, how can you ask me to be at ease?!"
Who could possibly understand the pressure weighing on Kiana's heart?
After all, it was 'her' who had killed Himeko with her own hands.
"...It's okay, Kiana." Himeko gently stroked Kiana's head. The warmth of her palm slowly soothed the anxiety and unease in Kiana's heart. "Just think of what you saw as a dream. When you wake up, everything will be back to how it was."
"I haven't died, no one has been hurt, and you haven't become a Herrscher."
"The future can be changed. I believe in you, Kiana. I believe you can turn this imperfect story into the one you wish for."
"So, don't let me down, okay?"
"...Aunt Himeko..."
The tears Kiana had just managed to stop were about to fall again. She gripped Himeko's hand tightly, and with a voice squeezed from her throat, she said, word by word, "Aunt Himeko, I'll listen to you. But... you have to promise me too. No matter what, you and everyone else... you have to promise you'll never, ever leave me..."
"As long as you're by my side, I can do anything!"