"Pfft—"
Suddenly, a burst of laughter echoed through the Q&A space.
Everyone turned toward the sound and saw Little Xuan clutching her stomach, laughing so hard she could barely breathe.
"Hahaha! Th-That's hilarious! Chiyuan, y-you actually have such an adorable side to you, hahaha!!!"
"...That wasn't me."
Fu Hua's mouth twitched as she responded, her voice flat.
She looked at the others. Great. They all had the same look of barely suppressed laughter.
It was over. Her carefully maintained image was now in ruins.
Before, when she watched the parallel world versions of the others, she had found it quite amusing. But now that it was her turn, Fu Hua finally understood the despair Theresa must have felt.
"Irene-chan, I'm your fan!"? Wasn't that just a little too flamboyant?
"Speaking of which, that Irene looks just like Rita. Could she be the Rita of a parallel world?" Himeko commented.
"Most likely. The feeling she gives off is very similar to Rita's," Theresa said.
"Does every parallel world have people who look just like us?" Raiden Mei asked curiously.
"Perhaps, perhaps not. It's just that the questions from the Q&A space are always related to one of us, even if they involve parallel worlds," Einstein explained.
"Could there be a parallel world about kingdom conquests? And maybe I'm an empress or a prince, admired and followed by countless people?" Kiana fantasized.
"Hmm... That possibility cannot be ruled out," Einstein said diplomatically.
Low EQ: "Someone like you? Go wash up and go to sleep. Stop daydreaming."
High EQ: "That possibility cannot be ruled out."
"Silly Kiana, stop dreaming. Even if a world like that exists, Bronya would definitely be the one who is the empress," Bronya huffed.
"Pfft—Bronya, you're hilarious. What kind of empress is always getting owned?" Kiana burst out laughing.
"...Ki-a-na!" Bronya's face instantly darkened.
If you hadn't brought that up, we could still be friends!
"By the way, Class Monitor, can you perform that thing from the video for us?" Kiana turned her attention back to Fu Hua. After seeing the parallel world Fu Hua, she suddenly wanted to see the Class Monitor from their world shout that line. The scene would definitely be super interesting!
"...Kiana, let's end the jokes here," Fu Hua said, pushing up her glasses, a hint of helplessness in her voice.
"Haha, Chiyuan is getting shy," Little Xuan said with a mischievous grin.
"....."
Just as Fu Hua was awkwardly trying to figure out what to do, the Q&A space came to her rescue.
[This session of questions has concluded. The next session will begin in ten days.]
A familiar white light flashed, and everyone returned to the real world.
"Principal, everyone, I have something to attend to, so I'll be taking my leave."
Without waiting for a response, Fu Hua bolted, not even bothering to take Little Xuan with her. The others could only stare blankly as her figure rapidly disappeared from sight.
"Pfft—"
Someone was the first to let out a laugh, and then, as if by infection, everyone else started laughing too. They couldn't help it. Fu Hua's usual demeanor was so calm and serious, almost old-fashioned. Seeing the huge contrast in her parallel-world self, it was incredibly hard not to laugh.
Fu Hua had the foresight to make a quick escape, saving herself from being further publicly shamed by the group.
"...These past few days, I feel like I've truly seen a completely different Chiyuan from the one I used to know." After the laughter died down, Little Xuan rubbed her belly and sighed with emotion.
"Little Xuan, can you tell us what the Class Monitor was like in the past? We're all very curious," Kiana asked, her face full of curiosity.
"You want to know about the old Chiyuan?" Little Xuan tilted her head.
"Mhm, of course we do," Kiana nodded eagerly.
"The Class Monitor of the past? Hmm... it's hard not to be interested," Raiden Mei agreed.
"Hehe, alright then. Let me tell you all about the Celestial Chiyuan of yesteryear..."
---o---
Time flew by, and several more days passed.
One day, Fu Hua was resting at home when she heard a knock on the door. She went to open it and saw a familiar figure.
"Kiana? What brings you here?"
"Class Monitor, are you free right now?" Kiana asked.
"I am, but is there something you need?"
"It's like this. Doesn't your Fenghuang Down have the ability to create illusions? I heard from Little Xuan that Fenghuang Down can manipulate a person's brain and control their mind."
"That is correct. Why do you bring this up all of a sudden?" Fu Hua was a bit puzzled.
"I want..." Kiana took a deep breath and looked at Fu Hua with a solemn expression, speaking word by word. "I want you, Class Monitor, to use Fenghuang Down on me. Let me meet face-to-face with the consciousness of the Herrscher of the Void inside my body. Can you do that?"
"What?" Fu Hua's eyes widened slightly, and her expression instantly turned serious. "Kiana, do you know what you are saying?"
"Class Monitor, of course I know what I'm saying." Kiana exhaled slowly and continued, "These past few nights, I've been having dreams. I dream that I'm in a dark research lab, surrounded by researchers in white coats and masks. They treat the children around me like they're disposing of trash, taking some away and bringing in other new faces..."
"In the past, I might have just thought it was a nightmare. But now I know it's not. It's very likely the memories of the Herrscher of the Void inside me. It seems like she's trying to tell me something."
"So I want to meet her. There must be a final settlement between us."
Hearing Kiana's words, Fu Hua fell silent.
After a long moment, she finally spoke. "Kiana... are you absolutely sure about this? Doing so would be extremely dangerous. If your will falters for even a moment while confronting her, she will seize control of your body."
"Furthermore, if you actively awaken her, from this day forward, she will cling to you like a disease in your very bones, constantly searching for your weaknesses. The moment you let your guard down..."
"I won't let that happen."
Kiana cut Fu Hua off. Her expression was calm, and her tone was perfectly composed. There were no chest-thumping guarantees or grand, empty promises. But it was this very calmness that highlighted her resolve. This was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but one she had thought through carefully.
Kiana had thought about it more than once. Why should she always be on the defensive? Why must she constantly be on guard, just to prevent the Herrscher of the Void from snatching her body?
This was her body. She was the master here!
The one who needed to get out was the Herrscher of the Void!