"Speaking of which, why did Mei suddenly appear here with us?"
"Ah? That, I'm not sure either. I just remember someone defeated me, and then, when I woke up, I saw Kiana."
Walking down the dark and quiet street, the three, having just escaped a pursuit by Zombies that felt like a Zombie tide, couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
After all, the atmosphere here really wasn't good. Even the most carefree person would be afraid of something suddenly appearing in the dark. Whether it was dangerous or not, it could scare them to death.
However, Bai Mo's mind wasn't on that, because she had been observing the girl following them.
The girl named Bronya was one of the Honkai Three Families, the future Herrscher of Reason.
Uh… she seemed to have a nickname, something like 'Duck,' but Bai Mo didn't know the origin of this name.
Of course, currently she was still Cocolia of Anti-Entropy. As for why she would later join St. Freya Academy and the Three Families, Bai Mo wasn't clear.
But, it didn't matter. She didn't need to figure out the reason, as long as she knew the outcome: Bronya was a trustworthy friend worth making, and that was enough.
"By the way, Mei, you're so good at studying, so pretty, and a young lady, but why did I always see you alone before?" Kiana suddenly turned to look at Raiden Mei.
"Ah?"
Mei paused, then smiled and shook her head.
"Perhaps because of that, I don't seem so easy to approach."
"What do you mean? Mei is clearly so good! I really don't know why Bai Jie is like this, and Mei is like this. You're both so easy to get along with and so gentle, yet they talk about you behind your backs."
Kiana turned around, hands on her hips, speaking up for the two of them.
Bai Mo went up and playfully poked Kiana's forehead.
"You're talking about us? You yourself are often talked about. Skipping classes and fighting, you're involved in all of it. When it's time to turn in homework, you're nowhere to be found. Your test scores are consistently at the bottom, you're first in line for standing outside as punishment, and you're still the first to rush to the cafeteria when it opens."
"Kiana, sometimes I really wonder how you stayed at Qianyu—no! How did you even get into Qianyu Academy?"
Kiana grabbed Bai Mo's wrist.
"Bai Jie! ヽ(*.＞Д＜)o Don't expose me in front of Mei! And! I'm a genius-type. How can something like exams be difficult for me?"
Raiden Mei beside them covered her mouth and chuckled, looking at Kiana and speaking with rare teasing: "So, it's Kiana who is often seen at the bottom of the hallway and the grade list, then."
"Mei! How can you be like this too? I'm so angry! I'm not talking to either of you!"
Kiana angrily turned her head away. Seeing this, Bai Mo could only step forward and pull her.
"Kiana? Are you angry? Alright, as an apology, I'll personally cook for you today. How about it?"
Kiana stumbled while walking, almost falling to the ground.
"Bai Jie, I was just kidding! You're not going to kill me, are you?! Σ(っ °Д°;)っ"
Bai Mo looked hurt.
"Is there a problem?" Seeing Kiana's big reaction, Raiden Mei, a chef with maxed-out cooking skills, probably couldn't imagine what it would be like for someone with zero cooking talent to cook, so she subconsciously asked.
"Of course."
Kiana tugged at Raiden Mei, carefully glanced at Bai Mo, and then whispered something in her ear.
A look of astonishment appeared in Raiden Mei's eyes. She also subconsciously glanced at Bai Mo, with a very strange look.
"Kiana, it's not that exaggerated, is it?"
"Trust me, Mei." Kiana lowered her voice.
"You can let Bai Jie help you with your homework, help you clean, even help you cheat on exams, and coax you to sleep."
"But, whatever you do, don't let her into the kitchen. Bai Jie can even… when cooking instant noodles…"
"Kiana—!"
"Wah! Bai Jie, I was wrong! Don't pinch my ear!"
From a distance, Bronya, watching all of this, couldn't help but scratch her head, her face full of question marks.
"What are they doing?"
As she spoke, she looked at the information she had already gathered.
"Kiana Kaslana possesses very high physical fitness and excellent combat skills and experience. She doesn't seem like a student at all."
"Raiden Mei, a Saint Mark Awakener, the Third Herrscher, and Raiden Ryoma's beloved daughter. However, I didn't expect her, as a young lady, to also possess good combat abilities."
After compiling the information on the two, she turned her gaze to Bai Mo.
"Bai Mo, a regular student at Qianyu Academy, excellent grades, not good at talking or socializing. It's speculated she might have mild social anxiety. Upon enrollment, she was kidnapped by Asakura Miyuki, a major suspect with mental illness who murdered multiple students, and was eventually rescued by Kiana. Since then, she gained her first friend."
"......She is a normal person, with no combat ability."
However, when she reached this conclusion, Bronya always felt something was wrong, but she wasn't sure what it was. She just felt a blockage in her heart.
"But, if it's just like this, then I can already move to retrieve the Herrscher."
Having reached her final conclusion, Chongzhuang Xiaotu behind Bronya raised its cannon.
With a command, Chongzhuang Xiaotu's cannon muzzle flashed with a light, and a missile, trailing a line, flew towards the people below.
"She really isn't soft-hearted."
"And why am I socially anxious? I just don't like talking to strangers."
Bai Mo grumbled a sentence, offering a small defense for herself.
Watching the cannonball get closer and closer, Bai Mo didn't move, because there was no need. This level of attack wouldn't trouble Kiana or Mei.
As one of the protagonists, Kiana wasn't truly stupid; a truly stupid person couldn't have wandered alone for so long.
Indeed, as the cannonball approached, Kiana and Mei had already turned to look skyward.
"Watch out!"
Raiden Mei pulled Bai Mo, shielding her behind her, while Kiana stepped forward and fired a shot.
With a boom, the cannonball exploded in the air.
"What's going on? Why is there a cannonball…"
Kiana hadn't finished speaking when a figure descended from the air.
It was a girl who seemed even younger than Raiden Mei. She was, well, pretty, but her inverted cone-shaped hair somewhat affected her appearance.
"A child? Why is there a child here?"
Kiana scratched her head, a little confused.
"Hey? Are you lost? It's dangerous here, you…"
Click!
A mechanical sound rang out, and Chongzhuang Xiaotu once again raised its heavy cannon.
"Kiana, watch out!"
Raiden Mei took a few steps forward, blocking Kiana. Kiana finally reacted too.
"It's you? Was it you who fired the cannon at us just now?"
"Hey! Who are you? Children shouldn't play with such dangerous things!"
Raiden Mei, however, shook her head.
"Kiana, she doesn't seem like an ordinary child."