"Phew—"
"This whole night has been a chaotic mess, but it's finally quieted down."
Her two thick braids swung vigorously as Kiana, who had just finished work, took a running leap and collapsed onto the living room sofa, a look of exhaustion on her face.
Although Anti-Entropy's offensive was repelled one by one through everyone's efforts, the chaos and destruction brought by Anti-Entropy still needed to be dealt with by them, the hosts.
The buildings destroyed by the Titan and Welt II, the Titan mechs turned into scrap metal, the two Welt IIs that ended up as a pile of smithereens after taking each other out...
Just cleaning up this stuff was enough to kill a person.
As the second-ranked beast of burden on the team's chart, Kiana rightfully took on the high-intensity work, leaving her whole body sore and weak.
Hugging Bronya's HOMU doll, the exhausted white-haired fluffball looked at Raiden Mei and young Brian, still talking and laughing at the entrance, and felt a bit indignant.
He had been so indecent to her earlier, yet he turned around and started flirting with her personal cook.
As expected, this guy was a lecherous man who couldn't keep it in his pants.
Despicable!
"Mei, I'm so hungry, I want a late-night snack~~"
Bringing out her innate womanly acting skills, Kiana put on a tired and pitiful appearance.
Tonight, she was the MVP of the beast-of-burden lineup, so it was only right for Raiden Mei to take care of her.
Raiden Mei turned to look, saw the filthy Kiana, and showed a somewhat doting smile.
"The previous meal was ruined by that guy. Since Kiana wants to eat, I'll go out and buy something for everyone."
She turned back to the man beside her: "Let's go together. We might need to buy a lot this time."
"Okay."
Kiana: "..."
Why did she feel like she was being excluded and had just shot herself in the foot?
The snow-haired girl watched the damned couple walk through the large hole where the entrance used to be, talking and laughing as they headed out of St. Freya High School.
She was clearly the one who should be taken care of, but in just a few words, she had been turned into an abandoned single dog.
Truly tragic.
What happened to there being a place for her in this home?
I'll draw a circle by the light of the moon and curse you!
Kiana angrily squeezed Bronya's HOMU doll into a ball, making its already comical face wrinkle into an ugly mess.
Bronya's voice sounded at this moment: "Kiana, stop bullying my doll and come help clean up the room."
The students didn't have to worry about repairing the dorm, but they had to clean up the rubble and trash generated during the battle themselves.
Kiana stood up from the sofa and started cleaning the room with Bronya's Project Bunny.
While working, she complained: "Why did he have to go with her when it's me who's getting food?"
Bronya, who was checking the wiring, replied: "Because you're stupid."
She was the brains of the operation here, which meant Kiana was the idiot of the operation.
Being stupid was one thing, but the key was that this girl was a Dropout who didn't complete nine-year compulsory education.
"What does me being stupid have to do with Mei not taking me?"
Kiana was righteously indignant.
Her intelligence being on the same level as a paramecium didn't mean her level of cuteness was on the same level as a paramecium.
Remember, when she and Raiden Mei were still at Senba Academy, she was a beautiful girl who received several love letters every day and was very popular with her classmates.
Although these guys were ultimately defeated by her rough and barbaric behavior, and the impolite classmates all sacrificed a few of their ribs as a price, it didn't affect her status as a beautiful girl loved by all.
Even that lecherous scumbag had indecent intentions towards her!
She was very confident in her charm.
Bronya sighed: "Kiana, your brain is as smooth as a cat's brain."
A cat's brain is not only very small, but its surface is also said to be smooth, which keeps the creature's intelligence at a very touching level.
For example.
If a dog stands on the side of the road, its behavior is almost the same as a human's; it will choose a place with less traffic to cross the road.
Therefore, you rarely see canines hit or run over by cars on the road.
But small felines like cats are different.
These creatures, destined for stupidity from birth, often choose the most foolish way to deal with the same choice.
No matter how much traffic there is on the road, a cat will choose what it thinks is a suitable opportunity to dash out, and then be run over and killed.
Simply put, cats often choose the worst combination out of all possible combinations.
And the intelligence displayed by Kiana was just like that smooth cat brain, utterly hopeless.
Raiden Mei had almost laid all her cards on the table. Unless Kiana became her Consort-maid and helped her bear that indescribable deep thrusting when she couldn't take it anymore, this girl's position in the house would remain as it was.
Yet she still hadn't noticed.
But this kind of thing couldn't be said outright. After all, the feeling of being set up by others was completely different from willingly taking the bait.
Life is like a besieged city; those inside want to get out, and those outside want to get in.
Before Kiana made a decision, both Raiden Mei and she, her good best friend, would only add fuel to the fire, not spell things out.
But Bronya was also getting a little anxious.
Raiden Mei had already become a prisoner under that evil Blondie's jeans, and who knows when she'll turn into someone who only makes V-signs with her fingers.
For every day Kiana doesn't climb into his bed, the possibility of Raiden Mei asking her to warm the bed too increases by a fraction.
To protect her own duck butt, and not wanting the light of tally marks to shine on her face, Bronya was pushing with all her might.
Dusting off her hands, Kiana frowned her delicate brows: "Bronya, you're calling me stupid again."
She wouldn't fall for the same trick twice. She would never admit that her brain was only the size of a walnut.
"That's what you think. I didn't say you were stupid."
"Do you take me for a fool?"
"Then choose between a paramecium and a cat."
"Aren't they the same thing?"
"..."
Through the combined efforts with Project Bunny, the living room, which had been smashed to pieces in the previous battle, was cleaned up.
All the trash had been cleared away, leaving only some tattered areas that needed to be redecorated; this work was no longer within their scope of responsibility, nor did they have the ability to redecorate.
After waiting for a while, Raiden Mei and Brian returned to the dorm with the late-night snacks they had chosen.
"Come and eat. You two must be hungry."
Hamburgers, barbecue, yogurt...
While eating, Bronya asked a question that she was very concerned about: "Brother Brian, Cocolia... did she also show up tonight?"
There were some rumors in the academy that an Anti-Entropy operative had infiltrated the Far East Branch for a certain purpose and caused considerable damage.
Bronya wasn't familiar with others, so the only one she could think of was Cocolia, who was after Jizo Mitama.
That woman... for the sake of her ambition, never minded taking risks.
"She came."
Young Brian looked directly at the girl who had very complicated feelings for her adoptive mother. "But her situation might not be what you expect."
Bronya: "..."
She had a bad feeling.
As expected.
"She recklessly touched the Key of Corruption. By the time I saw her, she was almost completely a Honkai Zombie."
In the face of high-concentration Honkai energy, people with low Honkai resistance would be burned to ashes, while those with a certain level of Honkai resistance would turn into Honkai Zombies.
Undoubtedly, Cocolia was the latter.
Although in Brian's eyes, perhaps she would have been better off with the former.
"Is she dead?"
Bronya's eyes showed no expression, perhaps because the trauma to her brain had wiped out some of her emotions.
"She was taken away by an assassin named Raven. I don't know what will happen to her."
Zombification was almost equivalent to a death sentence.
If she had stayed at the Far East Branch, there might have been a glimmer of hope; being rescued under such circumstances was like being shot in the chest and then receiving CPR.
It could be said that Cocolia's chances of survival were practically zero.
"Raven..."
Muttering this name, Bronya's emotions were a bit complicated.
As a fellow assassin on Charon's List, who was always competing for the top three spots, Bronya had naturally crossed paths with this person before, and she also knew that Cocolia had some collaborations with her.
In her mind, Raven's appearance must have been Cocolia's arrangement, a backup plan to prevent her own failure.
But she never expected that Cocolia would suffer zombification due to her own ambition. Even if she was rescued, it would be difficult for her to survive.
After getting this answer, she silently took small bites of the barbecue in her hand.
Her small face was as calm as ever, but an invisible oppressive atmosphere spread from her, making the scene a bit heavy.
...
After a hearty meal, everyone's stomachs were bloated from the feast.
The well-fed Kiana collapsed on the sofa, rubbing her round little belly. She had wanted Raiden Mei to give her a lap pillow to comfort her wounded little heart.
But after seeing Raiden Mei's current situation...
"..."
Damn Blondie, he stole her place in the house again!
There is wit in a crisis.
Although Kiana admitted that her intelligence wasn't great, she was quite remarkable when facing a crisis.
Her Mei was currently wearing a blissful smile. If she went over now, she would definitely be scolded.
Instead of asking for trouble, it was better to find another reason for a roundabout approach.
"Mei, where are we sleeping tonight?"
Their three-person dorm had been destroyed, and even the bedroom was affected.
From a somewhat messy dog kennel, it had become a literal dog kennel. There was no way they could live there.
In Kiana's mind, this redistribution of bedrooms was an opportunity, a chance for her to reclaim her spot in Raiden Mei's bed.
Victory or defeat, it all came down to this!
"Our rooms are all a mess. Why don't we switch rooms and sleep together?"
Kiana's intentions were known to all.
With such obvious ill intentions, even Bronya couldn't stand it anymore.
Faced with this question, Raiden Mei didn't hesitate: "Our rooms are temporarily unusable. Let's just make do in Brian's dorm for one night."
Brian was the only male in the entire dormitory building, so he had a whole three-bedroom apartment to himself.
The girls' dorm was a mess, which was a perfect opportunity for some waste utilization.
Brian chimed in: "I still have two empty rooms there. Mei can sleep with me, and you two can each have a room."
It was very reasonable, in his opinion, for his girlfriend to sleep with him.
Perfectly reasonable!
Apart from making Kiana a little unhappy, there were no downsides!
Kiana immediately flared up: "No way!"
"You just want to lay your hands on Mei, I don't agree!"
"Aren't you the same?"
The pot calling the kettle black, both of them had the same idea; the only difference was between heresy and attaining the true essence.
The former was deviant, the latter was obtaining the true scripture.
The person in question spoke a fair word: "I'll sleep alone. Kiana and Bronya can sleep together."
Bronya: "..."
Oh no, I'm probably going to be the wingman providing cover again.
Kiana: a kneeling/prostrating pose emoticon.
She wanted to argue further, but after seeing Raiden Mei's serious expression, she knew the matter could not be changed.
The grand plan to reclaim her bed had once again gone up in smoke.
The night grew deeper, and sleepiness grew stronger.
Even though Kiana strongly disagreed, under Raiden Mei's firm pressure, she had to agree to this arrangement.
The girls' breathing gradually became long and slow as they fell into a deep sleep.
Their consciousness once again descended infinitely, entering that mysterious dream world that existed here.
This time, there were two new faces.
"Miss Yae Sakura, I didn't expect us to meet again."
Everyone entered at different locations.
But for some reason, this time, Yae Sakura appeared next to Brian.
Seeing this man, the dazed eyes of the sakura-haired, donkey-eared miko showed a hint of confusion: "Where is this place? Why am I here?"
She clearly remembered tracking that masked phantom thief in the world of the Stigma space. She had just found a place to rest for a while, and when she opened her eyes, she was in this strange world.
She didn't understand the current situation.
But based on her experience when she had just woken up... it must be this man playing tricks on her!
Her shameful dark history assaulted the miko again. Yae Sakura's sharp eyes held a mix of seduction and shyness, and she was almost determined to cut off this man's root of trouble.
At this moment...
"This is the world of dreams. There are others like us who have appeared in this place."
Perhaps seeing Yae Sakura's hostility towards him, young Brian added: "I apologize for what happened before. It was indeed because I didn't explain the whole situation, which caused you trouble."
"But it was all a necessary measure to deal with Higokumaru, and it was truly not my wish."
A bright crimson spread to the girl's delicate earlobes.
If it weren't for the fact that only the two of them were present, she would have almost drawn her sword and exploded on this man!
Damn it, it's too shameful!
It was almost equivalent to an otaku dying in a car accident, only to have his browser history exposed!
But Yae Sakura's shameful public execution was not over yet.
Young Brian revealed his true intentions: "If you feel you can't get over it, I can give you some compensation."
"Say no more. I don't need to be repaid. Cooperating with you to subjugate Higokumaru was only because of the promise between me and Kallen!"
Yae Sakura's voice was cold, having no intention of communicating further with this lecherous man.
Every time she spoke a few more words with this guy, she felt she couldn't help but recall those shameful experiences.
Even though she knew it was for the sake of subjugating Higokumaru, it had become a dark history in her life that she could never get over!
Never!
However, the two had different thoughts.
Brian said: "Yae Sakura, I'm sorry about this matter. It's only right that I compensate you."
Yae Sakura: "..."
She might as well hear this guy out.
Subjugating Higokumaru was for the world that Kallen was determined to protect. He used that lecherous ability only because Higokumaru couldn't be subjugated by normal means.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. It was a last resort and could be forgiven for now.
The next second.
"I can't repay such a great kindness. Please allow me to offer myself to you in marriage!"
Great kindness cannot be repaid, so I'll offer myself.
He, young Brian, was a good man who knew how to repay kindness with his body!
A petty man is always anxious, a true man is open and honest.
He was being quite honest, deciding to take responsibility for the girl he had wronged.
*Shing—!*
A flash of silvery light. The cold-faced miko's tachi instantly appeared at the man's throat, intending to teach him a lesson.
Without hesitation, without even a word.
*Clang—!*
As expected, it was useless.
In this dream world, it was impossible to cause any harm.
After several attempts, Yae Sakura still returned empty-handed. The sharp sword blade was stopped at the surface of his skin, unable to advance an inch, not even leaving a red mark.
So she could only choose to flee: "There's no need to mention what you did to me before. There's no connection between you and me, and you'd better not have any unrealistic ideas about me."
Her heart was already filled with another person; there was no room for a second.
With that, the sakura-haired, donkey-eared miko leaped off the high platform and disappeared into the shadows of the buildings in a few flashes.
However, in young Brian's eyes, Yae Sakura's retreating figure seemed somewhat flustered.
But as for whether there would be no more connection between the two from now on...
"Sigh, Yae Sakura, did you forget that you already gave me your power, and you now live in the Stigma space on my back?"
From that time in Nagazora City, their fates were already intertwined; unless Yae Sakura could strip the Stigma from his body, there was really no way for her to be separated from him.
And who knows, when he was discussing life philosophies with beautiful girls, Yae Sakura might be watching through the Stigma.
If he didn't get her, Brian always felt something was missing.
Having an untouched maiden peeking from his back... made him feel quite embarrassed when he was doing his business.
In the darkness of the street corner, the sakura-haired miko's expression was complicated, her heart in turmoil.
She thought that by entrusting her power and hiding in the Stigma space, everything would be over, and with the passage of time, she would forget that shameful past.
But she never expected that there was also a dream world in this world, and she was dragged out for another public humiliation.
The impact this man had on her pure heart was second only to Kallen Kaslana five hundred years ago.
To say she didn't have any feelings for this man at all... was unlikely.
Women, as a species, always have some strange feelings for the man who took their first time.
First time holding hands, first kiss, first time in bed...
Yae Sakura had been made wet on the spot countless times, and young Brian's shadow was already deeply rooted in her heart.
Whether it was love or hate.
But as for how to handle this dramatic relationship... she didn't know!
There was still a long way to go. She could only let time solve all the problems.
...
On the other side, in the dream St. Freya High School...
"I didn't expect there to be a place like this in this small academy."
A petite, sakura-haired girl was frolicking around, jumping down from the roof of the teaching building and creating a crater on the ground.
In the real world, she was trapped in a Divine Key, and could only pass the time by messing with the Far East Branch's firewall every day.
But in this dream world, she had obtained a body in a different sense and could feel the long-lost breath of freedom.
Although the scope of this dream world was a bit small, one shouldn't be ungrateful.
The Herrscher girl swayed from side to side, wandering around this almost deserted St. Freya High School, intending to find a second living being to communicate with.
But this dream world was indeed quite vast, and after some searching, she couldn't find a single living thing.
However, she didn't find a living thing, but she did find something strange.
"Press it... and it'll let the guy I hate the most play an exceptionally thrilling and exciting game?"
*Click—!*
The guy she hated the most was, of course, the one who made it so that even after losing her body, she couldn't escape getting wet, and even used the Elysian Realm to threaten her.
—Young Brian.
Although he had restored her from her Herrscher state to her senses, that was a separate matter.
Repayment is repayment, revenge is revenge.
The great Herrscher of Corruption, miss, distinguishes between gratitude and grudges!
*Clink, clank, clunk—!*
Three crisp sounds rang out from the slot machine in succession. The thrilling and exciting game had been decided.
[Truth or Dare]
[1. Participants are everyone currently within the dream domain.]
[2. One JOKER is selected each round. The JOKER selects another player to ask a question.]
[3. The selected person can choose Truth or Dare. The Dare is randomly determined by the game.]
[4. Those who cannot complete the Truth or Dare will be punished with 'cock flies and balls break' or 'get wet on the spot'.]
[5. When any player is punished, the game ends.]
Rin: "..."
Oh no, she's been hoist by her own petard!
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