Robin treats her as her closest friend. She didn't even avoid the topic of a traitor appearing within the Family when speaking to her.
Seeking help from someone worthy of trust.
In Robin's eyes, she was someone absolutely worthy of trust—someone she could rely on.
And yet, knowing the truth.
Knowing how important this matter was to her, but pretending to know nothing and saying nothing at all—without a doubt, that was a form of betrayal.
But if she were to speak, how should she say it?
And if she did... what consequences would it lead to?
"I'm really sorry. I was held up for a bit just now. You must have been waiting here a long time, haven't you?"
Robin's voice finally reached her ears. Today, she wasn't disguised as anyone else. She wore her original appearance, radiant and luminous.
"Not at all. I only just got here myself."
Kiana smiled, pressing her thumb and index finger together in a small gesture as she temporarily pushed those thoughts aside. She needed to think carefully.
About how to bring it up to Robin.
There was no doubt that the scales in her heart tipped toward Robin—not only because she had helped her find Mei, but because she was her friend. She believed in her.
Kiana did not want to betray that trust.
"But what do you mean you were held up?" Kiana asked curiously. "Did something happen?"
"It was my brother." Thinking of what had just occurred, a trace of tension surfaced in Robin's heart, though her smile remained flawless. "He heard that you'd arrived in Penacony and wanted to meet you."
"Your brother?"
A look of surprise appeared on Kiana's face. In truth, she wasn't too shocked. When she first arrived, she had even wondered why she hadn't seen Sunday.
She and Robin were close friends who could talk about anything. Would he really not be curious at all?
Now, hearing Sunday mentioned from Robin's lips, she didn't find it surprising in the least. Instead, a sense of realization dawned on her.
No wonder she hadn't seen him.
"I turned him down for now," Robin said. "I thought whether to meet him or not should be your decision."
"That's fine with me."
Kiana agreed without hesitation. As far as she was concerned, there was no reason for her to avoid Sunday.
"My brother wants to thank you for what you did on Kasbelina-VIII," Robin continued, knowing she wouldn't refuse. "I'll arrange a suitable time for the two of you to meet."
"When I came to Penacony last time, I'd already heard his name. And he's your brother." Kiana grinned. "I've wanted to meet him for a while now."
"I'll make the arrangements."
Robin extended her hand toward her. "Let's walk and talk."
Kiana naturally took her hand. In her view, holding hands between friends was perfectly normal.
"Are we going to investigate the discordant note?"
"No." Robin shook her head. "I'll handle the investigation into the truth. You just arrived in Penacony today. I thought I should show you around the Penacony within the dream."
"Show me around?"
Kiana's surprise this time was genuine. She couldn't quite understand.
Robin had invited her long ago. From that alone, it was clear she likely needed her help.
When Kiana came, she had been fully prepared to investigate alongside her. She hadn't expected Robin to have no such intention.
...In that case, why had Robin been so eager to invite her to Penacony?
After all, there was still some time before the Charmony Festival began. When Robin extended the invitation, it had been months ago.
"Penacony is vast—far beyond what we've seen. There are many places we didn't visit last time."
"But shouldn't the priority be finding the traitor hidden within the Family?" Kiana asked in confusion. "The Charmony Festival is approaching. As long as that discordant note isn't found, your voice will..."
Robin shook her head. "After returning, I haven't been without gains. I've actually uncovered a few clues."
"Then shouldn't we follow those clues and continue investigating?" Kiana pressed.
"But my actions are too conspicuous," Robin explained patiently. "Especially after you arrived in Penacony at my invitation. The traitor within the Family hides in the shadows, while we stand in the sunlight. He can see us, yet we don't even know who he is."
"I understand."
"That's right." Robin nodded. "I suspect my investigations these past days may have already put them on guard. Since you came at my invitation, they'll likely assume you're here to help me investigate."
Though that was indeed the case, some disguise was still necessary. They couldn't reveal their true intentions so quickly.
"If the traitor within the Family has truly taken notice of me, they might even be hiding in some corner right now, watching our every move."
Kiana froze for a moment, then immediately cast a wary glance around, attempting to locate any potential spies.
"Then our conversation just now—?"
Robin let out a soft laugh and squeezed Kiana's hand. "Alright, Kiana. There's no need to be that tense. I'm a Pathstrider of Harmony. They wouldn't dare act so brazenly."
"So even if someone really is spying in the dark, at most they're just observing where we go and what we do?"
"If there's more than one traitor," Robin added.
If there were only one, it shouldn't have been enough to cause the melody of all Penacony to shift so drastically.
To affect her so deeply.
The traitor within the Family must hold a high position. Perhaps even... the head of one of Penacony's bloodlines.
"I didn't expect you to be so concerned about the traitor," Robin said instead of voicing her suspicions, her expression tinged with faint distress.
"This affects you. Of course I care more about it," Kiana replied. "And your worries aren't unfounded. Penacony is bound to become the center of attention soon. Whether someone seeks the truth or plans to act during the upcoming Charmony Festival, preparations would have to begin in advance."
"In that case, it seems I'll have no choice but to pull you into the investigation with me after all."
"That's exactly why I came to Penacony ahead of time," Kiana said.
"I don't even know how to thank you." Robin spoke half-jokingly.
Kiana was just about to say there was no need for thanks, but the words paused on her lips as another thought surfaced.
Mei's storyline had been changed by her.
Her identity as the "nonexistent Emanator" had already been exposed at the space station, on the Xianzhou, and on Jarilo-VI.
"I really do have a favor to ask you."
"Is there something I can do for you?"
Robin was a little surprised. After Kiana found Miss Raiden Mei, the frequency of their conversations had noticeably decreased.
She knew the universe was vast and that contacting one another was troublesome, yet never seeing her again after that still left her feeling somewhat disappointed.
During that time, she hadn't taken the initiative either—hadn't expressed a desire to chat, or even to meet again.
When she suddenly learned that Kiana and the friend she had been searching for were actually lovers who returned each other's feelings—and that they would confirm their relationship after reuniting—
She could only remind herself not to harbor thoughts that overstepped boundaries.
To bury those complex emotions that had faded before they were ever spoken aloud, and let everything end there—that was the optimal solution.
And that was exactly what Robin did.
She forced herself not to think about Kiana, distracting herself with other matters.
Trying to forget those feelings.
Yet the more one tries to forget something, the more deeply the body remembers it.
"Yes, of course there is!"
Unaware of Robin's thoughts, Kiana quickly replied, "Mei accepted a request to return something to its rightful owner, but after searching everywhere, she still can't find the Galaxy Rangers."
"The Charmony Festival is such a massive event. This time, Penacony has even sent out countless invitations. It's bound to draw the attention of half the universe."
"If news spreads that Galaxy Rangers have come here, it might attract the real ones to show up and investigate."
Robin paused slightly, hesitation flashing across her face. "Galaxy Rangers?"
Her hesitation wasn't because of the Galaxy Rangers, nor because of any potential consequences. It was simply because she realized that every time Kiana asked for her help, it seemed to be for the sake of finding someone.
Before, it was to find Raiden Mei.
Now, it was to help Raiden Mei find the Galaxy Rangers she was searching for.
"Is that okay?" Kiana looked at her expectantly.
For Robin, this wasn't difficult at all. This was Penacony—the Family's domain—and she herself was a member of the Family.
"Of course it's no problem." Robin composed her subtle emotions and smiled. "Leave it to me. I'll handle it properly."
"That's great!" Kiana exclaimed dramatically, wrapping her arms around Robin's arm. "I knew this wouldn't be hard for you!"
For two close friends, this wasn't an especially intimate gesture.
Holding hands, linking arms—such physical contact wasn't unusual between good friends.
Unless one of them harbored different feelings.
"Since we met, we've been talking about my affairs the whole time," Robin said. "What about you, Kiana? Where have you been during this time? What have you experienced?"
"Me?" At the mention of her own story, Kiana's expression turned somewhat wistful. "After we parted last time, I really did go through quite a lot."
"Like what?" Robin asked with genuine curiosity.
She truly was curious about Kiana's life—especially now that she had made up her mind and crossed that psychological hurdle after a long internal struggle.
"You really want to hear it?"
"Of course." Robin nodded without hesitation. "I'm very curious about what you've been through during this time."
"Well..."
Though her listener was willing, Kiana instead looked slightly hesitant. There were things she wasn't sure she should mention to Robin.
It felt like it might shatter the impression she had previously left here. She believed she had made a fairly good impression when they were together before.
Robin clasped her hand and said earnestly, "If you want to say it, no matter what it is, I'm willing to listen."
"But if it makes you uncomfortable—"
"It won't. There's nothing uncomfortable about it."
Kiana shook her head repeatedly. In the past, she had told Robin everything. When she was about to reunite with Mei, she had been so nervous that she even sought Robin out specifically to discuss how to arrange the reunion in a way that would minimize Mei's anger.
"Not long after I reunited with Mei, Ruan Mei called me over."
Miss Ruan?
Robin nodded. She remembered that back on Kasbelina-VIII, Kiana had mentioned knowing Ruan Mei, and that Miss Ruan had even personally come for her.
By the sound of it, Kiana's relationship with Ruan Mei seemed quite good as well.
"So I took Mei with me to the space station to see her. That's also where I met the Nameless of the Astral Express."
"Um... after Ruan Mei's matter was temporarily settled, she turned her attention to me. We went back together once."
"Something... unusual happened in between. Anyway, that's roughly how it was. To resolve the hidden danger within me, we went to a planet called Jarilo-VI. Many of the events that followed revolved around that world."
"After that, Mr. Yang from the Astral Express drove the train to Euphorion. He went alone to Izumo and ended up trapped inside. The Astral Express asked me for help, so Mei and I returned to Izumo."
"You could say it was a blessing in disguise. Although there was a bit of an accident in the middle—like when I fell asleep—that incident allowed me to completely master my own power. I also ended the Honkai on Izumo."
"After I woke up, Ruan Mei told me that Herta wanted to see me. So I went back to the space station again and happened to run into the Antimatter Legion invading it. I helped drive them off."
"Then I went to Jarilo-VI to deal with some leftover problems from before. After that, to build the Stigmata Terminal, I even went through a Stigmata Trial."
"Once the trial ended, I followed Herta and, using Honkai as a foundation, set up a project related to it."
"That's pretty much what I've been through during this time." Kiana racked her brain, summarizing her experiences in a few deliberately vague sentences.
The space station, Jarilo-VI, Izumo...
It seemed Kiana had been circling between those places all this time. Before coming to Penacony, she had been at the space station working with that genius from Herta Space Station on a new project.
"You're only sharing the good news and skipping all the worries," Robin said gently.
She could tell Kiana had concealed many details. When speaking about her own experiences, she had reduced them to such brief and evasive phrasing.
"What worries? There weren't any," Kiana insisted. "But the biggest gain was successfully constructing the Stigmata Terminal."