It was well past midnight, yet Otto had not rested.
He sat in his chair, reviewing Schicksal intelligence.
Now that he possessed a physical body, he paradoxically required less rest, and his body felt no fatigue.
He let out a soft sigh.
Otto closed his eyes, replaying the information he had just read.
Schicksal had already dispatched special personnel to monitor Chen Tianwu, but the young man was acting like a perfectly ordinary high school student, showing no signs whatsoever of becoming a Herrscher.
Otto was already considering taking control of his sister, Chen Tianwen, first. That way, even if Chen Tianwu awakened as a Herrscher, Otto would still be holding his leash.
He truly had bled his heart dry for this world.
Still, this was a sign that he had come to see this world as his own.
With Fu Hua, Kiana, and Mei here, he supposed he had finally put down roots.
But if he wanted to start a harem, he would have to manage the relationships between the girls carefully to avoid any drama down the line.
Otto felt a headache coming on.
Under what circumstances would Kiana, Mei, and Fu Hua willingly agree to be the wives of the same man?
And it was likely that the sisterhood wouldn't stop at just three.
Sigh, best not to think about it. He would cross that bridge when he came to it. In any case, a scumbag like him would never let a single piece of meat in his bowl get away.
---o---
Knock, knock, knock.
As Otto was lost in thought, he suddenly heard a faint tapping at his door.
The sound was soft, as if the visitor didn't want anyone else to notice.
Otto turned his head, puzzled.
It was the middle of the night. Who would be sneaking into the Overseer's room?
Could it be... someone trying to climb the ladder using some unorthodox methods?
This was a first for him. But no, he couldn't allow it! As the Overseer of Schicksal, it was his duty to guide these sweet treats who had strayed from the righteous path.
But first, let's see if she's cute.
Still, he had a familiar feeling about this.
Guessing who it was, Otto didn't bother with the peephole and simply pulled the door open.
A familiar face came into view, and a smile blossomed on Otto's lips.
"Well, well, if it isn't little Kiana."
Her silver-white hair was unbound, cascading down her back instead of being tied into its usual twin braids. Kiana wore a thin set of pajamas and was clutching a pillow to her chest.
Otto was a little surprised.
He never would have expected Kiana to come to him.
"C-can you let me in?"
Kiana glanced around the hallway. If anyone saw her going into Otto's room in the middle of the night, no explanation would suffice.
"Mm." Otto nodded, and once Kiana had stepped inside, he closed the door.
Then, with a practiced motion, he locked it.
Well, it's always safer to lock the door when you sleep, after all.
"That said, I doubt you're here in my room at midnight just because you're lonely. What happened?"
Otto gently brushed the hair from Kiana's forehead. The silver strands were stuck to her skin, and her pajamas were soaked through with sweat, clinging tightly to her slender, shapely body.
Her youthful vitality was on full display.
"Do you want to take a bath first?"
"If you do, I'll go run some hot water for you," Otto offered. He poured a cup of warm water and handed it to her.
Kiana sat on the edge of the bed, placing the pillow she'd brought with her on Otto's mattress. She cupped the glass with both hands, and after taking a sip of the warm water, her slightly chilled body began to warm up.
But she shook her head. She looked at Otto, her fingers gripping the glass tightly.
Otto didn't hesitate. He sat down beside her and naturally wrapped an arm around her waist.
He had gained plenty of experience from his time with Fu Hua.
Kiana didn't resist. She was different from Fu Hua. Fu Hua's deep understanding of Otto's past made it difficult for her to accept him so easily.
Kiana had no such reservations.
All she knew was that she had feelings for Otto, harboring a hazy, budding love.
This was a young girl's tender first love.
Though she might have been a tsundere at first, once she grew more comfortable and passed the initial shy phase, Kiana was the type of girl who would take the initiative.
That was why, after the strange experience she just had, her first thought was to find Otto.
To her, Otto was someone she could rely on, someone who could give her warmth.
And besides, she really wanted to see him.
"Otto, I think I just had a nightmare."
Kiana spoke, leaning her body closer into his. Otto didn't mind her sticky, sweaty state in the slightest; rather, he enjoyed the feeling of their skin touching.
In any case, he could use this as an excuse to share a 'mandarin duck bath' later.
After returning to reality, Otto had wanted to enjoy the water with Fu Hua again, but she had never given him the opportunity.
"I can tell," Otto said. Kiana's panicked state certainly looked like she had just been startled awake from a nightmare. "But it's alright, I'm here. You can sleep with me tonight."
He said it with a grin. Kiana looked at him, a trace of reminiscence appearing in her azure eyes.
"Otto, how long have we known each other?"
"Less than a month," Otto replied. Counting the days, he had been the Overseer of Schicksal for not even a full month.
The man he was at the start never would have imagined that he could win over Fu Hua, Kiana, and Mei in a single month, and even have Bronya in the palm of his hand.
He had completely overturned the fates of the Honkai's main trio.
"Then... do you think I have a split personality, or dual personalities?" Kiana asked. In the past, she had always been alone. It wasn't until she met Otto that her loneliness ended.
The man's right hand caressed the soft skin of her thigh, causing Kiana's face to heat up. He was still making these little moves, even at a time like this.
Otto, however, frowned slightly.
"Why do you ask?"
He was no stranger to dual personalities; most of his future wives had two. Mei had her Herrscher of Thunder personality, Kiana had her Queen personality, Seele had her Dark Seele personality, and if you really stretched it, you could count Fu Hua and Senti as well.
They were all problem children.
But it was precisely because they were problem children that, by identifying their character flaws, they were surprisingly easy to win over.
Still, Otto was a little puzzled.
In response to his question, Kiana recalled what had just happened and recounted it without any reservation.
"I had a nightmare just now. I dreamed of someone who looked exactly like me, but with a real queen-like aura. She said she was my other personality."
"Oh, right. She said her name was Sirin."
Kiana completely trusted Otto, the man who had pulled her out of her cold, lonely existence, and told him everything that had happened in her dream.
Otto listened quietly, but his previously smiling face grew somewhat grave.
This was not a good sign.
Kiana watched him with worried and fearful eyes, her left hand tightly clutching the hem of his clothes.
She wasn't afraid of her other personality.
Kiana was only afraid that once Otto learned she had a split personality, he would find her disgusting, grow tired of her, and then toss her aside like a used tissue.
She didn't want that to happen.
Having tasted warmth, she never wanted to return to the desolate winter of loneliness again.
But having been abandoned by her father once before, she lacked a sufficient sense of security.
Otto didn't need to hear the rest of Kiana's story. He had already realized she was talking about her Herrscher personality, the Queen of the Void.
But the timing was wrong.
According to the original history, wasn't the Queen of the Void supposed to awaken only after Kiana came into contact with the Moonlight Throne in 2016?
Has the wheel of fate been thrown off course by the flap of my butterfly wings?
But looking at Kiana's slightly pale face, Otto knew there were more important things to do right now.
A warm smile spread across his face, a smile that instantly put Kiana at ease.
He lowered his head, cupped Kiana's face in his hands, and touched the tip of his nose to hers.
"Isn't this great? I get to have double the happiness."
He was coaxing his insecure little kitten.
And with that, Otto captured Kiana's lips with his own.