On the Hyperion.
"Bronya, are you okay?"
The energetic Kiana looked at Bronya, who was staring blankly out the window. "You've looked so listless the past two days."
Mainly, Bronya had reduced her verbal jabs at Kiana lately. Kiana had prepared several "counter-attacks" only to find herself punching air, which was quite frustrating.
"I'm fine." Bronya turned back, looking at Kiana with a surprised expression. Wait, did the idiot Kiana actually learn to care for people?
"What's with that look?" Kiana pouted and turned to Mei. "Mei! I finally try to be nice to Bronya and she doesn't even appreciate it!" She clung to Mei and began to act like a spoiled child.
"There, there..." Mei comforted her helplessly. But inexplicably, Luo Hong's face appeared in her mind. If it were Mr. Luo Hong... would he act like a spoiled child with me too?No! What am I thinking? But when Luo Hong's image overlapped with Kiana's, Mei's face turned bright red.
"Mei!" Kiana noticed Mei's eyes losing focus. She stopped her act. "You're being weird too! Wait—" She pointed a finger in revelation. "It's because of those strange dreams, isn't it? What kind of magic do they have to change you both like this? I want to go in and see for myself!"
With Luo Hong intentionally letting Bronya and the others spread rumors, the "Luo Hong World" had become an urban legend at St. Freya.
"You... forget it." Bronya instinctively wanted to warn her, but knowing Kiana wouldn't listen, she gave up.
"Bronya, are you looking down on me?" Kiana crossed her arms defiantly. "Just you wait. I'll definitely enter that world in the next few days!"
Though she talked big, she didn't actually have a solid way to make it happen yet.
In truth, Kiana had been trying all sorts of sleeping positions lately—even imitating Theresa by sleeping with her bottom up—but she hadn't seen any sign of entering that dream world. If anything, her sleep quality was too good; she usually slept like a log until dawn without dreaming at all.
Since the conventional methods weren't working...
"Mei," Kiana said, looking at her with pleading eyes. "Can I sleep in your room tonight? Maybe if I sleep next to you, I'll be pulled in too."
While that was her "official" reason, her true motive was naturally to snuggle with Mei. She rarely got the chance, so this was the perfect excuse.
"Well... alright." Faced with Kiana's puppy-dog eyes and a seemingly valid excuse, Mei had no choice but to agree.
"Mei, you're the best!" Kiana hugged Mei tightly and rubbed her face against Mei's cheek like an excited golden retriever.
"There, there!" Mei laughed, patting Kiana's head to calm her down.
After a moment, Kiana asked, "By the way... is the training there really effective?"
"It is," Mei nodded seriously. "And when we wake up, our minds and bodies feel completely rested. It's like perfectly utilizing our sleep time."
"No wonder Bronya has gotten stronger lately. That's totally cheating!" Kiana huffed, looking at Bronya with annoyance, wondering why she wasn't the first one to find that dream.
"Cheating?" Hearing Kiana's comment, Bronya didn't argue. Instead, she looked out the window at the white clouds with a look of profound melancholy. I paid for it by being devoured! Naturally, she couldn't say that out loud.
"I-I..." Seeing Bronya's reaction, Kiana panicked. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that."
"It's fine," Mei interjected, knowing Bronya was brooding over something else. "Tonight is apparently Luo Hong's final trial for Bronya. It's normal for her to be anxious."
Honestly, Mei was a bit envious of Luo Hong's "special training" for Bronya. But she knew Bronya had to save Seele, so it made sense for Luo Hong to help her more. Besides, Luo Hong hadn't neglected Mei either; he provided whatever opponents she wanted to face, even the legendary Homu Swordsman from her childhood.
"I see..." Kiana felt relieved. "So after tonight, Bronya is going to get even stronger?"
"Don't worry. Once you get in, you'll catch up in no time," Mei said, using the kind of soothing words one uses for a child.
"Yeah, you're right!" Kiana took the bait instantly. Her eyes filled with determination. She decided that once she entered that mysterious dream, she would train herself ruthlessly to catch up to Bronya.
"Oh, right," Kiana added after a brief silence. "We're just picking someone up this time, right? Why did Auntie Theresa deploy the Hyperion for this? Is it some V.I.P.?"
"Kiana..." Mei sighed. "Did you skip the mission details again?"
"Uh..." Kiana tapped her head and stuck out her tongue. "I just saw it was a transport mission, so I didn't look closer. How much trouble could picking up one person be?"
"Forget it," Mei said, knowing Kiana's habits. "The person we're picking up is Miss Wendy. She was the Principal's most talented student and a candidate to become the fourth S-Rank Valkyrie."
"The fourth S-Rank?!" Kiana was stunned. "But even for someone of that rank, isn't mobilizing the Hyperion a bit... over-the-bottom?"
"It's 'over-the-top'," Bronya corrected from the side, unable to stand Kiana's butchering of idioms.
"Right, over-the-top!" Kiana nodded and looked back at Mei.
"Miss Wendy has problems with her legs due to the Desire Gem implant. She needs to be taken to Mr. Luo Hong for treatment," Mei explained, a hint of worry in her eyes. "But the Principal is worried that the Oceania Branch won't let her go so easily."
She looked out the window. A high-tech base had appeared on the horizon.
The Oceania Branch was here.