Chapter 65: With the Second Seat Here, the Skies Have Cleared
"So that's how it was. I knew it! There's no way someone as gentle as you could do something like bully other people."
Having reached her own conclusion, Kiana took a triumphant sip of her milk tea, the straw bobbing contentedly.
Though he was on the receiving end of Kiana's praise, Rovel's gaze shifted away for a fraction of a second. He couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. After all, back then, his primary motivation for beating up those delinquents wasn't just to avenge the Kendo Club; he had done it under that convenient guise to grind for more experience.
"Gentle? That's the first time I've heard someone describe me that way," Rovel remarked, rubbing his nose a bit awkwardly as he took the conversational bait Kiana had offered.
"Of course you are!" Kiana insisted. "Last night, when that girl turned into a Death Soldier and attacked you... after you defeated her, you even covered her with a piece of your clothing, didn't you?" A faint, knowing smile played at the corners of her lips.
Could such a small, almost instinctual gesture truly be what Kiana considered 'gentle'?
"My old man always used to say that true gentleness is hidden in the small, everyday things... Oh, right! Speaking of him, have you ever seen this person?" Kiana rummaged through her pockets and produced a photograph, placing it carefully on the table in front of Rovel.
The photo was slightly yellowed with age, a proof of how long she had carried it, yet its corners were crisp and unbent. It was clear that despite her long and arduous search, she treasured this memento and kept it in pristine condition.
The man in the picture was unmistakably Siegfried Kaslana. Rovel picked it up, feigning a moment of careful consideration before shaking his head. "Sorry," he said softly. "I haven't seen him."
The brilliant light of expectation in Kiana's eyes instantly dimmed, but she recovered just as quickly, her expression smoothing over. It was a practiced mask, one she had clearly worn many times before.
"By the way, you seem to be from Europe, right?" Rovel asked, his curiosity piqued. "What brings you all the way to the Far East to look for your family?"
"Oh, that. Someone told me they spotted my old man's trail around here, so I followed it," Kiana replied with a shrug.
Rovel blinked. A sudden thought, a spark of insight from his meta-knowledge, ignited in his mind. Could it be that Siegfried himself had deliberately lured Kiana here? The man wanted to entrust his daughter to Theresa's care. The Honkai beast factor that had awakened within him during the Second Eruption was becoming nearly impossible to suppress. If he remained by Kiana's side, he was terrified he might lose control and... and kill her.
'But until Kiana finds Theresa,'Rovel mused,'Siegfried should still be protecting her from the shadows...'
A mischievous image popped into his head unbidden. He pictured that doting, daughter-obsessed father perched somewhere nearby, gnashing his teeth in silent fury as he watched some strange boy sitting with his daughter, sharing milk tea.
At that very moment, perched atop a tall building some distance away, Siegfried Kaslana was indeed staring at them through a pair of high-powered binoculars.
He took a vicious bite out of a compressed biscuit, chewing with a force that seemed meant for tearing into flesh and bone.
"Damn brat!" he growled under his breath, his voice a low rumble of paternal rage. "That face just screams 'playboy'! Get away from my sweet, cute, weak, helpless, and pitiful daughter!"
But he couldn't just reveal himself. Not now.
For one, he was currently a wanted man, hunted by Schicksal. For another, his original plan had been to come here to coordinate with Raiden Ryoma. He had intended to hand Kiana over to Anti-Entropy, seeing the Far East Branch as a secondary, less ideal option. Anti-Entropy's philosophy was far more humane than Schicksal's; Kiana would at least be safe and free there.
Although the Far East Branch was managed by Theresa, it was still ultimately under Schicksal's jurisdiction. He trusted his "Little Shorty" implicitly, but he certainly didn't trust that old fox Otto to keep his hands clean.
However, his carefully laid plans had been thrown into chaos. He had guided Kiana all the way here, but before he could even make contact with Raiden Ryoma, the man had been framed and taken down by Cocolia. Now, he was forced to improvise.
"It just so happens that Little Shorty is also in the Far East," Siegfried muttered to himself, his gaze never leaving the two figures below. "Looks like I'll have to hand Kiana over to her after all... No, not yet. Let's observe a while longer. That vixen Cocolia seems to be plotting something big here."
...
"By the way, why did you join the Aikido Club in the first place?" Rovel asked, genuinely curious.
"Ah, that. Chiba Academy has a rule that every student has to join at least one club," Kiana explained. "I just happened to walk by when the Aikido Club was recruiting, so I signed up." She paused, then added with a decisive frown, "But since you said their president is that kind of person, I think I'll quit. I was thinking the Baseball Club might be a good choice..."
To emphasize her point, Kiana mimed gripping a baseball bat and took a powerful, imaginary swing.
"I see," Rovel said with a small smile. "I was going to say, if you had nowhere else to go, you could always come to the Kendo Club. But since you've already made a choice, I won't push it."
"Hey! Why do you make me sound like some stray cat with nowhere to go?" Kiana grumbled, puffing out her cheeks.
"Sorry, sorry." Realizing his poor choice of words, Rovel quickly apologized. "I just mean, if you ever need anything, you can find me at the Kendo Club. I'm there most of the time."
"I'm not going to the Kendo Club," Kiana retorted, crossing her arms with a look of distaste. "That woman, Raiden Mei, is so aloof. She looks really hard to get along with."
If only things had been explained clearly from the start, Kiana never would have agreed to help Fuyama Chizuru. They wouldn't have fought, and Rovel wouldn't have… touched…
At the thought, Kiana seemed to feel a phantom echo of that strange, startling sensation in her chest. A faint blush crept up her neck and dusted her cheeks, a confusing mix of embarrassment and lingering anger.
Watching from his distant perch, Siegfried wished he could unleash the full power of the Judgment of Shamash and incinerate Rovel on the spot.
"Pfft... Is that so?" Rovel couldn't suppress a small laugh.
"What are you laughing at?" Kiana demanded, her eyes narrowing.
"I just thought of something funny."
"What's so funny?" she pressed.
"Uh... cough, nothing." Rovel cleared his throat. "Actually, Mei is quite gentle. She was the one who urged me to come and apologize to you. That 'aloof' look you saw... it's just a protective shell."
He then proceeded to tell Kiana about Raiden Mei's past—the sudden, catastrophic fall of her father and her family's company. As he spoke, the original hostility in Kiana's eyes gradually softened, replaced by something else entirely.
"So that's it..." Kiana murmured, her voice softer now. "She went back to how she used to be just to protect you... and herself?" A flicker of sympathy shone in her blue eyes.
"Yeah. So, feel free to drop by the Kendo Club whenever you want. You're welcome there," Rovel said gently. "I think Mei would welcome you, too."
"...Alright." Kiana finally nodded, her agreement quiet but firm.
The two chatted for a while longer before finally parting ways.
Rovel made his way back to the Kendo Club dojo. By the time he arrived, Mei had mostly recovered from her earlier exhaustion. The other members of the club were also trickling back in, each one diligently practicing their swordsmanship, the rhythmic sounds of their training filling the air.
"How did it go?" Mei asked, her voice laced with concern as he approached.
"Don't worry, Kiana has already forgiven me," Rovel replied, flashing her a confident 'OK' sign.
"That's good..." Raiden Mei let out a long, slow sigh of relief, a weight visibly lifting from her shoulders. "Actually, it was my fault, too. If I had just explained properly at the time..."
"Rest easy," Rovel reassured her with a warm smile. "I've cleared everything up with Kiana, and she said she understands."
"Mm. Thank you, Mr. Ruobai..." Raiden Mei whispered, an unconscious, gentle smile gracing her lips.
The other members of the Kendo Club, who had been peeking at the scene from the corners of their eyes, collectively breathed sighs of relief.
Sure enough, now that the second seat was here, peace had returned to the Kendo Club! With the second seat here, the skies had cleared
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