After dinner, it was leisure time.
Zeke, as usual, sat in his room, occasionally jotting notes on the projection screen to refine his theories or address tasks overlooked during the day.
Bronya wore her virtual reality helmet, swiftly gesturing in mid-air with both hands—she must have discovered another captivating game and was striving to climb up the ranks.
Kiana rested her head on the table, savoring spoonfuls of a chilling fruit parfait placed before her. With each bite, a look of blissful satisfaction graced her face—a testament to her creativity in finding unusual ways to enjoy meals, like eating while lying prone.
Sin cradled her cheeks with both hands, alternating glances between Zeke, deep in thought, and Bronya, her small hands waving animatedly, exuding more than her usual dose of adorable clumsiness. Behind Sin, tiny blossoms symbolizing happiness bloomed one after another.
This was their daily routine, simple and mundane, yet each member found joy in it.
"My lord, Principal Theresa and Lady Himeko are here to visit. Shall I let them through?"
"Allow them."
Responding to Icarus's inquiry, Zeke looked up, seemingly puzzled.
Suddenly, a certain white-haired loli kicked open the door, waving her tiny fists wildly as she charged at Zeke with gusto.
"I saw it all on the stream! How dare you mistreat my adorable niece—I'll teach you a lesson!"
"Ora! Ora! Ora!"
Despite her grand entrance, Zeke merely extended his index finger and pressed it against Theresa's forehead. Her flailing punches missed their target entirely, striking nothing but air.
"Ora! Ora! Ora!"
Theresa strained to push forward, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't budge Zeke's finger. After several futile attempts, she leaned over, hands on knees, panting heavily from exhaustion.
"Principal Theresa, what brings you here so late?"
"I...huff...I'm here to stand up for my dear niece! How could you use drones and laser cannons against Kiana? Didn't you see she lost two strands of hair?!"
Before Zeke could respond to the furious Theresa, who stood with hands on hips, Kiana raised her hand instead.
"Well, uh, I've already said this: I'm not your dear niece; I'm just a clone."
"It's all the same to me! You're still my beloved niece. Once I rescue the other Kiana too, I'll have two nieces!"
Theresa placed her hands on her hips, beaming smugly as if she'd struck gold.
Zeke finally tore his gaze away from those virtual screens and looked at Theresa. "And do you have any leads?"
"...Not even close! Aaaargh! That damn, rotten grandpa of mine—where has he hidden the other Kiana?! I even sacrificed my dignity to bribe that useless maid, but still, nothing!" Theresa raged, pulling at her hair in frustration.
"Well, keep trying then."
Losing interest, Zeke refocused on his work.
If finding clues about the other Kiana were so easy, he would've met her long ago. In earlier years, Zeke had managed to deduce that she was likely within Schicksal Headquarters. However, as time passed and he grew more skilled, Otto's defenses became increasingly impenetrable. To locate the real Kiana now—it seemed the only option might be capturing Otto himself and extracting information directly from his mind.
However, precisely because of these obstacles, Zeke's determination to find this other Kiana grew stronger.
Otto's extensive security measures indicated that this Kiana must possess unimaginable value—possibly even surpassing the significance of his own Artificial Herrscher Project involving their Kiana.
The Kiana here was undoubtedly a headache-inducing presence.
And it seemed like the other Kiana would be equally troublesome.
Was "Kiana" truly a hurdle he could never overcome?
Zeke paused, watching as Kiana resisted Theresa's embrace, and silently sighed.
"Don't be shy, Kiana. Come give Auntie a hug; I haven't seen you in months!"
"No way! I've already told you, I'm not that Kiana!"
"It's okay, just believe that Auntie's love for you is genuine! Ehehe!"
Theresa admitted that upon first meeting Kiana and learning her true identity, she felt a momentary surge of hatred.
But Kiana genuinely proved to be a good child, inheriting Cecilia's kindness and bravery, which gradually won over Theresa's heart.
Upon reflection, the fault lay solely with Grandpa; what did any of it have to do with this Kiana?
Having come to this realization, Theresa couldn't suppress her maternal affection for Kiana—after all, she carried Cecilia's blood!
"But I really...amn't..." Kiana protested half-heartedly, a hint of exasperation in her eyes.
Using "Kiana" as her name already made her feel guilty toward the real Kiana. However, she had grown accustomed to it—not just the name itself but also hearing it from Zeke and everyone else. She could relinquish "Kaslana," but giving up "Kiana" wasn't so easy.
Yet enjoying Theresa's affection without any qualms was something she genuinely couldn't do; the weight of guilt and indebtedness would crush her.
Suddenly, Theresa's short legs lifted off the ground.
Himeko, arriving late, scooped up Theresa like handling a mischievous child. Apologizing with a smile to Kiana, she then turned to Zeke:
"My apologies for the interruption. I should have kept a closer eye on Theresa. I hope we didn't cause you any trouble."
Zeke remained silent.
Instead, Kiana patted her chest, visibly relieved: "Hey, Himeko..."
"Yes?"
In an instant, Kiana felt a chilling aura akin to being plunged into an icy cellar. After enduring Zeke's terrifying pressure training, her survival instincts kicked in, swiftly prompting her to correct herself:
"Uh, Himeko-nee, good evening!"
In that instant, Kiana felt an icy chill of murderous intent. Having honed her survival skills to perfection under Zeke's terrifying tutelage, she swiftly corrected herself.
"Good evening, Big Sister Himeko!"
Himeko smiled and nodded. With her mature allure, she effortlessly captivated every girl in the room.
Unfazed, Zeke asked, "So, any important matters to discuss?"
"Primarily about Saint Freya's exchange students and updates on Honkai Energy monitoring technology at the Far East Branch. I'd like to delve deeper for detailed confirmation."
"Certainly. Stay for a few days; we can take our time discussing it."
"I'd be delighted. Then, if you'll excuse us, we'll head downstairs now."
Zeke nodded and gestured, cutting off Bronya's game connection.
Immersed in the gaming world from start to finish, Bronya abruptly jumped up, ripped off her virtual helmet, and grumbled darkly, "Zeke!"
"Go ahead, assist Sin with arranging accommodations for Lady Himeko and Principal Theresa."
"You interrupted my ranking climb!"
"A rare metal mine was discovered to the north; consider it yours."
"Understood. Please follow me, ladies." Despite her stern expression, Bronya courteously addressed them.
Bronya's expression remained stern, but she courteously addressed them both.
Soon, all four left the room.
By this time, Kiana had finished her parfait and even licked the cup clean until it shone white at the bottom.
"Zeke, refills... Or if you want to use this cup for something else, I wouldn't mind."
Thwack!
Giving Kiana a not-too-gentle rap on the head, Zeke said, "It's bedtime. Don't eat too much cold or sugary stuff."
"Oh..."
"In two days, we'll be heading to the moon. This trip will take at least half a month, just the two of us," Zeke continued, emphasizing slightly on the phrase "just the two of us." "Is there anything you'd like to say?"
Kiana looked up at the ceiling, stroking her chin thoughtfully. After pondering for a moment, she raised her index finger and declared, "Eat well, sleep tight, and remember to think of me!"
"...And besides that?"
"Hmm... Drink plenty of warm water, and don't forget to think of me!"
"You can now gracefully go back to bed."
"Okay, then goodnight!"
Humming a tune, Kiana turned and walked out of the room.
Once they were alone, Zeke closed his work window, crossed his fingers over his legs, gazed at the moon outside, and sighed softly.
"By luring Theresa here and reminding you of your origins, yet still no reaction."
"For the past three months, there have been numerous indirect attempts like this. Are you genuinely unaware of Sirin's and my probing, or... unwilling to acknowledge it?"
Facing the dimming room, Zeke rubbed his temples, feeling a rare headache coming on.
He surmised that Kiana might have realized her deeper nature with over an 80% certainty.
However, it was not incomprehensible why Kiana chose to conceal and evade the truth. The original Zeke's fate, his parents' plight, the misfortunes befalling most children from the orphanage, Cecilia... all these were tragedies born from the Second Honkai Eruption.
Given Kiana's character, she couldn't possibly accept them.
Even for Zeke, untangling this emotional knot seemed daunting.
"The moon, you're so eager to go there, even resorting to subtle manipulation around me. Just what are you planning? I hope it turns out to be... fitting..."
Zeke pondered briefly, closed his eyes, and let out a long sigh.