As Walter’s words faded, the banquet officially began. Bronya noticed the greasy shine at the corners of Kiana’s mouth and knew she must have sneaked a bite beforehand.
Seeing that Kiana was still the same lively, cheerful girl who loved sneaking food, Bronya felt her mood relax considerably.
Today, Fu Hua was dressed in the White Night Executor outfit, looking very dashing and drawing the attention of quite a few women.
Meanwhile, Theresa wore a blue gown today, giving her a different kind of charm. But unlike Fu Hua, who had been socializing the whole time, she stayed in the crowd for only a little while before retreating to an empty corner.
“What’s wrong, Auntie?”
Seeing the concern in Kiana’s eyes, Theresa smiled and shook her head:
“Kiana, I’m fine. The banquet is lovely. It’s just that they didn’t prepare much bitter melon juice, and… there are so many Anti-Entropy employees who don’t know me and treat me like a child… Why does my body have to be stuck as a child forever?!”
Watching Theresa stomp her foot in frustration, Kiana laughed too:
“I actually think that Auntie being able to stay that way forever is a gift many people would envy…”
“Ah, is it really appropriate to keep sighing about things at an occasion like this? Auntie, when I went to the kitchen earlier, I saw there’s still some bitter melon juice. It should be right over…”
Theresa immediately dashed off in the direction Kiana pointed.
At the banquet, Anti-Entropy employees sang and danced. Recently, in order to track down the Herrscher of Domination causing trouble all over the world, their nerves had been stretched to the limit. Some proper relaxation would do everyone good.
However, unlike the laughing, cheerful crowd at Anti-Entropy’s party, Jackal, stationed at the World Serpent headquarters, wore an expression of deep distress beneath her mask.
Because she had encountered two clients in a single day. Raiden Mei and Enoxia.
When she proudly informed them that research on the Herrscher of Domination’s core had made major progress, and that the device to reverse-enter the Theater of Domination would only take two days to complete, both of them reacted identically:
“No. I can only accept one day.”
Raiden Mei, in particular, left right after dropping that statement, leaving behind only a goal—without providing any method to achieve it, without listening to any explanation, and with no overtime pay for extra hours. Just thinking about a client like that made Jackal furious.
As for Enoxia, she gave an even more specific demand:
“The device can be completed within one day, and you’re free to study me however you like. After all, even Kevin doesn’t have the confidence to kill me, so I don’t think you’re capable of doing anything to me.”
“But if the device still isn’t finished within one day and you can’t deliver on time, then I’ll just have to come study you.”
Although it was still unreasonable, Enoxia’s words clearly suited Jackal’s tastes better. She was now in the lab, “voluntarily” working overtime.
“Install this component here, and then… Oh no!”
A crackle of electricity sounded. Jackal immediately dodged aside as a light explosion rang out, and the component she’d just been holding flew into the wall.
“…At least the core part isn’t damaged. Looks like… I’ll need to try a different approach…”
Meanwhile, Enoxia—one of the clients—was currently lounging on the sofa as usual, chatting with Sirin.
“You’re sure Jackal can finish the task on time tomorrow?”
“Mm. People sometimes need a little pressure to unleash their potential. Besides, if she doesn’t deliver tomorrow, Kiana’s going to be in trouble.”
“Honestly, is Anti-Entropy really that confident in their electromagnetic barrier? Kiana is the Herrscher of Ice, not the Herrscher of the Void. Once she’s pulled into the Theater of Domination, won’t she lose contact with everyone else just the same?”
Enoxia sighed:
“For Anti-Entropy, it’s a last resort. Walter and Theresa obviously know this plan carries huge risks. But if they don’t lure the snake out of its hole, against a Herrscher of Domination who causes chaos and then runs, they’ll just be endlessly chasing their tails and dealing insignificant damage.”
Sirin pouted, puffing out her cheeks with a dissatisfied expression:
“Schicksal and Anti-Entropy are still just as useless.”
Enoxia extended her right index finger and poked Sirin’s cheek.
“Pfft~~”
The pufferfish deflated instantly.
“Even if Jackal fails her task, I still have you as my final safeguard. At worst, the Herrscher of Domination won’t easily obtain the Herrscher of Ice’s authority.”
“You need to believe in Kiana, and believe in yourself even more. So don’t frown. Like Sister says, girls look prettier when they smile.”
Meanwhile, the other client—Raiden Mei—was currently arriving at a beach with Raven. Due to the time difference, it was still dusk here.
The two walked barefoot along the sand, letting the waves lap at their feet. Raven gazed at the sinking sun, her expression quite complicated.
“It’s rare to see you make a face like that.”
“…To be honest, I was thinking about my brother.”
“When I was little, I challenged my brother to a contest—to see who could stand barefoot in the freezing snow longer. I only lasted a short while before I couldn’t take it anymore, but my brother stood in the snow for over ten minutes and got his feet frostbitten. I carried him back inside. When Mom found out, she gave him a terrible scolding.”
“Shouldn’t she have scolded you?”
“Yeah. But my brother insisted it was his idea. He always bullied me normally, yet protected me at the critical moment… That’s probably my deepest impression of him.”
“I heard Gray Serpent mention that you were during the Second Honkai…”
“…Mm. During the Second Honkai, Gray Serpent took me from the snowy plains of Siberia and raised me into a warrior loyal to the Serpent. From that day on, I never saw my brother again…”
“Although I don’t actually know whether he’s alive or dead, I hope he’s living well—while also hoping he’s completely dead in my heart.”
“Why?”
“Probably… out of habit. Once a person picks up a certain habit, it’s very hard to make a drastic change. In my life, I’ve gotten used to a version of it without him…”
Mei could tell that Raven’s real reason was far more than just the word “habit,” but she didn’t press further.
“…I’ve been talking about myself too much. Let’s talk about you. I’m curious—what exactly is the relationship between you and your other personality? It’s not like Seele’s mutual protection, but it’s even less like mutual hostility.”
“…If you want a specific answer from me, my answer is: I don’t know.”
Raven couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing:
“You don’t know? My dear Lady Mei, what kind of answer is that?”
Mei shook her head:
“Sometimes, the person who understands you best is yourself—and the person who understands you least is also yourself. About her… we have differences in how we perceive many things. Maybe… we were originally meant to end up in opposition.”
“You know, in terms of mastery over the Herrscher of Thunder’s authority, she has always been stronger than me. She didn’t cause destruction on the scale of the Herrscher of Flame or the Herrscher of Ice. Instead, she provided me with crucial help when necessary—because… we can reach agreement on one most critical point.”
“And that critical point… is Kiana.”
