"If it weren't for you being Elysia, I honestly might not have been able to tell the difference for a moment." Dr. MEI looked at the smiling, pink-haired girl before her with a mix of admiration and bewilderment.
"Would you mind satisfying my curiosity?"
"Of course." Jiang Qiao, currently as [Elysia], saw no need to hide much.
"It might sound a bit abstract, but just a light 'touch' here," [Elysia] gestured vaguely, "and our bodies 'whoosh'—they swap! Isn't that amazing? That's exactly what I thought the first time it happened."
"So, want to give it a try?" Her slender index finger traced lightly over her pink lips. [Elysia] beamed, her voice, sweet and belonging to this body, carried an intangible allure.
MEI remained still, simply looking at her before smiling faintly after a moment. "Perhaps it's best if I don't. I trust you."
"I thought someone with your personality would definitely want to try."
"Indeed. If this were the old me, driven by pure intellectual curiosity, MEI certainly wouldn't have missed such an opportunity for firsthand experience and knowledge. But the me of today is, after all, not the original MEI anymore." She was different now.
"However, you seem particularly familiar with me..."
"Mhmm~ We're very good friends, you know. With the other you... well, more accurately, the 'you from the past'," the pink-haired girl winked playfully, emphasizing her words.
"..."
MEI fell silent for a moment, then spoke slowly, thoughtfully:
"Logically, that should be impossible... But seeing Elysia standing here—perhaps this truly is a domain we have yet to explore. Considering how vast this world is, it wouldn't be entirely strange."
She turned her gaze toward the figure before her.
"Tell me more, 'Elysia'."
"Certainly~ Let me start from the very beginning~"
The two talked for a long time.
When MEI learned of the Previous Era, she was visibly surprised—but swiftly regained her composure. Even the revelations concerning her past self and Kevin did not shake her; she merely sighed, long and quietly.
"…So that's how it was."
"Thanks."
"Hm? But I broke you and Kevin up, you know~ I thought you'd be angrier."
"So that's how you see me..." MEI mused. "Hmm. Actually, it does sound rather fascinating."
She paused, then added softly, "But… this is genuinely a good thing."
A faint, resigned smile touched her lips.
As she had said, her love with Kevin had never been fair to him. MEI had to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders, willing even to sacrifice Kevin if necessary.
And he, in turn, had only her—though, over time, their pure love became intertwined with the struggle against the Honkai, acquiring other layers of meaning. Yet, this didn't change the fact that their love story was an utter tragedy.
"If he hadn't been with me, Kevin's life probably would have been much better." Of course, he might also have simply perished in some disaster along the way. But compared to what Kevin endured, a simple death might have been easier, wouldn't it?
As for her past self compensating him for this unfairness? That was even more impossible. It had nothing to do with any emotional foundation. If she were to get together with Kevin purely out of a desire to 'compensate' him, it would be a 'desecration' to the Kevin of any era.
Did Kevin do everything just to make MEI feel indebted to him? He would only say: Absolutely not! Such pure love could not be tainted by such things. And knowing everything, the past MEI had already lost the right to love Kevin.
At least, that's how she saw it—no matter how rational she tried to be, MEI didn't think she could ever discard this feeling of needing to 'make it up' to Kevin. An unwilling lover, an unwilling self.
Since she couldn't reciprocate that pure affection, there was no need to desecrate that sincere emotion further by deceiving herself. Dr. MEI knew this very well—she was definitely not what you'd call a good woman.
That being the case, there was no need to drag someone else down with her.
—Of course, the delicate situation between her past self and 'Elysia' did make MEI click her tongue in wonder. She had never imagined that she herself would be whisked away by 'Elysia'. It was certainly... peculiar, dealing with her own past. But MEI had to admit—it actually sounded... kind of exciting?
"Hearing news like this before I depart… isn't so bad."
She smiled faintly, sighing as she leaned forward, resting her weight on her knees, eyes tracing the reflection of the moon.
"Thank you for coming all this way to tell me."
"…If you can, I hope you'll look after Kevin later."
"In her past life, Dr. MEI owed that shy boy far too much."
"I no longer have the time to make amends. But perhaps… seeing you like this might cheer him up a little."
She wasn't the real Dr. MEI, but a 'reflection' left behind by the MEI of the main world, a trace of her past existence. And this Bubble Universe, tied to the main world, should have perished along with the Previous Era.
But through the machinations of certain individuals and Dr. MEI's own efforts, it had been sealed away until now.
While this meant the long wait was over... It also meant the countdown to its inevitable demise, once paused, had begun ticking again. Fully aware of this, MEI felt no fear, only regret and loneliness.
After all, this long vigil hadn't ultimately borne fruit.
But it didn't matter. This was merely the remnant, destined for destruction, finally meeting its original end.
However... Prometheus shouldn't have to perish alongside her. Thinking of that expressionless little face, MEI was certain.
Although Prometheus, like herself, was a relic of the old era, MEI regarded her with great hope—almost as a daughter. Prometheus still had a long journey ahead of her… a future yet to unfold.
"What are you talking about?" The pink-haired girl tilted her head, puzzled by the quiet melancholy in Dr. MEI's voice. "I haven't gotten what I came for yet."
"…?" Dr. MEI blinked, momentarily taken aback. Then, with a soft sigh and a roll of her eyes, she replied with a trace of exasperation, "There's nothing here that you could possibly want."
This was a reflection—a shadow of the main world. A world already doomed to fade. Nothing here held true value. Treasure hunting in such a place was... misguided.
Or so she thought.
Then, she noticed the pink-haired girl staring at her. Not vaguely or idly—but directly. Intently. Unflinchingly.
Dr. MEI's breath caught.
"A-Apologies. I still have matters to attend to! Please excuse me."
And with that, she turned away—her heart beating just a little too fast.
.....
Salt Lake Base, Training Grounds.
"Hmph, hmph, how about that? Admit defeat? This young lady wins this time!" Kiana's sharp baseball bat stopped right before Bronya's face, the force of the swing ruffling the latter's bangs. Kiana's voice brimmed with smug triumph.
Visible around them, numerous Lances of the Void were embedded in the ground, ribbons extending from them to truss Bronya up completely, creating quite the spectacle.
".....Bronya let her guard down! Otherwise, I wouldn't lose to idiot Kiana. But this Authority of yours..."
Facing Bronya's suspicious gaze, Kiana's cheeks flushed slightly, but she puffed out her chest defiantly. "What about it? This young lady is just naturally talented and trained hard!"
Despite her bold words, the white-haired girl felt quite guilty. Although she hated to admit it, ever since letting Jiang Qiao use her body, it felt like greased lightning. Kiana could only describe using it now with one word—smooth!
Places that used to ache faintly felt brand new. Even using this Authority felt much easier than before! That was precisely why Kiana could defeat Bronya, the Herrscher of Reason.
The only possible complaint was—her body seemed much more sensitive now.
In fact, this was a common trait among Jiang Qiao's 'hosts'. A 'post-Jiang Qiao usage side effect'—to better perceive the physical world, whether intentionally or passively, Jiang Qiao would always mold the host body to his 'shape', or perhaps the body itself wisely adapted to his preferences. In short: sensitivity cranked way up!
But crucially, this was a subtle, gradual process—while using the body, after adapting to the initial unfamiliarity, the original owners gradually got used to the body's new parameters, accepting them as normal.
Of course, this definitely wasn't a negative debuff. It was merely an 'optimization' to better utilize the body's functions.
—The very stubborn Bronya glared at the smug Kiana, fuming. This Bronya might not be able to beat that Jiang Qiao guy, but there's no way I can't handle idiot Kiana! Just some void powers. Watch how the Herrscher of Reason stylishly mops the floor with you—
Catching sight of Seele watching from the sidelines, Bronya suddenly felt energized, transforming into her Herrscher of Reason battlesuit with its distinct tiered skirt, and striking a cool pose. Don't ask why, just strike the coolest pose possible!
Unfortunately for her... The 'lubricated' [Kiana] body, maintained by Jiang Qiao, was like giving wings to a tiger in the white-haired girl's hands. Honestly—the two were usually evenly matched.
At most, Bronya had a slight edge due to her more comprehensive mastery of the Herrscher of Reason's powers.
But now that [Kiana] could finally tap into a portion of her strength more effectively, Bronya tasted the bitter fruit of her own inconsistent training.
"Ahem... Bronya isn't feeling her best today." Noticing Seele's gaze, Bronya coughed, trying to find a valid excuse for her defeat.
Losing to anyone else was fine, but losing to idiot Kiana? She couldn't even imagine the taunting she'd endure. The mere thought made Bronya shiver.
However, her words sounded different to Seele. After all, Bronya had been 'tormented' quite thoroughly last night. Sneaking off to do that kind of thing with Brother Jiang Qiao behind my back! And for so long! It'd be a miracle if you were feeling well, Sister Bronya, you naughty girl!
Of course, Seele's apparent gentle smile made the observing Bronya breathe a sigh of relief. Phew— Good, didn't lose face in front of Seele.
And that horrid Jiang Qiao... Hmph, if it weren't for him, would I have lost? Looking at Kiana opposite her, Bronya immediately blamed her defeat on a certain someone. I definitely wasn't in top form! And I wasn't in top form because someone insisted on dragging me into an all-night gaming session! All just so Bronya would mess up the next day. The logic is perfectly self-contained—yes, that's it!
Just as Bronya finished convincing herself... A lazy voice came through the comms:
"Bronya, Kiana, report to the base command center immediately."
"Huh?" Though puzzled, the three girls complied with Dr. Einstein's request and quickly arrived at the command center.
They saw Dr. Tesla and Dr. Einstein were both present, along with Welt. Quite the lineup. Although the three were close, seeing them together usually meant something major had happened, given their busy schedules with Anti-Entropy affairs.
"The doctors don't look too good," Bronya noted quietly.
"Hmph, don't get me started! Strange incidents have been popping up all over the globe recently, especially here in North America. Those annoying council members are driving me nuts! I swear, I just want to use my genius-level invention, the iron fist, to smash them!" Tesla fumed.
"Anyway, let's not talk about that..." Einstein picked up where Tesla left off, her expression serious: "Half an hour ago, a major Honkai Eruption occurred in Australia. Our nearby detection devices picked up Herrscher-level Honkai Energy readings."
"Kiana, Bronya, we need you to go investigate the situation."
"Although that area falls under Schicksal's jurisdiction, in order to potentially recruit allies against the Honkai, every newly awakened Herrscher is worth attempting contact with," Welt added, coughing lightly. "However, if they prove impossible to communicate with, we'll need you to contain the potential disaster."
Bronya's eyes lit up, a confident smile spreading across her face.
"No problem, leave it to Bronya!"
This time, Bronya will prove it—Bronya is the true Herrscher of Reason!