---o---
The moment Kiana embraced Rider, all words were choked off by tears.
She buried her face in Rider's shoulder, her fingers clenching the fabric of Rider's clothes, her whole body trembling as if she had just been pulled from the water. Rider didn't push her away, simply resting one hand on the back of her head and wrapping the other around her back, standing there quietly.
The sound of sobbing continued for a long time.
Finally, Rider's hand fell onto Kiana's shoulder and patted it twice.
"Alright now." Rider turned her head, a smile on her lips, though her own eyes glistened with tears just like Kiana's. She gestured with her chin at the people around them. "You're a grown woman now, still acting like a little crybaby. Aren't you afraid people will laugh?"
Kiana lifted her face from Rider's shoulder. Her eyes were red-rimmed, her nose was flushed, and two tear tracks still glistened on her cheeks, yet the corners of her mouth couldn't be suppressed—the more she tried to contain her smile, the wider it grew.
She sniffled, wiping her face messily with her hand, her voice thick with emotion. "In front of you, I'll always just be a student."
The coquettish tone in her voice was unmistakable. Rider's lips twitched, but she didn't reply, simply reaching out to brush away a stray strand of hair stuck to Kiana's temple by her tears.
Then, Rider turned and introduced Fu Zhu and her companions from the Express to Kiana one by one. Kiana listened, secretly dabbing at the corners of her eyes with her sleeve, afraid Rider would see. Once she was done, she quickly hid her hands behind her back.
When the introductions were over, Rider briefly explained her own situation.
In Penacony, Fu Zhu had used fragments of the Sword of Ruin as a catalyst to summon her as a Servant. She had indeed died, but now she was resurrected in a different form, one closer to a memetic lifeform.
When Kiana heard Rider say she had truly died, her heart skipped a beat. After hearing the entire story, she fell silent for a few seconds.
Then, Kiana turned to Fu Zhu and bowed her head earnestly.
"Thank you."
There were no frills, just those two simple words. But the way Kiana bowed and the expression on her face made everyone understand the weight of her gratitude.
Fu Zhu smiled and waved his hand. There was no better reward than the joy of Kiana and Rider's reunion.
"Let's go." Kiana stood up straight again and pointed towards the moon base. "There are places to rest at the base. You've all come from so far away, first—"
Her voice caught on the word "first," because another group of people was walking down from the Astral Express. The woman in the lead had a head of red hair, and her figure and face were remarkably similar to Rider's, but her aura was completely different. Her gait was more elegant and ladylike, and her eyes held a gentle, unhurried warmth.
Kiana's mouth remained open. Her eyes darted from the red-haired woman to Rider, then back again, several times.
Rider crossed her arms, a playful smile on her face. She tilted her head at Kiana. "What, can't you tell us apart?"
"I can." Kiana's reply was unhesitating and extremely serious. She shifted her gaze back to Himeko, as if confirming something. "She looks much quieter than you, and more ladylike. I can tell at a glance."
Her words were sincere, her tone steady, her expression earnest. She was clearly not joking.
But Rider's smile froze for a split second.
"Oh?"
The next second, a hand landed on Kiana's head without warning, and a knuckle rapped down, not too lightly and not too heavily.
"Oww—" Kiana clutched her head and scurried to the side. "I was telling the truth!"
Rider retracted her hand, her expression clearly saying, That's precisely why I hit you.
After another round of introductions, Kiana learned that Himeko was Rider's otherworldly counterpart. While a bit surprised, she had been forced by Bronya to cram a lot of knowledge over the years, so she was familiar with the concept.
Afterward, Kiana led the group toward the moon base. On the way, she was already plotting how to share the good news of Rider's return with everyone—Bronya, Mei, Theresa, not a single one could be missed!
"Uncle Yang."
Welt, who was walking in the middle of the group, had slowed his pace. March 7th called back to him. He snapped out of his thoughts and rejoined the group, but his steps were hesitant, taking two steps and then pausing, as if contemplating something.
Finally, he spoke.
"Kiana."
Kiana stopped and turned to look at him.
"Anti-Entropy... how is it now?" Welt paused. "And Dr. Tesla."
Kiana blinked, then recounted the recent situation on Earth for him and Rider. After the Honkai was sealed on the moon, Theresa had taken over as the Overseer of Schicksal. Anti-Entropy no longer operated independently but had merged with Schicksal. Tesla and the other core members of the former Anti-Entropy had subsequently joined Schicksal's high command.
Everything was fine. At least, from the outcome, everything was fine.
Welt's shoulders slumped slightly. His lips parted, but before he could let out a sigh of relief—
"Oh, right!"
Kiana had already pulled out her phone.
Her fingers flew across the screen, the muttering from her lips completely undisguised. "Bronya told me before that Mr. Yang and Dr. Tesla's relationship wasn't so simple... Hmm, she told me lots and lots of things when I went to visit her…"
She was mumbling to herself while typing, her face alight with the excitement of someone who'd just discovered juicy gossip and couldn't wait to spread it.
"Wait—" Welt reached out a hand.
Too late. The message had been sent.
Kiana put her phone away and turned back with a smile, which then froze on her face.
Welt stood rooted to the spot, his facial muscles tense. It wasn't the tightness of anger, but the stiffness that comes when a person is suddenly pushed into a situation they are not yet prepared to face, causing all their expressive channels to seize up at once.
"...What's wrong?" Kiana tilted her head.
Welt took off his glasses, pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, and after a few seconds of silence, put them back on and shook his head.
"It's nothing. I just... don't know how to face her yet."
On the other side of the group, March 7th, Stelle, Fu Zhu, and Dan Heng had somehow huddled together, their heads close, their voices hushed.
"I remember Uncle Yang mentioning it before." March 7th cupped her hands around her mouth, her voice so low that only those next to her could hear. "Auntie Tesla has a really explosive temper... Will it be... when Uncle Yang sees her, it'll just be..." She mimed two fists crashing together.
Fu Zhu shook his head. Stelle shook her head. Dan Heng didn't shake his head, but his silence was an answer in itself.
"I don't know the specifics," Fu Zhu said in a low voice, "but Uncle Yang is definitely in for a scolding. There's no escaping that."
The other three nodded in unison. Dan Heng added a very short "Mm" from the side.
Time passed slowly.
Or rather, for Welt, it passed very slowly.
After the group was seated in a lounge at the moon base, he tried sitting, then stood up and walked to the window. He stood at the window for a while, then walked back and sat down again. He had picked up his teacup twice without taking a sip. March 7th shot a look at Stelle, who shot a look at Fu Zhu. Fu Zhu was staring at Welt's back, a rare, pained expression of someone trying very hard not to laugh on his face.
Outside the viewport, two small ships cut through the blackness and entered their landing trajectory.
Welt froze mid-motion as he was about to put down his teacup.
The ships touched down. The base's external docking tunnel activated, and the hum of the airlock's pressure equalization whined for a dozen seconds before falling silent.
Then came the footsteps.
Hurried footsteps, more than one person, and getting closer. The sound of heels striking the metal floor was amplified in the corridor, like someone was running.
The door to the lounge was pushed open.
Four people stood in the doorway. The red-haired woman at the front was panting, her eyes darting around the room before locking onto a certain direction.
Behind her was another person with blue-and-white hair, also breathing heavily.
Fu Zhu recognized their faces. At the same time, he and Tesla spoke in unison.
"Holy shit? Bronya?! Seele?!"
"SON OF A BITCH, WELT! YOU DARE TO COME BACK!"