Just as Zeke closed his eyes to rest, a pair of delicate, gentle hands placed themselves on his temples, gently massaging them. Simultaneously, a petite, soft warmth embraced him, filling his nostrils with a familiar sweet scent.
Without even opening his eyes, Zeke knew instantly—it was Kiana pressing against one side, while Sin stood opposite her, both radiating palpable hostility, ready to erupt into another squabble at any slight provocation.
"Don't fuss; I'm feeling quite tired."
Gently patting the soft and silky back of the little girl nestled against him, Zeke spoke softly.
In the aftermath, numerous trivial matters piled up, many requiring high-level decision-making. With Einstein occupied handling Wendy's situation, Bronya on sick leave due to injuries, Cocolia, Raiden Mei, and others working tirelessly at the forefront, and Welt... while he wouldn't err in major directions, entrusting intricate administrative tasks to him was hard to rely upon.
Thus, it fell solely on Zeke to handle these responsibilities. Unfortunately, Icarus' governance assistance system could only provide limited help. Coupled with the accumulated fatigue from previous battles and field command, Zeke truly felt drained.
"Mm-hmm, rest well, Zeke," Sin murmured tenderly, snuggling closer before contentedly closing her eyes. Facing a Pseudo-Herrscher wasn't easy; although Bronya had taken a sick leave due to injuries, Sin herself wasn't faring much better.
Kiana focused on maintaining the right amount of pressure for her massage but couldn't help pouting slightly.
What?! That's clearly my spot! I've already confessed to him! she grumbled inwardly. However, seeing that both Zeke and Sin seemed asleep, she didn't want to disturb them and continued massaging diligently.
Her silver hair cascaded down from her delicately framed profile, softly veiling the sharp line of her pale jawline.
Everything was perfect.
Despite the horrific disaster and the countless lives lost, everyone close to Kiana remained safe, and Zeke was here just as always... That was more than enough for her.
Bathed in warm light, the corners of Kiana's lips curved upward, revealing a gentle warmth and smile in her bright eyes—a fleeting moment devoid of her usual silliness and childishness.
"Whew..." Exiting the main hall, Welt let out a sigh of relief—he felt somewhat out of place there, so it was best to avoid any awkwardness by leaving.
"Well, well! If it isn't Mr. Alliance Leader from Anti-Entropy." A soft, girlish voice greeted him cheerily.
Welt turned around and first caught sight of Himeko's smiling, delicate features, followed by her mesmerizingly voluptuous bosom, and below that, Principal Theresa being held like a body pillow.
It was Theresa, buried beneath those assets, who had spoken.
Welt smiled slightly. "Good evening, Himeko, Principal Theresa."
"Good evening."
"G-good eve—oh no! Let go of me already; your head is way too heavy!"
Theresa reached up to push herself away, feeling both the immense weight and extreme softness beneath her hands, which left her momentarily stunned. Then she couldn't help grinding her teeth indignantly as she continued:
"They're just too big—a hindrance in battle!"
"Oh really? It's not my fault; I was born with them. Unlike our perpetually youthful principal, always stuck at her current size, they've been quite a source of trouble for me!"
"I'm docking your pay, young lady!"
"It's fine; I heard Anti-Entropy is short-staffed lately, so it's perfect timing for me to switch sides. You'll welcome me with open arms, won't you, Lord Leader?" Himeko said with a beaming smile.
Welt nodded affirmatively.
"Of course, if it's Himeko, we'd gladly have you onboard. No, let me rephrase that—it's truly fantastic that you're joining us. Zeke would definitely agree."
Taken aback momentarily, Theresa began kicking her legs within Himeko's embrace.
"No way! Absolutely not! If Himeko leaves, won't all those troublesome tasks fall solely on me? It can't happen!"
"Oh, alright, alright. I won't abandon you, Theresa." Still smiling indulgently, Himeko continued holding Theresa with one arm while gently scratching under her chin with the other, treating her like both a cherished pet and a comfort-seeking child.
Theresa stopped struggling, pouted, and muttered, "That's more like it..."
Then she looked up at Welt. "By the way, where's my dear niece?"
"She's in the main hall. However, it's best not to disturb them right now. They've endured much rushing back from the moon and need their rest."
"I see... Then, umm, could I please go check on Wendy instead?" Abandoning her teasing of her niece, Theresa hesitated before asking softly, head slightly bowed.
"See Wendy?" Welt stroked his chin thoughtfully.
He was aware of Wendy's past experiences and Theresa's role as a catalyst in those events.
To be fair, Theresa was a good person. However, considering her position as Principal, Branch Director, and mentor—an elder—her exacerbating influence on Wendy could not be excused.
Welt couldn't fully comprehend Theresa's motivations at the time; it seemed contradictory to her character. Perhaps there were underlying reasons he wasn't privy to?
"I'll check with Eins first," he said. "She is currently assessing Wendy's physical and mental condition. If Eins thinks it's alright, you can visit Wendy... But keep in mind, after learning that you never paid attention to her struggles, Wendy holds some resentment towards you."
"I...I understand," Theresa replied hesitantly.
Himeko sighed, tightening her embrace around Theresa in consolation.
Shortly thereafter, Welt received a positive response from Einstein. He directed Theresa accordingly before turning to leave.
As a high-ranking member of Anti-Entropy, the highly responsible Welt had no intention of idling. The matters concerning the surrender faction and the Selene Throne needed prompt attention.
Himeko and Theresa watched Welt walk away.
Then Theresa lifted her head slightly, nudging aside the weight on top of it, and gazed up at Himeko's face.
"You're just going to let him leave like that?"
"Principal, what do you mean?" asked Himeko with an unchanged smile as she looked down.
Theresa grinned mischievously. "I saw that photo in your room. Even though the man's face was torn out of the picture, his figure clearly belongs to Welt!"
"...Principal, you shouldn't be this perceptive."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" A vein popped on Theresa's forehead.
While it was true that she had learned about this from Himeko's drunken ramblings once, how dare anyone question her intelligence over something so trivial? Lady Theresa is undeniably brilliant, okay?!
Himeko chuckled, gently stroked Theresa's hair, then started walking in the direction Welt indicated, still holding onto her without further comment.
Does she truly have feelings for him?
Of course there was.
When they first met, Himeko had been a naive girl experiencing her first love, while Welt was a knowledgeable and gentle older brother figure. It wasn't surprising that after spending so much time together, she became enamored with his warmth akin to sunlight.
But by the time their paths crossed—I was born...already too late.
Himeko had witnessed Einstein, Tesla, and seen how Welt interacted with them. Although all were treated kindly, there's a difference between kindness rooted in benevolence and affection stemming from deep attachment.
She understood that she and Welt had missed decades of shared life together. In matters of the heart, timing is often more crucial than misunderstandings; it leaves one feeling utterly helpless.
Later on, Einstein privately approached her, revealing the fate and story of Murata Ryusuke, which she had searched for tirelessly for many years. That night, Himeko drank copious amounts of alcohol.
Upon sobering up, Himeko held no grudges against anyone; instead, she fully accepted the lost sentiment entangled in the flow of time. The only truly frustrating part was that Welt, that clueless fool, remained entirely oblivious throughout it all.
Well, at least this meant his future wouldn't be smooth sailing. Himeko could look forward to more entertaining spectacles and find some solace in his misfortunes.
Currently, all she wanted was to take care of Theresa with her childlike temperament and the students at the academy, contributing as much as possible to the world while fulfilling Captain Ragna's dream. And when the time came, retire and travel the globe—now that sounded pretty great too!