"Wha—?"
Theresa's jaw dropped, her blue eyes brimming with bewilderment. Shiraki's words were utterly unexpected.
Even Bronya, theoretically still in her emotionless, "three-no" state, widened her eyes, her face full of shock.
How to describe Kiana Kaslana?
At this point, the trio who spent day and night together had forged deep bonds and friendships through countless missions.
Though Bronya bickered with Kiana almost daily, that was just their way of getting along.
As one of Kiana's closest friends, few people in the world were more qualified to speak on this topic than Bronya.
Lively, energetic, and cheerful to the point of being reckless, Kiana always wore a vibrant smile, looking like a ditzy heroine straight out of a teen idol drama most of the time.
Bronya knew this was just Kiana letting her guard down in a peaceful environment. In truth, she was cunning enough to outsmart human traffickers.
Her average academic scores weren't worth mentioning.
Being Shiraki at her core, even with her pre-transmigration memories fully eroded and "bug-ified," she wasn't so hopeless as to fail every test or rank dead last.
What's worth noting is Kiana's orientation toward women.
This was a well-known, trivial detail.
Due to Honkai energy's erosion, Valkyries' lifespans were only a third of a normal person's, even with today's vastly improved artificial stigmata technology.
The likelihood of dying in battle aside, in any world, women tend to seek partners who are a step above.
In the inherently sexist Honkai world, men who surpassed even the lowest-tier Valkyries were rare.
With Honkai energy's boost, Valkyries and ordinary humans were practically different species.
Getting too excited during certain activities and accidentally snapping something wasn't out of the question, right?
Since men couldn't meet their standards, proud girls naturally turned to women who could match them for some closeness.
So, at St. Freya Academy, eight out of ten were bent, and the remaining two were omnivorous. A normal orientation was the abnormality.
But even in St. Freya, where lilies bloomed everywhere, Kiana's level of "bent" could make your vision go dark.
Publicly shouting, "I want to drink Mei's sister juice!" and sticking to Mei-neesama 24/7, occasionally sneaking into her room at night.
To normal people, she was undoubtedly a super-perverted yuri maniac!
A pervert like Kiana having a boyfriend?
What a joke!
Bronya would sooner believe she'd become a Herrscher tomorrow, or that Seele would pop out of the Quantum Sea the day after with a wedding invitation, than believe Kiana would get a boyfriend!
"Even if you don't want to explain, you don't need to spin such an obviously impossible, flimsy lie, do you?"
Knowing her niece's orientation and her relationship with Raiden Mei, Theresa, after a brief moment of shock, gave an awkward, skeptical smile.
She clearly didn't buy it!
Only the dumbest of dummies would believe that, right?
Shiraki struck a pose like a certain blonde guy, clutching his chest earnestly. "Principal Theresa, I didn't lie."
Predictably, his words had zero effect.
Theresa and Bronya kept staring at him like he was an idiot, their eyes now tinged with wariness.
Sure, he'd saved Himeko and Kiana, but that didn't automatically make him an ally.
Looking at the highly skeptical Theresa and Bronya, Shiraki continued sincerely, "You both say it's a flimsy lie. Why would I tell such an obvious fib? When Kiana wakes up, you can confirm with her."
Seeing Shiraki's calm, confident demeanor, Theresa and Bronya's expressions finally shifted.
N-no way!?
Could it actually be true?
Bronya vaguely pictured a vividly colored hat landing on Mei-neesama's head, and Yaya couldn't help but silently pray for mercy in her heart.
Tesla and Einstein exchanged a glance, completely lost. They didn't care about Kiana's love life.
But if this was true, they might have a big surprise for Siegfried~!
"That portal earlier… if I'm not mistaken, that was the Void Herrscher's authority, right?" The red-haired glasses girl squinted at Shiraki.
"No, just something similar." Shiraki denied it without hesitation.
"…" The red-haired twin-tails narrowed her eyes, convinced he was blatantly lying.
"I think now's not the time to discuss me. When Kiana wakes up, she can explain everything."
Shiraki unhesitatingly passed the explanation buck to Kiana—no need to be polite with himself.
"For now, we should focus on Teacher Himeko's condition."
With fully synchronized memories, Shiraki's feelings and attitude toward Himeko were nearly identical to Kiana's.
Though, even if they went over, they couldn't help much.
Theresa's expression wavered, but she finally turned toward the bridge.
From Shiraki's behavior, he didn't seem like an enemy for now. They could wait until Kiana woke up to sort things out.
Bronya glanced at Shiraki, then followed Theresa. Shiraki trailed behind.
Hyperion's medical bay.
Outside the door, Theresa paced anxiously, her worry plain on her face.
During the wait, Bronya asked Shiraki questions about Kiana, seemingly testing his "boyfriend" claim.
But his answers made Bronya's expression grow stranger, her gaze toward a certain ward turning subtle.
Shiraki didn't just know Kiana's hobbies and quirks inside out—he even knew the exact days and duration of her periods!
Of course, "auntie" here didn't mean Theresa.
Could it be that the pervert Kiana, always clinging to Mei-neesama, was secretly keeping a pretty boy outside St. Freya Academy, hiding a "delicate" lover in a golden house?
After absorbing Reverie and syncing with Kiana and Kanae's physiques, Shiraki's skin visibly whitened, and his touch softened.
Fair skin hides a hundred flaws, and Shiraki wasn't unattractive to begin with.
From average looks, his whitened complexion made him quite handsome.
Look at this guy, named Little Handsome… er, no, kinda handsome~!
But that's still far from the level of being kept, right?
Bronya tilted her head in confusion, feeling like she'd seen a ghost!
Theresa, overhearing their conversation, looked equally conflicted. Had her pristine little cabbage really been snatched by a pig?
As Theresa frowned, deep in thought, the medical bay door opened. Einstein stepped out, holding a report.
Theresa instantly forgot her jumbled thoughts, rushing over, her eyes filled with undisguised urgency and worry.
"Dr. Einstein, how are Himeko and Kiana?"
As a civilization-defining genius scientist, Einstein specialized in physics but dabbled a *tiny* bit in other fields, including biology.
"Kiana's body is fine… no, it's actually in better shape than before."
Einstein raised an eyebrow. "Her body, previously eroded by Honkai energy, is recovering rapidly and adapting. The Void Herrscher seems fully suppressed."
Before, Sirin's attempt to revive clashed with Kiana's subconscious resistance, forcing her to slowly seep Honkai energy.
Now, with Shiraki's memories restored, Sirin and Kiana were fully united, sharing Herrscher power.
In Honkai world terms, Kiana was undergoing "emergence."
"Colonel Himeko's vitals are dropping fast," Einstein sighed. "Hyperion's medical equipment is insufficient. We're heading to the nearest Anti-Entropy base at top speed, but at best, we can only keep her alive. Recovery…"
Driving the Plague Gem with that poroporo body caused cellular-level "burns" and organ failure. Standard treatments were useless!
Einstein paused, choosing a gentler phrasing: "Unless Kiana becomes the Herrscher of Finality, with absolute control to extract the Honkai energy embedded in her genes."
"…" In other words, completely impossible.
"How could this…" Despair weighed on Theresa, suffocating her.
She'd been saved at the last moment, yet they still couldn't pull her back.
Theresa knew this day would come, but no matter when, she'd never be ready.
"Keeping her alive is better than the worst-case scenario." Shiraki exhaled slowly, only to see Theresa whip her head toward him.
"Could… could you have a way!?" Her voice trembled with urgency. "If you're really Kiana's boyfriend, please save Himeko!"
Her desperate expression made Einstein and Tesla look at Shiraki in surprise.
"Not now, but as long as Teacher Himeko's alive, there'll be a way eventually."
It sounded like comfort, but it was the truth.
Kiana entering the mysterious space at this point was a stroke of luck in misfortune.
If current tech couldn't heal her, then magic could!
In the infinite multiverse, worlds with abilities, magic, or artifacts to revive the dead weren't rare. The question was when they'd meet a Shiraki who'd transmigrated there.
It was better than no hope at all.
Theresa's smile was bitter, clearly taking it as mere consolation.
"Kia… na…"
As Theresa lowered her eyes, the mood growing somber, a weak voice suddenly broke the silence.
Shiraki froze, turning around.
Long purple-black hair tied in a ponytail, the girl's face pale and weak, beads of sweat on her forehead. She looked frail, leaning against the doorframe, each step seeming to drain her completely.
"Mei! Are you okay? You alright?"
Amid Theresa and Bronya's stunned looks, Shiraki instinctively reached out to support Mei's body. The sudden closeness from a stranger left Raiden Mei bewildered.
Einstein and Tesla were also taken aback. Young people these days played that wild?
What a messy circle!
Luckily, Shiraki realized his mistake the next second, releasing Raiden Mei's slender, fair arm.
Kiana and Shiraki were one, and through Kiana's perspective and emotions, Shiraki had experienced meeting and bonding with Raiden Mei. How could he hold back?
It might hurt Bronya's feelings, but Kiana's feelings for Bronya and Mei weren't on the same level.
Kiana's intense feelings for Mei were the main reason for Shiraki's reaction.
He'd never been in love, but Shiraki considered himself quite knowledgeable about romance!
He'd read a whopping 200 romance manga, after all!
Kiana's feelings for Mei were somewhere above friendship but not quite love.
"Um, who are you?" Snapping out of her confusion, Raiden Mei stepped back slightly, asking.
On Hyperion, with Theresa and Bronya, he shouldn't be an enemy.
"Me? I'm Kiana's boyfriend." After two seconds of hesitation, knowing it might cause a bit of trouble for his other self, Shiraki stuck with that identity.
He knew Kiana wouldn't mind.
Raiden Mei: "???"