Chapter 369: The Knot in the Heart
"Alright… that should do it for now."
As the sunlight streaming through the window began to turn warm and bright, Sigurd let out a quiet murmur. One hand continued to gently ruffle Sin Mal's hair, while the other finally stopped adjusting the streams of data on his screen.
Sin Mal blinked and tilted her face up from his arms.
"All done, Sigurd?"
"Yeah. The current focus is still on reconstruction—so it's not the right time to open up the rest of the projects. We'll stop here for now. Do you want to go anywhere?"
"As long as I'm with Sigurd, anywhere's fine!"
Sigurd chuckled. "You should learn to make your own choices sometimes. Don't rely entirely on me or Bronya for everything, especially your feelings."
He gave her cheek a light pinch—the smooth, soft texture made his expression soften without thinking.
But Sin Mal had always been this pure and straightforward. After a moment's thought, Sigurd decided not to press the point. Instead, he said,
"Alright, let's go out for a walk then. You can come with me to meet someone."
"Okay!"
Sin Mal nodded eagerly, her little face blooming like an early spring flower, full of sweetness and light.
Twenty minutes later, Sigurd—now dressed in his usual white coat—and Sin Mal—in a black and red gothic lolita dress—stood hand in hand on the rooftop observation deck.
A streak of crimson light flashed across the distant sky.
…
"Vira, time for a break! Lunch's ready!"
"Coming, Captain!"
Atop the towering steel frame of an unfinished skyscraper, a six-legged black spider-like construction mech clung to the edge. Its cockpit opened, revealing a golden-haired girl who poked her head out and called back cheerfully, her voice as clear and bright as a bell.
Then, slipping back into the cockpit, Vira guided the spider machine down the side of the structure with deft precision. She landed smoothly on the ground and parked the mech neatly among the other construction vehicles lined up in perfect rows.
"Another flawless day! I totally deserve an extra chicken drumstick today—go me!"
Standing on the ground in her form-fitting black pilot suit, Vira's slender figure and still-youthful curves drew more than a few glances.
"Here—lunch with an extra drumstick, just like you asked," the burly team captain said with a grin, handing her a sturdy black lunchbox. Seeing Vira's eyes light up, his smile softened even more.
This was Yordle City's Third Construction Unit, responsible for development over a hundred kilometers around the area. And everyone in the team adored Vira—bright, polite, and remarkably capable for her age.
Vira accepted the lunchbox, licked her lips, and was just about to dig in when the captain added,
"That's it for today. We're ahead of schedule, so we'll wait for the other teams to catch up. It's the weekend anyway—might as well take the afternoon off. Why not come over for dinner? My wife keeps talking about how much she misses you."
"Oh, thank you, but I think I'll pass. I want to spend some time with my dad today."
"Alright then. Just be careful, okay? If anything happens, call me right away. See you next week."
"Bye-bye, Captain~!"
Vira waved cheerfully as the broad-shouldered man walked off.
He smiled and waved back, but in his heart, he sighed. Such a good kid… and to think her parents are both gone. How she's managed to keep going on her own… damn this Honkai world.
Once the captain was out of sight, Vira turned around and lightly leapt up onto one of the massive construction mechs—five or six meters tall—and perched on top, gazing out over the city.
"Ahh… so many people died again this time. But we'll keep moving forward. Right, Dad? You're still watching over me… aren't you?"
Vira let out a soft sigh—but the moment soon passed, and a bright, youthful smile blossomed once again across her pretty face. She opened her lunchbox, inhaled the fragrant steam, and began eating in small, delicate bites.
She chewed carefully, her cheeks puffing rhythmically as she savored each mouthful. The seriousness with which she ate made her look both adorable and well-behaved—an image that could melt anyone's heart.
When the last bit of food was gone and swallowed, an apple appeared beside her.
"Dessert," came a familiar voice.
"Oh, thanks—huh!?"
"It's been a while, Vira. You've gotten taller."
Sigurd sat down beside her, with Sin Mal clinging to his arm on the other side. He raised his free hand, measuring the air above Vira's head with a faint smile.
Vira blinked in surprise, then reached out with her small hand to take the apple. She bit into it with a crisp crunch, crunch, and the sweet, refreshing taste made her narrow her eyes in satisfaction like a contented kitten.
Sigurd, the ever-experienced "dad type," couldn't help but smile warmly at the sight—seeing her eat so earnestly and without fuss filled him with a simple, gentle pride.
When Vira finished the apple and dropped the core into her lunchbox, she turned to him with a light smile.
"As for that other Kiana… there's not much I can really tell you, Big Brother Sigurd. She has… a lot of secrets. It feels like she's carrying something really heavy inside, and her power is terrifying—so strong that even when she tries her hardest to suppress it, it still affects the world around her in all kinds of ways. But… she's actually a very kind person. She treats me really well. So I think you should take her advice seriously—she'd never say anything out of malice."
"I see. I understand."
"I heard you went to the Sea Of Quanta, right? Did you just get back? Was it dangerous? Is that place fun?"
"For me, it's not dangerous," Sigurd said calmly. "But for others, it certainly could be. The Sea Of Quanta is filled with all kinds of world bubbles—each one a civilization or landscape that defies common sense. From a human perspective, you could say it's… interesting, in its own strange way."
He looked out over the skeletal frames of new buildings taking shape in the distance. The breeze brushed through his silver hair, and his tall, steady posture carried the weight and calm of an unshakable mountain.
Vira rested her chin in one hand and tilted her head, studying his profile. A soft smile touched her lips.
"Welcome back, Big Brother Sigurd. It's been a while."
"You should've said that the moment I showed up."
"Well, it's not too late now! Anyway, where's Big Sister Kiana? And this little one is… Sin Mal, right? The girl you mentioned before?"
"Mm. Sin Mal—this is Vira Klov. Get to know each other."
The two girls locked eyes. Sin Mal looked her up and down, quietly evaluating whether the older girl—perhaps a year or two her senior—posed any sort of threat. Vira, on the other hand, smiled sweetly, her clean and gentle aura radiating warmth and friendliness.
They shook hands lightly, exchanged a few polite words, and with that, their first meeting was complete.
When they finished, Sigurd turned his gaze back to Vira, his tone steady but probing.
"So then… what do you think about Kiana?"
"…So that's why you came to see me, Big Brother Sigurd? Hmph! You only care about Big Sister Kiana—you don't care about me at all! I'm mad!"
Vira puffed up her cheeks and turned her face away in mock irritation.
Sigurd fell silent for a moment, thinking. Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small golden foil-wrapped sphere.
"Chocolate?"
"No!"
"Milk caramel, then?"
"No!"
"I've also got some fruit lollipops left—that's all I've got on me."
"Thank you, Big Brother Sigurd! You're the best!"
In an instant, Vira snatched the candies from his hand, her mischievous grin replacing the pout from just seconds ago.
Sigurd's lips curved upward, and he raised a hand to gently pat her head.
"It's not that I don't care about you. I just know you've been doing well. The matter between you and Kiana… that's the real problem I came to see if I could help with."
"Really?"
"Really."
"…Fine, then I'll forgive you. But only because of all these sweets!"
Vira smiled softly—but the smile faded almost as soon as it appeared.
"Dad… he died, at least in part, because Big Sister Kiana lost control of her power. Right, Big Brother Sigurd?"
"…You could say that."
"I don't have much to say about it. I know what kind of person Big Sister Kiana is. I can't bring myself to hate her—but I also can't just pretend nothing happened. I don't know what to do, so I've stayed here in Yordle. I haven't gone to the New Continent to see her. I suppose… Big Sister Kiana doesn't know what to say to me either, does she?"
"Then just keep doing what you want to do," Sigurd replied calmly as he rose to his feet. "When you've sorted out your feelings, you can come find us anytime."
His composure caught Vira off guard.
"I thought… you'd try to convince me or something."
"There's no need. You lost the most precious family you had—I won't tell you to just 'let go.' You only need to live well. The rest… leave it to time. Even if you never find peace, that's okay. Kiana already accepted that long ago. She'll keep watching over you quietly, from afar."
"…Big Brother Sigurd…"
"Alright, don't just stand there spacing out. Since we're here, let's go see your father."
With the sunlight behind him, Sigurd extended a hand toward her. His face, serene and clear beneath the light, carried that same calm steadiness that always put people at ease—and in his eyes, there was a rare trace of gentle warmth.
Vira looked up at him for a long moment. Then, a bright smile spread across her face as she took his hand, strong and reassuring in hers.
'You really are alike, you and her… Big Brother Sigurd, and Big Sister Kiana too.'
<+>
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