The three of them eventually returned to Nagazora City with Mei. Both Ryn and Kika tacitly agreed not to tell Mei and Kiana about the Gem of Conquest. It wasn't the right time. Telling them now would only make them anxious and wouldn't be very effective.
Caressing the Stigmata on his hand, Ryn was waiting... waiting for the moment the Great Honkai descended to seize that Honkai energy. That way, the damage caused by the Great Honkai wouldn't be too severe, and Mei wouldn't become a complete Herrscher of Thunder.
It had been discovered several years ago that Honkai energy in Nagazora City was accumulating in a strange manner. Because the increase was small and the cause couldn't be found, Schicksal didn't pay much attention. Now, it seemed that it had long been chosen as the location for the Herrscher's descent and the Great Honkai.
Schicksal had already begun to set up quarantine facilities around Nagazora City, starting from the entire Far East. The Honkai energy released by the Great Honkai could irradiate the entire Far East region in an instant, a price that no one could afford.
Schicksal's Far East Branch—St. Freya High School—was responsible for managing the Far East region. But, how to put it, Schicksal's notice was sent out, but Principal Theresa of St. Freya High School didn't make any arrangements. (Theresa doesn't listen to Schicksal's arrangements at all, nor does she handle any business, spending her days in the office reading manga and slacking off. Because Otto will arrange everything, she just has to sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor. Theresa never even saw the message sent by Schicksal, so when the Great Honkai descended several days later, she was pulled into an emergency meeting by Schicksal and only then belatedly sent people over.)
Mei woke up on the way home. Kiana was animatedly telling her about how she and Ryn had dominated the battlefield. Although Mei kept smiling and telling everyone she was fine, she wasn't very happy inside. She felt like she was often hearing voices...
Life went on as usual after that. Kiana and Mei went to school together, sometimes with Kika. Ryn, on the other hand, continued to develop games and research Stigmata at home.
Some good things happened during this period.
On December 6th, Kiana and Ryn attended the wedding of the fried chicken shop owner and the coffee shop owner. Not long after Kiana enrolled in school, the shop owner finally let go of her reserve and confessed to that blockhead of a shop owner. The fried chicken shop owner was stunned for a long time, then, crying and laughing, he confessed back to her. After that, the two joyfully got together, and now they were holding their wedding.
The two didn't have a traditional wedding, but a Western-style one.
On the wedding day, Kiana and Ryn sat together, watching the bride and groom push open the magnificent church doors. At the end of the red carpet strewn with petals, the beautiful and holy bride and the tall and handsome groom exchanged their unwavering vows under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
Under the light filtering through the stained-glass windows of the hall, Kiana noticed that the color of the bride's veil was slightly different from her pure white wedding dress. She asked Ryn out of curiosity, but Ryn didn't know either.
But a kind person sitting next to them explained to Kiana, "According to Western tradition, a bride inherits her mother's wedding veil and tiara when she gets married, symbolizing a beautiful blessing..."
Kiana smiled and thanked the kind person, then tightened her grip on Ryn's hand beside her. She had no memories of her mother, Cecilia... and didn't know if her mother would have left a tiara for her... But Kiana now had a new understanding of weddings—[A beautiful, blessed vow].
"Ryn... it's so touching. This must be the most beautiful and happiest moment in a person's life..." Kiana was moved to tears by both sentiment and sadness, and Ryn quietly wiped them away for her.
"It is... A wedding is one of the most important events in life. We'll have a big wedding in the future, too. Kiana will wear a beautiful wedding dress and walk down the aisle with me, and we will make our unwavering vows."
"Then I have to dress up really beautifully that day! We have to invite Mei, Kika, and my stinky old dad!"
"Mhm, mhm."
While the two were discussing their future wedding, the event on stage had already moved on to the bouquet toss. The shop owner glanced in Kiana's direction, then turned around under everyone's gaze and accurately threw the bouquet into Kiana's arms.
The crowd immediately cheered. Seeing Ryn and Kiana looking just like a couple, they offered their heartfelt blessings. Kiana was a bit flustered by this, becoming shy. But when Ryn's hand took hers, she felt as if there was nothing to be afraid of. Leaning slightly against Ryn, watching him smile and accept everyone's blessings, Kiana also smiled happily.
Encouraged by the crowd and filled with beautiful fantasies about the future, Kiana suddenly wanted to try on a wedding dress. It just so happened that Kiana's birthday was approaching, so Ryn told Kiana he would buy her a wedding dress as a gift. So, early the next morning, Kiana and Ryn went to a bridal shop to look at wedding dresses.
After a ton of recommendations from the shop staff, the two chose a pure white wedding dress. Kiana followed the staff to change into the dress. Along the way, the staff even explained various details of the wedding process to Kiana.
"Ugh, wedding dresses are so troublesome to wear... Why do I have to wear a corset, and high heels too... I suddenly don't want to get married anymore..." Kiana kicked off the crystal shoe on her foot and prepared to make a run for it. She suddenly felt that the wedding process, wearing a wedding dress, and everything was so troublesome. It would be better to just elope in the future...
As everyone stared dumbfounded, the shop staff decisively pulled the corset on Kiana's body to its tightest. This made Kiana whimper, her face turning a shade paler.
She really didn't know what had possessed her to want to wear a wedding dress. Kiana felt like she was going crazy.
Just when Ryn and the others thought Kiana's patience was about to run out and she was on the verge of an outburst, they unexpectedly saw a different side of her.
The moment Kiana put on the veil, she seemed to transform. She no longer frowned and complained randomly. Instead, she gave a faint smile to the mirror. Ryn could see the emotions hidden deep in her eyes.
"This dress is really long... but it's not bad. Now that I'm really wearing a wedding dress, Ryn, can you take a photo with me as a memento?"
The girl, holding her skirt, stood gracefully before you. Although her movements were still a bit clumsy, that very subtlety was proof of a young girl's charm.
[Image]
Ryn took Kiana's hand, silently supporting her as she stood a bit unsteadily in her crystal high heels, and said with a smile, "Of course, my most beautiful bride."
Ryn held Kiana in his arms. The two smiled for the camera, and the bridal shop staff and Cortana both took pictures to record this beautiful moment.
When Kiana got the photo as she had wished, her fingertips caressed the smooth surface of the picture as she murmured, "It's a pity the tiara isn't the one Mom left behind..."
Resting his chin on Kiana's head, Ryn gently promised her, "Don't worry... Since it's such an important item, Siegfried must have hidden it somewhere. We will find him, and he will definitely give us his blessing."