After the last Honkai Beast attack, strange noises have been frequently heard from the depths of the tunnel leading to Nagazora City. Furthermore, a member of the Engineering Department went missing while working in the tunnel not long ago.
Yiselian was worried that Honkai Beasts might have already entered the underground tunnel network, so she assigned Seele and her team to investigate.
The surface has been taken over by Honkai Beasts, and the conditions are no longer suitable for life. Therefore, the base and the underground tunnels are the lifelines of the survivors and absolutely cannot be compromised.
This was a mission concerning their survival, so Seele would certainly not refuse. However, the investigation team had been taken by Bronya Zaychik to carry out other missions. Now, the only investigation team that could act independently was herself and the two Ryns.
After getting their consent, the three of them immediately set off for the Nagazora City underground tunnel network.
The underground tunnel network was a complex maze. Even with a map, there was a high chance of getting lost, so Seele strictly ordered the two Ryns to stay close to her.
However, unlike the oppressive silence of the surroundings, Seele, who was leading the way, was not affected by the environment. Instead, she happily hummed a song as she walked ahead.
"Is there something to be happy about? You don't seem worried or nervous at all."
Ryn asked Seele, then turned to look at Ryn, who was also smiling and not at all nervous.
"Brother, you too…"
"Mhmm, nothing to be happy about~ I just don't like to pull a long face. You don't think I'm a simple-minded optimist, do you?
But I don't blame you. Big Sis often scolds me for being too lax, but I prefer my current self to being tense all the time."
Seele chuckled and stopped, walking in front of Ryn. She then gently hooked the corners of her mouth, making Ryn smile too.
"This world has seen too many sad faces. Aren't smiles the scarcest resource? Come on, you should smile more too! For a cute girl like you, a smile is the best accessory~"
Aren't smiles the scarcest resource?
Ryn firmly imprinted this sentence in her mind, then also smiled genuinely and said to Ryn:
"So, brother, do you think the same way as Seele?"
"No, I'm the heartless type."
"Huh?"
"Pfft— hahaha…"
Unlike the bewildered Ryn, Seele couldn't help but burst out laughing at Ryn's answer.
Ryn shrugged and smiled slightly, not explaining further to Ryn.
After all, not everyone has a sunny, energetic, super-duper cute and charming beautiful little angel Kiana by their side.
Oh, she has one too.
Thinking of this, Ryn gave the disappointing Ryn a slap on the back of the head, sending her stumbling.
????
If you're not going to explain, then don't. Why did you hit me…
Ryn stared resentfully at Ryn ahead of her, then suddenly seemed to think of something and leaped onto Ryn's back.
Ryn was also thrown off balance by this, and then felt the softness and fragrance of a young girl on his back.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm very angry, I don't want to walk anymore, carry me!"
"Uh… then hold on tight, be careful not to fall, and… don't pull my hair!"
Ryn cheerfully let go of the hair she was holding, then lay down on Ryn's shoulder, looking ahead and couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
Somehow this scene seems a bit familiar…
It seems… I used to make someone angry like this, and then she made me carry her…
It seems… she also liked to pull my hair…?
Ryn's walking pace suddenly stopped, and he turned to look at Ryn… and the strands of hair in her hand.
However, Ryn seemed to be lost in memories and didn't notice Ryn's gaze.
Never mind, hair grows back anyway. Ryn adjusted Ryn on his back and continued to follow Seele through the underground tunnel.
"You two siblings have such a good relationship~ Hehehe, my Big Sis used to carry me on her back too, but now she says I'm all grown up and won't carry me anymore~ I wish I hadn't grown up so fast. Hehehe…"
Seele cupped her cheeks, her face flushed red as if she had remembered some embarrassing scene. Saliva unknowingly trickled from the corner of her mouth, making her look like a lovestruck yandere.
"See that? That kind of person is a pervert. You should stay away from them in the future."
"No, aren't we partners?"
"Did your sense of humor get taken away with your memories?"
Pfft—
A few more strands of Ryn's hair were pulled out by Ryn.
"You're so mean, hitting me where it hurts."
"I told you I'm heartless~"
Pfft—
"I'm sorry, I was wrong. I'll never do it again."
Man,
The three of them walked slowly through the underground tunnel, laughing and talking. Their bittersweet joy added a strange emotion to the dilapidated tunnel, filled with broken and abandoned trains.
——————————————
"I, I once had a very good friend… When the disaster struck and destroyed everything, she saved me by… sigh." Seele thought of her other personality, and her smile faded for a brief moment.
Just as Ryn and Ryn were about to comfort her, Seele smiled again.
"I was lost for a long, long time back then… Thankfully, Big Sis found me again when I was about to end my life. She taught me the importance of life, not to easily give up my right to live, and helped me pull myself together.
Then we established a base under this station. At first, it was just a small house for me and Big Sis. Later, we slowly found more surviving family members, and we gradually became what we are now."
Seele kicked the railway tracks under her feet, making a crisp sound.
"This track that once carried civilization is now the rainbow bridge to Eden, the last hope of mankind. No matter what, I will never let Big Sis's paradise be destroyed."
Clang, clang, clang—
A strange sound echoed from the tunnel ahead of the three.
The three of them immediately stopped talking. Ryn slowly bent down, Ryn got off Ryn's back and took out her twin daggers, and Ryn and Seele also gripped their Stars Sword and scythe.
"That sound should be the strange noise from the report. Shh, let's not make too much noise."
The three of them slowed their pace, keeping a close watch on their surroundings as they cautiously advanced into the tunnel.
Clang, clang, clang—
"This sound is like metal being struck. If it's a Honkai Beast, we must not startle it. Our goal this time is just to investigate, so we should avoid combat as much as possible."