The next morning.
In a hotel room in Nagazora City, the girl, having finished her shower, changed into a fresh set of clothes. With her long hair let down, she walked out of the bathroom.
Miss Kiana was in the habit of showering at night. However, because of certain events from the previous evening, she had opted to wash again in the morning.
Then, she saw that the boy, who had woken up a little earlier than her, was sitting at the coffee table, ordering food.
"Sirin, what would you like to eat?"
The boy with the vivid red eyes looked up and asked the girl who had just finished her shower.
"Whatever you're having is fine."
The white-haired girl looked at her lover, whose name for her had already changed from "Kiana" to "Sirin," and answered casually.
To be suddenly told that the name you've been using your whole life was actually stolen from someone else... that's a revelation that could shatter your world.
Last night, after they had made love.
The boy, as he folded the blood-stained sheets, had told her everything.
She was the daughter of Siegfried Kaslana and Cecilia Schariac.
But, she had never been the daughter of Siegfried Kaslana and Cecilia Schariac.
Her true identity was K423, a genetic synthesis of the Herrscher Sirin and the real Kiana—the human aspect of the Second Herrscher, Sirin.
The real Kiana—who was at once her older sister, her younger sister, and her mother—had been locked away by the Schicksal Overseer, Otto, a long time ago.
Siegfried, with Theresa's help, had broken in and rescued a child.
Not his biological daughter, but K423. Herself.
The real Kiana was still in a Schicksal laboratory somewhere.
To be honest, even though she had long had a premonition, upon learning that she was not her father's biological daughter, "Kiana" still felt a chill run through her body.
But thankfully, at that moment, someone else was there to hold her, to give her something to lean on.
"If we have to find a suitable name for you, it would probably be Sirin Kaslana or Sirin Schariac." After explaining her origins, her lover had said this. "Of course, you could just take my last name. It's a custom in Germany and Austria to take the husband's surname, isn't it?"
A sense of security had washed over her. Even if she lost the name Kiana, she would not be left with nothing.
And then... came the second time.
The girl with her hair unbound couldn't help but reach out and touch her lower abdomen. A blush rose on her pretty face.
Thankfully, it was her safe period. Otherwise, with that amount, she would have definitely gotten pregnant.
At this thought, Miss Sirin shot a fierce glare at a certain someone, only to be met with a look of pure innocence.
This bastard didn't use any protection at all. If she had gotten pregnant just like that, how was she supposed to face Mei?! Her best friend getting pregnant with her fiancé's child... just imagining it was enough to picture how devastated Mei would be.
The girl, who vaguely remembered that Li Zihan and Mei's relationship was just one engagement ceremony away from being official, made a decision. No matter what, she would have to apologize to Mei when they went to pick her up from the airport.
To sleep with her best friend's fiancé... it was a bit thrilling—cough, cough—guilt-inducing.
The girl's gaze grew distant. The feeling of ascension during the act and the sense of security from being held in his arms afterward had both been wonderful. She felt like she was becoming addicted to that feeling.
The frequency with which she would have to say "I'm sorry, Mei" in the future... was probably going to be quite high.
I'm sorry, Mei.
I'm sorry, Mei.
I'm sorry, Mei.
I'm sorry, Yui...
Oops, wrong reference.
Miss Sirin apologized profusely to her best friend in her heart. Then, she sat down beside Miss Mei's fiancé, ready to eat with him.
"Why the change in hairstyle today?"
The boy, noticing that the girl beside him was no longer wearing those old-fashioned braids, was taken aback for a moment and then asked.
"So you'd have something convenient to grab onto at night?" Miss Sirin Schariac retorted, looking at the bastard with annoyance.
Although she really wanted to just take the surname Li, considering that such a change would expose their relationship to Mei, Miss Sirin decided to use the surname Schariac for the time being. As for why she didn't use Kaslana... that name was a thorn in the hearts of both Kiana and Sirin.
"Well, even with your hair down, if I wanted to grab it, I still could," the boy with the vivid red eyes stated a simple fact in response to his lover's words. "It's just a matter of temporarily splitting your hair into two sections and grabbing them."
"You dare!"
The white-haired girl, who clearly did not like the feeling of having her hair pulled, glared, a dangerous light flashing in her azure eyes. "If you dare, we'll see if I don't bite it off next time."
"Hey, hey, hey, are you determined to work against your own happiness?"
The boy, who had not expected Miss Sirin to say something so bold, gave a rare shudder, a look of absolute horror on his face.
"So, are you going to try grabbing my hair tonight?"
Seeing the look of horror on his face, Miss Sirin was amused and let out a laugh, teasing him with her question.
"Hey, hey, hey, didn't you say Mei was coming back today?" the boy, who had heard "Kiana" say last night that Miss Mei's flight would probably arrive in Nagazora today, raised an eyebrow. "Is it really okay to continue tonight?"
"Don't you have a soundproof barrier spell? Just come over in the middle of the night and put it up, won't that solve the problem?" the girl, vaguely remembering that this was part of Li Zihan's magical repertoire, said with a blink.
Mei doesn't live with Ah Li anyway. If Ah Li stays in his own room, she'll never know, right?
"...Why do I get the feeling you're more excited about this than I am?"
The boy, who had always thought that Miss Sirin and Miss Mei had a very good relationship, looked at the suddenly excited girl, his expression becoming a little strange.
"It's your imagination, Ah Li," Miss Sirin said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, as she kicked the boy's shin hard with her bare foot.
"Right, my imagination," the boy, adhering to the principle of "going with the flow," nodded, having just been kicked in the shin.
"But, speaking of which, Ah Li, how are you planning to handle Mei?" the girl, who was well aware that the bastard was planning to build a harem, continued to kick his shin to vent her dissatisfaction as she asked.
The boy in question sank into deep thought, then answered in an uncertain tone.
"Probably... I'll fake being sick."