"So, Boss. You intend to take the real Kiana on an adventure to another world?"
A cool, detached tone emanated from within Chaldeas, the facility located not far from Raven Island.
The source was an incredibly cute girl.
Her gray hair cascaded down, ending in four distinct spiral curls. She wore orange earrings and a silver, three-pronged hairpin adorned with a red gem, from which extended two black and two blue ribbons. A black, form-fitting armored chest plate covered a white, double-layered, frilled skirt. White thigh-high stockings beautifully outlined her slender calves, subtly indenting on her thighs to accentuate the more enchanting territory above.
Without a doubt, this was Bronya Zaychik, having just acquired the Herrscher of Reason core from Welt.
Li Zihan had obtained the core by trading Welt the means to save Welt Joyce, along with the spare Herrscher core he had taken from Chen Tianwu. He then, of course, ran it through a quick refinement with his Feather of Erosion before handing it over to Bronya.
And just as naturally, he had reaped his reward: a Herrscher of Reason Bronya whose silk-stockinged legs were truly a sight to behold, rivaling even Wendy's bare feet in their appeal.
Of course, Ana's white silk and Black Seele's black silk are nothing to scoff at either, he mused aimlessly.
If this lecherous scumbag were ever granted the divinity of the sky, he could probably give a true-to-life performance of an early-era Zeus.
"That's the plan," the man standing in Chaldea's corridor finally answered Bronya. "Her relationship with Sirin is a complete mess. If it isn't resolved quickly, Sirin will be devastated when they finally meet."
"Is that so?" The girl, who would have much preferred the Boss take her and Seele on a trip instead, thought of Paramecium-chan's face and compared it to the face of the girl who had just appeared.
"Boss, you seem to care a great deal about Paramecium-chan," she stated, turning to face him. Her focus was not on the tangled relationship between Kiana and Sirin, but on the fact that this scumbag seemed excessively concerned about Sirin.
"Are you jealous?" he teased, raising an eyebrow at the girl whose vocal pitch remained flat, but whose underlying tone had subtly shifted.
"No." The girl expressionlessly turned her head away, her voice tinged with displeasure.
While she always maintained that she wouldn't meddle in his private life, the reality of seeing him revolve around another girl... it made her want to knock him senseless, erase his memories, and then drag Seele along for an Initial D-style drift all the way back to Siberia.
"If you're upset, feel free to throw a little tantrum," the young man said with a smile. He was always consciously giving her opportunities to vent these minor frustrations, preventing them from building up into an uncontrollable outburst.
As if waiting for that exact invitation, the girl stomped down hard on his foot with the heel of her white boot.
Despite the fact that it didn't really hurt, the young man theatrically sucked in a breath of pained air.
The high-IQ Bronya glanced at the man, whose acting skills were impressive but whose performance wouldn't withstand scrutiny. She lifted her foot.
And then—
She stomped on him again.
"So, are we just waiting for the real Kiana now?" Having delivered two solid stomps to the foot of the master actor, she changed the subject as if nothing had happened.
"Yep," the young man nodded as he waited.
---o---
Meanwhile, in Kiana's room.
The girl with the beautiful white hair was now dressed in a magnificent gown. It was primarily white, elegantly accented with a pale cyan, giving her the appearance of a princess.
The maid, Rita, gently placed a crown-shaped headpiece that perfectly matched the gown onto the white-haired girl's head.
Then—
Gazing at the girl's reflection in the mirror, Rita let out a breath of admiration.
"Miss Kiana, you look truly beautiful."
The girl with hair like freshly fallen snow, clad in a splendid gown, sat with perfect posture. Her appearance, her bearing—she was the very image of a princess from a snow kingdom.
Kiana's mind was a tangled mess.
This was beyond simple confusion.
Mere moments ago, she had met a trusted subordinate of Otto's—well, more likely someone Otto had taken on during a fit of madness brought on by one too many Otto x Kallen fantasies.
This man, under the authority of the Director of Chaldeas, the "Human Order Security Organization," had requisitioned her from the research institute and brought her here. Then, he had tasked Rita with dressing her up.
"A journey without a pretty girl to look at would be dreadfully boring," was the bizarre reason he had given.
This lunatic had inexplicably dragged her to Chaldeas, procured this gorgeous dress from God knows where, and forced her to wear it... all so she could serve as a pretty decoration. A living vase.
It was completely insane.
Utterly unable to comprehend what this man was trying to do, Miss Kiana sighed and rose to her feet.
"Where do I go now?" she asked, turning to the woman named Rita. She knew she was supposed to be joining his team, but she had no idea where he was taking her.
"Only the Captain himself knows that," Rita replied with perfect honesty, as she truly had no clue where Li Zihan would leap to next. Li Zihan was a master of spatial manipulation and a world traveler besides; unless he chose to share his destination, no one could possibly know where he was going.
"Miss Kiana, if you wish to know the answer, it would be best to ask the Captain directly."
Smiling, Rita took the still-confused Kiana by the hand and led her out of the room.
Outside the door, two figures—one tall, one short—were waiting.
The tall one was, of course, the man whose actions followed no discernible logic.
The short one was an exceedingly cute, gray-haired girl.
"Allow me to introduce you. This is Bronya Zaychik. Like you, she will be my companion on the journey ahead," the seemingly deranged man said, introducing the equally expressionless girl.
Companion?
It was such a beautiful word.
Could she... could she truly have companions?
For a girl whose entire world had been populated only by researchers, her heart gave a gentle flutter.
But the feeling did not last.
They are closely tied to Otto. They can never be companions.
Absolutely not!
The girl, who despised everything and everyone connected to Otto, maintained her cautious distance. Her tone remained as cold as ever.
"Travel companions? Understood."
What a difficult girl, Li Zihan sighed inwardly. But when you get down to it, she's just a girl starved for affection. Just like Sirin, just like Bronya. All she needs is to feel a little warmth.
"Now that introductions are out of the way," the young man announced with a grin, his plans already in motion, "let's get this trip started."