Sirin and Kiana, at their core, were different personas of the same soul.
Though their existence differed vastly from Hakuto and Reverie, both could coexist in the mysterious space.
Soul changes were fully shared between the two personas.
Like a river of time flowing backward, eroded memories surged back. Their past as Hakuto flooded in, a torrent crashing through Sirin and Kiana's minds.
In the mysterious space, vibrant light swirled, memories like tidal waves settling into warm, sunlit springs.
In vivid terms, it was like a consciousness, having lost memories and formed new personas, reclaiming its past.
Not only were lost memories restored, but their respective memories synced too.
From the space's feedback, Hakuto understood why Sirin, Kiana, and Kanae Kocho didn't recognize him.
The mysterious space had "copied" countless versions of his soul, fully and thoroughly across dimensions!
But as an ordinary human, how could his soul wander the multiverse unscathed?
Most souls released from the space dissolved in the temporal chaos. Only a few reached world barriers and survived.
Even those that survived, like Sirin, lost most memories. Retaining a few years, as Sirin did, was rare luck. Kanae's memories were nearly wiped clean.
All that remained was the core "id" etched into their souls.
This id ensured that, even as girls, these Hakutos had no interest in men or romance.
Even if they found love, it'd only be with another girl!
And an ingrained, soul-deep attitude toward "themselves."
Hakuto was narcissistic to a whole new level!
His gaze unfocused, mind reeling, Hakuto finally exhaled, steadying himself.
"Didn't expect memory syncing to feel like this. Good thing the space protects me, or…"
It wasn't a third-person movie perspective but a first-person plunge, emotions and all.
Without the space's buffer, the sync might've convinced Hakuto he was Sirin or Kiana.
Their "id" was Hakuto, their "ego" restored as Hakuto's memories, but as reborn Sirin and Kiana, they differed from him.
Gender perception was just one aspect.
Memory, personality, and "self" perception weren't black-and-white. Dive deeper, and you hit the Theseus' Ship paradox.
Undeniably, they were all Hakuto—one person!
Along with memories came Honkai energy—omnipotent power, spatial manipulation authority, mental strength, physical prowess, and combat skills.
The space imposed no limits, but you can't cook without rice.
Ordinary stacking couldn't match Reverie's profound reintegration.
In the material world, without the Kaslana family's body, Hakuto lacked their monstrous strength.
Without the Void Herrscher core, he couldn't wield full spatial authority.
Stacking followed its own rules.
In short, Hakuto gained 100% of Sirin's Honkai energy, about 50% of her spatial authority, and roughly 20% of Kiana's physical prowess.
"The paramecium is actually me!?"
Kiana's eyes widened in stunned disbelief, then she shook her head vehemently. "No, no, I'm not paramecium!"
As she spoke, Kiana, who'd been shielding herself with her hip-length white hair, visibly relaxed, exhaling in relief.
No longer restrained, she strode toward Hakuto with long, shapely legs, carefree.
Her light steps, in her current state, were—
Don't get fooled by 3D women!
Even after nights of self-reward, Hakuto felt a slight rush at her radiant, flawless form.
Through his intense gaze, Kiana clearly sensed its meaning.
Bathed in that fiery stare, a strange feeling stirred in her, cheeks flushing, yet she made no move to cover herself.
"Washed this body so many times in memory—still not enough?" Kiana poked Hakuto's cheek with a fair finger, her tone lively and coy.
The soft, creamy touch and faint girlish fragrance hit him. Hakuto shrugged nonchalantly. "Haven't had time to really look."
Kanae Kocho, watching, blinked in bewilderment, unable to process.
What the heck!?
Just a handshake, and they're suddenly this open?
Her face a mix of complexity and frustration, but seeing Kanae's confusion, Sirin placed a hand on her round shoulder.
The moment they touched, all three froze.
Kiana and Sirin shared one soul.
Kanae's expression shifted, her lost memories resurfacing, a dawning realization crossing her Yamato Nadeshiko face.
"So that's it…" Kanae sighed, half-laughing, half-exasperated.
She stopped hiding behind her hair, stepping forward with cotton-light grace.
"Is this 'today I know I am me'?"
"Something's off!"
Before Hakuto could respond, Sirin's voice, proud yet no longer cold, cut in.
"Hm? What's up?" Hakuto shot her a puzzled look.
Sirin didn't answer, just naturally took his hand.
Hakuto frowned slightly.
When Sirin and Kanae touched, the latter's memories as Hakuto awoke, and their respective memories synced.
But this sync was far shallower than Hakuto and Sirin's. While still first-person, it lacked the emotional depth of the original memories.
And their powers only synced a tiny fraction.
Toying with Sirin's soft hand, Hakuto's face took on a thoughtful expression, while Sirin merely glanced at him with her golden eyes, showing no resistance.
After two seconds of thought, Hakuto extended his hand to Kanae Kocho, who placed her fair hand in his without hesitation.
Kanae's violet eyes widened slightly. "This is…"
Since Sirin was holding Hakuto's hand, she too understood what was happening.
If each transmigrated "Hakuto" was a signal source, then the Hakuto of this world was the central base station, with the mysterious space's core tied to his soul!
Without Hakuto, ordinary signal sources could share data—memories, abilities, and physical traits—but only to a limited extent.
In simple terms, the bandwidth was too low!
Only by connecting through Hakuto, the main base station, could memories and abilities be shared to the fullest.
This was a protective mechanism. Without the space's core shielding, deep memory syncing could blur one's sense of self.
"Perfect! Now I can take down Muzan for good!" Feeling the surging Honkai energy within, Kanae clenched her pink fist. "Wipe out those demons!"
With Hakuto's memories nearly erased, she was reborn with a near-blank soul into the Kocho family, her adoptive parents becoming her true family.
Her parents were killed by demons.
But when Kanae tried to return to her world using Hakuto's memories, she met immense resistance!
"Why?"
Hakuto, Sirin, and Kanae were hand-in-hand, their thoughts fully linked.
When Hakuto repeated Kanae's attempt, he faced the same resistance, followed by feedback from the mysterious space.
The rules of the Demon Slayer world were blocking them. The reason?
Obviously its Honkai!
Like a virus, other universes rejected it as humans reject a plague.
If the world's consciousness could speak, it'd probably yell: "What the heck is this!? Stay away! Don't bring that thing into my house!"
"Uh…" The space's feedback echoed in their minds. Kanae opened her mouth, unsure what to say.
She agreed with the world's rules. Bringing Honkai energy back would be like a sticky plaster—impossible to remove.
She could easily kill Muzan but would plunge humanity into greater disaster.
"Don't forget me. An Edel Raid's power is enough to obliterate Muzan."
Sure, an Edel Raid can only bond with one person, but they are one person!
"Right! There's Reverie… wait!"
The flood of restored and synced memories was so vast that Sirin, Kiana, and Kanae hadn't had time to process them, missing something critical.
But as the topic shifted to Reverie, related memories surfaced.
Instantly, the three girls trembled as if shocked, their breathing heavy, eyes misting with a sultry haze, gazing at Hakuto with a peculiar expression.
No doubt, they'd accessed Hakuto and Reverie's nightly "self-reward" memories.
Self-on-self action… it's practically perverse!
And Hakuto's speed! The first night with Reverie, they both lost their innocence.
Talk about decisive!
Of course, post-memory-sync, they'd likely do the same without hesitation.
"Calling myself a pervert, huh? Well, pervert it is!" Hakuto shrugged calmly, left arm around Kiana, right around Kanae, their waists smooth and firm as silk.
Kiana's waist? A treasure of human civilization!
Why not hug Sirin?
She was dressed.
Kiana and Kanae exchanged glances, their fair cheeks flushed with a drunken blush. Jealousy was impossible—they're all the same person!
But as girls, a bit of shyness was natural, though they'd never refuse Hakuto, even if he wanted to throw an "impart" party right now.
"Wait! Now's not the time. I'll play anytime later, but we need to save Teacher Himeko!" White Valkyrie armor materialized, covering Kiana's jade-like body. She turned to Sirin.
Sirin's expression was complex. "With the Godslaying Spear injected, even with my help, we can't precisely open Imaginary Space. The only way…"
She looked at Hakuto.
"Then what are we waiting for? Hurry!" Hakuto's figure vanished instantly.