After seeing Kiana off, Bronya fell into deep thought.
In the time since Cocolia's death, Bronya had thought about many things.
Originally, she had hoped to work hard to save more people, to atone for Cocolia's sins, and at the same time, to rescue her companions who had been betrayed by her adoptive mother.
But now...
Alright, Bronya knew that some things couldn't be rushed.
But this, this, this...
Sister Kiana is actually thinking about buying swimsuits and certain other things.
For some reason, this feeling is just too strange.
And if it were just about swimsuits, that would be one thing.
But asking Bronya to guide her in 'seduction techniques and that sort of thing'—what's that all about?
Ah, could it be that Sister Kiana is finally planning to make a move on Big Brother Leo?
As an outsider in a sense, the thought of this gave Bronya a massive headache.
Everyone in the dorm is a good person, and during this time, they have all gotten along relatively harmoniously.
But getting along harmoniously now doesn't mean such peace can be maintained in the future.
It's precisely because Bronya is still somewhat of an outsider that she can see some facts more clearly than those who are too involved.
Right now, with at least half the arrows in this dorm pointing at Leo, yet with Leo himself remaining indifferent, Kiana has made a move...
If she moves, the others might move too.
Once everyone starts moving, the fragile balance that was barely maintained will be completely shattered.
And after this balance disappears...
Sigh, best friends and sisters turning against each other—while it's the plot of a third-rate Shenzhou prime-time drama, it's not an impossible scenario.
Bronya doesn't want to see everyone fight, but...
Ah, I've got it.
After thinking of something, Bronya immediately took out her communicator and sent a message to Leo Ash.
Mm, as long as I get this information from Big Brother Leo and then tell everyone...
At least in terms of this 'arms race,' everyone will be on equal footing, right?
Sister Kiana, don't blame Bronya for selling you out.
But the situation is urgent, and Bronya can't let this scale tip just yet...
Even so, even if this situation is dragged out, it's bound to explode one day.
Bronya is not even fourteen years old, so why is Bronya, the youngest person in the entire dorm, worrying about such things?
...
At almost the same time. Yuna's room.
Inside Yuna's room, Yuna listened to Mei's request and felt that the scene was particularly strange.
"You're saying you want to pick out a nice swimsuit?"
After watching Raiden Mei nod, Yuna asked strangely.
"Mei, you know I was very introverted at school before. I really don't have any experience in this area."
"Kiana is so sunny and cheerful, she might know more about this stuff, don't you think? It would be more appropriate for you to ask her."
"Or you could ask Class Rep Fu Hua. She might seem serious, but she's definitely been shopping more times than I have."
"Well, um..."
[Hmph, the girl with glasses and the white-haired dango—can you really rely on those two?]
[Forget them, even this poison ivy girl in front of you is unreliable—do you really think she's not interested in Leo Ash?]
But, Yuna's gaze towards Leo Ash has never been that intense, has it?
[True, her gaze towards Leo Ash is very calm, but—what does that prove?]
[You don't stare at him 24/7 with eyes that look like you want to swallow him whole either, but you know perfectly well what you're thinking in your heart, don't you?]
...
You're overthinking it. You're definitely overthinking it.
[Heh, whether I'm overthinking it or not, you know the truth in your heart.]
[If you want to lie to yourself, then I can't be bothered.]
"What's wrong?"
Seeing Mei suddenly space out, Yuna, also a Herrscher, suddenly asked with great tension.
"Did the Herrscher Personality appear again?"
"No!"
Faced with the truth being exposed, Mei immediately shook her head and said with a flustered smile.
"I was just thinking that if Kiana is going to participate in this party, she probably needs to study."
"I don't know if she went to the Class Rep or Bronya, so I don't want to disturb her and the Class Rep's free time."
Wow, is that the reason?
But I overheard the conversation between you two in Senior's room in the early hours of this morning.
Sigh, Mei.
Sigh, Kiana.
Sigh, Senior.
What are you all up to?
Faced with the slightly flustered Mei, Yuna could only choose to agree to her request.
After all, she needed to buy a swimsuit herself. Compared to going out alone, going out with someone else meant they could at least help each other with opinions.
It's just that...
After seeing off a slightly relieved Mei, Yuna took out her communicator and sent a message to Leo Ash.
I should probably just ask Senior.
Both Mei and Kiana have complicated the issue.
If you want to know what someone likes—just ask them directly. Wouldn't that give you the answer?
.......
Meanwhile, Leo Ash, who had just walked out of the training room, took stock of his gains for the day and felt a little more at ease.
Although in just one short hour today, Leo Ash, driving the Pseudo-Herrscher Core's Authority, had used at least one-third of the core's power inefficiently due to the Honkai's interference.
But in exchange for this price, he successfully created three somewhat successful God-Slaying Spears.
Right, next, as long as I give the God-Slaying Spears to Su and Himeko when necessary, then the trump cards to suppress 'Leo Ash' and 'Sirin' will both be ready.
The remaining one will be kept as a spare.
After all, who knows who will awaken next? It's never a bad thing to be prepared.
With a new trump card in hand, Leo Ash felt his steps become lighter.
But in the next second, he suddenly heard a sound from his communicator.
Taking out his communicator, Leo Ash saw a text message from Bronya.
It's just that, this message...
[Big Brother Leo, what style of swimsuit do you like?]
Bronya, what are you stirring up?
Why are you sending this message—System, come out for a second!
[Ah, what's up? There are no enemies today, why are you calling me out?]
There's something, that's all—wait, there's another one.
Leo Ash, who was about to ask the System something, opened his messaging app and saw a message from Yuna.
It's just that...
[Senior, what style of swimsuit do you like?]
Yuna, why are you doing this too?
No, wait, System, can you show me their affection levels?
[Oh, that's easy.]
The moment it finished speaking, the character profiles for the two of them popped up before Leo Ash's eyes.
[Name: Yuna (Surname abandoned)]
[Status: Your junior in Schicksal, a Herrscher of Death holding two cores.]
[Current Affection: 70]
[Note: Her trust in you has surpassed everyone else's, and she doesn't care who you date.]
...What's with this faint sense of unease?
Never mind, there's one more.
[Name: Bronya Zaychik]
[Status: An Anti-Entropy member who has sincerely joined Schicksal, Cocolia's adopted daughter.]
[Current Affection: 68]
[Note: Although you are the indirect culprit who got her mom killed, you are undoubtedly the person she trusts the most right now, it's just that...]
That 'it's just that' is even scarier.
No, wait, how did their affection levels get so high?
[You need to understand one thing, Host.]
[The increase in others' affection for you varies in speed, but each case needs to be analyzed specifically.]
...You're being so serious today. Go on then, analyze it for me.
[Okay, let's put it this way. Rita's affection for you is only 60... okay, 60 is actually ridiculously high.]
[But she still has parents, and she has Bianka, whom she regards as a sister and a friend. Her feelings can't be completely invested in you, so her affection increases a bit slower.]
Even if you say that, but...
[Kiana, her mom's dead, and her dad's gone missing. She's on bad terms with Siegfried.]
[Mei, her mom's dead, and while she's not on bad terms with her dad, she can't see him.]
[Bronya, her adoptive mom's dead, her biological parents died long ago. Although she still has her companions from the orphanage, they've all been sent to World Serpent.]
[Yuna, after personally killing her mother, she has no one left.]
[If you just take a moment to analyze it seriously, you'll find that for these teenage girls, you are the only person they can truly rely on right now.]
Aren't there still Theresa and Himeko?
[Are elders with a generation gap the same as a mature, reliable, and handsome peer!]
[In short, Rita sees you as a younger brother to worry about and feel for, but before that, she's still an independent young woman with loving parents.]
Uh, she just turned eighteen, right?
[But she's been working for three or four years. Mentally, isn't she much more mature than those students who've been living in an ivory tower?]
...That makes a lot of sense. Why are you so serious today?
[Let's put all that aside for now. Right now, these four people around you already see you as their emotional pillar, so it's normal for their affection for you to increase at a ridiculous rate.]
Is, is that so?
[By the way, Anna's affection is actually increasing the fastest; it's just that she hasn't started spending every day with you yet.]
This is putting a lot of psychological pressure on me...
[Well, can't be helped. You're the one who saved them.]
[Although from your perspective you were doing it for self-preservation, it still resulted in 'saving them.' Under these circumstances, all of this was predictable.]
Hey, Anna hasn't even become a Herrscher yet!
[I was talking about the four of them—you added one yourself.]
[This System understands. So you had already added her to your harem list in your heart, hadn't you?]
...How can you slander an innocent person like that?
[And in the end, even if you don't have the subjective intention of flirting with them, you have objectively become their emotional pillar.]
[What now? You're not going to make a move and stick to the Three Nos Principle, aiming for some kind of 'lifelong regret' storyline?]
Never mind what a 'lifelong regret' storyline is, can you explain what the 'Three Nos Principle' is?
[Not proactive, not refusing, not responsible—isn't that you right now?]
[Such profound fishing skills. This System admits, it truly misjudged you back then.]
[You don't even need to say all that flirty nonsense. Your actions speak louder than this System's words ever could.]
[You give them hope, but you don't take the next step, just leaving them hanging—what are you doing, raising fish?]
Give me a break. If I had followed your suggestions, I'd be some kind of super-dense harem protagonist by now.
[What's so bad about having a harem? If you don't make some things clear, the bomb will only explode more violently when it goes off!]
Listening to the System's words, Leo Ash fell silent.
He didn't know what was up with the System today, but right now, Leo Ash felt like there were two little figures fighting in his head.
On one of the figures was written [Just listen to the System's nonsense and move on].
On the other figure was written [How could the System ever harm me?].
Normally, the former could pin the latter to the ground and beat it senseless.
But today...
—The latter was actually suppressing the former???
[Start a harem! Start a harem! They like you, and you like them! What's wrong with a harem! This is pure love!]
...Perhaps you're right.
But with Sirin...
[Sleep with Kiana. Even if Sirin acts up, she'll get morning sickness in the future. What are you afraid of!]
[Fill her up first, then fill her up again with the God-Slaying Spear. Don't be scared. Himeko didn't even die when she was burning her life force. You're stronger than Himeko, you think you're gonna die out there?]
Damn it.
I'm shamefully tempted.
Damn you, System, for disturbing my Dao heart!
[Oh, give me a break. You've always been a lecher; it's just that the pressure to survive was too great before.]
[Now that Su is here, you have a powerhouse to help you suppress Otto. Siegfried and Welt's injuries have healed, and you've even made the God-Slaying Spear. The situation is looking great, you've relaxed, and that's why the desires you've long suppressed have surfaced.]
[Otherwise, what this System said today is not even a third as radical as usual. You would have heard half of it and dismissed it as bullshit.]
[This System's words have only given you a chance to face your true self. What you're thinking right now...]
[Is clearly your heart's 'true intention.']
..