Being the one to have the decision made for her, Ruan Mei showed no dissatisfaction.
Her expression hardly changed, and Kiana, seeing only the holographic projection, didn't notice anything unusual. She simply assumed Ruan must have something important to discuss.
"Can I leave in a couple of days?"
Kiana didn't mean to refuse—her tone was earnest as she looked at Ruan Mei. "I just reunited with Mei, and I need some time to handle a few things here and say goodbye to Robin. She's helped me a lot."
So she really had found that friend.
Ruan Mei gazed at her deeply but didn't ask to see the person. She simply said, "I'll be waiting for you at the space station."
She only cared about the outcome.
A delay of a few days was acceptable. What mattered was that Kiana hadn't refused her request.
For now, she still intended to keep her promise.
The call ended there.
On the other side, after ending the transmission, Ruan Mei folded her arms and fell into thought.
She couldn't deny that, beyond curiosity, there was something else—a faint emotion she had developed toward Kiana.
It was Kiana who had taught her that feeling, the one that made her pay attention to her even during her busiest moments.
Would Kiana leave?
For other things... or for someone else?
The last time she had asked that question, Kiana's answer had been clear—and she hadn't been suffering from amnesia at the time.
If she were to go back on her word now...
What should she do?
Ruan Mei remained silent. If her relationship with Kiana couldn't last, what should she do next?
In matters of emotion, she was rational and detached.
She couldn't truly comprehend the deep, burning emotions between people. So she didn't know what she was supposed to do.
Scenes of her time with Kiana flashed through her mind, one after another, until they faded away. Ruan Mei sighed softly, her eyes growing distant as she gazed outside.
She needed to prepare for the worst.
And before that day came, she would obtain what she wanted. Once she had it, her interest in Kiana would naturally fade—and after that, whether Kiana broke her promise or not wouldn't matter anymore.
Meanwhile, on Kiana's side—
"That was Ruan, wasn't it?"
Having remained quiet and observant throughout the call, Acheron finally spoke once it ended.
Her perception was sharper than before.
She instinctively sensed that Kiana's relationship with "Ruan" might be even closer than the one she shared with Sirin.
It wasn't that she disliked Sirin and mentioned her out of spite—it was just that there was no better point of comparison.
Still, it wasn't hard to understand.
There had been a period when Kiana lost her memories—at the time she needed Acheron most, Acheron hadn't been there for her. She hadn't even known that Kiana had already left Izumo.
The one who had taken Kiana in had spent a long time with her. It was only natural that their relationship would be more... special than with Sirin.
"Ruan Mei—she's a member of the Genius Society. She was the one who found me on Euphorion, took me in, and helped balance the two conflicting energies in my body. Back then, I'd lost all my memories."
"You two have a good relationship."
Kiana blinked, caught off guard by the comment. She looked at Acheron carefully, trying to gauge her mood.
"She's been really good to me, helped me a lot. And Ruan also promised to help me research the Honkai."
Of course their relationship was good.
For over a year, her world had revolved almost entirely around Ruan Mei. Teaching someone who didn't understand emotions what emotions were—and actually getting results—made their relationship... more than just friendship.
"Honkai..."
Acheron frowned slightly, her curiosity about Ruan Mei vanishing as the word brought back memories of the uncontrollable, destructive energy she once faced.
The Honkai was undoubtedly a disaster.
But at that time, Izumo had no other path left—only the desperate gamble they had taken.
That kind of energy... even Nihility itself had been affected by it.
Acheron was no longer the shrine maiden she once was. She had walked far along her Path, traveled across the stars, and learned much.
The more she knew, the more she feared the Honkai that Kiana carried.
She had traversed many galaxies across the universe, but not one had ever spoken of something like the Honkai.
"After all, I'm bound to it. There's no escaping it—not in this lifetime."
"And its purpose in binding you?"
It wasn't an Aeon, nor had she heard of anything like it elsewhere. Back in Izumo, Kiana probably hadn't told her the whole truth either.
"I remember you once told me you could offer sacrifices to it in exchange for other items."
Acheron recalled the past and said, "This kind of energy is as dangerous as Nihility—but it doesn't seem to have any malice toward you."
"Malice... I'm not sure."
Kiana shook her head, then opened her interface to glance at her unchanged stats, frozen as always. Her expression grew complicated. "That's why I want to study it in depth with Ruan—to understand exactly where this energy comes from."
"I already have some ideas about the Honkai, and a plan. If Ruan hadn't contacted me just now, I probably would've gone to test it directly."
"Go where? And what kind of test?"
Acheron asked with clear concern.
Kiana looked uneasy; her expression shifted slightly.
She didn't answer Acheron's question. After a moment of silence, she changed the subject.
"We've been talking about me all this time. What about you, Mei? Aren't you going to tell me what you've been doing—or what you plan to do next?"
Why the sudden change of topic?
Acheron knew she was avoiding the question, which only deepened her curiosity. Watching her closely, she said, "I've already told you why I left Euphorion—to fulfill a request. I promised to find the Galaxy Ranger and help complete his final wish."
"You're looking for a Galaxy Ranger? They're not easy to find these days."
Kiana's expression turned strange. It was just like the stories—whether by coincidence or fate, she couldn't tell.
Stellaron Hunters, Destiny's Slave...
Maybe this universe really did have something called fate.
"I know."
Acheron had searched many places without success, and she understood well why finding a Galaxy Ranger these days was so difficult.
But that wasn't urgent. It could wait.
Now that she had found Kiana, she wasn't in a rush to return to Euphorion—or perhaps she no longer planned to go back at all.
What mattered more to her was the question Kiana hadn't answered—what she was planning to attempt.
But Kiana clearly didn't want to talk about it now.
Acheron didn't understand why she was hiding it, but from her tone and demeanor, she could tell that if she pressed her for answers now, Kiana would most likely just apologize and dodge the question.
Suppressing the turmoil in her heart, Acheron finally said, "Your friend Ruan Mei—she wouldn't mind if I came with you to the space station, would she?"
From the conversation earlier, she had already gathered that Kiana's next destination was the space station. And that meant Kiana wouldn't be leaving with her just yet.
If Kiana couldn't go with her, then she would simply go with Kiana.
She wasn't going to let her slip away again.
Time passed in the blink of an eye.
After taking care of her affairs, Kiana didn't delay any further. She quickly headed to the Herta Space Station to meet Ruan Mei, who had been waiting for her.
On the way there, she finally shared the good news with Sirin—that she had found Raiden Mei.
Sirin was clearly happy for her and immediately suggested coming to visit, but Kiana gently refused.
She probably wouldn't have the time to host Sirin right now—Ruan was still waiting for her at the space station, and Kiana didn't plan to stay there long afterward.
It would be better to arrange a meeting some other time.
Once again, Kiana arrived at the Herta Space Station—a place she hadn't stayed long the last time she was here.
She even spotted a train on the platform.
A train?
On her way to the agreed meeting point with Ruan Mei, Kiana stopped in her tracks, her eyes landing curiously on the parked train.
"What's wrong?"
Acheron's calm voice sounded beside her. Of course, she would be accompanying Kiana through everything that followed.
"That should be the Astral Express."
It was Kiana's first time seeing it in person, and she couldn't help but recall her gaming memories with a faint smile.
"Mei, can you believe it? Maybe we'll meet some interesting people here."
After all, there were two familiar faces aboard the Express—Welt and another woman named Himeko. Welt had already met Sirin before.
As for Himeko, Kiana hadn't heard Sirin mention her, so she wasn't sure whether they'd ever crossed paths.
Still, since the Astral Express was docked here, the chances of meeting them weren't small.
Unlike most others, those two were old acquaintances.
"What kind of 'interesting' do you mean?"
"The Astral Express belongs to the Trailblaze faction, doesn't it?" Acheron asked, though she wasn't familiar with the details.
Kiana's mysterious, expectant tone caught her attention, though—it made her wonder what kind of people Kiana found 'interesting.'
"Mei, you can take a wild guess."
Kiana didn't spoil the surprise. Instead, she grabbed Acheron's hand and followed the staff through the checkpoint. Just like before, after verifying her identity, she was granted free access to most of the station.
They made a brief stop at the reception center.
Kiana glanced at her terminal—Ruan still hadn't replied. She guessed the woman was probably busy in one of the labs.
Leaving a message for Ruan, Kiana decided not to bother her for now. It wouldn't be right to interrupt her concentration mid-experiment.
"The last time I was here, I only came to see Sirin. I didn't get to explore properly. Since this is Miss Herta's domain, why don't we take a look around?"
Acheron naturally had no objections.
Though she had long since lost most of her curiosity about the world, being with Kiana gave meaning to everything. She wanted to make up for what they had lost.
The space station was vast. After only exploring two sectors, Kiana unexpectedly spotted someone familiar.
A Nameless from the Astral Express.
In the main control sector, she saw the red-haired Himeko talking with one of Herta's puppets.
Not Welt, huh.
Kiana felt a slight twinge of disappointment. If it had been Welt, his reaction upon seeing her and Mei would've been far more interesting.
Not that she had any particular intentions—but if something could make her smile, why not enjoy it?
"Is that someone you know? Should we go say hi?"
Acheron had also noticed the woman in red but showed no particular emotion. She had seen many similar figures before.
She was rational enough to understand—they were merely people who looked alike, not truly the same.
Kiana, however, kept her eyes fixed on them. She definitely knew those two.
Himeko, having finished her conversation with the puppet, noticed their gazes. She looked toward the two figures watching her.
And just like that, her eyes met Kiana's and Mei's.
"Miss Herta, it seems those two want to talk to you," Himeko said casually, ending her exchange with a smile.
"I don't have time—"
The impatient response suddenly halted. Seeing the white-haired girl, Herta fell silent for a moment before waving them over. "Come here."
Herta's calling me?
Kiana blinked, puzzled—but still stepped forward, walking toward Herta and Himeko with Mei beside her.
"Miss Herta, you were looking for me?"
Herta crossed her arms, studying Kiana from head to toe—it had been a while since she last saw her. "You're here to see Ruan Mei, aren't you?"
"Yeah. Is Ruan busy right now? I haven't been able to reach her all day."
Herta's reply was blunt. "No idea. I'm not her messenger. If you want me to pass something along, you'll have to let me study you first."
Study her?
That kind of phrase was enough to make anyone uncomfortable.
Acheron's gaze sharpened slightly, her hand already resting on her sword hilt in silence.
To speak of studying Kiana so casually—and right in front of her—was as good as pretending she didn't exist.
The sudden change in atmosphere was obvious to everyone present. Kiana, fully aware of Herta's eccentric personality, quickly placed her hand over Acheron's.
"Mei, calm down. Miss Herta always talks like this—she doesn't mean anything by it."
She knew that Acheron was unlikely—less than a one-percent chance—to actually draw her blade. She was probably just issuing a silent warning.
But this was Herta's territory.
Herta, however, didn't seem to care about the perceived threat. Instead, she looked intrigued—almost excited. "An Emanator? From IX? How did you pull that off?"
Everyone knew how terrifying Nihility was—and how it never spared anyone's will.
So what was this Emanator standing before her?
It had only lasted for a brief moment, but it was enough for Herta to discern Acheron's Path.
"An Emanator of Nihility?"
Himeko, who had been about to smooth things over, paused in surprise when she heard that. Her eyes flicked toward Acheron with newfound curiosity.
Acheron glanced at Kiana, then slowly released her grip on the sword. Her eyes shifted to Herta. "Ruan Mei's situation."
"I don't follow her around, how would I know?" Herta replied dryly. "But she probably found something interesting and went off to study it."
That lined up with Kiana's guess.
Kiana hadn't really expected any concrete answers from Herta anyway—she was mostly here to meet Himeko.
Though she had no intention of joining the Nameless, there was no harm in befriending them.
"Alright," Herta said, eyes glinting. "Now it's your turn to answer my question. How did you manage to catch IX's attention?"
"If you know of Nihility, then you should also understand—it doesn't favor anyone. And I'm not what you'd call an Emanator."
Herta's curiosity only deepened. After all, she was in the middle of developing the Simulated Universe project.
"So what you're saying is—you reached this point on your own, by following the Path?"
"...You could put it that way."
"Then are you interested in helping me test the Simulated Universe?" Herta asked bluntly, her excitement barely contained.
Simulated Universe?
Acheron tilted her head slightly, staring at Herta in mild bewilderment. She had met many kinds of people on her journeys—but none quite like this one.