Faced with Kiana's question, Raiden Mei naturally couldn't answer; after all, she didn't even understand the situation herself.
Thus, she could only cast a pleading look at Leo.
"Let me explain."
Seeing that not only Raiden Mei but also MEI was looking at him, Leo took the initiative to speak: "For Mei and Kiana, the spacetime we are currently in is the Previous Era."
"However, your world has many changes; I don't think it is the Previous Era of the world they come from."
First, he answered MEI.
After all, MEI was a smart person who could think along with him and wouldn't become a burden.
"Mn, I understand."
Nodding, MEI expressed her understanding.
—Dr... MEI?
At this moment, she couldn't help but recall what Leo meant when he encouraged her earlier, saying "You are the greatest scientist of the future."
Next—
"She is indeed the Dr. MEI you know."
Turning his head to look at Kiana, Leo said, "But right now in the Previous Era, not even the Third Eruption has broken out yet, so naturally she still needs time to grow. You can just treat her as a smarter version of Mei."
"Of course—"
To avoid making Raiden Mei angry, he hurriedly added, "Her combat power is far inferior to Mei's, so they are completely different people. I hope you can remember this clearly!"
—Phew...
Watching Raiden Mei, who was about to turn into her pufferfish mode, revert to normal, he couldn't help but secretly heave a long sigh of relief. Keeping things balanced is truly difficult!
Next, he stole a glance at MEI. Seeing that she still maintained a calm expression, he finally relaxed completely.
"Mn, I naturally understand that."
After recognizing MEI's identity, Kiana naturally wouldn't confuse her with Raiden Mei.
After all, when she received Dr. MEI's help in the past, she had distinguished the difference between her and Raiden Mei.
"Alright."
Seeing Kiana understood the current situation, Leo looked at MEI and said, "Do you have anything to ask?"
"Although I have a lot I want to ask, since I am part of this world, I might not ask the right questions."
"So let me sort things out."
Not standing on ceremony with Leo, MEI first looked at Raiden Mei and asked, "Mei, I realized you seem to have become... more mature today?"
After considering her wording slightly, she continued asking.
"Is this because you met Kiana?"
First, she needed to determine Raiden Mei's status.
"No."
Shaking her head, Raiden Mei spoke frankly, "As early as after th-that night, I dreamed of everything I experienced with Kiana."
"But because it was a dream, I didn't have any sense of reality, so naturally I didn't mention it to you."
"However, upon meeting Kiana, the reality of that dream became stronger and stronger, and I unconsciously grew closer to Kiana."
"As for the maturity you mentioned... my mindset does seem to have changed somewhat because of it."
Although she said this, because she mentioned "that night," she naturally recalled those shameful events.
Thus, as she spoke, her pretty face disappointingly blushed, causing Kiana beside her to widen her eyes.
—What night exactly? What happened to my Mei?
Subconsciously, Kiana locked her gaze onto Leo.
—So bad, staring with eyes!.jpg
"A dream?"
Revealing a thoughtful expression, MEI had already realized what was happening.
But to ensure she wasn't mistaken, she looked at Leo again.
"I remember you said that Mei's essence is a 'fragment' that was forcibly intercepted, right?"
This was what Leo had told her before, so based on this, she surmised: "Then what Mei had wasn't a dream at all, but her true memories gradually awakening because she left the Honkai Domain?"
"You can understand it that way."
Disregarding the hostile gaze Kiana cast at him, Leo said with a normal expression, "I told Mei before that the reason she couldn't recall 'future' events was that she was limited to the period when her family just suffered a change and she was being bullied."
"But just as you said, as she left the Honkai Domain, her memories regarding the 'future' automatically revived."
"Now that she has met Kiana, she naturally has a greater sense of reality."
—The Honkai Domain is a locked spacetime; Raiden Mei within it naturally cannot recall her true memories. This is exactly why Kiana said Raiden Mei was assimilated!
"Mn."
Nodding, MEI said, "Then the first question is solved."
"Next—"
Turning her gaze to Kiana, she asked again, "Kiana, why did you appear in the Honkai Domain?"
"Honkai Domain?"
Tilting her head, Kiana was completely confused by this term.
In fact, she had wanted to ask when MEI and Leo mentioned this term earlier, but she felt embarrassed to interrupt their exchange.
"It's the place we were in before."
Timely as ever, Raiden Mei said, "That is a space woven from obsession and resentment."
"Kiana, do you have absolutely no memory of this?"
"Or... is this the proof of my assimilation?"
Immediately, she couldn't help but bite her vermilion lip lightly, her face full of unwillingness.
"This isn't your fault."
Before Kiana could speak, Leo explained first, "That Honkai Domain is centered on you; it's perfectly normal for you to be assimilated."
Rather, if Raiden Mei hadn't been assimilated, such a place wouldn't have been born.
But Raiden Mei's mindset was already quite depressed, so he naturally wouldn't continue to provoke her at this moment.
"Yes."
Following Leo's words, MEI chimed in from the side, "This isn't your fault."
"Moreover, this is clearly a calculated move against an unsuspecting victim; it's normal that you fell for it."
Compared to Leo, although she spoke more bluntly, because it made more sense, her comfort was more effective for Raiden Mei.
"Mn, I understand... Thank you."
Under the comfort of Leo and MEI, Raiden Mei finally felt relieved.
And watching all this, Kiana—
Mei is still far from recovering all her memories...
Familiar with Raiden Mei, she knew clearly that Raiden Mei's mindset wasn't this fragile and didn't need others' comfort.
But the current Raiden Mei had obviously returned to the mindset of the Chiba Academy period.
So... I must pay serious attention to this when communicating with Mei later!
Kiana, who had realized this, continued the previous topic, only—
"The reason I came to the Honkai Domain was that I sensed Mei's aura while I was sleeping, so I projected my consciousness over to take a look, and as a result, I got trapped here."
Saying that, she hurriedly said to Raiden Mei, "Look, Mei, didn't I get trapped here too?"
Only as soon as she said this, the other three fell completely silent, just looking at her with different expressions.
—Did I say something wrong?
Subconsciously, she signaled Leo with her eyes.
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