"...So Bronya has to go together with Bronya."
Xia Qi looked at them calmly.
"Is that so..."
Raiden Mei tried hard to suppress her worry and stood up.
"This matter... let's discuss it later. Bronya, are you hungry? Should I make you something to eat?"
"Bronya isn't hungry... After becoming a Herrscher, there's no longer a need to eat."
Xia Qi shook her head. She just didn't want to see Mei busying herself on her behalf.
"Then... how about some ice cream?"
"Ice cream made by Sister Mei...?" Xia Qi couldn't help but nod.
"Okay, I'll go get it right away."
A smile appeared on Raiden Mei's face. She walked to the refrigerator, took out a large bowl of ice cream, returned to the living room, and placed it on the coffee table.
"Homemade ice cream made by Sister Mei..."
Xia Qi stared at the ice cream, her gaze slightly distant.
"Yes!"
Raiden Mei nodded.
At that moment, although Kiana really wanted to grab one and taste it immediately, seeing Xia Qi's expression, she barely managed to restrain herself.
"You... haven't had it for a long time in your timeline?"
"...Yeah."
Xia Qi nodded, reached out, and took the chocolate-flavored ice cream, eating it in small bites.
"It tastes just like I remember... delicious."
Hearing Xia Qi's words and watching her carefully hold the chocolate ice cream with both hands as she ate, Raiden Mei couldn't help but feel a deep surge of sympathy.
"After Sister Mei left, Bronya hadn't had Sister Mei's ice cream for a long time. Kiana either..."
"Huh?!"
Kiana was instantly startled, looking at Xia Qi with a panicked expression.
"W-wait! Bronya, what are you saying? What do you mean after Mei left?! Did something happen to Mei?!"
"No, I mean it literally. After you left St. Freya Academy, Sister Mei also left — and then later, you returned to everyone's side." Xia Qi spoke calmly to Kiana, a hint of seriousness in her tone.
"Kiana... I hope that in the future, you can remember that you are not alone. Whatever happens, don't bear it all by yourself. At the very least... don't suddenly vanish without a trace and make everyone worry..."
Hearing Xia Qi's words, Raiden Mei and the others all turned their gaze to Kiana.
Kiana couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. Meeting everyone's eyes, she felt somewhat at a loss and confused.
"I'm sorry..."
Xia Qi looked at the now quiet group and realized she had said too much.
"Those things haven't happened yet, and perhaps they won't happen again. Bronya shouldn't have said that."
"No, it's fine — hahaha, I don't really mind anyway." Kiana quickly rubbed the back of her head and laughed it off. However, she fell quiet for a moment afterward. When she finally spoke again, her expression was serious:
"Don't worry, Bronya. I definitely won't be like that in the future! After all, I can't bear to part with Mei — or with the ice cream she makes!"
Saying this, she grabbed an ice cream from the table and happily began to eat.
"Yeah..." Raiden Mei also nodded. As she looked at Kiana, though, a very strong sense of unease rose in her heart. She thought about the other version of herself — her initial demeanor, cold and lonely and godlike.
And the other Kiana. The words she had said to her when she left...
Kiana...
For some reason, Raiden Mei vaguely felt that when Kiana faced the same problems her future self had faced, perhaps... she might still make the same choices.
Suddenly, Raiden Mei felt an extremely strong sense of urgency — and an eagerness to become stronger, quickly.
Merge with the other me?
Raiden Mei thought about the other her, about the words she had spoken before, and a seed was quietly planted in her heart.
The other me... what exactly happened in the future? There's no way I could ever leave Kiana...
Kiana pretended to happily eat her ice cream, but she was actually secretly watching Raiden Mei, feeling very confused and uneasy inside.
For the future me... to choose to leave Mei... then... when I face those choices later, can I really promise everyone without hesitation that I won't bear it alone, like I just did?
A strong sense of confusion and unease filled Kiana's heart, but she soon gave up thinking about it.
Whatever. As long as this young lady is strong enough to beat everyone easily!
When that time comes, no one will be able to separate this young lady and Mei!
Not even Bronya!
Could Kiana's departure... be related to Teacher Himeko?
Fu Hua watched Kiana silently from the side, thoughts swirling in her mind. The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
But she was confused too...
What kind of event could make even her future self unable to prevent it?
Bronya, meanwhile, sat calmly beside Xia Qi, continuously recording their conversation in her memory. She asked Xia Qi softly:
"Bronya, does Bronya want to go into the room and talk about what Bronya wanted to tell Bronya?"
"No... what Bronya wanted to tell you has already been said."
Xia Qi shook her head. "Bronya's original plan was to take you away from St. Freya tonight, find the First Herrscher, and then enter the Quantum Sea with him — but Bronya changed her mind at the last moment."
"I see. Bronya understands."
Bronya nodded.
"So time is short. Is the Overseer of Anti-Entropy going to enter the Quantum Sea soon?"
"Yes, very soon."
Xia Qi nodded. "But don't worry. Bronya can find the Overseer of Anti-Entropy within a day, and Bronya's Herrscher core will also make him understand that Bronya is not his enemy."
"Bronya understands."
Bronya nodded gently, then asked, "And... your Seele?"
"Bronya's Seele..."
As Xia Qi and Bronya talked quietly on one side, Kiana and the others listened to their conversation.
Hearing them each refer to themselves as "Bronya" over and over, the more Kiana listened, the wider her eyes grew.
"Both Bronyas call themselves Bronya... this won't do — it sounds so confusing, and my head is spinning."
"It is a little confusing. Though the future Bronya's voice is easy to distinguish — it's more... mature." Raiden Mei nodded gently.
"But... why did Bronya become a Herrscher? Mei is a Herrscher, Bronya is a Herrscher, so... what about the other me? Is she a Herrscher too? Are Herrschers being mass-produced in the future or something?"
Kiana was starting to feel genuinely confused, and a creeping sense that something was very wrong began to take hold.
-------
A/n: New content and stories posted on my patreon go check it out!
patreon.com/deadlygoober