"Ugh... I'm so exhausted..."
That evening, inside the villa shared by Kiana and the others on Level -10 of the Fire Moth base.
The moment Kiana stepped through the door, she kicked her shoes off in random directions and flopped face-first onto the sofa, completely barefoot. It was as if all her bones had magically dissolved, turning her into a helpless, white-haired puddle.
With a resigned sigh, Mei picked up Kiana's shoes, placed them neatly on the shoe rack, took off her own, and then carried Kiana's slippers over to the sofa, setting them down beside her.
"Idiot Kiana spent the entire day zoning out. She has absolutely no right to complain about being tired," Bronya remarked, deadpanning as she set her schoolbag down.
"Are you kidding me?! I was paying attention the entire time today!" Kiana immediately protested, deeply offended.
How dare this obnoxious short stack slander her!
She didn't sleep a wink in class! She had genuinely tried to listen!
Everyone knew she had never tried this hard in her life! But it wasn't her fault; knowledge didn't lie. If she couldn't understand it, she couldn't understand it. Staring blankly at equations she couldn't decipher just made her feel like a total... well, whatever.
"Bronya expresses profound disdain for Kiana's sophistry." Bronya showed absolutely no mercy.
This was the first time in this world that Bronya was Kiana's classmate. Even though she could have easily guessed exactly how Kiana behaved in class, that didn't stop her from taking every opportunity to mock her.
Unlike Kiana, Bronya was a model student!
...Actually, that was a lie.
Today's academic classes covered foundational theory, albeit highly specialized subjects.
Coincidentally, Bronya already knew all of it.
So, did Bronya diligently follow along with their instructor, Joachim, to review and consolidate her knowledge?
No. She and Kiana were two peas in a pod. They had both zoned out for the entire day.
But that didn't stop Bronya from mocking—
"You were zoning out too! Don't think I didn't see you!" Kiana yelled, aggressively attempting to bite back regardless of whether she actually had proof. If Bronya had been paying attention, Kiana's instinct would have stopped her from making the accusation.
Wait. Did I just say that out loud?
"Aha! You were zoning out!" Kiana grew even more indignant. The pot calling the kettle black! "If you weren't paying attention either, what gives you the right to judge me?!"
"Alright, alright, break it up. We're all tired today," Mei intervened, playing the peacemaker as she set a freshly cut fruit platter on the coffee table. The two girls glared at each other, then simultaneously reached for a fruit fork, a silent declaration of a truce.
The base didn't offer a wide variety of fruit, so it was just apples again.
After two bites, Kiana lost interest. Besides, dinner was soon; she needed to save room.
"Sigh..." She melted back into the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling. "I wanna go out and play with Shu and Sis too..."
"Bianka and Shu went out to train her application of [Wish]. Does Kiana possess the Authority of [Wish]?" Bronya asked, taking tiny bites of her apple while casually delivering another verbal jab.
"Well... well, I could go out and practice using the Key of Genesis!" Kiana mumbled, sounding entirely unconvincing.
"...Then shouldn't Bronya also go out and practice driving the Noah's Ark?" Bronya sighed.
Kiana suddenly perked up, a smug grin spreading across her face as she wagged a finger. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Nope! Driving the Noah's Ark is Mei's job. Bronya needs to stay in the classroom and learn how to navigate and command.
"If we let Bronya drive the Noah's Ark, her license would just get revoked!"
Bronya stopped chewing and stared at Kiana. She just stared, completely silent.
She knew exactly what Kiana was referencing, but unfortunately for Kiana, this Bronya had never ridden a motorcycle, nor had she ever had her driver's license revoked.
Therefore, she felt nothing.
Click.
The sound of the front door opening drew their attention. Shu and Bianka were standing in the entryway, changing their shoes.
"Shu! Sis!" Kiana waved excitedly and scrambled off the sofa, eager to greet them.
But the moment she got closer, she noticed Bianka's condition. The older girl looked entirely drained of life, looking as if her soul had left her body. Kiana slammed on the brakes.
Bronya noticed it too. Bianka was in a terrible state. Her face was deathly pale, her footsteps were weak and unsteady, and her eyes were completely unfocused. She looked exactly like someone who had severely overindulged in—
"Sis, are you..." Kiana approached slowly, staring in shock at the incredibly weak Bianka. Then, she shot Shu a look of utter disbelief. "What happened to her?!"
Shu felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up under Kiana's accusatory glare. "Why are you looking at me like that? Bianka just depleted her Honkai Energy reserves and hasn't fully adapted to the energy I transferred to her."
"Bronya hopes it was only Honkai Energy that was depleted," Bronya stated from her position draped over the back of the sofa, delivering a devastatingly deadpan remark.
Shu: "?"
It took Shu two full seconds to process what Bronya was implying. Having finished changing his shoes, he took a deep breath, marched over to the sofa, and flicked Bronya on the forehead.
"Watch the jokes, kid. You're bordering on character assassination here," Shu scolded, exasperated.
He hadn't hit her hard at all, but Bronya dramatically clutched her forehead, looking up at him with the most innocent, pitiful, and helpless expression she could muster.
Shu stared blankly at her performance, utterly unmoved. "Drop the victim act. If Seele walks in, she's going to think I'm actually bullying you."
He knew Kiana was a terrible liar, and acting pitiful didn't work on him anyway.
Bronya, having successfully trolled him, quickly dropped the act. Meanwhile, Bianka and Kiana walked into the living room and slumped down onto the rug in front of the sofa.
Seeing Bianka's utterly exhausted state, Kiana, who had been whining about wanting to go play with Shu earlier, fell completely silent. After a long pause, she cautiously addressed her sister.
"Um... Sis... you went out to learn how to use [Wish] with Shu today, right?"
Bianka forced herself to nod slightly.
"Hiss..." Kiana inhaled sharply, looking Bianka up and down in sheer disbelief.
Could [Wish] really do this to a person? Why hadn't she ever seen Shu looking completely drained and hollowed out like this?
She turned her gaze back to Shu, seeking confirmation. It took Shu exactly 0.1 seconds to read her mind.
"Don't look at me. I'm a genuine Herrscher, I have infinite Honkai Energy regeneration at all times. My bottleneck in the past was a lack of actual [Wishes], not a lack of energy." Shu explained why he never suffered Bianka's fate in the most direct, unambiguous, and straightforward manner possible. Then, he added:
"Besides, the only times I was actually 'drained' were the times I was moments away from being beaten to death. Obviously, you wouldn't have seen me looking like this."
"Oh~"
"Why do you two sound disappointed?"