"We really need a maid."
At the dining table, Xia Yu looked at the dishes she and Mei had worked so hard to cook and let out a sigh.
Mei was still in her Nagazora City phase—very much an Ojou-sama. She hadn't yet evolved into the master chef she would become during her St. Freya days; the food she made was only passable at best.
As for herself... honestly, from her previous life to now, which of her identities knew how to cook?
In her past life, she did cook, but the flavor was merely "edible." As a lazy person who didn't want to research recipes, she just made do with a few bites of whatever.
Furina went without saying; she would decidedly never cook, at most boiling some macaroni.
The Tarnished... good lord, one could count on her even less.
Acheron... perhaps she once knew how to... but now...
So, the food laid out before them was strictly for filling their stomachs. Delicious was not a word that applied.
"Mei," Xia Yu lamented. While sending the two freeloaders off to wash the dishes, she took Mei's hand. "Once you're at St. Freya, remember to learn more about cooking."
"Having a craft means you'll never go hungry, no matter what happens."
"I will, Aunt," Mei nodded. Then, she emboldened herself to ask tentatively, "That St. Freya... do we absolutely have to go?"
"Yes, you must," Xia Yu sighed and patted her head. "After I leave, Theresa is the only one who can protect you."
"You can fully trust her and Himeko. Aside from them, neither Schicksal nor Anti-Entropy can be trusted."
"Even though Raiden Ryoma has some standing in Anti-Entropy, that place is a mixed bag... You're still children; there's no need for you to spend your days scheming against them."
"You just need to focus on making yourselves as strong as possible at St. Freya."
"But, Aunt," Mei's gaze changed instantly, shifting from gentle to sharp as she buried herself in Xia Yu's embrace. "I don't want to leave you!"
Logically, the Queen of Thunder should be proud and confident, but facing Xia Yu and Kiana, no matter how much pride was in her eyes, she was actually far less mature than Mei in action.
Mei knew that her Aunt had to leave for a reason. Just as she said, the power to suppress a Herrscher definitely came with a price. For instance... she rarely saw her Aunt smile.
It wasn't just smiling; she usually had an indifferent expression, only occasionally letting a sliver of emotion show.
She was comparable to Bronya in that regard.
Mei could feel that her Aunt wasn't without emotion, but that it was being suppressed... or consumed.
Particularly after drawing her blade yesterday, she had become even colder, only slightly softening today.
Thus, Mei wouldn't stop her Aunt from leaving. No matter how reluctant she was, she wouldn't let her Aunt worry.
The Herrscher of Thunder was different; she could dive into her Aunt's arms and act spoiled without any hesitation. Although the sight of such a haughty person acting spoiled was a massive contrast, Kiana seemed to be very into it...
'We can't drag Aunt down,' Mei thought, helplessly trying to persuade the Herrscher of Thunder who was currently in control. 'You know Aunt's situation too...'
'...' The Herrscher of Thunder remained silent and buried her head deeper into her Aunt's embrace.
She didn't say anything more about staying.
Xia Yu held Mei like that, one hand gently patting her back while the other slowly stroked her hair.
"Don't worry, I'll come back to see you," Xia Yu hesitated for two seconds before saying, "Even if I'm temporarily tied up with something, I'll ask a friend to come back."
"...Is it a promise?" the Herrscher of Thunder asked in a muffled voice.
"Mhm, it's a promise," Xia Yu nodded gently.
Neither said another word after that. Mei silently took back control and hugged her Aunt a little tighter.
She found it a bit embarrassing to express her true feelings as openly as the Herrscher of Thunder had, but she was daring enough to intercept the hug halfway and enjoy her Aunt's embrace.
Just then, the two freeloaders finally finished washing the dishes.
Kiana was grinning, making a move to wipe her hands on Bronya, who dodged with a look of pure disgust.
Even though Kiana's hands had already been wiped dry in the kitchen.
"Sister Acheron," the two of them arrived in the living room while bickering. Bronya was the first to complain: "Idiot Kiana almost broke three bowls!"
"You said almost! I didn't break them, did I?" Kiana was enraged. She reached out and ambushed Bronya's twin-drills, then grabbed her, locking the smaller girl in her arms.
"Aha! Tiny Bronya, I've finally caught you!"
"Is there a possibility," Bronya said gloomily, "that Bronya has caught you?"
Project Bunny suddenly emerged from behind them and reached out to grab Kiana's back collar, lifting her up entirely.
With the back of her neck ambushed, Kiana tensed up, instinctively grabbing onto whatever she could.
And what was in her hands?
It was Bronya.
Xia Yu looked up to see Project Bunny holding Kiana, who was holding Bronya...
"You two have a great relationship," Xia Yu commented.
"Who has a good relationship with this person!" the two of them looked up and shouted in unison.
"Isn't it great?" Xia Yu nodded, acting as if that settled it.
After several failed attempts to break free, Bronya chose to give up. No matter how much of a battle-hardened Mercenary she was, she had to yield to the Kaslana family's ancestral monstrous strength.
"Let go of Bronya!"
"You let go of me first, you brat!"
"Bronya does not trust your credit!"
"What a coincidence, this Young Lady doesn't trust yours either!"
The two were at a stalemate.
Finally, Mei reluctantly left her Aunt's embrace and stepped forward to mediate.
Only then did the two let go of each other.
Kiana then went over to snuggle up with Mei with a grin.
Xia Yu, meanwhile, naturally picked up Bronya and placed her on her lap, wrapping her arms around her and resting her chin on Bronya's head. Her indifferent face showed a hint of a comfortable look as she closed her eyes to rest.
Noticing this, Mei and Kiana instantly lowered their volume.
"I feel like Sister Acheron really likes this little squirt," Kiana whispered into Mei's ear.
Mei felt a tickling sensation from the warm breath by her ear. Her face reddened slightly, and she immediately pretended nothing was wrong, saying, "Maybe it's just that the size is right. After all, it wouldn't be as convenient for Aunt to hold us."
"Mhm, it is indeed very convenient," Xia Yu said with her eyes closed. "Just like Seele, though she's a bit thinner."
"What? Did Seele get thinner?" Bronya's eyes widened instantly.
"No, that's obviously not saying that Seele got thinner," Kiana couldn't help but interject. "Shouldn't she be talking about you?"
"Ah? Talking about Bronya? Oh, it seems so," Bronya thought back carefully and then looked away guiltily.
"But who exactly is this Seele person?" Kiana's curiosity was piqued. "To have both Sister Acheron and the little squirt constantly thinking about her?"
"Seele... she is a very well-behaved child," Xia Yu recalled. "Very cute, like a small animal."
"It's just that later on... cough cough."
She suddenly stopped speaking.
The Schicksal medical Captain was still too dignified.
"Sounds like a nice kid," Kiana thought aloud. "Is she trapped in that... whatever sea?"
"The Sea of Quanta," Bronya replied expressionlessly. "Bronya... will bring Seele back one day."
"Oh, then count me in," Kiana said excitedly. "I also want to see what kind of girl can make Sister Acheron and the little squirt never forget her."
Hearing this, the gentle Mei's gaze briefly became sharp before returning to soft a second later.
The Herrscher of Thunder had just come online only to be forcibly kicked off by Mei.
She was mainly afraid the Herrscher would say something shocking.
As for why she had this ability... it could only be said that the Herrscher of Thunder truly didn't want to do anything to her and still cared for her.
Currently, both sides could forcibly take control of the body's pilot seat.
"Aunt," Mei looked at Xia Yu to change the subject, "What kind of place is St. Freya Academy?"
"It's a wonderful place that you'll never regret going to," a faint smile appeared on Xia Yu's lips. "Mei, the power of a Herrscher is both a gift and a responsibility."
"Going forward, you will carry a heavy responsibility to fight the Honkai. And St. Freya Academy... might be the last time you can enjoy your youth."
"So, I hope you cherish it, because after this, such days will be few and far between."
"Then Sister Acheron," Bronya focused on another point, "the reason you asked Schicksal and Anti-Entropy for so much food was for..."
"Poverty alleviation," Xia Yu said naturally. "In a place I often visit, the natural environment is extremely harsh. Terrible Catastrophes devastate that land full of suffering."
"With this food, at least when trouble arises, I'll have options other than drawing my blade. Remember, in this world, having power doesn't mean you have everything."
"Like me—no matter how unstoppable my blade is... if I watch someone starve to death before me, I still can't conjure a single grain of rice."
"It's also to recruit a very powerful scientist... mhm, maybe two?"
"How powerful are they?" Kiana asked curiously.
"At the peak of their civilization, they could freely shape and change the environment and structure of any star system. Their civilization's territory spanned the entire Milky Way. An ordinary linguist, as a hobby, would cast her consciousness beacon into a planet's gravitational belt, using the special orbital flow of the star system to move at high speeds across the planet's surface. In her words, she was surfing."
"Wait, such a developed civilization fell to the point of not being able to afford food?" Mei was stunned.
"No, it's not that they couldn't afford food," Xia Yu said gloomily, "but that there were no people left to eat... after a disaster, a once-brilliant civilization was extinguished like a fragile candle in the night."
"The person I want to recruit might be the last survivor of that once-glorious civilization."
"What did they encounter?" Bronya's heart tightened. "Do other planets... also have Honkai?"
"It's something more terrifying than Honkai," Xia Yu shook her head. An Observer started at the level of an Emanator; heaven knows what it actually was...
"So, do you understand? In this universe, existences more terrifying than Honkai are not rare," Xia Yu said seriously. "From a locust plague affecting the cosmos to plots for future destruction, these are all great disasters that easily affect the entire Milky Way."
"The Honkai—it is indeed powerful, but it's not something that can't be transcended. When humanity truly steps out of the cradle called Honkai and looks out at the whole universe, you will understand."
"I feel like I might not live to see that day," Kiana joked. "Right now, humans struggle just to send an astronaut into space. The Milky Way and all that is still too far away."
"That's just what you think," Xia Yu shook her head. "Actually, Schicksal and Anti-Entropy's technological reserves are already sufficient. If they weren't afraid that rapid civilization growth would stimulate the Honkai and cause Herrschers to appear more frequently, a Moon colony would probably have been built by now."
"You should know that during the Second Great Honkai Eruption, humanity already fought a war against a Herrscher on the Moon."
"Humanity still has a long way to go, and you are the future of this planet," Xia Yu let go of Bronya and stood up. "Work hard."
"Mhm, we won't let you down, Aunt!" Raiden Mei looked up with burning determination. "I will definitely put this power to good use!"
"Bronya as well."
"What's this, getting all hot-blooded all of a sudden," Kiana, usually the most hot-blooded idiot, felt a bit awkward. "One of you is a Herrscher, and the other has a giant robot... is it just me who has nothing?"
"No, Kiana, you do," Xia Yu approached her and stared into her eyes. "You've always had it."
"Huh? How come I didn't know?" Kiana looked completely bewildered.
Xia Yu didn't see a single sliver of gold in her eyes.
Had Sirin not woken up at all? Or did she see Xia Yu suppress the Herrscher of Thunder and decide to hide away immediately?
"By the way, Kiana, regarding your father... do you have anything you want to ask me?"
"I have way too many things, Sister Acheron," a complex expression appeared on Kiana's face. "But... can we go to the balcony to talk?"