To be honest, after going through transmigration and encountering Kiana in the Previous Era, Liang Wu had thought his adaptability was already quite strong.
But now he realized that this world might be even more bizarre than he had imagined.
Before Liang Wu could react to Cecilia’s sudden appearance, the woman acted first.
“Ah…
my daughter is so beautiful.
Come here and let Mommy give you a hug!”
With that, the apparent ghost of Cecilia excitedly lunged toward Kiana.
But the anticipated mother-daughter embrace did not happen.
Cecilia simply passed straight through Kiana.
Liang Wu was bewildered.
But it was not over.
The next moment, Cecilia’s figure vanished on the spot.
Liang Wu: ?????
Wait.
Appearing out of nowhere, then disappearing out of nowhere.
Were you really some kind of ghost?
“…Liang Wu, what’s wrong?” Kiana spoke again.
Seeing his strange look, she seemed unaware of Cecilia’s presence and assumed there was something wrong with her outfit.
Her reaction left Liang Wu stunned: “…Didn’t you feel anything strange just now?”
He was referring to the moment Cecilia had passed through her.
Though Kiana apparently had not seen Cecilia, surely she should have felt something when a ghost passed through her?
“Strange?” Kiana looked confused.
She looked down at her skirt and touched the fabric: “Is there something wrong with the clothes?”
“…Never mind.” Liang Wu looked away and began reassessing the nature of what had just happened.
That scene had been too real to be an illusion.
He quickly arrived at a possibility.
Cecilia’s Stigmata.
He had only acquired Cecilia’s Stigmata last night, and today Cecilia appeared.
And since only he could see her, the answer was obvious.
Perhaps it was a residual will or soul fragment left within Cecilia’s Stigmata.
When the Stigmata was activated, Cecilia’s genetic data and personality information were awakened, forming something like a residual phantom.
Liang Wu felt enlightened.
So this was the guardian spirit approach?
After all, Honkai energy was capable of anything.
An explanation involving a Stigmata’s soul remnant sounded far more scientific.
But why had she only appeared briefly and then vanished?
“Liang Wu?”
Kiana’s voice came again, tinged with uncertainty: “Are you sure you’re okay?
Your expression looks strange.”
Liang Wu snapped back to the present and replied calmly: “I’m fine.
I was just thinking that you really do look good in this skirt.”
“There are a few more here.
Want to try them on?”
As he spoke, he handed the remaining clothes over to Kiana. This chapter was taken from novelping.com without permission.
Kiana took the stack, looked down, then looked back up at Liang Wu.
To be honest, back at St.
Freya, Kiana had always acted foolish on the surface.
But in reality, she considered herself smooth on the outside and sharp on the inside.
Her intuition told her that Liang Wu’s reaction just now was definitely off.
That expression, that look in his eyes—he had clearly seen something extremely strange.
But Liang Wu did not explain, and Kiana did not press the matter.
After all, their relationship had not yet reached the point where they could be completely open with each other.
However, Kiana did develop a new suspicion.
Could Liang Wu be attracted to her?
Though she did not have much experience with boys, she had not been living under a rock.
After all, his expression had changed dramatically after she came out in the new outfit.
And he knew she was the most dangerous Second Herrscher of the Current Era, yet he was still so enthusiastic about taking her in and buying her clothes…
This did not look like simple charity, did it?
With that thought, Kiana shot Liang Wu another suspicious glance.
But that glance unexpectedly triggered her hallucination again, and she recalled her cry of “Mom” from the night before.
“!!!”
In an instant, Kiana’s cheeks flushed slightly.
Liang Wu noticed her look: “…What’s wrong?
Is there something on my face?”
“…No.” Kiana quickly looked away.
She flipped through the clothes in her hands, trying to cover her discomfort with the motion.
Liang Wu was a bit suspicious, but right now he was more concerned about the ghost from earlier.
He turned to the sales assistant: “We’ll take all of these, including the one she’s wearing.”
“Certainly, sir.” The assistant smiled and began packaging everything efficiently.
This feeling made Kiana somewhat uneasy.
She had never been the type to rely on others.
Even during the time she was separated from Siegfried, she tried to carry everything on her own.
But this guy named Liang Wu always did things as if they were the most natural thing in the world, as if taking care of her was perfectly normal.
It felt unfamiliar to Kiana.
Could it be that he really did see her as some stray cat he had taken in?
“…Hah.” She took a deep breath and steadied herself.
She would find a way to repay him someday.
…
Soon, the shopping trip was over.
When Liang Wu and Kiana walked out of the clothing store, Kiana was carrying three bags, all purchased by Liang Wu.
The midday sun was directly overhead, and the weather was growing a bit warm.
“According to today’s plan, we still need to buy some toiletries.
Can you still carry them?”
To be honest, this was not Liang Wu’s first time shopping with a girl.
Back when Kevin was trying to win Mei over, Liang Wu would tag along as an advisor.
Though Mei usually seemed like a studious type, she was still a girl who loved to buy lots of things and make him and Kevin carry them during shopping trips.
But Kiana seemed different.
She was probably insisting on carrying the bags herself because she felt bad about him spending so much money.
Liang Wu did not mind.
After all, she was not some delicate girl who needed him to act gentlemanly. Get faster updates on g.com.
“Of course I can.
These aren’t heavy.” Kiana lifted the paper bags slightly to emphasize her point.
Liang Wu glanced at her but did not say anything more.
Although, for the sake of building bond points, he probably should be trying to raise her favorability.
But after what had just happened, his mind was somewhat elsewhere.
With that thought, Liang Wu lowered his gaze to the back of his hand.
There was no visible pattern there, but ever since last night, when he had bound Kiana and acquired Cecilia’s Stigmata, he could faintly sense a weak warmth beneath his skin, like a cat sleeping so deeply it only occasionally turned over.
And when Cecilia’s phantom had appeared, that warmth had noticeably stirred for a moment.
So, was his Stigmata located on his hand?
In the game, Valkyrie Stigmata were usually located on the back.
But in reality, Stigmata placement was not fixed.
Most were indeed on the back, since that area was the broadest.
But the back of the hand, abdomen, and thighs could also bear Stigmata.
Given his current situation, it was probably related to the Stigmata.
“Wu?” A voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
Liang Wu looked up toward the source.
Not far away, a purple-haired girl in a Chiba Academy uniform stood at the street corner, holding a bookstore paper bag, looking at him with slightly surprised eyes.
Mei.
The woman who would eventually become the supreme leader of Fire Moth in the future.
Right now, she looked no more than seventeen or eighteen, her face still bearing the softness of youth.
“Mei?
You’re out shopping too.” Liang Wu responded.
Hearing this, Mei stepped closer, her gaze sweeping back and forth between Liang Wu and Kiana, finally stopping at the paper bags in Kiana’s hands.
“…I came to buy some reference books.” Mei paused.
“But Wu, didn’t you say you were going to rest at home this weekend?”
“Why are you in the shopping district…
with a girl?”
There was no accusation in Mei’s tone, just pure curiosity.
After all, at Chiba Academy, Liang Wu was known as a melancholic and solitary figure.
Rumor had it that whenever it rained, he would think of his deceased ex-girlfriend.
Though he was quite friendly in person, so no one ostracized him, he spent almost all his free time alone and had never been seen getting close to any girl.
Let alone accompanying one to buy clothes.
Though it was indeed odd that the girl was the one carrying the bags.
“Oh, you mean Kiana?
She’s my little sister from the orphanage when I was a kid.
She came all the way to Nagazora to visit me recently.” Liang Wu quickly came up with an explanation.
At the same time, he turned to Kiana, ready to introduce Mei.
However, Kiana’s expression was not good.
Thud—
The shopping bags fell to the ground.
Kiana just stared blankly at Mei before her.
In an instant, Liang Wu understood.
That was bad.
Mei looked almost exactly like Raiden Mei!