“Kiana Kaslana…
That’s the upperclassman who enrolled the day before yesterday, right?
Her birthday is December 7th…
Huh?
Is it actually today?!” Asakura Miyuki sat at her desk, staring blankly at the student ID card in her hand.
Legends about Kiana had long been circulating throughout the academy, ranging from her picking a fight with an entire class for the sake of Raiden Mei, to rumors even claiming she had beaten up the principal for Raiden Mei’s sake.
“After class…
I’ll go return it!” Asakura Miyuki carefully pressed Kiana’s student ID against her chest, smiling sweetly.
Kiana’s dashing appearance from yesterday was still branded in her Remembrance, and since today was also Kiana’s birthday, she had to prepare a special gift.
The moment the bell rang for the end of class, Asakura Miyuki impatiently ran out and rushed to the third floor.
She pulled an upperclassman aside and asked somewhat bashfully, “Hello, Senior, I’d like to ask where Senior Kiana is.”
“Kiana?
Kiana Kaslana?” The upperclassman raised an eyebrow.
Looking at Asakura Miyuki’s flushed face, which looked as if she were deeply in love, she couldn’t help but sigh inwardly that here was another girl bewitched by the Snow Elf’s appearance.
Indeed, adhering to the unique traditions of the Far East, Kiana, who had only transferred here less than a week ago, already had several nicknames.
Things like “Snow Elf,” “White-Haired Banshee,” “Academy’s White-Haired Dragon of Destruction,” and “Senba Academy’s Snow Beauty”…
One could only say, typical Far East.
“She’s in Class 3.
If you want to find her, go ahead.
But…
Wait!
Hey—!” The upperclassman reached out a hand, watching Asakura Miyuki’s back as she ran off without waiting for her to finish speaking.
After failing to call her back no matter how hard she tried, the upperclassman gave up and swallowed the words: “Kiana seems to have a one-sided crush on Raiden Mei.”
“Se—Senior Kiana!” Asakura Miyuki stood at the door and took a deep breath.
After calming her excited emotions, she looked into the classroom and sure enough, found Kiana chatting and laughing with Raiden Mei.
Her eyes dimmed for a moment, but she put on a smile again, ran to Kiana’s desk, and handed the student ID over with both hands.
“This…
This is your student ID that I found yesterday!” Asakura Miyuki gazed at Kiana’s face with infatuation.
Seeing this, Kiana suddenly realized that her student ID had been lost yesterday because she was saving someone.
“Thank you, classmate.
Sorry to trouble you to come all this way.” Kiana smiled politely.
After all, she didn’t know this student at all, or rather, she didn’t care about her; in Senba Academy, the only one worth caring about was Raiden Mei.
“My name is Asakura Miyuki.
Senior Kiana, just calling me Miyuki is fine.
Um, I accidentally saw the information on the student ID.
Senior Kiana’s birthday is today, right?”
Asakura Miyuki’s words startled Raiden Mei inwardly; she had absolutely no idea that Kiana’s birthday was today!
While she was inwardly annoyed at herself for not preparing a gift, Asakura Miyuki spoke again: “Then, Senior Kiana, could you meet me at this location tonight?
I’ve prepared a gift I’d like to give to you.”
This one sentence broke Raiden Mei’s composure again.
She kept claiming that she and Kiana were best friends, yet a junior who had just met Kiana had prepared a gift, while she had prepared absolutely nothing!
‘I’m such a failure…
Will Kiana hate me?
Will she distance herself from me too…?’ Just as Raiden Mei was spiraling into self-doubt, Kiana had intended to refuse Asakura Miyuki’s invitation, as they weren’t close, but a remark from the Herrscher of the Void made her instantly change her mind: “Sure, let’s meet at that location.”
Watching Asakura Miyuki’s departing figure, a flash of seriousness crossed Kiana’s eyes, because this was a plot point she had never seen in the game.
The Herrscher of the Void also warned her that Asakura Miyuki was acting strange; what if she was some kind of boss?
Better safe than sorry.
“Huh?
Mei, why have you turned grayscale?!” Kiana had intended to discuss things with Raiden Mei, but as soon as she turned her head, she saw Raiden Mei had turned grayscale, causing Kiana to let out a sharp shriek.
“Ah…
I’m fine, Kiana.
I just feel that I’m not a qualified friend for not remembering my best friend’s birthday…
Hahahaha.” Raiden Mei tilted her head, not daring to look at Kiana, slumped over like a dejected child.
“It’s just because of this?” Kiana felt somewhat helpless, but she still grabbed Raiden Mei’s hand and said earnestly, “A birthday is just a formal date, Mei.
Even if you didn’t remember my birthday, it doesn’t matter, because in the future, we can have many more memorable days.
Besides, having you with me, Mei, is the best birthday gift.”
“Kiana…” Raiden Mei looked at Kiana, her eyes full of emotion.
How could there be such an understanding and beautiful girl?
If she weren’t a girl, she would have…
well, even if she is a girl, it’s still heart-fluttering!
“Oh, right, Kiana.
That junior named Asakura Miyuki from just now, she…
is a bit strange.
She has pestered other classmates before, but in the end, those classmates disappeared.
If you are planning to keep the appointment, I also—”
“No can do.” Kiana raised her index finger, gently blocking the words Raiden Mei wanted to say, gazing at Raiden Mei tenderly.
“Since a beautiful girl has extended a private invitation, I must attend this ball even if it is dangerous.
This is the etiquette a gentleman should have.
And~ I don’t want to see Mei get hurt.” Perhaps Kiana had been thoroughly influenced by Siegfried’s bonds, as flirtatious words came to her effortlessly, successfully making Raiden Mei blush.
“Trust me, Mei, I won’t be in any danger.
But if you were to get hurt because you were worried about me and came with me to the appointment, I would be heartbroken, because we are best friends who are going to form a Community of Fate for a lifetime!” Kiana’s words made Raiden Mei inexplicably happy and inexplicably disappointed.
Even Raiden Mei herself couldn’t figure out why, but…
if she had some understanding of other countries’ cultures, she would know that in other countries, there is no such thing as best friends who act like lovers.
…
At eight o’clock in the evening, Kiana leaned against a utility pole next to the school building, looking at the sky.
This morning, she had intended to refuse Asakura Miyuki, but because of a remark from the Herrscher of the Void: “There is the scent of Honkai Energy on her,” she changed her mind.
‘Asakura Miyuki, Honkai Energy…’ Kiana closed her eyes, placing the Herrscher of the Void card in the foreground.
Whenever necessary, she could activate the Kiana Herrscher of the Void mode to annihilate the opponent.
‘But is she really born evil?’ Kiana recalled the information she had investigated this afternoon.
Perhaps Asakura Miyuki wasn’t born evil, but was forced, step by step, to the point where she could only turn to extremes.
“Kiana!” A young girl’s clear, beautiful voice rang out, interrupting Kiana’s thoughts.
The white-haired beauty opened her eyes and looked at the black-haired girl running toward her: Asakura Miyuki.
She didn’t know what to say.
Asakura Miyuki took out a sachet and handed it over, as if presenting a treasure.
If one were to compare her to an animal, perhaps a puppy would be most appropriate, because Kiana seemed to hallucinate dog ears and a Tail appearing on Asakura Miyuki’s head and behind her.
“This is a sachet called ‘Three-Year Sakura.’ Legend has it that it is recorded in the ancient text ‘Konohanasakuya-hime Miscellany.’ If a young maiden at the age of 14, 15, and 16 uses petals from the same cherry blossom tree to make a sachet, then the Mount Fuji deity Konohanasakuya-hime will bless her love.”
Asakura Miyuki’s voice carried a maiden’s unique shyness, while Kiana, remembering the results of her investigation this afternoon, became somewhat cold, yet also somewhat sad.
“You gave this to those missing girls too, didn’t you?
But no one accepted you, so you killed them, right?” Kiana’s voice was very soft, carrying a trace of sadness.
She looked at Asakura Miyuki quietly with her sky-blue eyes.
Asakura Miyuki’s expression stiffened, and she forced a smile as she asked in return, “Kiana, what are you talking about?”
“You know it.
The culprit behind those missing girl cases—it’s you, right, Asakura Miyuki.” Kiana’s words were like the final straw, crushing Asakura Miyuki’s heart and tearing apart her sweet smile.
“Kill?
No~” Asakura Miyuki’s voice sounded strange, revealing a hint of madness and distortion.
She looked up at Kiana’s face and roared, “They just didn’t accept my love, so they received the punishment they deserved!”
Asakura Miyuki’s face was ferocious.
Past memories flooded her mind: being bullied by thugs, being gossiped about by classmates, and being rejected by upperclassmen—these images allowed the darkness of human nature to take the upper hand.
“Why did they have to treat me like this?
Why were they unwilling to accept me!
Why did everyone have to reject me!” Asakura Miyuki covered her head, her voice choked with sobs.
Her pupils, now turned into those of a monster, looked at Kiana.
She didn’t understand; why should her life be broken?
Why was she the only one dragged into that alley…
“Kiana…
Why…” Asakura Miyuki’s words were barely audible.
She lunged toward Kiana, already showing signs of turning into a Death Soldier.
“Has she already been eroded by Honkai Energy…” Kiana looked at Asakura Miyuki, her sky-blue eyes filled with reluctance, sadness, and a trace of pity.
‘Why do you have to reject me too?
I won’t allow it!
I won’t allow it, Kiana!’ Asakura Miyuki’s mind was filled with distorted thoughts.
The Herrscher of the Void’s voice had already sounded in Kiana’s mind: “Do you want me to finish her off?”
Kiana did not answer, but simply raised the modified gun in her hand, the muzzle pressed against Asakura Miyuki’s forehead.
The sound of chambering a round was crisp.
The next second, a bullet pierced through Asakura Miyuki’s forehead.
Accompanied by falling cherry blossoms, the black-haired girl’s eyes returned to normal.
Her whole body fell backward powerlessly, landing on a pile of cherry blossoms, as blood dyed the pink cherry blossoms red.
“Kiana…” With blood at the corner of her mouth, in her final moments, Asakura Miyuki looked at Kiana, who was half-kneeling beside her, and raised the sachet in her hand again, revealing a poignant smile toward Kiana.
“Happy…
birthday…” Asakura Miyuki’s hand fell limply.
Kiana gently caught the petals that contained the young girl’s feelings.
Looking at the black-haired girl who had closed her eyes as if she were sleeping, she fell into a long silence.
“If…
I could have arrived earlier, would I have been able to let her…
a girl who should have been enjoying her youth…
live?” Kiana’s voice was very soft, and she didn’t know who she was asking.
The Herrscher of the Void, seeing Kiana like this, just silently appeared and gently hugged her from behind.
“Silly girl…”