"I... I like you..."
The S.S. Theresa! Sunken!!!
"Mm." Raiden Ei nodded softly, her gaze fixed intently on Theresa, whose face was flushed a brilliant shade of crimson.
Perfect.
Teasing her just a little and watching her turn beet-red was simply too much fun. It was a crying shame she couldn't just pull the girl into her arms and shower her with hugs and kisses right then and there.
Knock, knock...
A soft tapping came from the door, followed by Yae Sakura's voice from the hallway. "Ei? Theresa? Are you two awake? I thought I heard something."
"Yes."
Ei stood up, climbed out of bed, and swung the door open. Standing there, Sakura looked at her with a serious, gentle expression. "Breakfast is ready. You can head over once you've finished getting ready."
Ei looked at Sakura, a hint of confusion flickering in her eyes. She couldn't help but ask, "Why are you taking such good care of us?"
"Because..."
Sakura's gaze drifted past Ei into the room, her eyes softening with a focused tenderness.
"Theresa?" Ei followed her gaze, understanding dawning on her instantly.
"Yes." Sakura nodded earnestly. "She is Kallen's legacy in this world. In her, I can feel... Kallen's presence."
So she really is using her as a substitute, Ei thought, a teasing smirk forming in her mind. With a five-hundred-year age gap, it seemed Sakura was looking to play the role of Theresa's mother.
However, remembering the events of last night and just moments ago, Ei felt a tiny prick of guilt. She had been the one practically devouring Theresa whole...
"Is breakfast ready?" Theresa's small head popped out from behind Ei, looking at Sakura with curiosity. She was still incredibly fascinated by this woman who had been Kallen's lover five centuries ago.
"It is."
After Sakura nodded, Ei and Theresa headed to the bathroom. They used the disposable toiletries Sakura had scavenged nearby, washed up, and sat down at the table.
Before them sat three bowls of vegetable and meat congee along with a few side dishes. Though simple, the aroma was heavenly.
"Wow... this smells amazing! Thank you!" Theresa picked up her chopsticks and, after a quick word of thanks, began to eat with gusto. Ei picked up her own utensils, sharing a quiet breakfast with Sakura.
As Theresa ate, she couldn't help but brighten up, her words flowing with excitement. "I just got a ping from Command. In half an hour, the Hyperion will enter Nagazora's airspace to pick us up."
"I see," Sakura replied with a soft nod, her eyes never really leaving Theresa.
Ei surmised that Sakura would probably follow Theresa anywhere at this point.
"This mission had its bumps, but it turned out to be a walk in the park!" Theresa puffed out her chest with pride. At that moment, she looked exactly like a pint-sized version of Kiana.
"Is that so?" Ei set her chopsticks down gently, giving Theresa a look of mild exasperation.
In the original records, Theresa had been danced like a puppet on a string by the Herrscher of Poison. If Sakura hadn't put her life on the line to save her, Theresa likely would have met her end right here in Nagazora.
"Of course~" Theresa straightened her posture. While her modest curves might not have turned many heads, the reality was different for those who knew her.
Tall, mature women are great, but this... this is fine too, Ei mused to herself.
"Despite the little hiccups, everything went quite smoothly!" Theresa declared confidently to Ei before turning back to Sakura. "And besides... we found you."
Sakura set her own bowl down, her gaze warm as she looked at Theresa.
"Of course, I owe most of it to you, Ei." Theresa's proud expression softened as she turned back to Ei. Her eyes grew tender, though a hint of bashfulness lingered as a faint pink dusted her cheeks.
"If it weren't for you, facing that poison-wielding Herrscher alone... well, things might have gone sideways. I'm glad I brought you along."
"Mm." A ripple of genuine pleasure stirred in Ei's heart at the praise.
However, noting the flush on Theresa's face, Ei sensed the girl had more to say—something she was too embarrassed to utter with Sakura in the room.
How interesting... what exactly are you hiding, Theresa?
After breakfast, despite their imminent departure, Sakura insisted on scrubbing the dishes clean. Ei watched as she worked, finally seeing how Sakura had managed to cook in the first place.
She had built a makeshift hearth in the kitchen out of small stones.
Just as the stories said, Ei thought. Sakura really is a total disaster when it comes to modern appliances.
"Finally, they're here!"
The three of them stood on the balcony, looking up at the massive silhouette of the Hyperion—a ship larger than a football stadium—looming over the city.
"That is...?" Sakura's expression turned to one of pure shock. "Only five hundred years... and the world has advanced this far?"
"Indeed. Human creativity is quite breathtaking," Ei agreed, her voice tinged with genuine admiration as she watched the ship descend.
"Hey, Ei," Theresa asked, her curiosity piqued. "In your world, didn't the nations develop technology?"
"They did."
A helicopter began its descent to ferry them up. As they boarded, Ei's expression sharpened into something colder, more stern.
"But that nation was destroyed."
"Destroyed? Why?" Theresa's eyes widened in shock.
"Because they touched the forbidden. They reached for... the power of the Abyss." As Ei spoke, an icy, formidable aura radiated from her, sending a shiver down the spine.
"I see..." Theresa looked conflicted. "The power of the Abyss... couldn't they use it like we use Honkai? To fight Honkai with Honkai?"
"I do not know. But the Heavenly Principles would not allow it."
Ei shook her head. Theresa knew who she was referring to; during Ei's previous stories about Teyvat and the Seven Archons, she had mentioned the existence of the Sustainer.
The helicopter soon touched down on the deck of the Valkyrie.
Still reeling from the conversation, Sakura spoke up, her voice laced with confusion. "Another world? What do you mean by that?"
"I am not a being of this world," Ei explained softly, turning to Sakura. "I hail from the continent of Teyvat. I arrived here due to unknown circumstances."
"I'll handle the explanation..." Theresa sighed, stepping in to detail Ei's origins.
By the time the story was finished, Sakura looked stunned. "To think that other worlds truly exist..."
"Yes. And in our world, there is someone very similar to you," Ei said gently. "Her name is... Yae Miko."
"You mistook me for her before," Sakura recalled, remembering the name Ei had uttered when they first met.
"Wait? A parallel world Yae Sakura?" Theresa's eyes went wide with excitement and curiosity. "Ei! Is there someone like me on Teyvat too?"
"I am sorry, but I have not seen anyone like you. From the moment I gained consciousness, I have only known the Raiden Shogun and Yae Miko." Ei shook her head slowly.
"Fair enough." Theresa sighed, a bit disappointed.
They reached the bridge of the Valkyrie. After reclaiming command, Theresa gave the order to set course for the Far East Branch.
As the Valkyrie grew smaller in the distance, Raven, the World Serpent operative standing atop the ME Corp building, let out a long breath of relief.
"Finally gone... those people... they caused way too much of a scene."
While Ei and Theresa were in the city, Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent had all been watching their every move. Given the chaos, Raven had been forced to hide the children she'd rescued deep within the "Roost" currently under construction, praying they wouldn't be discovered.
"That person's power..." Raven's brow furrowed deeply as she recalled the scene from yesterday—a display of power that looked like divine retribution.
Is she a Herrscher? Or Schicksal's newest S-Rank Valkyrie?
--+--