In the end, Li Mu slid the black card back to Kiana.
"I actually have some assets I can liquidate. I'm not lying to you."
"Once I find the right buyer, funding won't be an issue anymore."
Kiana blinked, her curiosity written all over her face.
Seeing this, Li Mu explained, "Just some things that are worthless to me, but might be priceless to certain people."
"So mysterious." Seeing that Li Mu had no intention of elaborating, Kiana dropped the subject.
A comfortable silence settled between them for a moment.
Then, Li Mu turned the tables and asked Kiana a question. "So, have you managed to become friends with MEI at school yet?"
Hearing Li Mu's question, Kiana's face instantly scrunched up in depression.
"Nope. I have absolutely no idea how to befriend her. It's like she's isolated herself from the rest of the world. I don't think we've exchanged more than ten sentences this entire week."
While listening to Kiana vent her frustrations, Li Mu glanced at his System mission log.
[This is the beginning of the story. This is the intersection of fate.]
[Mission: Witness the friendship between Kiana and Raiden Mei. Reward: 300 Crystals, A-Rank Stigmata Selector Box x1]
[Status: Key Character 'Raiden Mei' not detected.]
This was expected. After all, the current MEI wasn't the heiress of MEI Corp yet. In terms of character settings, she didn't equate to "Raiden Mei."
However, preparing in advance and nudging them toward friendship was still necessary.
Li Mu comforted her, "Don't rush it. Friendship isn't built in a day."
Based on the fundamental laws of the Honkai universe regarding the inevitable bonds between a "Mei-face" and a "Kiana-face," becoming friends should be a walk in the park for them, right?
"I hope so," Kiana sighed. Then she continued, "Besides that... Su has been texting me a lot lately. I've managed to brush him off with vague replies for now, but I can't hide it from him forever. You know how sharp he is."
Hearing Kiana mention Su, Li Mu instinctively glanced out the window, then turned back nonchalantly. "Although Su doesn't have much screentime in the early acts, I think it's fine to let him in on things. You're not going to tell him?"
Hearing this, Kiana looked down at her reflection in the cold drink. Seeing her current appearance, she shook her head violently.
"How could I let Su see me like this?"
"We've been bros for so long. If he sees me looking like this now... my life is effectively over, isn't it?"
"If that happens, I might actually have to flee to the moon overnight."
After being turned into a girl by Li Mu's elbow strike, Kiana realized her social circle had basically imploded.
Thinking of this, she let out a long, weary sigh, her gaze toward Li Mu becoming increasingly resentful.
Feeling her stare boring into him like a vengeful ghost, Li Mu quickly pulled out a ticket and slid it across the table to Kiana.
"Eden is holding a concert in Nagazora City in a few days. Here's a ticket. I know you're a fan. Go check it out, treat it as a distraction."
"Very soon, the plot is going to hit the accelerator."
"What kind of incomprehensible nonsense are you spouting now?" Kiana sighed again. Although she was still grumbling, she didn't refuse.
The magical realism of the past few days had shattered her worldview. Going to a concert and remembering that the world was still beautiful might not be a bad idea.
However, she didn't pick up the ticket Li Mu offered. Instead, she pulled another ticket from her own pocket, twirling it between her fingers. She smiled at Li Mu. "Want to go together?"
What was the point of going to a concert alone?
Li Mu smiled and shook his head at Kiana's invitation.
"No, you go ahead. I have some business I need to take care of."
"What kind of trouble are you stirring up now?" Kiana looked suspicious.
"I'm running around trying to save the world, of course."
"Notice how you didn't deny the 'stirring up trouble' part?"
Li Mu smiled without answering. He pocketed his ticket and paid the bill.
Soon, the two parted ways at the shop entrance.
As he left, Li Mu glanced once more toward the street corner but ignored whatever was there, walking away.
After the two had disappeared into the distance, a figure poked his head out from around the corner, his face frozen in shock.
It was a boy with gray hair. His features were beautiful, leaning towards androgynous—definitely prime material for crossdressing.
It was Su. Li Mu and Kevin's other best friend.
Right now, watching the direction Li Mu and Kiana had left, Su was deeply shaken.
After learning that Eden was coming to the Far East for a concert, Su had used his connections to secure three tickets. He had planned to drag his two best bros along.
But Li Mu had politely declined, saying he was busy with some matters recently.
And Kevin had practically cut off contact, only replying sporadically to messages.
Su was an incredibly perceptive person. He vaguely felt himself drifting apart from his two best friends, leaving him with a subtle, uncomfortable feeling of being left behind.
Because of this, he had been feeling quite gloomy for the past few days.
Today, he decided to go for a walk to clear his head. Subconsciously, his feet had taken him to the cold drink shop the three of them used to frequent.
And then, he saw Li Mu talking to a white-haired girl.
The moment he saw that white-haired girl, Su felt a strange, inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Why does she look so much like Kevin?
Logic would dictate he suspect she was Kevin's sister or a female cousin.
But Su was terrifyingly observant. He extracted a wealth of information from the white-haired girl's mannerisms, speech patterns, and body language.
Appearance could be disguised. But ingrained habits were hard to fake.
Combining all this information, Su arrived at a conclusion that seemed like pure fantasy.
That white-haired girl talking to Mu... that's my best bro, Kevin!
"How did Kevin turn into... that?" Ideally, Su's mind was reeling. A suspicion floated to the surface. "Wait... does Kevin... have a crossdressing hobby?"
Turning into a girl was scientifically impossible. But crossdressing? That was logically sound.
"That makes sense... that makes sense..."
Thinking about it carefully, Kevin did have the perfect base stats for crossdressing.
However, a wave of disappointment washed over Su's heart.
He could understand his bro having a little hobby like crossdressing. But sneaking out behind his back to meet up with Mu alone? What was that about?
Do you guys even consider me a brother anymore?!!
Thinking back on their friendship, bitterness filled Su's heart. He felt the sting of being isolated from the group.
He took out the Eden concert tickets from his pocket and looked at them. A dark cloud seemed to form over his head as he sank into depression.
"I have to see this for myself. I have to open my eyes and see exactly what's going on!"