Kiana was dumbfounded.
What does she mean? Is she planning to interrogate this young lady?
I came here to help her…
"No, no, why do you have to interrogate me? I'm just here to tell you the truth."
"Oh? Is that so? Then tell me, what's the deal with this world?"
Hanabi bent over, striking a pose that said, "I'll hear you out, for now."
Sss~~~ So infuriating!
This was extremely unpleasant.
That attitude—as if this young lady was begging to help her!
Thinking this, Kiana suddenly felt like a complete idiot.
Jingliu had been the same way. Are all people from other planets this rude?
But she had just talked a big game to Elysia. To give up halfway now would be a disgrace to the Kaslana name.
And… she absolutely refused to lose face in front of her rival, Elysia.
"Like I said, you're hypnotized right now! Everything you're doing is what that dog bastard Ye Feng wants you to do."
"Mm-hm, continue."
"..."
Ugh, damn it!
Kiana really didn't want to deal with this person anymore.
She looked petite and cute, but she was infuriating for some inexplicable reason.
"Fine, don't believe me then!"
"Is that all? I thought you had some grand insight. Forget it, I'll figure it out myself."
"What are you trying to do?" Kiana assumed a fighting stance. "For the record, this young lady is very strong."
"Hey now, don't be so vigilant. But, speaking of hypnosis~~"
Hanabi tapped her moist red lips playfully. The nails on her slender hands were the same color as her toenails, a tempting crimson that refracted light with a crystalline translucence.
"Ta-da! Lady Hanabi's special hypnosis phone!"
She pulled a phone from her dress, holding the screen high and aiming it at Kiana's eyes.
In the center of the screen was a heart, with pink and white halos of light expanding outwards in a looping ripple effect.
The pink and white halos reflected in Kiana's irises. Hanabi chirped happily:
"Alright, you're hypnotized now. You're a kitty cat, and I'm your master."
"?"
Kiana's eyes went blank for a second.
It wasn't that the hypnosis was working on her, but rather… why did that "hypnotic command" sound so familiar?
Wasn't this the exact same thing that dog bastard Ye Feng had done to her just last week?!
First leading her on a walk, then taking her to the toilet to pee…
"You're the cat! Your whole family are cats!"
Kiana slapped Hanabi's phone away.
"No effect at all?"
Hanabi tilted her head, not particularly surprised, and tucked the phone back into her dress.
"Oh well. I'll just package it up a bit and sell it to the Huxing people for 100 times the price next time."
"100 times the price?" The little bug was shocked. "Would anyone actually buy it?"
"Hehe, that's where you don't understand the minds of the wealthy. As long as something is interesting, they don't care about the price."
"Then… Aaaah! That's not right!"
Kiana caught herself. She wasn't here to learn how to get rich.
"Alright, I'm leaving now. Goodbye, little white cat."
"I told you, this young lady is not a cat!"
This person is toxic.
But Hanabi just flicked her twin tails and walked away briskly.
"Huh? Wait, didn't you want to ask me about the truth of this world?"
"No need."
Hanabi clasped her hands behind her back, leaning her upper body forward slightly, a faint smile on her lips.
"Because, well, you look kind of foolish."
"??"
Hanabi said with a grin, "Even if you do happen to know some of the 'truth,' I have a feeling that any version described by a little white cat would come out ridiculously distorted."
"!!!"
She was furious!
Kiana was truly furious!
Her fists were clenched so tight that her knuckles turned white and trembled.
Hanabi's tone and condescending manner were almost worse than when Ye Feng held her on the toilet.
She had come to warn her out of kindness, only to be mocked in return?
Ha, hahaha! Yep, I'm just a big idiot!
Kitty-Kiana's stomach ached with anger. She lunged forward and grabbed Hanabi's shoulder.
"You—"
But her hand passed right through her body.
What remained was merely an afterimage of Hanabi.
Hanabi was sitting on a high tree branch, watching the little bug grab at empty air with a beaming smile.
"Hehe, you really aren't that bright, are you? But I don't dislike that innocence of yours. Farewell, little white cat. I hope you have sweet dreams."
Leaving behind a trail of bell-like laughter, Hanabi's afterimage vanished as well.
"Aaaargh, damn it!"
Kiana stared at the branch where Hanabi had disappeared, stomping her feet in frustration.
Using the power of her contract, Kitty-Kiana could just barely track Hanabi's movements. But she didn't want to chase her anymore. That girl was too infuriating.
"My good intentions were completely thrown back in my face. We'll see how Ye Feng plays you like a dog! Hmph!"
Kiana kicked a nearby stone with all her might. The stone shot out like a bullet.
CRACK—
A yellow security camera hanging from a streetlight shattered on impact.
All that was left was its convex lens, reflecting the retreating figure of the girl.
---o---
"Hmm… Kiana, and then you just came back like that?"
Elysia had already gotten a definitive answer from Ye Feng, but it seemed Kiana's side of things hadn't gone so smoothly.
"What else could I do? I told her everything I was supposed to. That little brat not only refused to believe me, she even mocked me!"
Kiana clenched her fists in annoyance.
Soon, she felt something was off again.
"Besides, why should I listen to you? What's in it for this young lady to help that annoying little brat?"
Elysia tilted her head. "But, a member of the Kaslana family never backs down halfway. Even when facing an impossible situation, they always give it their all."
"Stop—you think I don't know you're using reverse psychology? This young lady isn't that foolish."
"Ehehe, you saw right through me."
Elysia playfully scratched the back of her head, then stepped forward to grab Kiana's hand—
But it was pulled away.
"Ma'am, I don't know you that well. Please don't be so familiar."
Ultimately, while the little bug didn't exactly hate Elysia, she certainly held no goodwill towards her.
After all, this was the woman who might steal her Mei away.
She could let the situation with Ye Feng slide, but how could Kiana Kaslana suffer defeat time and time again?!
"Besides, why are you so insistent on helping her?"
A gentle breeze blew past. The Pink Elf lightly held down the strands of pink hair fluttering by her ear. "When you see someone in trouble, isn't it only natural to want to lend a hand?"
"...!"
Eh?
Hearing these words, Kiana felt a jolt run through her entire body.
A tangible electric current shot up from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, making her whole body tingle.
Kiana stared blankly at Elysia. Her crystal-clear eyes were free of any impurity; they were as pure as the words that came from her heart.
...When you see someone in trouble, it's only natural to want to lend a hand...
Once upon a time, wasn't the girl named Kiana Kaslana just like that?
Her original intention, her vow, was to fight for all that is beautiful in the world.
So, when something wrong was happening right before her eyes, how could she stand by and do nothing?
This went against the chivalrous spirit of a Kaslana knight.
Kiana's eyes began to shine brightly, as radiant as the moon and stars.
Elysia could feel the girl's clear and strong resolve, and she couldn't help but praise her from the bottom of her heart: I knew it. Kiana is just that kind of pure and good-hearted girl.
However, in the next second—
"But then again, fighting for the good of the world depends on which world. Why should this young lady fight for that dog bastard Ye Feng's world?"
"??"
Elysia almost stumbled and fell on the spot.
Wait, how did she make that turn?
Yet Kiana's eyes grew even brighter. The little bug clenched her fist as an idea in her mind became clearer and clearer.
"Yes, that's right. What I need to do is simple. I just have to defeat Ye Feng!"
"If I may ask…" Elysia timidly raised her hand. "What do you mean by… 'defeat'?"
Kiana paused, then let out a cold snort.
"That's none of your business."
"Oh my, alright then~ Since Kiana has made up her mind, I'll be right here to support you."
"Ugh…"
Elysia's unwavering gentleness and smile made Kiana feel a little embarrassed.
Her attitude towards her… had it been a bit too harsh?
But then she remembered Elysia and Mei's intimate interaction at the dojo that day, and Kiana's heart hardened once more.
Elysia said, "So, is Kiana really not going to bother with Miss Hanabi anymore?"
"Why should I? No matter what I do, she'll never escape that dog bastard Ye Feng's grasp in the end."
"That may be true… but don't you want to seize the initiative, Kiana? Even just a little bit."
"The initiative?"
"That's right. Just like Mobius, and~~ Big Duck Duck."
Big Duck Duck…
Kiana lowered her head. That name had echoed in her ears repeatedly since she first arrived.
Now that Elysia mentioned it again, she felt an inexplicable wave of irritation.
"Shut up, you're so annoying! This young lady has her own methods. I won't grovel to that dog bastard Ye Feng without any dignity like they do!"
"Ooh~~~"
Elysia watched Kiana, a profound look in her eyes. "Is that so? Good luck, Kiana. A cute girl's heart is capable of anything, you know~♪"
"What's with you? That smile of yours is so creepy, Elysia. I'm leaving! Goodbye… no, good riddance!"
"Hehe, see you tomorrow."
---o---
The next morning.
To be precise, that wasn't entirely accurate.
In reality, only an hour had passed in the "outside" world.
The flow of time here was accelerated, but from a personal, "sensory" perspective, it certainly felt as long as an entire night.
Hanabi had also spent the whole night investigating St. Freya High School.
'I can't leave this academy, and most of the people here are like NPCs in a game…'
'As for me being hypnotized… I've run various 'self-diagnostics.' My five senses for gathering information, my central nervous system for processing it, and the receiving neurons show no abnormalities. The possibility of being hypnotized is less than one in ten thousand.'
'Unless, there truly is an existence that surpasses the Aeons.'
"Hah."
Hanabi let out a pleased breath, which formed a faint white mist in the winter morning light.
A shallow curve formed on the girl's lips, tinged with a fanatical obsession. "If that's the case, even if I were hypnotized, wouldn't that be interesting in its own way?"
Although Hanabi believed such a thing was impossible.
But the universe was vast. Perhaps the only thing that was "impossible" was the word "impossible" itself.
But regardless—
"It's time to see Classmate Ye Feng."
She had a premonition.
The truth would likely be revealed through him.
As for Kiana… she was quickly pushed to the back of Hanabi's mind.
Normally, Hanabi would never overlook such a crucial "puzzle piece" for gathering information.
But even she was unable to detect this sense of incongruity.
Cultural classes at St. Freya High School started at nine o'clock.
The sun was just rising, and the classroom was quiet and empty, the neat and clean desks shimmering in the slanted morning sunlight.
Screee~
The door was pushed open, and a pair of fair, slender feet in red-thonged geta sandals stepped inside.
Hanabi walked straight to the back row seat by the window—Ye Feng's seat.
With a slight flex of her calves, Hanabi hopped lightly and sat on top of his desk. She closed her eyes leisurely, patiently waiting for Ye Feng's arrival.
Not much time passed before the second student entered the classroom.
It was Ye Feng.
The moment he entered, he saw Hanabi sitting on the desk.
She was leaning elegantly against the wall, her legs slightly crossed and dangling in the air.
Her long, perfectly shaped legs were flawless, with firm, evenly distributed muscles. The flesh was full and crystalline, proportioned just right, and her snowy skin was smooth, delicate, and radiant.
What was even more mouth-watering was the geta sandal hanging from her exquisite foot.
The entire weight of the geta was supported by the thin red cord between her toes, swaying gently in the air.
The distance of a small forearm separated her tender sole from the bottom of the geta. As the sandal swayed, it would sometimes touch her sole, sometimes part from it, like a small cherry mouth opening and closing.
Ye Feng stood where he was, admiring the rare scenery in the classroom.
After all, Hanabi was only wearing a bright red kimono that left her shoulders and legs exposed.
As her clothes swayed, beautiful landscapes were hinted at, now visible, now hidden.
"Come here~"
Seeing Ye Feng frozen in place, Hanabi beckoned to him with her finger.
"What's wrong? Are you scared now that you see the great Lady Hanabi?"
A triumphant smile lifted the girl's lips.
Yesterday's "interrogation," even if he acted nonchalant on the surface, must have left a shadow in his heart.
The fact that he froze on the spot upon seeing her was the best proof.
"If you don't want to receive an even harsher punishment, you can start talking now."
"I will never talk."
"Is that so? What a shame."
Clack.
The geta sandal, suspended only by the red cord between her toes, finally fell.
Hanabi lifted her jade-like foot high, her instep extended straight, the crimson, crystalline nails shining with a bewitching light.
The girl, clad only in a kimono, used the tip of her foot to lightly lift Ye Feng's chin. "Then today's punishment will have to be doubled."