Ren lived in the old district, so the bedrooms weren't exactly spacious. As soon as he pushed the door open, he saw the girl lying in bed.
Kiana was currently tucked under a small quilt, only half her head visible. Her long white hair cascaded through a gap in the covers, spilling like a waterfall onto the floor.
Huh, she's actually sleeping so still today?
Ren was a little surprised. Having known her for so long, he was quite familiar with Kiana's sleep habits. Although she'd matured mentally quite a bit recently, her tendency to thrash around in her sleep hadn't changed one bit.
The reason he always waited a few minutes after calling her was specifically to avoid catching sight of anything... awkward.
But today, Kiana's sleeping posture was surprisingly normal; she didn't look like she'd moved much at all.
"Time to get up. Wendy made breakfast." He walked over to the bedside, knelt down, tucked her stray hair back under the quilt, and then gently poked her cheek, trying to wake her.
"Just a little longer... please," Kiana mumbled, showing absolutely no sign of opening her eyes. After a couple of sleepy noises, she drifted off again.
Seeing her eyes still tightly shut, Ren frowned slightly. Normally, even when she tried to sleep in, she'd at least be drowsily responsive. This seemed more like she hadn't slept at all last night.
His gaze shifted to the desk by the window.
Kiana's bedroom layout was basically identical to Ren's, with a desk near the window. Considering Kiana wasn't exactly the bookworm type, her desk usually ended up as a dumping ground for clothes needing washing.
But right now, there were no clothes on the desk, just a single jacket tossed carelessly over the chair back. She hadn't even changed out of her day clothes into pajamas. This further confirmed his suspicion – Kiana must have gotten back very late.
A flicker of confusion crossed his eyes. Although Kiana had been investigating Honkai-related incidents lately, she usually managed to get home before midnight. After all, with the Herrscher of the Void's powers, travel didn't take much time.
Did she run into some kind of trouble? A sliver of worry crept into his heart.
After the Coral Island incident, Schicksal had escalated its fight against the Honkai. That wasn't necessarily bad, but as information control tightened, Ren gradually realized Schicksal was subtly targeting both him and Kiana.
First, the credit for being the heroes of Coral Island was given to the Snow Lotus squad instead. Then, there was a widespread lockdown on information related to Herrschers. Even the bounty on the Herrscher of the Void, which had eased slightly after the catastrophe she averted, started circulating again among certain factions.
While nothing was happening overtly, undercurrents were definitely swirling beneath the surface. Ren wasn't an idiot; he knew this was Otto Apocalypse's handiwork.
He just didn't understand why Otto was doing it, especially since they had cooperated during the incidents in Nagazora City and Coral Island.
Of course, he wasn't worried about Otto suddenly coming after him. With The Obsidian Concord's intelligence network, even if Schicksal tried to close the net immediately, catching him would be difficult. What worried him was how these actions might affect Kiana.
After all, Kiana still hadn't contacted Theresa Apocalypse or the others; she'd been operating completely alone. Although she hadn't told him what she was investigating, judging by her state when she came home each day, the investigation clearly wasn't going smoothly.
Thinking of this, a harsh glint couldn't help but surface in Ren's eyes. He respected Kiana's choices, but that didn't mean Schicksal could push her around freely. If she actually got hurt during her investigation, he wouldn't mind causing Otto some serious trouble.
But looking at the peacefully sleeping girl on the bed, the harshness quickly faded from his eyes, replaced by a soft, almost doting expression.
Things were different now compared to when they first met. Project Stigma was about to begin, the number of Herrscher of Dominance puppets was nearly complete, and his own time was limited. Rather than getting endlessly tangled with these factions, spending more time with Kiana seemed better.
With a soft sigh, Ren went over to the desk and naturally started tidying the messy surface. While Kiana had been busy investigating, he had taken care of her daily needs, so he had to straighten up her room every so often.
However, as he picked up the jacket from the chair, a small notebook slipped out of the pocket and fell to the floor. He bent down to pick it up, but his eyes unintentionally landed on the open page.
[...Suspected Herrscher of Dominance...]
[Ren.]
Ren picked up the notebook and glanced through it briefly. A few names were scribbled hastily in the diary entries. Flipping through the next few pages revealed notes on the movements of other factions, along with Kiana's own speculations and analysis.
And in the section listing potential Herrscher of Dominance candidates, Ren's name was written in the most prominent position, specifically marked with a large circle.
"No wonder she kept telling me not to get involved... So she was investigating the Herrscher of Dominance..." Ren's breath caught, a flash of panic in his eyes. But just as quickly, the panic dissipated, leaving only a faint, wry smile. "Looks like she suspected for a while now, huh."
It wasn't strange that Kiana suspected him. From the day they first met, he knew this day would eventually come. It was just that his own feelings made him subconsciously try to run from this future.
Now, knowing the truth was about to come out, he actually felt a sense of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
After all, telling one lie meant weaving countless others to cover it up. For Ren, that itself was a form of torture.
He didn't care what others thought, so he could spin lies without hesitation. But Kiana was different. Every well-intentioned lie told to her added another shackle onto him. These shackles were lined with barbs, digging deep into Ren's heart.
As time went on, this pain would fester until Ren could no longer bear it, eventually exploding like a bomb and dragging him completely into the abyss.
In other words, as long as the truth remained hidden, Ren would eventually be consumed by his own complex emotions. If someone else could expose him, it would actually be a kind of release.
Whether it resulted in anger or hatred, whatever the outcome, it would be what Ren deserved.
"But still... you were the one who pushed me into this abyss, weren't you?"
The faint whisper dissipated in the room. Ren finished tidying up, silently slipped the notebook back into the jacket pocket, and left the room.
As he stepped out the door, he couldn't help but glance back one last time at the sleeping girl, murmuring softly, "Sweet dreams."
...
"Huh? You didn't manage to get her up?" Seeing Ren return to the living room alone, Himeko cast a questioning glance his way.
"Let her sleep in a bit more today."
"Did that little dummy stay up secretly reading manga again? She used to do that all the time back in school – read manga all night, then snooze through class." Himeko clearly perked up at the mention of Kiana's embarrassing past.
"You have no idea, Ren. Back at St. Freya, she was such a headache! Never paid attention in class, and the moment school was out, she'd be off with Mei and Bronya. The second she got hungry, she'd go find Mei to mooch food off her. When she felt like playing, she'd drag Bronya into all-night gaming sessions. And when neither of them was around, she'd hide somewhere, secretly scarfing down instant noodles and reading manga..."
Himeko could go on and on with her complaints, but her smile made it obvious she was reminiscing fondly about the girl's past.
"Speaking of which, she's probably told you all this stuff already, right? I mean, given how close you two are now, none of this is exactly a secret."
"Probably," Ren chuckled, neither confirming nor denying.
Himeko found Ren's attitude a little strange, but she didn't dwell on it. As far as she was concerned, those two were practically a done deal anyway.
"You know," Himeko mused, "I'm already this old. Didn't manage to find anyone when I was alive, and now that I'm a puppet... I don't really have those kinds of thoughts anymore."
"Maybe you'll find someone suitable once you're free?" Ren suggested.
"Ha! Free? Are you messing with me, kid?" Himeko scoffed. "You're a Herrscher, so it's easy for you to say. Ever consider things from the perspective of us worker bees? One order from you, and I'm running around busy." Himeko somehow produced a bottle and took a swig.
"But~ seeing as you saved my life and all, working for you isn't so bad. As for freedom... maybe I'll be free the day you die. Though, let's be real, Herrschers live forever. You'll probably still be kicking long after my consciousness fades completely."
"What if that day comes sooner than you think?" Ren joked.
The living room fell silent for a beat, then the silence was broken.
"Heh, kid, what crazy thoughts are going through your head?" Thwack! Himeko flicked his forehead with her finger, then tossed him a canned drink. "Speaking of which, you're right around that age, puberty and all. It's normal not to think about this stuff. Even for a precocious Herrscher, following your feelings isn't wrong. But the way I see it, instead of dwelling on things, have a drink.
Finish it, get some sleep, then deal with what needs doing, say what needs saying. Besides, even though I talk about wanting freedom, it's not like you've actually put any restrictions on me, right? I get to live with my student, have a stable 'job,' even drink whenever I want. If that's not freedom, what is?"
She hiccuped, her gaze sweeping over a photo frame in the corner of the room. "I know your past might be hard to forget, but people have to look forward. Anyway, you have the power to change tragedies, so maybe try to relax a little.
Besides, if you died... what would happen to Kiana?"
"..." Himeko's words made Ren fall silent, then he let out a self-deprecating laugh.
Saying he didn't care about being exposed... clearly, he couldn't fool his own heart.
"It was just a joke."
"Better be. But don't underestimate a high school teacher's intuition. Even Kiana would tell you my counseling skills are top-notch."
"Well then, as a teacher, you should know minors can't drink alcohol. Handing me this wasn't exactly responsible behavior, you know."
"Heh heh, kid, still trying to say nothing's on your mind? Look what it says on the can."
[0% Alcohol Beverage.]
"Someone as meticulous as you normally wouldn't miss something like that, right?"
Ren was speechless, completely outplayed by Himeko. Looks like his mind really was in turmoil.
Still, Himeko was right. The truth would come out sooner or later anyway. Might as well finish what needed doing before it did.