"You know what I'm here for?" Kiana asked, surprised. "Could it be you're also... Huh? Why did I come here again... I think I was looking for someone..."
"You came here because you forgot someone, right? And you're looking for them?" the gray-white girl said quickly.
The two were currently running along the edge of the giant wheel, pursued by a Honkai Beast that was slightly smaller than the previous one.
"Is that it?" A hint of confusion crossed Kiana's face. After wracking her brain, a faint impression surfaced. "I think so... But I'm definitely here looking for someone..."
"Wait!" Kiana suddenly shook her head forcefully. "Who are you!!"
The girl didn't seem hostile, which had made Kiana subconsciously overlook the fact that she was a complete stranger. Now, thinking clearly, the point hit her.
The gray-white girl seemed a little exasperated. Glancing back at the pursuing Honkai Beast, she found her direction and warned, "Stay close."
"Okay," Kiana agreed instinctively, then immediately added reflexively, "Wait, wait, first tell me who you are!!"
You haven't said anything and you expect me to trust you and follow? You won't even offer me a lollipop!!
A lollipop bigger than Kiana's head appeared before her, rendering Kiana speechless.
The gray girl stuffed the enormous lollipop (produced from goodness-knows-where) into Kiana's hand, then pulled her to the edge of the wheel.
"Get ready. Don't hesitate, jump when I do," the gray-white girl said, released Kiana's hand, and leaped off the edge.
In this near-zero-gravity environment, Kiana saw the gray-white girl leap only a short distance before something seemed to yank her downwards. Just like simply jumping off a roof...
Wait, is there gravity here?!
Kiana watched, stunned, as the gray-white girl vanished over the edge. Glancing back at the relentlessly pursuing mist Honkai Beast, which now seemed thoroughly enraged, Kiana decided to trust the suddenly appeared gray-white girl.
Running to the edge, she leaped. Familiar gravity pulled from below, yanking Kiana downwards rapidly.
Below... Below was a drawing. Not on proper art paper, but sketched casually onto a lined notebook page – not particularly refined.
It was an anime-style portrait. Kiana didn't recognize the character but thought it looked good, and somehow familiar.
Impact imminent!
Kiana quickly adjusted her posture and crashed headfirst into the drawing.
Kiana: "?"
Didn't I land in a drawing? It should be a drawing, right?
Why does it feel like falling into water?! Does this place have any logic at all?!
Even Kiana found this utterly abnormal!!
Two seconds later, still processing, Kiana landed steadily on solid ground thanks to her body's instincts. Before she could get her bearings, the gray-white girl, already waiting, reached out and pulled Kiana behind a curtain.
"You..." Kiana started to speak, but the gray-white girl raised a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture.
Kiana immediately clamped her mouth shut and crouched down in the corner with the girl.
Now, Kiana finally had a chance to observe her surroundings. It looked like a room. They were hiding right by the window. Looking out, she could only see thick white mist swirling past.
"This memory doesn't contain anything about the view outside the window, so only the room's interior exists here," the gray-white girl explained softly, seeming to notice Kiana trying to look out.
Kiana turned back in surprise, whispering, "You're saying this is a memory?"
The girl nodded. "This is a space representing a specific memory. Everything you saw outside, each object, represents a particular memory or concept. The larger the object, the longer or more complex the memory..."
Kiana's eyes widened in surprise. She remembered the drawing she'd entered wasn't that big, but that bathtub outside... Yikes, could that mean...
"Shh... it's here." The gray-white girl gestured for silence again and said no more.
Kiana desperately wanted to ask who, but remained motionless behind the curtain, holding her breath, waiting for the girl's signal.
Inside the room, a wisp of white mist slowly seeped in from the ceiling. It drifted agitatedly around the room, lingered for a moment, then exited unwillingly back through the ceiling.
The moment the mist vanished, the girl let out a long sigh, pushed aside the curtain, and walked out from the window alcove.
Kiana watched her go and quickly followed.
Then she saw a young man sitting at a desk, looking somewhat familiar, concentrating intently on writing or drawing something.
Kiana tensed instantly, glancing between the seemingly unfazed gray-white girl and the young man.
"Like I said, this is a memory. We've just entered it; we won't affect the memory itself," the girl said with a smile, turning back before sitting down on the edge of the bed. The only chair was the one the young man occupied, so sitting options were limited to the floor or the bed.
"But we just moved the curtains," Kiana pointed out, daring to speak now that she saw the girl talking didn't affect the young man.
"Ah, that..." The girl seemed slightly surprised by Kiana's sharp observation. She gestured towards the young man. "It's because the owner of this memory was completely focused during this moment. He wasn't paying much attention to his surroundings, so..."
The girl raised her hand and patted the bed. "Things like this bed, the curtains... they're just derived elements, filled in based on the memory owner's habits and expectations. Only a few things in this memory are absolutely fixed and real."
"Hmm..." Kiana propped her chin on her hand, striking a thoughtful pose before declaring seriously, "I don't get it."
The girl: "..."
"Okay... seems his memory of you is quite accurate..." The girl sighed. "Think of it like this: the background details are blurry, so we can interact with them to some extent. But the core elements of the memory – the things that were really happening – we can't interfere with those at all. Like that drawing he's working on right now."
The girl pointed, then produced a pen from seemingly nowhere. "If you don't believe me, why not try drawing a line on his picture?"
Kiana quickly shook her head. "No way! Artists hate being disturbed the most!!"
"It won't actually disturb him. His memory of this moment doesn't include you..." The girl paused, then put the pen away.
"I know, but..." Kiana looked troubled. "Still... let's not..."