"…Nagami… you can let go of me now…"
A soft, trembling voice barely above a whisper reached his ears. Nagami looked down at the girl in his arms.
Kiana averted her gaze slightly, her delicate brows furrowed in mild embarrassment.
Her pale, snow-white cheeks flushed with a faint blush, making her stunning beauty even more breathtaking.
Her blue eyes seemed to be trying to escape from his.
"…Kiana, what exactly happened?"
If this had been the old Nagami, holding such a gorgeous girl in his arms would've made it impossible for him to stay this calm.
Though still single since birth, when it came to close encounters with beautiful girls, he was no novice.
After all, C.C. was the very definition of a top-tier beauty—lap pillows, chest pillows…
He'd seen it all~ (leans back tactically)
They'd even bathed together before.
He'd even used her body wash with his hands—ahem.
Fortunately, he managed to stop himself before going too far.
Otherwise, he'd have been permanently banned from humanity.
Silently, Kiana slipped out of Nagami's embrace.
After a brief moment of calm, her emotions had settled.
She no longer looked as frightened or lost as she had before.
However, a shadow had fallen over her expression.
Her soft cheeks looked a bit pale, as if darkened by something weighing on her heart.
"I… I think I dreamed about what happened to the 'me' from this world."
With her extraordinary intellect, Kiana quickly pieced things together from the clues she had.
Her conclusion was crystal clear.
"I knew it… it was never going to be simple having two versions of the same person in one world."
Nagami, deep in thought, adjusted the strap of Kiana's silk nightgown that had slipped off her shoulder.
Considering how careless Sirin could be once they got close, the "accidental benefits" she had given him were too many to count.
Her body was identical to Kiana's—aside from a few subtle differences—so he'd basically seen it all.
Kiana's cheeks turned crimson.
It was only now that she realized she was still wearing a flimsy silk nightgown.
Because of the nightmare, she was drenched in sweat, and the fabric clung to her curves, outlining her graceful figure.
A sliver of her snow-white chest was barely concealed under the neckline.
Nagami's composed reaction made her feel both flattered and a little… disappointed.
On the one hand, it was reassuring that the girl she liked was so respectful.
On the other, wasn't she still a gorgeous girl? Couldn't he at least act a little flustered?
"…Tell me the details of your dream." Nagami looked up at her, his gaze serious as he studied her exquisite face from close range.
"Mhm… It started with…"
In the quiet room, the still-shaken Kiana began recounting the dream she had, slowly and clearly.
Nagami listened in silence, his expression growing heavier with every word.
"So the Kiana of this world… is in a really bad situation," he muttered grimly after hearing the full story.
"…Yeah." The room fell quiet again.
Both of them sat in silence, heads lowered, their brows furrowed in concern for the girl from the dream.
"All right, that's enough for today. Go get some rest," Nagami said as he gently placed his hands on Kiana's smooth shoulders and guided her back toward the bed.
"Tomorrow, we'll figure out how to save the real Kiana of this world."
"…Okay." Though her face was still a little pale, and her mood clearly low, she forced a smile.
"Goodnight, then~"
"Goodnight~" Nagami nodded with a soft smile and turned to leave the room.
'I need to move the plan forward.'
———————————————————————
The Next Morning
Yawning and rubbing his sleepy eyes, Nagami quickly got up, dressed, and walked briskly out of his room to the bathroom.
As he passed the kitchen, he saw Miss Mei wearing an apron and busy preparing breakfast.
His eyes drifted to the living room sofa, where Kiana sat quietly, her slender fingers gliding across a tablet screen as she browsed the news of this world.
Almost at the same time, C.C. stepped out of her room and trailed behind him.
"Ahhh~"
With her head drooping and rubbing her eyes, the silver-haired Sirin stumbled out of her room, still half-asleep and mumbling to herself.
"Morning, Qi—!"
Kiana's raised hand froze in midair.
She stared, dumbfounded, at the disheveled Sirin, her lips twitching uncontrollably.
A perfect replica of herself—same silver hair, same face—but the girl's nightgown strap had slipped off her smooth shoulder.
The fabric clung to her chest in a way that was both stubborn and scandalous.
"Y-You—Why are you dressed like that?!"
Kiana shot up from the couch, gritting her teeth slightly.
'Now she understood why Nagami didn't react last night.'
'He sees this every day! He's used to it!!'
Her cheeks burned red with embarrassment.
Was this grasshopper-brained girl seriously this clueless?
'You're a girl too, you know!!'
'Why is my counterpart's clone like… this?!'
Teetering on the verge of a breakdown, Kiana rushed over to Sirin and started tidying up her messy clothes.
"…Sirin…" The sleepy girl just stood there in a daze, the little cowlick on her head bouncing with every movement.
She looked totally out of it—completely and utterly spaced.
Nagami, now finished with his morning routine, watched the scene before him with a subtle, unreadable expression.
He couldn't help but wonder—if the Herrscher of Sentience were awake right now and witnessed this moment, what kind of existential crisis would she have?
Would she start questioning her entire life?
If there was ever a chance, it might be fun to bring over the adorable little Sirin from Honkai Impact 2 and show her to the Herrscher.
He was genuinely curious—what sort of expression would the "great" Second Herrscher make then?
Just the thought of it made him a little excited.
At that moment, Mei walked out of the kitchen with breakfast in hand, her warm smile soft and elegant as she called everyone to the table.
C.C. watched as Kiana gracefully enjoyed her meal, every motion refined and elegant, exuding an air of nobility.
Even the way she lifted her utensils was textbook perfect.
Meanwhile, Nagami glanced at the other Kiana—the "bug girl"—as she enthusiastically devoured her food like she was in an eating competition.
Crumbs scattered everywhere.
Despite their identical faces, even a total stranger who had only seen them twice could tell them apart.
The difference in aura was that dramatic.
Laughter and conversation filled the air, and breakfast wrapped up quickly.
After the meal, under the sharp gaze of the tuna girl, the "lady" Kiana and C.C. returned to the green-haired girl's room to discuss two important matters: the real Kiana's situation and their upcoming breakout plan.
Just as Mei was about to grab her schoolbag, Nagami stopped her.
"Mei, you don't need to go to school today."
"But, Nagami… today isn't a holiday, is it?" she asked, gently placing a slender finger to her chin, her eyes filled with confusion.
"I've already contacted the school and got permission for you and Kiana to take the day off. We're leaving Nagazora City today."
"I've also uncovered the people behind your father's setup. I'll explain it to you in detail later," Nagami added as he stepped forward and gently took Mei's soft, trembling hands in his own, calming her growing anxiety.
"But right now, what matters most is your safety. There's a high chance they'll make a move against you soon. That's why we have to get out of here."
Through the lens of his Alpha Stigma, Nagami had already seen it—the Honkai energy concentration in Nagazora City was approaching a critical threshold.
If Mei were to experience even the slightest surge of negative emotion, it could trigger a drastic change.
The third Honkai outbreak would erupt.
And when that happened, the once-bustling Nagazora City would be reduced to a ruined wasteland, swallowed by catastrophe.
Millions—possibly tens of millions—of innocent lives would be lost.
Under such circumstances, telling Mei the full truth would be reckless.
Her kind heart would bear an unbearable psychological burden, giving the Honkai consciousness a perfect opening.
"What?! They're actually planning to go after Mei?!" the tuna girl blurted as she rushed over. "I swear I'll protect her! And I'll make sure those bastards regret ever messing with us!"
"Good spirit," Nagami said flatly as he karate-chopped her forehead. "But it's not that simple."
"Come here, both of you," he continued, his tone growing more serious. "It's time I gave you a basic rundown of the organization known as 'Anti-Entropy.'"
He hesitated for a moment.
At the very least, his allies needed intel on the enemy.
Otherwise, when he called out "1, 2, 3, engage!" and the team had no idea what their opponents were capable of, the results would be laughable at best.
As for how he came across this information…
Well, he figured they wouldn't have time to question that part anyway.