"Wuwu~ Mom... Mom... Hmm? Mom!"
Kiana gradually regained consciousness. This was the most peaceful sleep she had had in over ten years.
But the moment she woke up, Kiana looked around in a panic, afraid that everything she saw last night was just a dream, a beautiful dream.
When she woke up, this beautiful dream would disappear, and then all she would face would be an empty, colorless world.
"Hmm? What's this?"
Just then, Kiana felt like she was hugging something soft, something that felt very good to the touch. Kiana couldn't help but hug it tightly a few times.
Because of her actions, the soft object in her arms began to wave its hands, struggling continuously.
"I can't breathe!"
Although she was only a sixteen-year-old girl, Kiana was very well-developed, much better than some adults (Theresa: Hmm?).
Inaba Tsukiyo, who had been Kiana's pillow all night, had finally fallen asleep, when a sense of suffocation came over her, making her struggle.
Realizing she was hugging someone, Kiana's expression changed. Her left hand pulled back the quilt covering her, and she finally saw who was in her arms.
Inaba Tsukiyo, who had finally broken free from Kiana's embrace, sat on Kiana's stomach, rubbed her sore eyes, couldn't help but yawn, and looked at the dazed Kiana.
"Are you awake, Kiana? I thought you'd sleep a bit longer."
"Um… who… who are you? Why am I here?"
Kiana was on the verge of asking the three great questions of life, like "who am I?" She couldn't quite figure out what was happening.
She remembered that her room at Schicksal Headquarters shouldn't have such a cute Little Loli to sleep with her. And she remembered that she was supposed to go to St. Freya Academy yesterday and find her mother there. What exactly is this… "Huh? Have you already forgotten? You were the one who came to the Academy looking for me. Have you forgotten my existence so quickly?"
Inaba Tsukiyo couldn't help but smile, closing the distance between her and Kiana. She opened her eyes, gazed into Kiana's sapphire pupils, and playfully poked Kiana's chest.
"You told me last night that you didn't want to leave me, but a few hours later, you've forgotten all about me. Has your rebellious phase already begun, child? Do you no longer want to acknowledge me as your mother?"
"No… my mother isn't a cute Little Loli. She's a very beautiful older sister. What exactly is going on?"
Could her mother have learned some ability, allowing her to disguise herself as a Little Loli normally, and then transform into a beautiful older sister in a flash when she gets serious?
Even if Cecilia really learned the ability to shrink, she shouldn't have become like this, with no trace of Cecilia visible.
"Alright, I know you have many questions. But let's wait until you've washed up, and then I'll tell you the answers. After all, you've already left Schicksal Headquarters, haven't you?"
With that, Inaba Tsukiyo left the room, abandoning the bewildered Kiana.
The moment she left the room, Inaba Tsukiyo leaned against the door, her face flushed, recalling her recent behavior. An indescribable sense of shame washed over her.
What was wrong with her? Why did she suddenly say such things? Was it Kallen's influence? Or Sirin's?
Just then, Higanbana flew by with a plate, and her eyes met Inaba Tsukiyo, who was crouching on the floor.
"…"
Facing Inaba Tsukiyo's gaze, Higanbana realized she seemed to have seen something she shouldn't have. She quickly flew towards the kitchen with the plate.
The more one speaks, the more one errs. During her time with Yae Sakura and Inaba Tsukiyo, she had already understood the principle that it's better to avoid trouble than to get involved. To avoid being scolded by either Yae Sakura or Inaba Tsukiyo, Higanbana decided to be a good little deaf-mute, not meddling in anything, emphasizing her cautious nature.
Soon, Kiana, having washed up, came to the dining table and saw Inaba Tsukiyo sitting opposite her, and Yae Sakura beside her.
The moment she saw Yae Sakura, she suddenly slapped the table hard, her eyes wide, looking at Yae Sakura in disbelief.
Yesterday, because the situation was too urgent, Kiana hadn't clearly seen Yae Sakura's face.
After seeing Yae Sakura clearly, Kiana immediately recognized her identity, of course, from a certain special channel.
"It's you! Why are you here?"
"Huh? Do you know me?"
Yae Sakura looked at Kiana in confusion. She had been hiding well at St. Freya Academy, so no one should have discovered her identity. Why did Kiana look like she recognized her?
"Of course… You are the person the Bishop hates the most."
That's right, the person Otto hated the most was Yae Sakura.
Kiana had once seen a voodoo doll in Otto's room, covered in needles. Upon closer inspection, she could see that the doll was made in Yae Sakura's image.
Not only that, Otto also designed Yae Sakura as the final BOSS in "Kallen Fantasy V," making the player-controlled Kallen fight her in the final battle.
Kiana, who had followed Otto and done so many things for him in the shadows, had seen many things about Yae Sakura, and of course, none of those things ended well.
"Ah~ I think I understand what's going on, Sakura. Have you forgotten Kallen? Before you met Kallen, Otto was Kallen's childhood friend, and Otto had a crush on Kallen."
"A crush? Does that mean one-sided love and longing between a man and a woman?"
"Yes, that's it. Otto saw Kallen as his everything, but for Kallen, Otto was just a very close friend. Even if they were engaged under the arrangement of their respective family heads, nothing changed."
Inaba Tsukiyo, who possessed Kallen's memories, clearly understood Kallen's feelings for Otto, so she had the most say in this matter.
When Kallen was captured by Schicksal Headquarters and declared her love for Yae Sakura in front of many people, Otto's expression must have been very interesting.
What Inaba Tsukiyo found most remarkable was that five hundred years later, when Yae Sakura returned, she also "conquered" another important person to Otto, Theresa.
She always felt that Yae Sakura was the winner. Otto had an invisible, towering green hat on his head.
During their casual chat, Inaba Tsukiyo looked at Kiana, who was sitting opposite her.
Kiana looked at Inaba Tsukiyo with some nervousness, like a son-in-law meeting his in-laws, afraid of doing something wrong.
Although she didn't understand her current situation, she decided to wait and see. The other party didn't seem like she would harm her.
"Actually… I am…"
At Schicksal Headquarters, Otto, who was handling affairs, suddenly received a secret letter. Seeing the sender, Otto stopped what he was doing and opened the letter to read it.
"…She left Schicksal Headquarters without me noticing? And she discovered that person's true identity even faster than I did. Is this because of Cecilia?"
As Cecilia's daughter, does Kiana have a way to predict her location? Then why can't he sense Kallen's location?
Is it because his bond with Kallen isn't as strong as Kiana's with Cecilia? Or is his love for Kallen not strong enough?
"Really, is this the so-called rebellious phase? I had such high hopes for her to become Schicksal Headquarters' strongest Valkyrie, but she's still bound by emotions? Heh! What right do I have to criticize her? I am also a bound person."
What right did he, who had been pursuing Kallen for five hundred years, have to say that Kiana was bound by emotions?
Although it was a bit regrettable, Kiana's actions were understandable. However, Kiana's departure would also affect his plans.
First, Theresa. His beloved Granddaughter stayed at Schicksal Headquarters because of Kiana. Now that Kiana has left, will Theresa also leave Schicksal Headquarters?
Most importantly, the information about Inaba Tsukiyo in the message. The secret video publisher they had been looking for was actually Inaba Tsukiyo.
Moreover, Inaba Tsukiyo was suspected of having the ability to transform into other people and possess their powers, which piqued Otto's interest.
This power did not belong to any Herrscher. If she could truly transform into other people, then this power had great innovation potential.
However… this power was not in his hands, which meant Inaba Tsukiyo would only be trouble.
But Otto hadn't forgotten that Inaba Tsukiyo had also transformed into Kallen. If the transformation also allowed her to inherit the personality and memories of the transformed person, then it meant he wouldn't have to wait for the Sixth Herrscher to see Kallen.
However, even with just a thought, it was clear that Inaba Tsukiyo would certainly not fulfill Otto's wish so easily. They didn't even know each other.
Coupled with the powerful strength Inaba Tsukiyo displayed, even an S-Rank Valkyrie might not be her match.
Even if he arranged for Schicksal Headquarters' B-Rank and A-Rank Valkyries to capture Inaba Tsukiyo, it would only be a suicide mission.
"It seems… I need to formulate a plan specifically for her. Although I have already mastered the power of God, I need to speed up the progress of the mission."
At the same time, Einstein and Tesla at Schicksal Headquarters also received intelligence about Inaba Tsukiyo leaving St. Freya Academy, including Inaba Tsukiyo transforming into Cecilia.
"No way, if this intelligence hadn't come from that person, I would definitely think it was a joke. No, I still think this intelligence is fake."
Tesla shook her head, unable to believe the fact; the information contained in this intelligence was simply too vast!
"Calm down, Dr. Tesla. While this is unscientific, the credibility of this intelligence is very high. Since she has already left St. Freya Academy, we need to persuade her to join Anti-Entropy before Schicksal finds her."
"Huh? Chicken Coop Head, are you still dreaming? Let her join Anti-Entropy? You go tell her?"
"No, you go tell her, Dr. Tesla. After all, aren't you and she friends? Miss Nicholas Tratt."
"Shut up! Isn't that a fake name I deliberately made up to hide my identity? How long are you going to hold onto that name?"
A fuming Tesla yelled at Einstein. Ever since that guy learned her name, he would tease her whenever he had a chance. She really wanted to teach that guy a good lesson.
"Ring! Ring! Ring!"
Just as Tesla was about to retort, her private phone suddenly rang.
Without checking the caller ID, Tesla picked up the phone directly. Still annoyed from being teased, she blurted out, "Hello, who is it?" in a harsh tone.
Tesla, who initially thought it was just a regular call, heard the voice that followed and her eyes widened.
"Is that Tratt?"
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 40 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!