The playful bickering before breakfast gave way to a quiet meal. Kiana was unusually silent as she ate, perhaps because she truly cherished this time.
However, Otto discovered one thing: Kiana never learned her lesson.
After he teased her until she blew her top, she would pounce on him to attack, only to injure herself on his 1000% damage-reflecting Thornmail of a body.
She really was like a kitten. It was fun to play with her, but she would show her claws the moment she got angry.
"Where are we going next?"
Kiana asked as she walked beside Otto. She had no choice but to follow him, because he had said this trip to Nagazora City was her Valkyrie assessment. If she didn't pass, she would have to go back to remedial classes and exams!
So, she had to be a bit more obedient.
"To Senba Academy."
Otto and Kiana walked out of the hotel and approached the line of black luxury sedans. He took the keys from the attendant and placed them in Kiana's hand.
The attendant opened the rear door for Otto, and he slid right in.
Kiana, however, stood frozen, staring at the car keys in her hand.
"What's wrong? If you don't know the way to Senba Academy, you can use the navigation," Otto said, lowering the window when he saw Kiana hadn't moved.
"You don't expect me to drive, do you? I don't have a license..." Kiana said. Otto nodded; he hadn't considered that detail.
Getting out of the car, he took the keys back from Kiana and gestured for her to get into the passenger seat.
He had wanted Kiana to drive for him, but in the end, the Overseer of Schicksal had to get behind the wheel himself.
Then again, I don't have a license either.
Of course, he had the option of having someone else drive them to Senba Academy, but Otto didn't trust anyone else. Right now, the only person he felt at ease with was Kiana.
He could relax around her, with no need to play the part of the cold and ruthless Overseer Otto.
Kiana obediently sat in the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt, but she asked with some curiosity.
"Why am I sitting in the passenger seat?"
Otto had been about to get in the back, but the moment he became the driver, he had her move to the front.
"Because this way, I can be a little closer to my cute little kitten."
Otto said with a smile. Kiana rolled her eyes at him. This guy would flirt with her from time to time, as if his skills had no cooldown.
After closing the doors, Otto set the navigation for Senba Academy. Kiana, sitting beside him, asked curiously.
"This Raiden Mei person you're looking for, what's she like?"
Kiana had asked this question before, but Otto's answer had made her think he was just trying to brush her off.
"You know about the Honkai, but you probably don't know that someone is attempting to trigger a Great Honkai Eruption in Nagazora City. If that happens, out of the millions of people here, fewer than ten thousand will survive."
"And the purpose of this Great Eruption is to create a being known as a Herrscher."
"Herrschers are terrifying existences that can be called natural disasters. Most of them are humans transformed during a Great Eruption. You could call them apostles of the Honkai, and their purpose is to eliminate humanity."
"Raiden Mei is the person who is likely to become a Herrscher during this Great Eruption."
"Great Eruption? Herrscher? Less than one percent survival?" Kiana repeated with a frown. She didn't question why Otto had brought her to such a dangerous place. Instead, she looked out the window at the bustling crowds, completely unaware of the disaster about to befall them.
"Shouldn't we call the police? And shouldn't we evacuate all these people?" Kiana asked. She didn't think Otto was lying to her.
"When it comes to handling this kind of situation, our Schicksal is professional. But we can't act openly. If the evil forces trying to trigger the Eruption find out, they might set it off prematurely."
"The entire city of Nagazora is a hostage right now. But thankfully, they don't know we're here."
As Otto spoke, Kiana looked over at him. She noticed that at some point, a silver mask had appeared on his face, covering the upper half of his handsome features.
"Your..."
"Just a little disguise."
Otto said with a smile. Given how peaceful the day had been, Bronya probably hadn't reported him to Cocolia. He had come to Nagazora City under a false identity anyway, so Cocolia would never imagine that he, the Overseer of Schicksal, would come here in person.
"Do I need a disguise?"
Kiana touched her own face, but Otto just smiled.
"No need. You're a newcomer here. The mastermind behind the Nagazora Eruption won't recognize you."
"However, if you perform exceptionally well in Nagazora City, you might just become a celebrity."
Otto drove the car. Although he rarely drove, his handling was perfectly steady.
Then he heard Kiana's voice.
"So... are you going to kill that Raiden Mei?"
Kiana asked timidly. To be honest, the idea of killing someone felt unreal to her. In all her experiences punishing evil and promoting good, she had never killed anyone, at most teaching a few bad guys a lesson.
Besides, Otto had said she was likely to become a Herrscher, which meant there was a chance she wouldn't.
However, Kiana didn't know that in order for Otto to complete his mission and avoid being gender-bent, he had to let Mei become a Herrscher.
"No."
Otto shook his head.
"A Herrscher is an apostle of the Honkai, but a Herrscher can also betray the Honkai."
"What we need to do is get Raiden Mei to join us."
"She's like a double-edged sword. While she might hurt us, if wielded properly, she is an incredibly sharp weapon."
"But you don't need to worry. The Great Eruption hasn't happened yet, and Raiden Mei hasn't become a Herrscher. Right now, she's just an ordinary, beautiful high school girl."
"A beautiful JK?" Kiana's eyes lit up, and the idiot hair on her head twitched. She loved beautiful girls more than anything.
Although she still didn't fully understand what Otto was saying, she grasped one point.
"You want to get that Raiden Mei to join Schicksal? Just like me?"
Suddenly, a thought occurred to her.
"You invited me to join Schicksal... don't tell me it's also because I might become one of those Herrscher things in the future?"
In some areas, Kiana was surprisingly sharp.
"You have the aptitude. You have the aptitude to become a Herrscher."
Otto said it plainly.
"And you also have the aptitude to become a savior."
"I would never destroy humanity!" Kiana said with a laugh. Honestly, because Otto had affirmed it so directly, the whole thing felt surreal.
She couldn't imagine herself becoming a Herrscher who wanted to wipe out mankind.
"I believe you." Otto turned his head to look at Kiana, which gave her a fright. He was driving!
"The car, the car! Look at the road!"
Seeing the car in front of them that they were about to hit, Kiana's heart leaped into her throat. Thankfully, Otto swerved to avoid it at the last second, though it triggered a chorus of angry honks.
"Anyway, how do you plan on getting Raiden Mei to join? It's not going to be like what you did with me, is it?"
Kiana only let out a sigh of relief after the car stabilized.
"I haven't thought of a plan yet. But my cute little kitten, why don't you help me think of a way to win over Raiden Mei? She'll be your colleague in the future."
"Hmm, a method to win her over? This isn't some dating game. Besides, I don't know anything about this kind of stuff."
"It's fine, we still have a ways to go to Senba Academy. Take your time and think. If you help me win over Raiden Mei, I'll give you credit for it."
"I already came all this way with you, shouldn't I get some credit for that already?"
Kiana said with a grin. Otto's flippant attitude made it hard for her to stay tense.
Some things, until they happen right before your eyes, are just stories. You can never truly grasp the despair they contain just by hearing about them.
"But Senba Academy seems to be an all-girls school, right? How are you going to get in, Otto? Are you just going to buy the whole school?"
After spending a few days with him, Kiana knew that Otto was a super-rich person.
Otto didn't answer. He glanced at Kiana, then pulled a small booklet from his pocket and slapped it onto her thigh.
Swatting Otto's dirty hand off her firm thigh, Kiana picked up the small booklet and found that it was a household register.
She opened it and froze.
Because, inside, she and Otto were listed as father and daughter.
"Parental visit."