"Why were you wandering around the institute with a handgun, Kiana Kaslana?"
Kiana also wondered why.
Why was she happily battling with her parents one moment, only to find herself back at the institute the next, with a smoking, scorching-hot handgun in her hand?
Kiana's demeanor clearly frightened the other researchers.
Then, the alarm sounded, and the very familiar pink-haired masked girl suddenly appeared, wielding a blade.
Fighting alongside her felt wonderful because no monster could pass through the network woven by the girl's flashing blade...
But when the girl used that perfect swordsmanship against her, all Kiana felt was despair.
Luckily, both Kiana and Sakura exercised great restraint—
The white-haired girl didn't intend to randomly shoot in such a crowded place. She knew the handguns her mother had given her had undergone countless modifications, with bullets specially designed to effortlessly pierce through Honkai beasts' shells, let alone the walls of the institute.
Pulling the trigger recklessly wouldn't discriminate; those frail, helpless researchers would undoubtedly suffer.
Furthermore, Kiana only fought back reactively when the girl suddenly appeared with a blade.
In just a few seconds, the white-haired girl had already lost much of her fighting spirit.
And Sakura didn't even draw her sword. Instead, she wielded her weapon, complete with its scabbard, in a manner aimed at disarming her opponent. She showed no intention of using lethal force.
It seemed even the pink-haired masked girl was puzzled. Why was this ordinary staff member—no, laborer—suddenly pulling out weapons and running amok in the institute corridors, triggering everyone to frantically press the alarm buttons?
The institute wasn't lacking in shooting ranges; if you wanted to practice, you could go there!
After a few rounds, Kiana's handgun was knocked out of her hand. She sighed and stood still, letting the pink-haired masked girl press her to the ground and pin her down with her well-toned thighs.
Suddenly shaking her head, the white-haired girl pushed those subtle memories aside from her mind and began to answer the girl's question:
"Why was I carrying a gun? I... I don't know either..."
"...I can tell you really don't know anything," sighed the pink-haired masked girl, pushing a box of pork chop rice in front of Kiana. "Have something to eat. You've been here all morning; you must be hungry."
"Pork chop rice...? Is the food here that good?" Sakura scratched her fox ears. "Isn't this an established tradition in the Japan? Giving pork chop rice to suspects and such..."
Have you been watching too many Japanern TV shows and anime?
Kiana opened her mouth, but eventually swallowed her words, enjoying the hard-earned meal.
The speed at which she ate surprised the pink-haired masked girl, who quickly went out to call for more servings of pork chop rice.
"Doctor, did I make a mistake?" Sakura asked, self-doubt creeping in, turning to the nearby Mei, who had watched the entire ordeal.
The real Far Eastener, though a rich lady, was not a foolish person who took anime and TV shows seriously.
Mei's mouth twitched a couple of times. She wanted to say that there were no such established customs in the Far East nowadays, but upon seeing the white-haired girl devouring her meal, she firmly shook her head.
This girl... Did she suddenly appear here like me...?
The black-haired girl speculated, then took the initiative to open the door and walk in, intending to chat with Kiana and see what was going on.
Sakura followed closely behind, and now the pink-haired girl tightly gripped the hilt of her knife. If Kiana dared to do anything to Dr. Mei, she would not hesitate to strike.
"Wow! Mei, you're here too!"
"What do you mean, 'me too'? Aren't there many people here?"
The conversation between the two confused Sakura, but it seemed that the doctor and this "laborer" knew each other... That was quite unexpected.
"Um, Sakura, can you leave and let me talk to her alone?"
"No, Doctor, my task is to protect you until Mobius returns—personal protection, that is."
Sakura made a gesture of zipping her mouth shut. "Feel free to ask questions; I won't reveal any secrets."
Mei was somewhat helpless, so she continued to talk to Kiana.
"Let's continue the previous topic... When you said 'also,' did you mean that, besides you and me, there are others who have come to this strange world...?"
"My mom and my dad! Oh, and a little sister!"
"Huh?"
The black-haired girl was puzzled. What was going on here? How come your whole family was involved?
So Mei continued to inquire, while Kiana, holding her chopsticks, pondered for a dozen seconds before giving her answer:
"My mom should know!"
"Are you a mama's girl?"
"But, I really don't know what's going on... I only remember my mom telling me that this place seems to be a hallucination created by some... some key?"
"What kind of key?"
"Yeah, it's made by the cores of the Herrscher, with special functions..."
Mei hadn't touched the "real" side of the world yet, that is, the knowledge related to Honkai, so Kiana had to explain to her what Honkai was, what a Herrscher was, and why humans were still struggling against Honkai to this day...
Is the world really this dangerous?
The black-haired girl's pupils shook, and she subconsciously consulted the silent Sakura, "Is what she said true?"
Sakura nodded strangely. "Although some details are a bit off in certain places, the general direction is correct—Honkai does indeed pose a great threat to humanity."
"Boom, boom—"
The door was pushed open, and with dark circles under her eyes, the green-haired assistant, Klein, appeared, carrying a stack of pork chop rice boxes. She stumbled over to Kiana's table and set them down before turning to Mei. "Doctor, you need to approve our budget plan as soon as possible..."
"Next time, definitely next time..."
"Beep, beep, beep."
Mei looked around. "Whose phone is ringing?"
"It's probably yours, Doctor," Sakura replied.
"Hello?"
The black-haired girl fished out a "phone" from her clothes pocket, a large transparent component, and pressed the answer button. A holographic projection unfolded in front of her.
"Dr. Mei, there are some people outside the institute looking for Kiana Kaslana..."