This is a high-tech Anti-Entropy smartphone that does not require worrying about signal or fees, and the contact interface features only two names—one is Cocolia, and the other is An.
Bronya hesitates.
She wants to probe Cocolia's thoughts and figure out what this emotionally complicated mother is plotting again. But at the same time, she truly does not want to contact Cocolia, not knowing what she can say to the other woman.
In the end, Bronya still presses An's name.
"Rosaliya, Liliya, An... Everyone should be doing well, right?"
The corners of Bronya's mouth lift into a smile; the longing she has suppressed all this time, along with those memories from her orphanage days, well up from the bottom of her heart all at once.
Soon the communication screen connects, revealing a pink-haired girl staring with a pair of foolishly cute, question-mark-filled big eyes, as if exploring something. The suddenly connected signal seems to scare her, and Rosaliya's expression freezes instantly.
Bronya chuckles softly, and at this moment someone suddenly hands a cup of milk tea over from her side, which she subconsciously takes and sips from.
"Bronya, listen to me! Something huge happened! Mama Cocolia has fallen in love!"
"Puff!!!"
Chapter 37 Anqi: Joy~
"Bronya, the matter I'm about to talk about is very serious, you must not be scared!"
Bronya has received professional training; Bronya will not be afraid.
Staying calm while sipping milk tea.jpg
"Mama Cocolia has fallen in love!"
Fallen in love... in love... love...
"Puff!!!"
At this moment, all the Anqis subconsciously wipe their faces. Magical girls are humans too, and even little Duck's cherry lips and a magical girl's saliva cannot cancel out the sticky texture of milk tea.
Following that, all the Anqis, including Cocolia, tilt their heads in unison, many, many question marks appearing above their heads.
I fell in love? Why didn't I know about it? ×n
Bronya looks at the milk tea in her hand at a loss, as well as the Anqi whose face is covered in milk tea liquid.
"Sorry! Why are you here? No, no, now is not the time to care about this! Rosaliya, what did you just say? Say it again!?"
Bronya puts the milk tea aside, her small hand gripping the communicator tightly. Even though brain region damage causes her to be unable to make obvious facial changes, her agitation and panic are still clearly visible.
Within the screen, Rosaliya shakes her head with a look of having anticipated it all, sighing with the air of a little adult:
"Sigh! I knew you'd be startled too. Listen to me, Mom went to the front-line base previously, specifically to go see a pretty big sister, and spent a secret, lonely night alone with her, just the two of them. Then after coming back, she completely changed. Not only does she hug and kiss us every day, she also often acts spoiled with us, practically like a different person... I'm telling you, this is the textbook symptom of being in love!"
Bronya: "???"
Bronya slowly tilts her head, sorting through Rosaliya's words.
Naturally, she does not believe Cocolia would fall in love.
Yet after running through this logic once, why does it somehow feel unexpectedly smooth?
Of course, Bronya still does not believe a person like Cocolia would fall in love! Instead of believing Cocolia is in love, she would rather believe Seele can shatter the barrier of the Sea of Quantum and return to the real world with seven punches!
Bronya shakes her head fiercely, attempting to reorganize her chaotic brain and emotions.
Right at that moment, another familiar voice transmits from the communicator.
"It really is you, idiot! That is a communicator used for contacting Bronya, not a toy for you to play with! Idiot Rosaliya!"
"I'm not playing with it! Also, what are you acting so high and mighty for? Mom clearly said we could use it together!"
"Just give the communicator back first, it'll be terrible if idiot Rosaliya breaks it."
The screen suddenly spins through a heaven-and-earth-shaking tumult, accompanied by the sounds of An, Rosaliya, and Liliya wrestling. Finally, following a wail from Rosaliya, the entire image stabilizes once more, revealing the faces of An and Liliya.
"Why is the communicator on... Oh? Isn't this Bronya? You're actually still alive, what a pity, I thought I'd get to see the interesting sight of you on your last breath begging me for help! Hahaha!"
Upon seeing Bronya in the communicator, An first cannot help but reveal a surprised smile, then swiftly changes her expression, speaking with abundant mockery.
The corners of Bronya's mouth twitch.
An Mals, the veteran tsundere of the orphanage.
This piece of work is tsundere to the extent of once opposing the entire orphanage, and even pushed Bronya down the stairs.
It is precisely the injuries from falling from the high stairs, coupled with barely participating in the X-10 Honkai Energy injection experiment in a disabled state, that completely destroyed Bronya's legs, forcing her to rely on powered exoskeleton for movement nowadays.
If it were an ordinary girl, at this point she would either become enemies with An or harbor deep fear toward her.
It is precisely because Bronya's experiences are extraordinary that she can still treat An with a normal mindset after those events have occurred, and gradually realize An's personality—she is not a particularly bad child, just overly clumsy in every sense of the word, and nothing more.
"Bronya is doing very well right now, you guys don't need to worry."
"Ha? Who's worried about you?"
"How about you guys, have you been well during this time?"
"Pretty much, aside from Mama Cocolia suddenly undergoing a drastic change in temperament making it feel a bit hard to get used to, everything else is no different from before... Oh, right, Mom also seems to have gotten rich, so our meals and stuff have gotten a lot better."
An sits cross-legged in front of the screen, grinning and laughing in a roguish manner, her multicolored eyes—which under normal circumstances always carry a touch of sharp viciousness—taking on a faint smile.
Liliya sits beside An, nodding in agreement.
"An is right!"
Hearing the descriptions from the two relatively reliable girls, Bronya also turns up a slight arc at her lips. The worry for her sisters these past days can finally be put to rest, and she feels a measure of relief.
Afterward, Bronya straightens her face, speaking with a solemn expression:
"So what's the deal with Mama Cocolia falling in love?"
An and Liliya exchange a glance, about to explain.
However, the pink-haired loli who had been heavily beaten and tossed to the side suddenly emerges from between the two of them, pointing at a photograph of a silver-short-haired beauty in a military uniform and crying out with a face full of grievance:
"I already said Mom must have changed so much because she fell in love! Look, I even found a photo, it's this person! Bronya, judge this for me, the evidence is right in front of their eyes yet they refuse to believe me, and even hit me! Even if you aren't smart in the head you still have to talk sense, right?"
"Idiot, don't suddenly squeeze over!"
"Ah, I'm going to fall... Oh no, the communicator..."
"Bzz~~"
Another round of a world-spinning, chaotic view ensues before the communicator suddenly goes dark.
Growing dark right along with it is Bronya's complexion.
"These idiots!"
Bronya scolds helplessly.
Only after finishing the scolding does she shake her head and laugh in spite of herself.
Though it feels like many more problems have popped up, seeing that everyone in the orphanage is full of vitality makes Bronya feel very happy.
Then, she notices someone tugging at the hem of her clothes.
It turns out to be Anqi with a blank expression, rubbing her face like a cat's paw while wiping away the milk tea that dampened her cheeks, quietly watching Bronya with blinking purple eyes.
"...Sorry, Bronya will go find a towel right now!"
Five minutes later, Anqi sits on a park bench with a blank expression.
Kiana uses mineral water to dampen a towel.
Bronya uses the moistened towel to carefully wipe Anqi's face, as if terrified of leaving a trace on that delicate, porcelain-white skin.
Raiden Mei crouches in front of Anqi, likewise cleaning the milk tea stains off her clothes and hands with a towel.
Anqi sits with absolute obedience, letting the three divide the labor and cooperate to clean up her appearance. Yet beneath the calm-as-still-water, deadpan expression, many Anqis in the Theater are rolling all over the ground.
Hahaha! ×n
Kuerla, Kuerla, congratulations on successfully upgrading to Cocolia's scandalous lesbian pal!
In reality you two actually have done squishy things, after all!
That being said, suddenly gaining a few ultra-cute and adorable baby daughters—may I ask what Lady Kuerla's current mood is?
Hahaha!
And Cocolia, your filial daughters found you a hubby, aren't you touched at all?
Hahaha!
Distant Siberia.
Cocolia has just finished counting her current capital balance, and Kuerla pulls her hand out from a Honkai Beast's corpse, standing tall amidst the smoke-filled battlefield.
The two of them simultaneously stroke their foreheads in speechlessness, squeezing words out from between their teeth.
"Stop laughing, assholes!" ×2
Chapter 38 Anqi, Worried for Her Daughters
The Anqis are mocking Cocolia-Anqi for getting a round of supreme filial piety from her foolishly cute daughter Rosaliya.
Yet in reality, all of them are worrying over Rosaliya and Liliya.
The original Cocolia should not be a fool.
A fool cannot reach the position of Anti-Entropy's Radical Faction leader, nor can a fool topple Anti-Entropy veteran and business tycoon Raiden Ryoma who weathered the Second Honkai Impact.
And her eager and impatient pushing of the X-10 experiment, even stopping at nothing to instigate an artificial Honkai outbreak to manufacture a new Herrscher, naturally has her own reasons...
"Mom, Mom, this string of numbers is so long, long, long, are we rich?"
Rosaliya leans over from beside the desk, squeezing into Cocolia's embrace. Looking at the symbol indicating money on Cocolia's computer screen, as well as that string of numbers preceding the symbol which extends far beyond her knowledge level, Rosaliya's eyes light up instantly.
Cocolia naturally embraces the warm and soft little girl.
"Mua! Mua! Mua!"
"Oh my, my, isn't this my adorable Rosaliya? You've gotten even cuter after just a few hours! Come, let Mama give you a snuggle!"
Rosaliya is not yet that swordmaster bearing horns and a tail, just an ordinary little girl, and naturally cannot resist Cocolia's enthusiastic rubbing, nuzzling, and snuggling.
"Cackle cackle! Mom, a bit lighter, it's tickling! Hahaha!"
The pink-haired little girl struggles in Cocolia's embrace while emitting crisp, pleasant laughter.
"Idiot Rosaliya, knowing full well it'll turn out like this yet still proactively crowding over. Sigh, sooner or later she's going to get eaten up by Mom."
"Hah! She totally has it coming!"
Liliya and An arrive nearby as well, watching Rosaliya being teased into a fit of quivering giggles in Cocolia's arms, and chime in with sarcastic remarks in unison.
Hearing this, Cocolia smiles, strokes Rosaliya's pink head, and then bends down, spreading her favors equally by planting a kiss on the tender, fragrant cheeks of both Liliya and An.
The two little girls instantly blush, finding it hard to conceal their shyness and happiness.
Though speaking sarcastically about Rosaliya, the two of them actually harbor a strong desire to be treated that way by Cocolia in their hearts—after all, what child doesn't like being doted on by their mother?
"Alright, looks like it's lunchtime. You guys came to call me for food, right? Such good girls~"
Cocolia speaks with a full face of smiles, intending to pick Rosaliya up.
At that moment, Rosaliya points at the long string of numbers on the screen, speaking in a crisp voice:
"Mom, are we rich? Is it all ours?"
"That's right! Having emptied the Raiden family's assets, plus having a reliable partner in the Far East, a considerable amount has come in lately, and I've been counting it for half the day! It's killing me!"
"Then, I want to buy delicious food!"
"Yes, yes, yes, buy it, buy the best!"
Cocolia straightens her chest, pressing Rosaliya's head downward, and makes the promise with full confidence.
Liliya: "Liliya wants a new dress too, and comic books."
Cocolia: "Buy!"
An: "Now that you mention it, I want to buy some new clothes, and also, I want a slightly sharper weapon."
Cocolia: "Clothes, buy! Buy until they stuff your closet full! Weapons, forge! I'll forge you one using the best materials!"
Rosaliya: "Then I want a remote-controlled airplane toy!"
Before you continue