"Wow!!!"
Kiana, who had been sneakily crouching beside the cabinet, was so startled that she fell backward.
When she came to her senses, a shadow loomed over her. Looking up, Kiana saw the expressionless blonde little girl standing beside her head, holding a sharp, gleaming kitchen knife with cold droplets of water dripping from its edge.
"Gulp!"
Lying on the floor, Kiana swallowed, scratched her head, and tried to explain with a silly grin.
"Well, I just came to ask how much longer dinner would take. I studied really hard today, so I'm kind of hungry..."
Raiden Mei rubbed her forehead and shook her head.
With a kitchen knife in one hand, Anqi grabbed Kiana by the collar with the other, dragged her outside, then pointed at the notice posted beside the kitchen door.
No flies, cockroaches, mosquitoes, dogs, or Kiana Kaslana allowed inside during meal preparation.
—Anqi
Pointing at the notice, Anqi slowly raised her kitchen knife with a blank expression, a chilling glint flickering in her eyes.
Driven by her survival instincts, the white-haired girl whose hair stood on end crossed half the living room in almost an instant and hid beside Himeko, who was sitting on the sofa.
"I was wrong, okay? You can keep cooking! I swear I won't sneak any food again!"
Anqi stared darkly at the trembling ahoge sticking out beside the sofa. Three seconds later, her gaze shifted to Himeko.
"Good evening, welcome home, Himeko~~"
Holding the kitchen knife in both hands, Anqi twisted her slender little body shyly, smiling sweetly as her voice turned sugary.
Himeko looked entirely accustomed to this and waved with a brilliant smile.
"Yo, I'm back, Anqi!"
"Dinner will be ready soon, so please wait just a little longer."
"It's fine, take your time. I'm counting on you."
"Mm, then I'll get back to cooking~~"
With a sweet smile, Anqi turned and returned to the kitchen.
Only then did Kiana poke her head out from beside the sofa. Her large eyes watched Anqi until she had completely entered the kitchen before she finally let out a huge sigh of relief.
Pouting with her pink lips stiffened in indignation, Kiana complained.
"Damn it, what kind of preferential treatment is this? The way she looked at me, it was like she saw me as garbage! Am I not a person too?"
"Who told you to keep stealing food? Last time, you turned our deluxe sushi into vegetarian rice balls by eating all the toppings. You deserved it!"
"I reflected on it afterward! Did she really need to put up a notice specifically to humiliate me and force me through another week of retake training?!"
"I think it's great. This house finally has someone who can keep you in line. Mei and I have no idea how much easier things have gotten! Hahaha!"
Himeko laughed heartily as she patted Kiana on the shoulder.
Other than muttering under her breath, Kiana did not dare say anything else.
After all, Himeko did not like meddling in things, and Raiden Mei always went easy on her. But Anqi was different. Anqi would actually teach her a lesson! And every time, Kiana was the one in the wrong and could not beat her anyway, leaving her no choice but to suffer.
After going through it several times, Kiana had fully understood: when Anqi was not angry, she was an adorable little creature that felt amazing to hold and rub against, capable of healing all unhappiness. But when Anqi was angry, Kiana could only run as far away as possible and pray that she calmed down soon.
Before long, a dazzling spread of delicious dishes was laid out on the dining table.
Everyone enjoyed the meal.
Only Bronya, who had arrived late, mechanically chewed and swallowed throughout the meal, as if she had a great deal on her mind.
"Pork rib soup is rich in calcium and vitamin B. It effectively relieves stress."
While Bronya was lost in thought, Anqi's serious, confident voice came from beside her.
Bronya turned her head and saw Anqi slowly pushing a fragrant bowl of pork rib soup toward her.
"Anqi..."
Her emotions, usually so calm and indifferent, had been repeatedly shattered today by Welt's words. Then the bowl of soup Anqi offered her, along with the concern conveyed by those clear eyes, finally broke through Bronya's defenses completely.
Bronya lowered her head. Her eyes suddenly reddened, tears shimmering within them.
Mother Cocolia, even if I know the truth, what can I do? The mistakes have already been made. We owe far too much. How can I ever make it up to Anqi...
Anqi was the person sitting closest to Bronya at the table, so she was the only one who fully noticed the change in Bronya.
Anqi flusteredly had no idea what to do.
Then Bronya tightly hugged her.
"Bronya?"
"Anqi... don't be so good to Bronya... I'm sorry..."
"???"
At that moment, Anqi sent out an off-field call for help to every Anqi. But after a round of brainstorming, all they got were equally confused question marks.
In the end, the utterly bewildered Anqi could only hug Bronya back and gently pat her back, her face full of confusion. Still, for the trembling little girl, Anqi could only offer as much comfort as possible.
Raiden Mei, Kiana, and Himeko exchanged glances. In that silent moment, they tacitly realized something, but there was nothing they could do. Other than silently continuing to eat, they could do nothing at all.
In the end, the dinner concluded with Anqi's confusion and everyone else's discomfort and guilt.
I felt a little unwell this afternoon and tested myself tonight. Nothing for now. Sigh, it feels so complicated whether I get infected or not. It's like knowing the guillotine blade will fall sooner or later, but not knowing when it will come down. It hurts, meow.15
The Freely Accessible Duck Girl's Bedroom
That night, Bronya picked up her communicator and called one of its only two channels—the communicator had only two channels in total. One connected to An Mals, while the other connected to Cocolia. Only this could ensure absolute secrecy and block out most eavesdropping and interference.
As for Cocolia's channel, Bronya had thought she would never use it. But tonight, she had far too much she wanted to tell Cocolia.
After a brief signal connection, Bronya finally saw a familiar face appear on the communicator.
"Eh, what kind of treasure is this? Is it a new game console? Is it fun?"
Unfortunately, it was not Cocolia who appeared on the communicator's screen. Instead, Kiana's face appeared beside the communicator. She was on all fours like a cat, her healthy and lovely curves made exceptionally alluring by her loose pajamas. Unfortunately, the foolish cuteness in her curiosity-filled big eyes diluted the feminine charm she should have possessed.
Bronya wore a cat-paw face and said in her flat, emotionless tone.
"Bronya remembers locking the door."
"Oh, that? A few days ago, they started an elective course on lockpicking. Anqi thought it was interesting, so she dragged me along with her. Hehe, I didn't expect Miss Kiana to be pretty talented at this. Now, locks at your level are nothing to me!"
Kiana grinned, showing off a row of jade-white teeth.
Bronya's delicate brows twitched as she said expressionlessly.
"Bronya was not praising you. Don't get happy all by yourself, idiot Kiana."
This idiot should count herself lucky that Seele was not beside Bronya right now, and that Bronya did not have the habit of entertaining herself alone. Otherwise, if Kiana happened to see something she should not have seen, Bronya would have no choice but to harden her heart and silence her forever.
Kiana sensed Bronya's hostility, so she cutely stuck out her tongue, sat down carelessly, and said with a grin.
"It's just that you seemed really off tonight, and I was worried. So what exactly happened, Bronya?"
"Thank you for your concern. Bronya is fine. Go out first. Bronya has something to do... ah, forget it. Just sit beside me and don't disturb me. There isn't enough time."
Bronya was still receptive to Kiana's straightforward concern. Seeing that Cocolia's face had already appeared on the communicator, she could only reluctantly let Kiana stay nearby.
In any case, Bronya had already decided to speak honestly about these matters with everyone. Whether Kiana learned about them sooner or later made little difference. Perhaps learning sooner would even help her single-celled brain understand the situation.
Kiana answered with an "Oh," obediently sat down beside her, then reached over to grab a bag of chips. Ignoring Bronya's sharp glare, she began crunching away on Bronya's bed.
The time rewound ten minutes, to the snow mountain base.
It was already late at night there as well, time for the children to be fast asleep.
Yet for some reason, these children had all climbed onto Cocolia's bed tonight.
Cocolia figured that perhaps Ninti's appearance had given them some sort of sense of crisis?
Children were rather possessive, but if they were competing for their mother's attention, that only made them especially adorable.
Smiling, Cocolia took out a storybook and read them the fairy tales inside, just as the original Cocolia had done at the orphanage.
"And in the very end, the prince and princess were in the castle..."
"Mom is so boring. She's always telling these childish stories that even kids don't listen to."
"Indeed. I think Homu's Great Adventure is more interesting."
"Liliya thinks so too. We've already grown up."
Listening to the children's complaints one after another, Cocolia's gentle, motherly smile gradually froze.
(＾-＾＃): "How about I perform the story of the wicked queen eating Snow White bit by bit? Should I start with your tender little cheeks, or your soft little feet?"
Cocolia spoke darkly, revealing a sinister, dangerous smile at the three girls crowded around her.
"Waaah! Mom is going to eat children!"
"Has this day finally come? Liliya knew this would happen. Mom, eat Rosaliya first! Rosaliya, I'll leave it to you, big sister!"
"Σ(っ °Д °;)っ Wait, why me?! Rosaliya doesn't want to be eaten!"
They screamed and shoved one another before finally huddling together and all burrowing beneath the covers.
The dangerous expression Cocolia had put on instantly vanished, and she covered her mouth as she laughed in delight.
"Beep! Beep! Beep!"
The happy moment was interrupted by the communicator on the bedside table.
Cocolia picked it up, then lowered her head and raised a finger toward the three little heads emerging from under the covers.
"It's Bronya. Don't make any noise, okay? Shh!"
The three girls nodded one after another, staring at Cocolia with bright, lively, curious, expectant eyes.
"Ahem! Bronya, I thought you would never use this channel."
Cocolia sighed. Her relaxed, cheerful expression was replaced by a trace of melancholy. She looked at Bronya's wooden expression on the screen for a long time before slowly revealing a gentle smile.
Perhaps touched by that smile, Bronya's little eyes, originally filled with persistence and determination, gradually softened.
"It's been a long time, Mother Cocolia."
"Well, it's been a long time for you, but for me, I get to see your latest photos every so often and know that you've been doing well, so it hasn't been too bad! Ahahaha!"
Cocolia scratched her cheek and spoke with complete frankness.
But Bronya was clearly not so composed. First, she was surprised that Cocolia could even observe the inside of St. Freya, astonished and somewhat creeped out by the extent of her reach. Then, she finally understood the situation An and the others had described earlier.
"Mother really has changed a great deal."
"Sigh, how should I put it? The Changkong City incident snapped me out of that tense state where I was close to going mad. I figured some things out. For example, in the face of Honkai, I'm still that powerless, incompetent rookie soldier I was back then. And also... accidents and crises always come without warning, so I need to make the most of my time and spend more of it watching over my precious daughters."
Cocolia spoke with deep emotion, giving a vague explanation for her change. At the same time, she stroked the heads of her three daughters and gave them a beautiful smile as gentle as water.
The girls returned equally sweet and shy smiles, rubbing against Cocolia as if greedily drawing warmth from their mother.
Bronya looked at Cocolia in surprise. After quite some time, she sighed and said with mixed feelings.
"Bronya is very happy. Compared to the impatient, extreme, and willful mother from before, Bronya believes everyone will like Mother as she is now much more."
"Is that so? Then will you too?"
Cocolia's smile became even brighter as she looked expectantly at Bronya in the communicator.
Bronya paused. Even if no one were around, she could never overcome her embarrassment and say it aloud. Much less with Kiana watching beside her!
Thinking of that, Bronya subconsciously glanced toward Kiana.
At that moment, Raiden Mei was gently wiping the corner of Kiana's mouth, while Himeko was spreading a clean tablecloth over the bed to keep more chip crumbs from falling onto it.2
Bronya: "Pfft!"
Why are you two here too?!2
I Hurt Mom Again
Before you continue