This Chat Group's Vibe is a Bit Off

"Scorching Breath of Blazing Flames."

"Whip of Domination."

"Persona, Susanoo-no-Mikoto! Tens of Thousands of Proverbs!"

What the hell were these things?

When Raiden Mei saw Kiana get slapped away, her heart sank halfway to the bottom. Are we done for? But then she suddenly saw her teammates either vanish in a Flash while wielding scythes, fire glowing waves from their staffs, casually summon a massive dragon-shaped blaze, turn the bushes beside them into gigantic man-eating flowers with a crack of a whip, or summon a three-meter-tall humanoid creature in a silver trench coat that spun the Ōdachi in its hand like a propeller.

Were you guys even from the same genre as the one who got slapped away?

Bronya, who had faced all of this head-on, froze on the spot. Vaguely, she seemed to see a boundless ocean.

Above the ocean, a blue-haired girl kept waving to her.

Ah, that was Seele.

It was just that this Seele seemed a little older. Holding a scythe, she looked like the Grim Reaper from myth, come to harvest her life. At that moment, Bronya seemed to hear Cocolia questioning her once more.

"Bronya, if the opponents are these people of unknown origin, can you win?"

"We're dead for sure!"

Chapter 11: Bronya, Use Heavy Cannon Rabbit on Cocolia

It felt like she had had a dream.

A very long dream.

In that dream, Bronya had dreamed of Seele—of what Seele looked like after growing up. She seemed strong and dependable.

But Seele was still in the Sea of Quantum. How could she possibly appear in reality?

Bitterness spread through the dream. It was like an old wound that had never healed being torn open once more, the pain nearly unbearable. Bronya jolted awake.

Then she discovered that she had been captured!

Her body was tightly bound with coarse rope and tied to a chair, her hands bound behind her back. She tried to struggle, only to feel the restraints tighten.

Fortunately, such restraints could not stop her at all. But what displeased her was that whoever had tied her up had actually used the shameful Turtle Shell Restraint. In truth, there was nothing particularly wrong with that binding method, but it made her chest look completely flat as a steel plate.

Humiliation!

The person who tied her up had definitely done it on purpose!

Noticing her movement, Qianyi opened the door and appeared before her. "You're awake? Have you calmed down a little?"

"Why didn't you kill me?" Bronya asked.

"Why would I kill you?" Qianyi tilted his head.

"I see. I'm still useful to you, so it isn't time to kill me yet?"

"I won't kill you. I just want to ask you to do something."

"I understand."

"It'd be a huge help if you do."

"You're planning to rape Bronya and then kill her, right? I understand. Don't go easy on me just because I'm a child. Come at me from the front."

Bronya had seen this sort of thing many times before. Quite a few people had coveted her body and appearance, intending to do lewd things to her. But without exception, every one of them had been killed by her.

Although she had no stockings right now and could not strangle anyone to death with them, with her two exoskeleton-armored legs, as long as the other party gave her an opening, she would dare to tear his head right off!

And when he got on the bed, took off his clothes, and prepared to do her from the front, that would be her chance!

Qianyi: "?"

When I put out this question mark, it wasn't because I had a problem—it was because you did.

"What? If you don't think the front is okay, you can take me from behind instead. After all, lots of people say this face of mine has no emotional fluctuations, which really kills the mood. It'll be much better if I turn my face away. And since I have twin ponytails, you can grab them like bicycle handlebars, then stand up and pedal hard."

Bronya continued tempting him.

At that very opportune moment, the sound of a porcelain cup shattering on the floor rang out. Seele stood at the doorway, staring at the two of them in utter shock. Her mind seemed to have suffered an unprecedented impact, and she did not even notice when the black tea in her hands had fallen.

Thinking she might have interrupted the two of them in the middle of their fun, Seele instinctively apologized, "S-sorry, I didn't know you were about to do that kind of thing."

"Calm down, Seele." Qianyi soothed Seele's emotions, helping her calm down and preventing her from doing anything irrational out of shock and panic.

"Seele?!" Bronya was utterly stunned.

She immediately examined the girl standing at the door. Looking closely, one would find that her hair color, eyes, and even her face were extremely similar to the Seele in Bronya's memories. The only difference was that she was much older than the Seele Bronya remembered.

Without warning, Bronya felt her heartbeat accelerate.

This little sister... no! This big sister—I've seen her before!

The girl before her seemed to possess some unique magic, gradually overlapping with a certain figure from Bronya's memories.

Looking at the navy-blue-haired girl, Bronya recalled their promise by the azure sea. Her entire body trembled uncontrollably—not from fear, but from excitement.

The emotional circuits she had long lost seemed to reactivate at that moment, trembling wildly. Or rather, those emotional circuits had never left her. They had merely been sealed away along with that navy-blue figure after she disappeared.

"Y-you... you're... Seele?!" Bronya was first incredulous, then filled with regret.

What have I done?! I actually said such shameless things in front of Seele! What will Seele think of me now?!

"I-I'll go check whether Mei's food is ready. You guys carry on." Seele turned and fled.

"Wait! Seele, it's not what you think! I can explain!!"

Bronya gathered all her strength to chase after her, but she had forgotten that she was tied to the chair. Her burst of force not only failed to help her catch Seele, but instead sent her and the chair crashing to the floor with a thud. She could only watch helplessly as Seele vanished from sight.

Wait! Wait for me!

Seele! Seele is getting away!!

Once Seele had completely disappeared from her sight, Bronya lay weakly on the ground, her eyes filled with despair.

"Calm down. It's not too late to catch up and explain."

Qianyi crouched down and helped Bronya untie the ropes. He had to admit, Kiana's knot-tying technique was something else—it was quite a hassle to undo.

"Thanks." Once freed, Bronya tossed out a quick word of thanks and hurried out the door to search for Seele.

Watching Bronya rush out, Qianyi took out his phone and sent Seele a message.

Steel Prison Big: @Lower District Flying Head Barbarian, Bronya went looking for you. The rest is up to you.

Lower District Flying Head Barbarian: Huh? Weren't you two going to do that kind of thing?

Steel Prison Big: Do you take me for Kiana?

Lower District Flying Head Barbarian: ...Fair enough.

???

Soon, a dark-blue figure entered Bronya's field of vision.

Beneath a cherry blossom tree, in the gentle afterglow of the setting sun, the girl sat quietly on a bench. Her brows were slightly furrowed, revealing a trace of worry and conflict, like a lovestruck girl waiting for the one she loved to arrive.

Just as Seele was nervously rehearsing what she was about to say, Bronya suddenly rushed up and pulled her into an embrace. "Seele! I finally, finally found you!"

Seele's expression stiffened. "Bronya... S-sister, long time no see."

Seele's expression was unnatural as she replied, "Mm."

"You must have suffered so much to escape from there. It's all right now. This time, Bronya will definitely protect you. Oh, right, Cocolia... Mom probably doesn't know about this yet, does she? Let's go back to ME Corporation together. Mom will definitely be so happy to see you!"

Bronya was incomparably happy at that moment. She even called Cocolia "Mom," a word she would never normally use.

She had already planned it out. Once everything was over, she would take Seele back to the orphanage. Then the two of them—no, along with Mom Cocolia and everyone at the orphanage—would all live happily together and never be separated again.

However, Seele's next words pulled her straight back to reality.

"But wasn't Cocolia the one who caused me to fall into the Sea of Quantum? Bronya, why are you still dreaming such unrealistic dreams? Was everything Cocolia did truly to save me, rather than for her own benefit?"

"And what would happen if we went back? To create the Herrscher of Thunder, Cocolia did not hesitate to destroy Changkong City and its tens of millions of people. Then later, in order to create other Herrschers, would she use Seele—or even you, Bronya—as experimental material again?"

"Bronya, will you do it for Seele's sake? Use Heavy Cannon Rabbit on Cocolia."

Which was more important: Cocolia or Seele?

The question weighed upon Bronya's heart like a massive stone, leaving her nowhere to run. At that moment, the wind seemed to stop blowing, and an indescribable silence filled the air. She stood there blankly, her gaze lost, the conflict within her so fierce that it nearly tore her apart.

Cocolia was the mother who had saved her from the life of an assassin and given her warmth. Though she had done many wrong things, it could not erase the kindness she had shown Bronya.

Seele, meanwhile, was the girl who had brought warmth to her cold, closed-off heart—the little sister she had sworn to protect for the rest of her life.

Now, the little sister she had sworn to protect for life wanted to harm her mother. Caught between them, how was she supposed to choose?

After a brief hesitation, she asked Seele for her thoughts. "Seele, what... do you plan to do?"

"I want to stop Cocolia, stop the Third Honkai Outbreak, and protect Changkong City," Seele said.

"Okay. I'll help you." Bronya let out a breath of relief. She had known all along that if that kind-hearted girl, the girl who never wanted to hurt anyone, learned that so many people had to be sacrificed to save her, she would definitely cry her eyes out and then do everything she could to atone for it.

For some reason, Seele had suddenly returned and even knew about Cocolia's plan. It was only natural that she wanted to stop it.

If they were only stopping Cocolia, then there was still room to turn things around. At the very least, Cocolia's life could be spared.

Stopping Cocolia's grand plan was unavoidable, but Bronya believed she could still make some effort in the details. "Seele, what exactly do you plan to do?"

"Mm, let me think. Bronya... I might need you to send a report to Heavenly Mandate, reporting that Cocolia wants to create an artificial Herrscher and blow all of Changkong City into the sky. It would be best if you could get the report directly into the hands of Heavenly Mandate's S-rank Valkyrie, Durandal," Seele said.

"You want Heavenly Mandate to deal with Cocolia? Are you sure?"

"Mm." Seele was certain.

According to what Qianyi had said and what she had seen in the manga, Heavenly Mandate was not exactly good either. But at least it was better than a madwoman like Cocolia. Besides, there was also a Cocolia in Belobog—a Supreme Guardian who had abandoned the Lower District. So Seele had only one feeling toward Cocolia: she wanted her dead as soon as possible.

Of course, before killing her, it would be best to use herself as a punching bag and give her a vicious beating.

"It hasn't come to that yet, has it? Mom Cocolia's plan hasn't begun, and no one has been harmed because of it. Maybe I... maybe we can try to persuade her." Bronya's voice was tense. She understood that once Heavenly Mandate arrived, they would never spare Cocolia, an Anti-Entropy higher-up. Cocolia would have only one path left: death. That was something Bronya did not want to see. For that reason, she had even called Cocolia "Mom" again after so long, hoping it would resonate with Seele.

She turned her head away, not daring to meet Seele's eyes. "If we can persuade Mom Cocolia to give up the plan together, then no one will be hurt in this crisis. Think about it—if Heavenly Mandate steps in and clashes with Anti-Entropy in this city, could that conflict turn into an entirely new world war? By then, the number of people who die may be beyond anything we can estimate."

How despicable of me.

Knowing that Seele is kind and unwilling to hurt others, yet deliberately using such words... It's simply... too vile.

"This..." Although Seele was not the Seele Vollerei Bronya wanted, the two shared many traits. So when she heard that it might cause a world war and countless deaths, she could not help but be shaken. "I need to discuss this with my companions."

"Mm."

Bronya followed Seele into Raiden Mei's home. The living room was lit by glaring overhead lights and decorated in an elegant European style. The four walls were adorned with Victorian-patterned wallpaper, while the brown leather sofa gave off a warm sheen. Its golden inlays and carvings along the edges were breathtaking.

In front of the sofa stood a large classical coffee table, its surface covered in smooth black marble. A group of people gathered around it, staring blankly at the dish before them, which radiated an aura of darkness.

Raiden Mei, meanwhile, wore a bright smile, eagerly awaiting everyone's tasting of the meal she had carefully prepared.

At that moment, the group chat was frantically @-ing Qianyi.

Talulah: Qianyi, is your intel really correct? Didn't you say Mei was great at cooking? Why is my intuition telling me that if I dare eat this, I'll get a gastric perforation?

Steel Prison Big: Calm down. As I recall, Raiden Mei gradually improved her cooking by feeding Kiana. Kiana, how many times has Mei fed you?

I want to eat Mei-flavored instant noodles: Seems like only once. It was when I first met Mei and was about to starve to death. I ate her boxed lunch.

Steel Prison Big: ...

Customer Service Xiangzi is at your service: Is this really something humans can eat?

Steel Prison Big: It feels like an evil ghost that crawled up from hell has cast thousands of curses upon me, demanding my life.

Maple Sugar Commander: This thing is more terrifying than a billion murderers.

I want to eat Mei-flavored instant noodles: Is it really that exaggerated?

Child of Prophecy: Come to think of it, it was Kiana who suggested that Mei cook, right?

The moment that message was sent, countless pairs of eyes immediately focused on Kiana.

Qianyi smiled kindly. "Kiana, haven't you always been looking forward to eating food Mei made herself? Go on, eat."

"Uh, actually, I'm not really... hungry..." Kiana wanted to refuse, but when everyone's eyes collectively locked onto her and silently pushed the food toward her, cold sweat streamed down her back. Mei, meanwhile, looked at her with eager anticipation, longing for praise.

What should she do? Did she really have to eat this thing?