This Chat Group's Vibe is a Bit Off Chapter 8

"I have no grudge against you, but for some reason, you remind me a little of Koschei. So before I beat him up, I'll use you to warm up."

"Ah~, this little dress really makes you look like a Magical Girl."

"Wutina, what are you doing? Why are you taking off her skirt? Huh? You're going to whip her?"

"Calm down, Sirin."

Calm down my ass!

The Herrscher of the Void cursed furiously inside. How could someone beat her senseless while telling her to calm down?!

They were absolutely inhuman!

"You lowly—ah! I am the envoy of God, and you dare trample on God with your feet—aaaaah!!!"

Why was someone else whipping her butt?!

Damn it, Kiana! This face of mine looks exactly like yours, so why do you keep kicking me in the face?! Doesn't it hurt your heart?!

Behind them, Raiden Mei and Toyokawa Shoko watched the five of them gang up on the Herrscher of the Void in a frenzied beatdown, sinking into deep thought.

"So, what was the point of us coming here?" Shoko asked.

"I don't know. I saw them go down, so I followed them down," Raiden Mei replied immediately, her eyes utterly clear.

"You two can play some music and set the mood." Taking a moment, Qianyi handed Shoko and Mei an instrument each before returning to continue persuading Sirin.

After a moment of silence, the two decided that since they had nothing better to do, they might as well help by playing music.

With music, everyone's perseverance increased??.

The Herrscher of the Void, who might originally have only needed to endure an hour of beating, was forcibly beaten for two whole hours.

Herrscher of the Void, I'm Here to Negotiate

Two hours later.

The Herrscher of the Void, who had previously been incomparably arrogant, convinced that she was invincible and everyone else was mere trash, carrying herself like a bratty little girl, had lost all her former pride.

She now wore a placard reading "I'll never talk big again," had her mouth sealed with tape, her limbs tied up, and knelt on the ground like a queen in a defeat CG awaiting judgment.

"Guh, just kill me," the Herrscher of the Void said, delivering the classic line of a female knight.

"Calm down, Sirin. We're here to negotiate." Qianyi squatted in front of the Herrscher of the Void, keeping himself at eye level with her.

"I have nothing to discuss with you humans."

"Then after every meal, we'll come here and beat you up. If you think you were merely careless this time and will definitely get even next time, then you're dead wrong. Before beating you up, we'll have Kiana go hungry first. After you've gone several days without absorbing even a trace of Honkai Energy and become weak, we'll beat you up like crazy."

"You humans really are despicable! Shameless! Filthy! Detestable!"

Perhaps because Sirin had not received much education, the Herrscher of the Void's insults had no bite at all. They even carried the adorable air of a girl acting tsundere.

Only after the Herrscher of the Void had exhausted herself from cursing did Qianyi continue. "I know you hate Heavenly Mandate and want revenge. But can you truly succeed at getting revenge on your own?"

"I hate all humans, not just Heavenly Mandate." The Herrscher of the Void snorted coldly.

"Oh? You hate Cecilia too?"

"...She... she doesn't count." The Herrscher of the Void hesitated.

"I never experienced your pain and despair, so I have no real understanding of that horrible life. I can't sincerely comfort you, and trying to persuade you to let go of your hatred would be nothing but wishful thinking. But revenge has priorities. Compared to ordinary people, Heavenly Mandate—the ones who killed Cecilia and took everything from you—should be your first target for revenge. Don't you think so, Sirin?"

"...You humans only know how to spout sweet lies. You just want to use me anyway."

"Rather than 'use,' I prefer the word 'cooperate,' because we are equals, and both sides stand to benefit."

"Benefit? Heh, what can I gain? And what do you plan to get from me?"

"You'll gain very little: only Cecilia's resurrection and a happy family. As for what I'll gain—a story of a girl gradually finding happiness after sorrow, an interesting adventure, and perhaps a Herrscher friend?"

Qianyi had struck the Herrscher of the Void's weakness with perfect accuracy. Compared to revenge, destroying the world, or destroying humanity, what mattered most to her was the happy family she could never have and a mother's love. It mattered enough that she would give up everything, just to hear Cecilia's voice one more time.

But having once been hurt by humans, she was unwilling to believe their sweet words. Yet when she met Qianyi's unusually gray eyes, she saw a calmness and sincerity she had never encountered before. There was not the slightest trace of deception in them. It was as though he could see the deepest vulnerability and loneliness in her heart, gazing directly into her soul without reservation.

The cold walls, the defenses that had once protected her from being hurt, gradually began to loosen beneath that gaze.

The Herrscher of the Void turned her face away, refusing to meet his eyes. "Why help me, a Herrscher? Aren't humans supposed to hate Herrschers the most?"

"Because Kiana is my friend. Friends helping each other is only natural," Qianyi said matter-of-factly.

"...Heh, then aren't you afraid I'll pretend to agree, then steal her body while you aren't paying attention and destroy the world?" The Herrscher of the Void still refused to back down.

"Then I'll beat you up. I'll bring a whole group here to beat you up. And then you won't just be taking two hours of beating."

Though the Dimensional Chat Group only had six people at the moment, Qianyi believed that as time passed, its numbers would continue to grow and expand. By then, they would no longer be a small squad, but a regiment, a brigade, an army!

"...Tch."

The Herrscher of the Void's face twitched. She dissolved into light and merged into Kiana's body, while a faint blue glow entered Qianyi's body as well.

???

I am thou, thou art I.

Here, thou hast obtained a new bond.

The purpose of this bond is to shatter the prison and seek wings of rebellion.

I, Moon Mask, was bathed in winds of blessing at my birth.

To soar toward freedom, may it lend further aid...

???

A new bond was forged at that moment. What puzzled Qianyi was that the content seemed to have changed, and the voice sounded nothing like Margaret's.

Qianyi did not dwell on those details and instead asked Kiana how she felt. "So, what's it like to wield the Herrscher of the Void's power?"

At some point, Kiana's azure eyes had become heterochromatic—one brilliant gold, the other blue. An X-shaped star pattern floated within the golden eye, proof that she had gained command over part of the Herrscher of the Void's authority.

She smiled faintly and declared with confidence, "It feels better than ever. Although Sirin only gave me part of her power, strength is constantly welling up inside me. I feel like I don't even need my sister anymore. I could take down Cocolia all by myself. With the power I have now, I'm afraid only my sister can compare to me. Compare to me? Hmph, maybe I've already surpassed that sister of mine by far."

Qianyi: "..."

Kid, Tai Xu Sword God is not being handed out here.

As if she could not read the room at all, Kiana pressed on, "What do you think, Qianyi? Do you think I'm strong enough now to defeat my sister and take the title of Heavenly Mandate's strongest S-rank Valkyrie?"

Qianyi smiled in resignation. "No, I just think you're incomparably valiant, Kiana, peerless throughout all history. A mere Durandal would be nothing more than a clay chicken and pottery dog before you."

"Haha, I'm not that amazing." Kiana scratched her head sheepishly.

No, I wasn't praising you at all.

Had your intelligence dropped so low that you could not even hear sarcasm? How tragic, stupid bug.

Forget it. I'm already tired today. Time to rest.

After leaving the television world, it was already eleven fifty outside. Everyone felt tired without even discussing it.

Raiden Mei's home was luxurious, complete with a study, bathroom, gym, and everything else one could need. Yet there were only three bedrooms, which created a problem when it came to assigning sleeping arrangements.

Because Talulah's tail took up so much space, she would most likely have to sleep alone in a room or on the couch. Qianyi was male, so he needed a room to himself or would have to take the couch. Seele had to share a room with Bronya so she could keep watch over her. Three people in one room was more or less the limit, leaving Raiden Mei, Hiiragi Tina, Toyokawa Shoko, Artoria, and Kiana—five people with nowhere near enough rooms.

Thus, after a round of not particularly heated discussion and negotiation, they settled on Qianyi having a room to himself; Talulah, Artoria, and Raiden Mei sharing one room, with Talulah sleeping sideways at the edge of the bed; Hiiragi Tina, Toyokawa Shoko, and Kiana sharing another; while Seele slept on the couch and kept watch over Bronya.

Kiana protested the most fiercely, because she wanted to sleep in the same room as Mei. But Mei was clearly extraordinarily interested in Talulah, who was a dragon, and Artoria, who was a fairy.

They were fantasy species!

Fantasy species that had existed only in the novels, anime, films, and fantasies she had imagined in the past. Anyone who could resist sleeping in the same room as fantasy-species teammates and staying up half the night chatting would be God-kin.

Normally, this arrangement would not have been a problem, until...

"Ah... hahaha, Qianyi, I got kicked out. Can I crash in your room for the night?"

The white-haired little ball stood at his door, wearing a loose, ill-fitting set of pajamas. A few messy strands of hair still hung by her ears, and she looked as though she had just been jolted awake from a dream—dazed and flustered. Her cheeks were tinged with red. She did not dare meet his eyes, only lowered her head and unconsciously twisted the cuffs of her pajama sleeves, as though that could hide her embarrassment.

Qianyi merely watched her. There was not the slightest flicker of emotion or pity in his eyes at her appearance; only suspicion and disdain surfaced. Then, with a thud, he shut the door.

The next instant, a barrage of knocking erupted, accompanied by Kiana's wails and cries for help. "Don't leave me out here alone!"

The door opened again.

As soon as it did, Qianyi fixed her with a sharp look and asked evenly, "What exactly did you do?"

It was hard to imagine what unforgivable crime Kiana could have committed for Shoko and Tina to kick her out.

"Uh... can we not talk about it?" Kiana's face twitched.

"Then go sleep on a park bench." Qianyi refused without a second thought.

With Kiana's physique, let alone sleeping outside for one night, she would probably be fine even if he stuffed her into a freezer compartment overnight.

Kiana rubbed her fingers together and said softly, "Because I didn't take a shower..."

Qianyi: "...That's it?"

"Right?! I thought they were making a big deal out of nothing too. Bronya only knocked me into a trash can today, and I exercised a little more than usual. Did they really have to dislike me that much?"

"Then why didn't you wash?"

"Because I'm lazy!"

Qianyi nearly burst out laughing.

Kid, is the absurdity of you Moon types hereditary?

That reason would have sounded utterly ridiculous coming from anyone else, but on Kiana, it somehow felt perfectly reasonable.

Seeing Kiana's anxious, mournful face, with the words I'm so helpless written all over it, Qianyi softened. "Come in."

"Yay!"

Kiana rushed excitedly into Qianyi's room, moving so lightly that she nearly could not stop at the doorway. Her eyes sparkled with irrepressible delight as she leaped onto the bed and buried herself in its softness, savoring the comfort and relaxation of the moment.

Qianyi sat down on the edge of the bed and waited for Kiana to calm down before asking, "Is something wrong?"

"Was it that obvious?" Kiana sat up and faced him.

"Not showering was really a bad choice. Otherwise, while drying your hair, you could have seen that unbelievably miserable face of yours. You looked like a little white rabbit that got used by a bear to wipe its ass, then realized it had turned shit-yellow," Qianyi said.

"Was it really that obvious?" Kiana scratched her head irritably, then asked uneasily, "Before you all came in to fight the Herrscher of the Void today, did you hear... Forget it. Let's sleep."

"I heard it. The others didn't," Qianyi suddenly said.

"Y-You heard that... Well, I guess that makes sense... Um, how should I put this, haha... You guys seemed to arrive at just the right time."

The white-haired girl lowered her head, nervously clutching the hem of her clothes with both hands. Her fingertips gripped so hard they seemed ready to tear the fabric apart. Her voice trembled, every word seeming to catch in her throat, carrying a faint, barely noticeable urgency when it came out, as though she were afraid they might hear her heartbeat.

She felt like she was about to cry.

Then, all of a sudden, she heard Qianyi say, "That was incredible."

"What?"

She looked up in confusion. Two tears slid from the corners of her eyes, only for Qianyi to reach out and catch them. "If I'd run into something like what happened to you, I probably would've completely given up—or simply chosen to become the Herrscher of the Void's accomplice. But even in that situation, you still held on. That's truly incredible. Otherwise, even if I kicked Mei down and dropped her on top of you, I still wouldn't have been able to stop the Herrscher of the Void."

"Hey, what the hell do you mean by kicking Mei down?!" Kiana cried out.

"They were all anxiously gathered around the TV, and your voice didn't sound too good, so I just kicked them all down here," Qianyi said.

"Thanks." Kiana said, "Say, Qianyi... since you heard what the Herrscher of the Void said, is there anything you want to say?"

"I've never lived through the kind of awful life you did, so I can't sincerely comfort you," Qianyi said. "But Kiana, a tree can't grow everywhere. It needs fertile soil, suitable temperatures, and water. Yet most seeds fall onto barren ground. For them, even taking root and sprouting is an enormous hardship and challenge. It's a very common metaphor. I can't water you or give you the right amount of sunlight, but as your friend, I'll do everything I can to cultivate the soil you're growing in."

She couldn't change the circumstances she had been born into, but at the very least, she could offer a little help toward her growth from here on out.

Kiana was so moved that she cried. Opening her arms, tears streaming down her face, she looked at him and said, "Come on! Bro, give me a hug!"

"Alright, alright, calm down. I get how you feel, but I'm already exhausted." Qianyi looked at the tears and snot running from her face with a hint of disdain.

"That look in your eyes—you're clearly disgusted by me, aren't you?!"

"I just don't want your tears and snot getting on me." He hadn't brought any spare clothes with him.

"Wow, why are you fussier than a woman? I was even ready to let you take advantage of me. This is a beautiful girl's hug, you know."

"I was only trying to comfort you. And you're not tofu—you can only count as tofu dregs. As for a beautiful girl... do you actually think you're a beautiful girl, rather than some kind of paramecium?"

To Qianyi, Kiana saying that was no different from Otto claiming he was a professional player.