The Kaslana Family Has Changed

Crimson Kite's Wings fluttered its little wings and flew to the side of the incubator, curiously looking at its future companion. Hmm, it might taste pretty good.

"Little Crimson Kite, come here." Xing beckoned to her, and the little one immediately took two short steps and jumped into her arms. Tsk, this cushioning pad needs to be thickened.

"Luming, are you sure it's okay for you to keep a panda as a pet?" Kane's lips twitched as he looked at the panda cub she had secretly kept. Although he hadn't been here long, he knew that daring to touch such a species could land him in jail!

"It's alright. Nobody knew her mother gave birth to twins. To be honest, I didn't expect it either. I just put her down and she gave birth right away." Xing fed Crimson Kite's Wings some fruit, then put on sterilized gloves, reached into the incubator, gently touched the baby panda, and tenderly fed her milk. She confirmed that it was a female panda.

Hehe, now I can pet the national treasure every day!

"I had Little Te prepare special formula to ensure her healthy growth. I also temporarily set up professional equipment to deal with her bowel movements, changes in body temperature, and other situations to ensure everything goes smoothly." Xing looked lovingly at the panda cub lying in her palm, focused on nursing. "Grow up quickly, little one."

Kane blinked, suddenly feeling that Luming was incredibly radiant at that moment. Was it the radiance of motherhood?

"Ahem, sorry, I suddenly remembered it's time to feed her. Let's continue." Xingzheng was about to put the panda cub back into the incubator when he suddenly remembered a very important question, "I don't think I've named her yet. What should I call her?"

"Julia Kaslana!" Kane suggested enthusiastically.

Just then, Julia Saniat, who was applying for leave and had come out to find Kane, suddenly sneezed. "Achoo!"

"Let's call them Guotie, I love Guotie dumplings the most." Xing's eyes welled up with tears as she recalled the Guotie dumplings her grandmother used to make and fry for her.

If I could, I'd love to eat it again...

"Why not call it steak?" Kane, a fellow foodie, retorted.

Bang! Luckily, he threw a wrench out.

After a while--

Kane applied ice to the spot where he had been hit, winced in pain, and hissed. "Luming is great in every way, except her temper is a bit unpredictable. Why do I always get hit?"

"I'd like to ask, why does the World Serpent also have Grip Driver? Shouldn't the Knight System be equipment unique to us?"

"Oh, you mean this? Little Te, come here." Xing picked up the red-haired Armed Doll and placed it on the table, making her face Kane. "Play recording number 9."

In an instant, Kane felt a powerful gust of air sweeping towards him, the sound waves and rage it carried almost shattering his mental defenses.

"Damn it, that bastard Jackal stole my technology and still dares to show off? What's so great about a mere Grip Driver? Give me the time and money, and I can make something much better! You produce a shoddy product and still act all smug, I'm so angry..." Tesla's barrage of insults almost made Kane lose his mind.

"So that doctor was also stolen from..." Kane looked speechlessly at Little Te, who was still playing the recording. Why do you have to record yourself cursing?

Fortunately, he noticed his confusion and explained, "The doctor told me to play this recording for her after I completely defeat the Jackal, so that I can vent my anger first, and then she can come over and curse me to her heart's content."

Kane suddenly felt a sense of fear towards the doctor he had never met.

"By the way, if you ever see an emergency communication screen projected by Little Te, remember not to answer it. It's probably the Doctor calling. If she finds out I gave Cross-Z to some ignorant kid without permission, she'll give me a really bad scolding." Remembering Tesla's ability to yell at people for three hours straight without getting tired, Xing instinctively shuddered and quickly instructed Kane.

"Huh, why didn't Luming report this to her? Is that doctor a difficult person to talk to?"

"You might not believe it, but the reason I became a Build user is because when the professor was struggling with a lack of funding for his Build research, I bought this." Recalling his past of spending money like water, Xing couldn't help but sigh.

"Wow, Luming, you're so rich?! And then what?"

"And now I have no money."

Kane: "..."

Julia is right, scientific research is very expensive.

"My third question is, why does Luming want to be an idol? I don't mean to invade your privacy, I'm just a little curious."

"Well, part of it is for reasons I can't say, and another part is to hide my identity. After all, no one would associate Kamen Rider Build with an idol performing on stage. Ah, speaking of which—"

Hsing recounted to Kane what happened on the day she saved Natasha from the Jackal. Even though Night Rouge, in her Raven form, had already seen her true form at that time, why didn't the Jackal recognize her when he came to Reaven's to find Natasha later?

Of course, she didn't tell Kane that Natasha had once been a World Serpent executive. She only said that she didn't understand why the armored man hadn't come looking for her since he had seen her face, which puzzled her greatly.

"Could it be that guy is a fan of Luming?" Kane boldly guessed.

"That's impossible. I had just joined the company at that time and hadn't even filmed my first presentation video yet." Xing immediately rejected this conjecture.

"Well, then, the fourth question, Luming, I remember you told me that you were considering letting me use Cross-Z because you didn't have enough manpower. If, I mean if, we completely defeat her and thwart her evil plan in Changkong City, then—" Kane's tone was low and slow, his hand under the table clenching the Cross-Z dragon, then releasing it.

"It depends on your performance. If you prove yourself well in the upcoming battles, I'll continue to take you on. Good luck, partner. So far, you've made a good impression on me~" Sachi immediately noticed his concerns and explained with a light laugh.

Kane breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, his beautiful girl partner and transformation item were both saved!

"Well then, shouldn't I ask you a question, partner?" Sachi propped her chin up with her hands, leaned on the table, and stared intently at Kane with her heterochromatic red and blue eyes. "I'm sorry, I can't tell you about my past for the time being, but there's something I want to know about yours."

Kane paused for a moment, then tensed up.

"I'm sorry, I investigated your information in Schicksal before. Please forgive my offense, but I must make sure you don't have any other intentions. Only by always preparing for the worst can I survive longer in this Honkai world, although I haven't been able to carry out that statement completely."

Kane didn't care about that; he was just curious what Luming wanted to know.

"Kane, your performance in Schicksal is outstanding, without a single blemish. You have passed every assessment with top marks, and your interpersonal relationships are also excellent. You have not made any enemies. I am very curious why you left there, and why you don't even want to return to the Kaslana Family. Moreover, you possess the Stigmata, and your future is bright. It is probably only a matter of time before you become an S-rank Schicksal Knight."

"I may have touched on some aspects you don't want to recall, so it's okay if you don't answer. I'm just a little curious." Noticing the dark emotions in Kane's eyes, Xing added, although she knew those emotions weren't directed at her.

Kane lowered his head and remained silent for a long while before slowly speaking, "Hey, Luming, what kind of place do you think the Kaslana Family is?"

"I'm sorry, my surname Kaslana, and I have Kaslana blood in my veins, but I've never been there. As for what kind of place it is, I can't answer that, but!"

Recalling Kallen's vow, Sachi solemnly said, "The Kaslana Family is the shield of the people, and also the sharpest sword against the Honkai. We fight against the Honkai, even if it costs us our lives, we will have no regrets. Ah, I personally think this is silly, but I express my respect. This is what a senior I admire told me."

Kallen (personality fragment) in the Stigmata Space liked the first half of the sentence and disliked the second half, saying, "Who are you calling stupid? You silly girl!"

"Really? So you think so too, just like I used to." Kane looked up, noticing a familiar longing in the girl's eyes, and gave a self-deprecating smile.

"Huh?" Xing was taken aback.

"The shield of the people, the sword of Schicksal —perhaps the Kaslana Family once deserved this honor, but Luming!" Kane seemed to recall some unbearable past events, his eyes filled with sorrow, his words revealing disappointment and despair.

"It has fallen!"

—Because we are Kaslana!—

At the St. Freya Academy, Kiana found Tesla and begged her to make her an Armed Doll like Little Te, but of course, she was ruthlessly rejected by Lobster Doctor.

"Even the class monitor has one, humph, what's wrong with me wanting one?" Kiana pouted in dissatisfaction, kicking a pebble on the road to vent her anger. "That brat just left like that, all she wanted was a drink? Why is she so stingy? I don't even care that she used to be a boy, but she still cares about this. It's infuriating!"

Bang!

She kicked the pebble with all her might, and it landed right under a "tree." A man's scream rang out instantly. Sigfried clutched his crotch and stumbled out of the tree trunk, his face pale with anger. He glared at Kiana fiercely, wanting to scold her but unable to bring himself to do so, and could only complain, "Oh, my dear daughter, why do you always look like you want to murder your own father?"

"Dad? What are you doing here again? Last time Mei and I went on a date, you stood next to us like a security guard for ages. Do you know how much of a third wheel you were blocking our way? You were such an eyesore!" Kiana glared at him, then sighed helplessly. "Fine, fine, what can I do? You're my dad, aren't you? So, what do you want? Oh, by the way, did you do that thing I asked you to do last time to check on Uncle Ryoma's attitude?"

If he knew that the cabbages I was raising had eaten up the cabbages he was raising, he would definitely kill me!

Sigfried thought to himself as he earnestly said to his daughter, "Oh, my dear daughter, isn't Dad just concerned about you? By the way, where's your cousin Xing? I haven't seen him lately."

P. S.: Nobody told Sigfried that he had been turned into a girl for a long time due to an accident. Oh, it seems like he's the only one who doesn't know that Sachi can transform.

Kiana immediately became alert. She had heard gossip at school that her father had touched the butts of all the Valkyrie in the Schicksal. Who knew if he would do the same thing when he saw that seductive little sister? For Sachi's safety, it was best to keep it a secret. Anyway, she didn't know where Sachi was.

"Oh, he was taken out for special training by his aunt. What do you need him for?" Kiana made up a reason to get away with it. Sigfried breathed a sigh of relief. Since he was with Theresa, he didn't need to worry.

He solemnly warned his daughter, "Kiana, you must be careful. If anyone claiming to be a guide from the Kaslana Family approaches you and wants to take you to the Kaslana Family headquarters, you must not agree, even if they have official proof, understand?"

"A member of the Kaslana Family? Are you looking for me to return and inherit your position as patriarch?" Kiana, somewhat curious.

Seeing Kiana's bewildered expression, Sigfried couldn't help but sigh softly, patted his daughter's head, and said with a wry smile, "The Kaslana Family changed long before my generation, or even earlier..."

Author's Note—

Kane, who was fortunate enough to be dragged over to do hard labor—