Happy Birthday, Xing (Part 2)

"Alright, let's continue the discussion."

After Wendy threw Apricot out, the Fire-Chasing Squad continued their meeting.

Kiana, as the captain, spoke first, "There's an old saying in Shenzhou, 'Treat the disease according to its symptoms.' Let's analyze what Xing likes first. I discovered that Xing has absolutely no resistance to sweets. How about I make him a chocolate pie?"

No sooner had she finished speaking than a katana, two scythes, and two greatswords were placed against Kiana's neck. Wendy's bowstring was already fully drawn, the cannon of the Heavy Cannon Rabbit was poised to fire, Pseudo-Judas was also hanging over her head.

"I was just joking..."

After the farce, Mei pulled out a cookbook. "When I was teaching Xing how to cook before, I noticed that he was particularly interested in Sichuan cuisine from the Shenzhou culinary tradition. Tonight, I tried making a meal of it. What do you think of the taste?"

Bronya scooped the apricot out of the water, forced her to take a bite, and then, seeing the apricot faint from the spiciness, Bronya decisively pulled away Black Seele, who wanted to try it.

"It seems we need to make some improvements." Mei pushed the dining table aside upon seeing this.

Bronya's turn. She pulled out a box of limited-edition Taixu Emperor mecha models from behind her. "Hmph, I spend the most time with Xing, so I know what he likes. Trust me, he'll be completely captivated by this!"

The girl who was peeking through the window slapped herself, forcibly suppressing the impulse in her heart.

Wendy's indignant voice came from the side. "Nonsense! I spend the most time with Brother Xing!"

Bronya didn't even turn her head, confidently saying, "Oh, so what are you planning to give Hsien?"

The lights in the base suddenly dimmed, and a spotlight shone on, revealing Wendy, dressed in a wedding gown, to everyone. "Of course it's me! I've prepared everything for the wedding, I even got the headmaster's permission, I'm just waiting for Brother Xing to come back and sign it~"

"You bastard! When did you prepare this? And you, Theresa!" Bronya was so angry she almost vomited blood, and she stopped calling the headmistress.

"Oh, I don't know anything." Theresa turned her head silently. She couldn't very well say that she had given Wendy special treatment, could she?

The girl outside the window almost fell off the ladder that the Xuanyuan Sword had turned into, but Judah managed to pull her back in time.

Yae Sakura in the Stigmata Space caught Cang Xuan Dan Zhu and made them design her wedding dress. Damn it, why didn't I think of this method before?

As Kiana and Mei desperately pulled Bronya and Wendy apart, Rita walked gracefully onto the podium. She glanced at a window, seemingly casually, and was about to speak when she suddenly sensed a deadly aura.

Fu Hua looked at her and gave her a kind and friendly smile.

"Ahem, it's like this. I've discovered that Miss Xing has great potential to be trained, I mean, trained into a maid. After this period of training, I believe everyone has noticed the changes in her. Please give me some more time, and I guarantee she will become Lord Xing's loyal maid."

Bronya looked at Xing, who was still unconscious, and gave her a meaningful smile. So, from now on, she could call her name every day?

"Is this alright, my other self?" White Seele whispered to Black Seele, while secretly glancing at a window somewhere.

"Why are you asking me? You should ask Brother Xing." Black Seele followed her gaze, her eyes full of amusement.

If you dare tell them I'm here, you're dead!

Rita, Seele, and Pardo received the message from Sin and all chose to keep it a secret.

Next, it was the teacher's turn to speak. Himeko, in her Arctic War Blade form, stepped onto the podium, winked at Theresa, and said, "Hey, Theresa, what do you think of me?"

Silly Mom and Mom Hua clenched their fists silently.

"Just kidding, how about giving him a bottle of my treasured wine? Hey, he can wait until he's an adult to drink it!" Himeko tried to explain, but Theresa kicked her away.

Fu Hua nervously walked onto the podium, her face flushed red, while Flame-Chasers, who had never backed down even in the Finality, was now hesitant.

"Class monitor, haven't you thought it through yet?" Kiana asked curiously from below the stage.

Fu Hua took a deep breath and took out a silver ornament from her bosom. "This is a longevity lock made of pure silver. In the customs of Shenzhou, children who wear this can lock their lives and prevent disease and evil spirits from invading and harming them. They can then grow up safely without any disasters."

The room fell silent. Everyone knew why Fu Hua had given her the longevity lock, and that was why they didn't want to discuss that heavy topic.

Xing, who was outside, installed a listening device on the windowsill, jumped down the ladder, covered her face, and quickly left. After running far enough away, she could no longer hold back and burst into tears.

It looked a bit funny, but it was something a child would do.

The sun dipped below the horizon, and the moon slowly rose from the other side. The girl, who had been crying incessantly, took out her Build Phone: "Hey, Sister Natasha, I'm sorry, I'll be back a little late. You can order takeout for dinner, I'm so sorry!"

Natasha, on the other end of the phone, heard the crying and was about to ask what was wrong when Xing quickly hung up, not even giving her a chance to ask.

"Luming, are you alright?" Kane, who was sitting at the bar drinking milk, heard his partner crying for the first time and was a little worried. "Was someone bullying you?"

"Probably not, the little one is probably visiting family." Natasha replied irritably, taking a swig of her drink, hoping her daughter would come back soon and not lose her virginity there.

"Luming went home?" Kane was a little surprised. "I'm a little curious about what kind of people Luming's parents are."

"The little one doesn't have parents, but she does have a silly mother who treats her like a child and a group of close friends," Natasha said slowly, swirling her wine glass and looking at her reflection in it.

"Huh?" Kane was stunned. He thought Luming hadn't mentioned the past to him because she was still wary of him. So that's why? She's such a positive and optimistic girl...

"The little one has no memory of the past. For her, she suddenly found herself in a strange place and was almost sold off. But thankfully, she met me and those friends who truly cared for her. Otherwise, she might have died somewhere long ago."

Natasha realized she had said too much and stopped talking. Kane lowered his head, looking at the milk in his glass. He seemed to understand where the maturity that Luming possessed for her age came from.

"A special Honkai Energy reaction has been detected, and its intensity is unprecedented." Little Te emerged from the basement, handing Kane the adjusted Grip Driver and Dragon Gel. "Please do not use it unless absolutely necessary. These are Master's words. Also, this enemy will be extremely powerful. Should I call Master for you?"

"Thank you, Little Te. But Luming is catching up with her family, so let her enjoy the warmth a little longer. Leave the enemy to me." Kane solemnly took the belt, took out the Dragon Fullbottle and the Build Driver, and turned to leave the bar.

Cross-Z Dragon flew over with the Build Phone in its hand. Kane threw the Tiger Bottle, which fit perfectly into the Build Phone. After a brief transformation, it became the Mechanical Creator.

'Build Driver!'

Cross-Z Dragon flew to the belt slot, automatically transformed, and then inserted the driver. Kane inserted the Dragon Fullbottle into the center of its body.

"Wake Up!" Cross-Z Dragon!"

Dark clouds loomed outside, creating a suffocating atmosphere, but Kane was oblivious, feeling instead incredibly excited.

"In Kaslana's name—"

This is the second time he has said this.

Are you ready?

"I will protect all the good things in this world! Transform!"

As if responding to his emotions, the Stigmata on his right hand and the Dragon Fullbottle on the driver simultaneously emitted a strong light, and as the deep blue half-armor merged, two illusory Dragon Wings unfurled behind him.

"Awaken from the flames! Get In Cross-Z Dragon! YEAH!"

The rain poured down, but the Dragon Knight, standing in the rain, remained completely dry. He glanced back at the illusory Dragon Wings, then at the Mechanical Creator standing beside him. "These wings... how should I put it, they're quite a surprise."

Standing in the room, Little Te said expressionlessly, "Cross-Z's current strength is more than three times that of normal. He must have unconsciously Polymerization his Stigmata power with the power of the Fullbottles."

Kane didn't think that much about it; he only knew that his power had increased to the point where he could reach that level without using the Grip Driver.

"We don't know how long this situation can last, so let's set off immediately!"

Under the gloomy sky, the Dragon Knight gripped his sword and flapped his Dragon Wings as he weaved through the torrential rain. Every now and then, bolts of lightning would streak past him, but he felt no fear, only the tension before battle and the excitement of gaining new power.

"I am now invincible!"

Note: Kamen Rider Cross-Z Burst Mode, after being amplified by Kane's emotions and empowered by the power of the Stigmata, Dragon Fullbottle can mimic some dragon forms, such as dragon head, dragon claws, Dragon Wings, and dragon tail.

In this mode, Cross-Z's power is greatly increased, but it is extremely unstable and will quickly deplete Kane's stamina and Dragon Fullbottle's energy, so it can only be used once a week.

--Happy birthday--

It took everyone a long time to recover from the silence brought on by Fu Hua. The two Seele walked onto the podium, and the Black Seele handed the microphone to the White Seele. The girl stammered, not knowing what to do.

"Keep it up. Anyway, that guy isn't here right now, so it doesn't matter what you say," Black Seele whispered in her ear.

Encouraged, Bai Xier mustered her courage and revealed the gift she wanted to give Xing: "Xier doesn't have any special talents, and I don't really know what Xing-gege likes, so Xier's gift is a greeting card that Xier made for Xing-gege. I'm sorry, Xier really doesn't know what to give..."

"It's alright, Seele," Bronya comforted her. "It's more important to the thought behind the gift than the present itself. As long as the thought is there, that's enough."

Tesla swaggered up, carrying a box, and said, "Young lady, move aside. This genius's gift is something special!"

"What is it?" Arin Sisters, who had come out to steal the spotlight, were very curious.

"Stop keeping me in suspense!" The impatient Black Seele snatched the box, opened it, and took out what was inside. "Huh, it's a can of cola?"

Everyone crowded around and saw that it was something that looked like a cola can, but unlike ordinary cola cans, this can was very exquisite in appearance and looked a lot like the head of RabbitTank Form.

"This isn't cola!" Tesla angrily snatched it back from Black Seele's hand. "This is an enhancement item I designed for Build— the Rabbit Tank SparklingBottle. Hey, what's with those faces? Is the name my genius came up with really that awful?"

"No, Doctor." Kiana shook her head and explained earnestly, "We were just marveling at how your naming was finally normal for a moment."

Tesla: "..."

Lobster Doctor placed the bottle of Bubble Rabbit Tank on the table and explained in a low voice, "This idea suddenly came to me while I was drinking cola, which is why it looks like this. When designing it, I chose the Rabbit Tank form, which has the most balanced Build stats, as the blueprint. While greatly enhancing the original abilities, I added new functions. Referring to Cross-Z Charge, the armor can generate different foam-like substances to cooperate in combat, and it can also use all the weapons in the basic form. Moreover, the safety mechanism is more complete..."

Seeing that Tesla was depressed, Kiana quickly changed the subject, "Rosalia, Liliya, what do you want to give Hsien?"

The Arin Sisters answered in unison, "A concert!"

An expected answer.

"What about Aunt Flo?" Kiana asked Theresa.

Theresa thought for a moment, "Me? I should probably put aside my work and take Little Xing out for a day."

"Huh, why this?" the crowd asked, puzzled.

Theresa recalled the happy smile on Sachi's face when they played together at HOMU Park and Golden Ocean Park, and said uncertainly, "Hmm, I don't know why, but I feel like Little Xing really craves companionship, or rather, 'love'?"

Everyone was completely confused, except for Fu Hua, who vaguely guessed what was going on.

Pardo held up the sign in dissatisfaction, "Hey, have you forgotten about us? We haven't even talked about our gifts yet!"

--Happy birthday-

St. Freya Academy wasn't quiet at night. It was still early, and everyone was doing their own thing—some were doing homework, some were training, and some were secretly taking pictures of gossip. Everyone was diligently working on their own path.

Just then, St. Freya's loudspeaker was turned on, and a female voice rang out. "Ahem, just a sound check~"

"Hmm, is there anything special on tonight?"

"I don't know, I haven't received any notification."

"Could it be a surprise from the headmaster?"

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to the broadcast.

After waiting quietly for a few seconds, an ethereal melody echoed throughout the entire St. Freya Academy.

At the Fire Moth Base One, Mei and Rita worked together to make a large cake. Kiana placed the new Moth of Fire-Chasing Squad emblem she had made on the cake base, Mei placed the amulet she made, Bronya placed the model, Wendy Bronya the clay figurines she and Sachi had made.

Himeko thought for a moment and finally placed a life-size model of the Hyperion. Fu Hua placed her polished longevity lock on it, and Pardo placed the bell she had prepared and the pure gold Fire Moth emblem that Eden had prepared on it.

Rita presented a costume she had sewn herself, packed in a box whose contents were completely unknown from the outside. Rosalia and Liliya presented a microphone and headphones.

The Seele presented birthday cards, each with a distinct handwriting style conveying their blessings for Happiness, although the Black Seele's handwriting had a slightly threatening connotation.

Theresa thought about it carefully for a while. It seemed she had given her daughter everything she could, and there was really nothing left to give her, so...

Then I won't send it!

(Smack!)

Just kidding. Theresa rummaged through her pockets one last time and sprinkled a bag of candy on the cake. Although Little Xing wasn't here and couldn't eat the cake, there's an old Shenzhou saying, "May we all live long and share the beauty of the moon, even though we are thousands of miles apart."

Just then, the melody came on the radio, and everyone looked up in confusion, wondering about its source.

In the vast starry sky

Only your back remains

The Ginga has frozen into ice.

Memories slip through tears

Imagine being able to go back to the past

It will eventually remain in my heart.

Although escaping

She disappeared in my dream.

The familiar song echoed in their ears, and Theresa and Rita both shuddered, reacting instantly. They exchanged a glance, their thoughts unspoken.

"It sounds really nice! Who's singing this?" Kiana asked curiously.

Bronya frowned. "Strange, why does this voice sound so familiar?"

Sunrise Mirage

I felt you again

The wind carries your breath

The moonlight reflected a surprise.

It turns out you never left.

Silently guarding here

Silent

Like a shadow

The singer's voice was deep and melodious, conveying his emotions and resonating with the audience.

I am no longer confused.

Longing is my only baggage.

Starlight

One of them is your wish.

The road ahead is no longer lonely and long.

Under the sky, you and I will no longer watch over each other.

Sing softly

Beside me

As the singer performed, she seemed to be thinking of her home, her voice filled with longing and reluctance. But soon, the sadness turned into a joyful tone.

"Luckily!" Kiana recognized the voice. "How do I get to the broadcasting room?"

Sunrise Mirage

I felt you again

The wind carries your breath

The moonlight reflected a surprise.

It turns out you never left.

Silently guarding here

Silent

Like a shadow

The Fire-Chasing Squad rushed to the broadcasting room without a second thought. They were both happy and angry. They were happy that the runaway child had finally returned, but angry that she hadn't said a word, just like when she left. They wondered how they would teach her a lesson!

I am no longer confused.

Longing is my only baggage.

Starlight

One of them is your wish.

The road ahead is no longer lonely and long.

Under the sky, you and I will no longer watch over each other.

Sing softly

Beside me

"Fortunate!"

Kiana kicked open the door to the broadcasting room, and a group of people rushed in, instantly filling the small room with people.

"Where? Where?" Bronya asked Kiana anxiously, her view blocked by the height difference.

Kiana remained silent, her gaze falling on the small box on the control panel that was making a sound. A tape recorder? Tsk, I was careless.

I am no longer confused.

Longing is my only baggage.

Starlight

One of them is your wish.

The road ahead is no longer lonely and long.

Under the sky, you and I will no longer watch over each other.

Sing softly

Beside me

At Fire-Chasing Squad Base One, the girl sat at the table, cutting the cake evenly according to the number of people, so that everyone, including herself, would get a share.

When Kiana and her group rushed back, all they saw was a cut cake and an empty table. Ah, there was a note on the table. "Thank you all, this was the happiest birthday I've ever had. Also, I really liked your gifts. I'm so sorry I missed Bronya's birthday, but don't worry, I'll come back to celebrate Seele's birthday with them."

The signature is a blessing.

Kiana sighed helplessly, covering her forehead. "When did this guy even get back?"

"Who knows? But when Seele's birthday comes, I'm going to settle the score with her for missing my birthday." Bronya picked up a strand of white hair from the ground and smiled.

Actually, she didn't miss it. On her birthday, Bronya received an anonymous package containing rare, HOMU that she had always wanted. The package had no sender information, but Bronya knew perfectly well who had sent it to her.

"Ha, Tsundere guy."

Author's Note—

The song Xing sang at the end was the old version of Bai Ting's "You Never Left". Personally, I prefer this version to the new one, so I chose it.

Next chapter, Bubble Rabbit Tank's first battle!