Names and Time

Kaino 1 Age (Eight) Uprising (Five) vi:?

You were worried, so why didn't you help her up?

"Sorry, I scared you... Are you okay?"

Figuring the girl probably wasn't fishing for sympathy, Kaino hesitated slightly before stepping forward to help Seele up.

Glancing over, he noticed that the red-haired girl had merely waited nearby without approaching. Kaino couldn't help but speculate about the relationship between the two sisters.

Could they be fake sisters?

Pushing down his speculation, Kaino began to examine the girl named Seele.

She had short black-blue hair and a butterfly-shaped hair ornament on one side. She wore a somewhat revealing dark-blue short dress, while the little white jacket over it lifted her chest together with the dress. Her slender, long legs were covered in blue stockings with thin white stripes, clearly outlining the contours of her legs.

What stood out more on Seele, however, was the Stigmata on her chest. Was that why she could move freely within the Quantum Sea?

But did Stigmata always awaken on the chest?

"Um... thank you."

Seele, whom Kaino had helped up, seemed timid. Her hands were clasped against her chest, and she looked like a little kitten shrinking back in fear. She was currently raising her head slightly to look at Kaino cautiously, her sapphire-like eyes making him instinctively feel protective of her.

"My name is Seele, Seele Vollerei."

"Oh, I'm Kaino, Kaino Kaslana."

Temporarily putting aside the matter of her appearance, Kaino pointed at Seele's hands resting against her chest.

"Sorry for scaring you badly enough to get hurt. I happen to know a little healing. Do you need my help?"

Although the inversion was still ongoing, he could still squeeze out a little Honkai energy for healing.

"Hey, Seele, trusting strangers so easily isn't a good thing."

The red-eyed girl beside them started nagging again, but Seele acted as though she hadn't heard her, neither reacting nor responding.

"Then thank you, Brother Kaino."

As Seele spoke, she lowered her head shyly.

Kaino gently held Seele's wrist. A faint white mist slipped into her hand, and after a little treatment, the burn vanished without a trace.

"Eh?! That's amazing!"

Seele held her hand before her eyes and inspected it carefully, her eyes lighting up as a smile bloomed on her face.

Then, as though she had realized something, Seele lowered her head again and spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

"Ah, thank you, Brother Kaino."

"You don't have to keep thanking me. I should be thanking you for driving away that Honkai Beast. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have survived."

Kaino waved his hand, though his impression of Seele had become quite favorable.

Who could dislike a girl who was polite, adorable, soft, and called you big brother?

At the very least, she was much better than the black-and-red-haired girl beside her, who had said nothing and merely watched.

"Hmph. You dared to fall asleep so casually in the Quantum Sea. You really should thank Seele properly. Otherwise, you wouldn't even know how you died."

...Now that he thought about it, perhaps it would have been better if she had stayed silent. No wonder Seele always ignored her.

Still, she was his savior too, so he couldn't just ignore her like Seele did. Kaino sighed softly and turned toward the red-eyed girl.

"What about you? You're Seele's sister, right? What's your name?"

"Eh?"

For some reason, the red-eyed girl stared at Kaino with a stunned expression, looking somewhat at a loss.

Seele beside her also raised her head, her expression filled with disbelief.

"Brother Kaino... You can see her?"

What did that mean?

Kaino's gaze moved back and forth between the two of them, slightly confused.

Could this be one of those situations where the sister suddenly became invisible? Probably not, right?

"Brother Kaino, it's like this..."

Seele began explaining to Kaino.

Names and Time

"So, she's a consciousness within your Stigmata. That means only you can see her, while no one else can?"

Kaino sought confirmation from the two girls before him.

No, if what Seele said was true, then it should be one person and one Stigmata?

Forget it. That would be rather impolite. Better to think of them as two people.

"Yes, Brother Kaino."

Perhaps because the red-eyed girl had opened the conversation, Seele was no longer quite so nervous around Kaino.

Someone only she could see was no longer a secret she had to bury in her heart, and that seemed to bring her a sense of relief.

Especially since Kaino did not look at her strangely because of it.

"Neither Sister Bronya nor Mother Cocolia can see the other me. They only sense that something is wrong when the other me takes control of my body."

"Take control of your body?"

Kaino raised an eyebrow, surprised.

She was clearly just a consciousness within a Stigmata, yet she could affect the body's owner... Wasn't that dangerous?

He had thought his own Stigmata, which could make him pass out at crucial moments, was already absurd enough.

"Ah, th-that's not what you think, Brother Kaino."

Seele shook her head.

"I-I'm always very timid and don't dare fight others. It's the other me who helps Seele."

"And like before, when that Honkai Beast was killed, it was also the other me who helped."

"Oh, I see."

Kaino nodded and thanked red-eyed Seele.

"Thanks."

"Hmph, I only did it to protect this body. It had nothing to do with you two."

Red-eyed Seele snorted and turned her head away.

Kaino rubbed his chin. He remembered seeing this sort of personality in manga before, and it seemed rather popular with some people.

Thinking about it that way, his own Stigmata really was the more troublesome one.

"So, back to the original question. What's her name? It can't just be 'the other me,' can it?"

"Eh? Seele... Seele has never thought about that."

Seele shook her head, lowered her head, and looked apologetically at red-eyed Seele.

"I'm sorry, other me. I've never asked your name."

"Is there a name you like? If there is, tell us."

"Hah? I don't care about that kind of thing. Call me whatever you like."

Red-eyed Seele tilted her head and waved her hand, looking as though she truly did not care.

That was, if one ignored the eyes that kept glancing this way from time to time.

So she really was the type who wasn't honest with herself?

"Even so, you can't just casually choose a name. We should think about it properly."

Since she was his savior, Kaino worried that Seele would really continue calling her the other me, so he made a suggestion.

"But Seele isn't very good at naming things... How about Brother Kaino helps come up with one?"

Kaino smiled. This was something he was truly good at.

"Her eyes are red, and her hair is black and red too, so how about Little Red? It's distinctive and sounds pretty good."

"Mm... It does seem rather suitable?"

Seele hesitated slightly, then nodded with shining eyes.

"Hey! Are you two making fun of me? Is that even a name for a person?"

Little Red... No, considering that the person involved was unwilling, it was better to keep calling her red-eyed Seele.

Red-eyed Seele widened her eyes and glared over, a trace of anger on her face.

"But... but Seele really thinks it's a good name... You don't like it?"

Seele shrank back and spoke cautiously.

"Tch."

Red-eyed Seele clicked her tongue, her anger fading.

"Forget it. I'll overlook it since you didn't mean it. If I let you two name me, who knows what sort of name you'd come up with? I'll do it myself."

Red-eyed Seele crossed her arms and lowered her head in thought. Then she clapped her hands and spoke.

"I've got it. I'll just be called Seele."

Seele froze, then answered blankly, "Eh? Ah, I'm here."

"I mean I'll simply be called Seele too."

Red-eyed Seele rolled her eyes at Seele and shrugged.

"Since you don't mind letting me use the body, there shouldn't be a problem with sharing the name too, right? Or are you unwilling?"

"Ah? No, no, I'm very happy."

Seele hurriedly shook her head.

But had you considered how everyone else would feel when both of you had the same name?

"By the way, Brother Kaino. Why were you just sleeping like that when we found you?"

"Come to think of it, Seele, how did you get into the Quantum Sea? Can you get out?"

If possible, Kaino did not want to stay in the Quantum Sea for an entire week. Although talking with Seele would not be boring, staying in the real world was still better than staying in the Quantum Sea.

But after hearing Kaino's words, Seele's expression darkened.

"Seele... Seele got separated from Sister Bronya and the others because of an accident, then fell into the Quantum Sea. I can't get back now."

"So if Brother Kaino wants to return, I'm sorry, but Seele can't help you either."

"Ah, no. I can return on my own. There's just been a small accident, and I don't have enough Honkai energy right now. But after resting for a while, it'll be fine."

"Eh?"

Seele clearly had not expected Kaino to say that, and she stood there in a daze.

But while this Seele was stunned, the other Seele would not just stand there blankly. She sprang in front of Kaino, her expression tense and excited.

"You can take us out of the Quantum Sea?"

No matter which Seele it was, they were both sick to death of this dark, empty place.

They had had enough of it.

"I can, but like I said, I need some time to recover."

Kaino shrugged.

"About how long?"

"A week, maybe? It should actually be faster."

A week was the time Book of Cang Xuan had given him for a full recovery, but in truth, he did not need to fully recover before he could travel back to his own world.

This was only because he was too far from his own world. If he were closer, he could enter it directly right now.