"Why do you care whether there are a lot of people here or not? Wouldn't it be better if there weren't? Bella landing wouldn't cause a commotion either."
"But something unusual must be going on... Is that how the saying goes?"
Shaking his head, Kaino continued, "But now that I think about it, Xiao Shi also said she slipped into the beginner division because the advanced division was too boring without anyone there... Could the officials have pulled everyone out of the advanced division?"
"Kaino... Brother, aren't there two people over there? And it looks like they're being chased by a Honkai Beast... Huh, Xiao Shi is there too?"
Blue Seele, who had been squatting nearby taking in the scenery, suddenly spoke up and pointed at a spot on the ground.
Kaino shifted his gaze over.
A rolling Honkai Beast relentlessly pursued two figures ahead of it, one red and one blue, while a humanoid creature resembling Xiao Shi stood at an intersection not far from them.
Why was Xiao Shi just standing there...?
And that rolling creature looked similar to the Ganesha he had captured yesterday, with perhaps only a difference in color. Was it the Emperor-class Honkai Beast Parvati?
Were there really that many Emperor-class Honkai Beasts in this World Bubble?
"Bella, take them somewhere to land in a moment. I'll go down and help first."
Patting Bella's back armor beneath him, Kaino took out the Heavenly Fire Pistols and leaped down.
Using the Herrscher of Wind's authority to sweep aside the gale rushing at him, Kaino took a deep breath. Using the dual pistols as a medium, he activated Sword? Rending the Void. He plummeted toward the rolling white giant at tremendous speed.
Honkai energy rapidly circulated through Kaino's body before surging into the pistols in his hands. The scorching, razor-sharp flaming guns struck Parvati squarely in the head.
The blow from above instantly halted Parvati's rolling momentum, driving its head into the asphalt and leaving it unable to rise again. The abrupt stop was so violent that a huge crack split across the ground and stretched into the distance.
...Which caused Kaino, who had flipped down from its head, to nearly stumble when he landed on it.
Fortunately, the time he had spent training martial arts with Cheng Lingshuang and Li Sushang had improved his reflexes considerably. Otherwise, that would have been utterly embarrassing.
"Liliya, Liliya, we've been saved!"
"Rozaliya, Rozaliya, we won't get eaten!"
Having just put away the Heavenly Fire Pistols, Kaino fell silent upon hearing them.
Their way of speaking reminded him of two armored creatures who had left a terrible impression on him... But these were two actual people, so they couldn't possibly be that unreliable, right?
"Ahem, are you two all right... Huh?"
Just as Kaino was about to ask about their condition, he got a clear look at the red figure and froze.
Pink hair, short stature, and a tail behind her—wasn't she exactly like the person Yae Sakura had described as the one she was looking for?
But she and that blue-haired girl seemed inseparable, didn't they? Why hadn't Yae Sakura mentioned looking for her too?
"Hmm, let me confirm something first. You're Rozaliya, right? Do you know someone named Yae Sakura?"
Unable to make sense of it, Kaino asked Rozaliya.
"Yae Sakura? Never heard of her. Is that something edible? But never mind that—thank you for saving us, big brother!"
Rozaliya blinked her watery eyes as she thanked Kaino, and the tail behind her perked up.
That tail was real?!
But then again, Rozaliya clearly matched Yae Sakura's description, yet she did not know Yae Sakura at all... Was she another similar individual from a different world?
First Seele, then Rita, then Kiana, and now her. It was as if everyone he knew lived in this city... Could it really be such a coincidence?
Every strange thing that had happened so far surfaced in Kaino's mind at once. He could not shake the feeling that there was something fishy about this World Bubble.
Liliya narrowed her eyes beside him and looked at Rozaliya with an astonished expression.
"I never thought idiot Rozaliya knew how to say thank you... Also, thank you, big brother."
"Hey, Liliya, who are you calling an idiot?!"
"Liliya didn't call anyone an idiot. Whoever gets angry is the idiot."
"Waaah, Liliya, you..."
His thoughts interrupted by the racket of two bratty children bickering, Kaino helplessly rubbed his temples, looking exhausted.
"You two, quiet... Forget it. You know Xiao Shi, right? The advanced division's evaluator."
"We do, we do! Rozaliya knows her!"
"Xiao Shi told us to come catch Honkai Beasts, but because Rozaliya is too dumb, we couldn't beat it."
"Hey, Liliya, who are you calling dumb?!"
Watching the two of them play off each other, Kaino could not help sighing.
They were more sensible than those two armored people, sure, but the way they kept drifting off topic was truly impossible to deal with.
"Oh? I heard someone calling my name?"
Xiao Shi's voice suddenly rang out near Kaino.
When Kaino turned his head, he found her standing some distance away, smiling and waving at him while her mouth kept moving.
"Oh my, who could it be? Who was talking about their good friend Xiao Shi?"
Kaino paused, a smile appearing on his face...
Then he turned and looked around.
"Hey, Xiao Shi, you have good friends? Introduce me sometime?"
As he spoke, Kaino poked Parvati's head, which was stuck in the ground, then grinned mischievously at the stunned Xiao Shi. "Is it this one?"
Xiao Shi sharply inhaled, then slowly nodded before smiling again.
And she smiled brilliantly.
"Yes, that's right! The friend I was talking about is someone who looks a lot like this ice pig!"
Kaino's smile froze. He slapped a hand over his face. "That's too much, Xiao Shi."
"You started it. Anyway, long time no see! Come on—"
Still smiling, Xiao Shi stepped forward twice and raised her right hand high.
Was she asking for a high-five?
Kaino blinked. Smiling, he stepped forward as well, preparing to respond.
"Actually, it's only been one day. Not even twenty-four hours."
"You used the Tai Xu Sword Form just now, right? Even though your weapon wasn't a sword, I could tell."
Xiao Shi lowered her raised hand to chest height, then held it out toward Kaino.
"That's my ultimate move, the kind with registered copyright. Ahem, since we're old friends, I won't charge you too much. Just 10,000 credits!"
Kaino silently withdrew his hand.
When it came to ruthlessness, she really had him beat. He was still too green.
The Final Assessment
As the two spoke, Bella circled overhead and descended.
The streets were eerily quiet now, without a single person around. Otherwise, finding a place in the city spacious enough for a dragon to land would not have been easy.
"Oh, it's Seele and the others. Wow, Captain, you came too?"
Seeing the people dismount Bella, Xiao Shi abandoned her quarrel with Kaino and hurried over to greet them.
"It's only been a day. Did you miss me, Xiao Shi?"
"If possible, I'd prefer the number of days we didn't see each other to be more than one."
The Captain rolled his eyes, his voice somewhat helpless.
"Just thinking about how we need your approval to qualify for the finals makes it feel like the credits in my pocket are in grave danger."
"Didn't I return all that money to you? Why are you still bringing it up?"
Xiao Shi shrugged carelessly. "Besides, I did it to improve your anti-fraud awareness... Look, even such an innocent, lively, adorable girl can be a scammer. Doesn't that make you more vigilant?"
"Then I really should thank you... Hiss!"
Halfway through speaking, the Captain suddenly clutched his head, his expression turning strange.
"Hey, hey, hey, I haven't even done anything. You don't need to react like that, do you?"
Xiao Shi widened her eyes, then realized something and took a step back. "Wait, you aren't trying to scam medical expenses out of me, are you?"
"Captain, where are you feeling unwell?"
Unlike a certain shameless Xiao Shi, Seele walked over to the Captain's side and asked with concern.
"It's nothing. My head hurt a little... It's fine now."
Shaking his head to indicate that Seele need not worry, the Captain then shot Xiao Shi a glare. "Do you think everyone spends all day thinking about scams like you do?"
"That's called having good anti-fraud awareness. So, how's your head? What kind of pain was it? I can help treat it. When it comes to brains, I'm quite the authority."
As she spoke, Xiao Shi patted her chest. "Don't worry, I won't charge this time!"
"It wasn't physical pain... It just felt like I'd forgotten something important. I keep feeling like something around me is wrong, but I can't put my finger on what exactly is wrong."
"Oh, then Xiao Shi can't cure that. You probably wouldn't want me probing your memories, either."
As she spoke, Xiao Shi rested a hand against her chin in thought.
"Besides, I've been having the same symptoms lately. Like, why is there no one in the advanced division... It's bored me to death."
"So you don't know why there's no one here either?"
Kaino, who had stored Parvati in a Honkai Ball, walked over and joined the conversation. "I thought the organizers had done it because they were afraid Honkai Beasts would hurt civilians, but even you, an evaluator, don't know..."
"How could it have been them? Those people are stingy about this sort of thing. Rather than evacuating civilians, they'd definitely prefer to arrange the competition zone somewhere empty. Like before... Before..."
As Xiao Shi spoke, her expression became blank. She frowned, then simply smacked her forehead and stopped thinking about it.
"Oh, forget it. Why think so much? It's so hot standing out here in the sun! Come on, come on, let's go play at the amusement park I set up. There's air conditioning there, so it's much cooler!"
"You set it up? Wasn't there already an amusement park here?"
Kaino was confused. The map in the guidebook clearly labeled this place as Seaside Amusement Park.
"There was, but why play under the blazing summer sun? Playing in air conditioning is the true meaning of life!"
"And for that very reason, I specially moved a whole bunch of fun stuff into a nearby building. I spent almost the entire day on it!"
Xiao Shi raised her chin, as though the words Praise me, praise me were written across her face.
Kaino did not spoil her mood this time. Raising his hands above his head, he clapped. "Long live the great Herrscher of Sentience!"
Unfortunately, no one else joined in, making the scene rather awkward.
Kaino opened his mouth, about to say something to ease the awkwardness, when the pink- and blue-haired girls behind him, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke.
"Xiao Shi, Xiao Shi, that Parvati got defeated! Does that mean we passed your test?"
"Rozaliya is right. Xiao Shi, can you stamp our guidebooks now?"
"How could that be? What are you two thinking?"
Xiao Shi blinked, clasping her hands behind her back and pretending to be stern.
But considering that she was wearing a swimsuit and her image as a scammer was deeply ingrained, she truly could not pull off a serious expression.
"I watched you get chased around by that Honkai Beast the entire time. If Kaino hadn't suddenly shown up, you might have given me even more work."
"Under those circumstances, you still want a stamp?"
"Huh?"
Rozaliya blinked her large watery eyes, looking unwilling. "But Xiao Shi, you only said we had to bring it here, didn't you? We completed the mission!"
"All right, all right, then let's say you completed the mission."
Xiao Shi sighed at that, crossed her arms, tilted her head, and began acting shameless.
"But I only said that this counted as completing the mission. I never said completing the mission meant you could get a stamp."
"Huh? But doesn't the guidebook say..."
"If the guidebook says it, go talk to the guidebook. I never said that."
As she spoke, Xiao Shi patted Rozaliya on the head. "All right, all right. The remaining mission is easy. All of you can do it together, and once you finish, you'll all get stamped together."
Before you continue