They resolved the matter without further trouble. Kiana and Mei retraced their route home, and along the way, they also took the unlucky fellow who had passed out and still had not woken up with them.
"Mei, you still haven't answered my question, have you?"
"...It's nothing. I brought the sword because I had a feeling things would become unsettled soon, so I wanted to give it to you for self-defense."
Kiana was startled. She glanced at the young man she was dragging and exclaimed in admiration, "As expected of Mei!"
Raiden Mei's smile concealed her worry.
How many more Kishin like this were there?
Would they continue attacking people?
If Kiana encountered this kind of danger again, and she could not reach her in time...
Chapter Fifteen: Disaster-Ridden Changkong City
Raiden Mei had not thought too much about it.
All she wanted was to protect the people around her from harm. No matter what, she was only seventeen years old.
Saving the world...
That sort of thing was not part of her plans for the future.
But Mei's concern for Kiana was clearly a little unnecessary, selectively overlooking the fact that Kiana was a monster who could beat Kishin like punching bags.
"Kiana, big sister!"
As they neared Zhuohua Street, several children who had not gone home yet saw them and hurried out.
"Oh, it's you little brats."
Kiana released the young man's hand and patted the heads of the little ones.
"Were you scared?"
"Of course we weren't scared!" Xiaoji, the bravest of them all, shouted. "We weren't scared at all, right, Xiaofeng?"
The boy named Xiaofeng wore glasses. He helplessly adjusted the frames. "Your legs went weak with fear. It was the big sister beside Kiana who told us to run. Zaoxue and I had to drag you away."
"Exactly, exactly."
Xiaoji's face flushed when his friends exposed him. It was hard to tell whether he was embarrassed or angry.
"How could you do that? You promised to keep it a secret! Hmph, I won't play with you next time!"
"You think I don't know you, you little rascal?"
Kiana tapped him on the head and said, "That Giant Octopus has already been dealt with by Mei and me. But as for the river, remember to tell everyone not to go there."
Xiaoji rubbed his sore head. "Got it, got it."
After a pause, Kiana continued, "Also, for the next while, tell everyone not to go to secluded, deserted places. Buy some extra supplies to keep at home, especially medical supplies."
"Forget it. I'll tell Granny Zhuohua myself. You brats, forget what just happened and hurry home for dinner."
"Why do we have to forget? Kiana, you just killed such a huge octopus!"
"Why do you ask so many questions? This isn't something brats like you should worry about. Hurry home."
"Oh, right. Get someone to deal with this guy. It wasn't easy to save him, so don't let him die on Zhuohua Street."
After irresponsibly dumping the young man on the little ones, Kiana planned to look for Granny Zhuohua, who managed the street.
This was Izumo.
And Izumo's fate could be pieced together from Yomi's backstory.
The more people they killed, the more they were beaten back.
Every battle was a hard-won victory.
By the time they finally won, there should not have been many people left in the world. Then victorious Izumo welcomed the Black General.
Everything was swallowed up.
In the end, only Yomi survived.
Come to think of it...
"This is Changkong City, right?" Kiana suddenly turned and asked Mei.
"...Huh?" Mei nodded in confusion. "Yes. The area we're in is Changkong City, Izumo."
Kiana nodded heavily.
That name sounded ominous just from hearing it.
Honkai's Changkong City had been destroyed by the arrival of the Third Honkai. Could Izumo's Changkong City possibly be the exception?
The chances were infinitely close to zero.
As she considered the fate of Changkong Cities in other worlds, Kiana felt a sense of urgency well up inside her.
In her view, since this place was called Changkong City, it might well be destroyed because of Takemikazuchi. But Yae Sakura had taken Narukami elsewhere to subjugate Mikazuchi.
That meant Mikazuchi was not nearby.
Not in Changkong City.
"Mei, I have a feeling." Kiana grabbed the only connection she had in Changkong City and said, "The Kishin disaster may affect Changkong City."
"Affect Changkong City?"
Raiden Mei frowned slightly. She might not have believed someone else saying this, but because it was Kiana, she began thinking it over.
"Takemikazuchi."
Recalling Takemikazuchi from the promotional video, Kiana remembered that it was a dragon-shaped creature whose domain was undoubtedly the sky.
That also meant sealing it away, confining it to one area, and killing it was practically impossible.
Whether it won or lost, it might enter the area around Changkong City. After all, in the Honkai world, no Changkong City had ever been free of disasters.
There were no Herrschers, but there was Takemikazuchi!
"Kiana, what do you mean?"
"Does Changkong City have an underground air-raid shelter?"
"An underground air-raid shelter?"
This was the first time Raiden Mei had heard the term. Izumo faced external threats, and all its weapons had been created to kill Kishin. There had never been a civil war among humans.
"Are you talking about an underground Shelter?"
"Yes, that's it!"
"There is one." Raiden Mei thought for a moment and said, "Changkong City has an underground Shelter. There's one nearby."
"That's good."
Kiana sighed in relief and suggested, "I have a feeling Takemikazuchi may attack Changkong City. We need to make preparations early."
"Do you want me to notify the others?" Raiden Mei thought about it before asking.
"Can you?"
Raiden Mei had their contact information.
This was only Kiana's guess. There was no evidence at all that Takemikazuchi would come to Changkong City.
Even the information about Takemikazuchi was something Kiana claimed to have heard from other people.
But after thinking it over, Raiden Mei still nodded, staking her reputation on it. "I can."
Even if Takemikazuchi did not come, the worst outcome would be that her reputation was ruined. But if Takemikazuchi really attacked Changkong City, this could at least allow some people to survive.
Compared with the safety of an entire city, personal reputation was not something that required much thought.
Besides, this was Kiana's request.
However, the prerequisite for accomplishing this was that those people knew about Kishin. Otherwise, even if she was willing to stake her own reputation and that of the shrine to vouch for this, it might not have any useful effect.
"This should save quite a few people."
Saving everyone was unrealistic. She was not at 100% on the Finality Process, and did not possess the power to instantly kill an enemy of this level.
She would save as many as she could.
As long as she did her best, she would have no regrets.
"I'm almost home."
Noticing that she was nearly downstairs, Kiana stopped and looked at Raiden Mei.
"Won't you come up and sit at my place?"
Mei had no intention of leaving yet.
"Hm? Come sit at my place?"
Kiana was stunned. Thinking of the one-bedroom apartment she had rented after earning some money, she scratched her head awkwardly.
"Do you really want to go?"
It could not exactly be called dirty and messy, but she had not cleaned beforehand, which made her a little uneasy.
"Does Kiana not welcome me as a guest?"
"Of course not!"
Kiana took Mei's hand and said, "Then let's go! This way!"
"But first, we should find Granny Zhuohua downstairs and tell her what happened today. Have her notify everyone on Zhuohua Street to buy some extra supplies."
"I'll go with you."
After realizing earlier that she knew nothing about Kiana's relationships, Raiden Mei had developed an interest in getting to know the people around her.
Chapter Sixteen: I Absolutely Refuse!
"That's what happened."
Kiana found Granny Zhuohua on the first floor and explained the seriousness of the situation to her.
She hoped Granny Zhuohua could organize the residents of the street and get them to act, increasing their chances of surviving once danger arrived.
But this normally amiable and wise old woman refused her.
"A disaster affecting all of Changkong City..." Granny Zhuohua shook her head. "Kiana, it's fine to have everyone prepare a few more supplies, but having everyone move into the Shelter isn't realistic."
"Besides, you don't even have an exact date. If the disaster you mentioned never comes, are everyone supposed to live in the Shelter forever?"
Kiana thought for a moment and said seriously, "One month. If it's going to happen, it will definitely happen within a month. I hope everyone can take action. This concerns everyone's lives!"
"One month?" Granny Zhuohua shook her head at that and tactfully refused. "It's impossible to make everyone abandon their work and homes and move into a Shelter over an unfounded rumor."
"But if we do nothing now, it will be too late when the disaster arrives!"
Mei sighed. At its core, the old woman still did not believe what Kiana had just said. But that was understandable. After all, something like this sounded like a story. She patted Kiana, signaling that she would speak instead.
The Granny Zhuohua before Kiana was the elderly woman who came to the shrine to worship at the beginning of every month.
She happened to know her.
"You remember me, don't you?"
"You're Miss Raiden Mei, the Narukami Shrine Maiden from Narukami Shrine, aren't you? You're the one who receives me every time I go to the shrine."
"I'm willing to vouch for Kiana in the name of the shrine and the Raiden family," she said. "Everything she said is true."
After Narukami had been taken away, Raiden Mei's feelings toward the shrine had become complicated.
Hearing these words from Raiden Mei, the shrine maiden herself, Granny Zhuohua was startled and believed them to some extent. After all, Narukami Shrine had stood there for a very long time.
She was vouching in the name of the shrine.
Could Changkong City really be about to face an unprecedented disaster?
"No matter how many people are ultimately willing to believe that disaster is about to arrive, I hope you can step forward and deliver this message to the other people on the street."
From completely disbelieving them to becoming half-convinced, the old woman's age only made her even less willing to have complications added to her life. Her heart fiercely resisted the disaster they described.
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