A Person in Izumo, Making Honkai Great Again

"Okay, just a little bit," Kiana said, holding up her right hand in a small gesture.

"I'd already thought about how to cooperate with them and fight the Honkai together, and then there was nothing from their end."

The longer we drag this out, the more passive we become, don't you get it?

Kiana sighed deeply.

"And then there's the 500,000 Sirin mentioned."

Kiana had already planned how to spend that 500,000 in her mind, just waiting for Sirin to pay up.

The thought of the massive increase in her unarmed damage made Kiana's heart race; she felt an itch, and the more she thought about it, the less she wanted to wait.

Mei, walking over, chuckled in amusement.

After Kiana had said so much, what she was actually most anxious and concerned about was the reward Sirin had promised her.

But Sirin's situation...

It was indeed unusual.

They were probably called away by that woman, Sirin, to investigate whether the Honkai truly existed, what Honkai energy was, and what kind of future it would bring to Izumo.

Mei was also confused on the first day, but she quickly thought of the reasons why this might be happening.

Before things were clear, it wasn't a good idea to interact with Kiana, or with herself, who was clearly leaning towards Kiana.

Chapter 55: Outing

"After Takemikazuchi died, we haven't heard of any cases of Oni Gods attacking people in Changkong City."

She wanted to stretch her muscles and kill a few more Oni Gods to earn some crystals, but she had no idea where to start because she couldn't encounter any Oni Gods.

Mei had been staying at the shrine these past few days.

First, to inform the military that everything was normal recently, as they hadn't seen or heard of any suspicious cases related to Oni Gods in Changkong City.

Second, to wait for people from Sirin's side.

After waiting for three days, Mei could basically confirm that people from Sirin's side wouldn't be coming to the shrine anytime soon.

She had thought they would meet again soon and wasn't carrying any electronic devices, so Mei hadn't added Sirin's contact information.

"Yeah... no news from the Honkai either."

Kiana nodded. The system had said it was so terrifying; she thought that as soon as Takemikazuchi died, the Honkai would erupt everywhere in Izumo.

But after a few days, nothing had happened; everything was calm and peaceful.

It was as if what her status panel said was a lie.

If she couldn't feel that the concentration of Honkai energy had indeed increased, and that Mei's strength had become stronger, she would suspect a panel error.

But on second thought.

Izumo didn't have any Herrschers, nor did it have powerful Honkai Beasts. The increase in Honkai energy wasn't on an extreme scale, so it was normal for there to be no significant changes in a short period.

Even in a world of Honkai, it wasn't like the Honkai was breaking out and ending the world every single day.

"No news is also good news," Mei said, walking over and sitting down beside her.

She no longer intended to wait at the shrine for the negotiators to arrive. If they truly wanted to contact her, they would have countless ways to do so.

No news after three days could only mean that they didn't want to talk to her for the time being.

Perhaps Sirin had done something.

"Shall I go for a walk with you?"

"But what if those people show up while we're gone?"

"If they really want to contact us, they have countless ways to reach us," Mei shook her head. "Staying at the shrine and waiting doesn't really serve any purpose."

"That seems to be the case."

Kiana frowned. Whether it was good or bad, regarding the Narukami Blade, was it really appropriate for those people not to come?

Was the Narukami Blade that unimportant?

It didn't make any sense.

Little did Kiana know, after Takemikazuchi's death, most of the Sword Masters had returned to their previous lives, mostly returning to their hometowns to continue hunting Oni.

And now, at the Sword Masters' command headquarters, after hearing Sirin's description of Takemikazuchi's anomaly, they began a serious investigation. As a result, they discovered a new substance had appeared in Izumo.

This completely stunned both the command post and the research department. After a brief study, they found that this new substance was even more terrifying than the corrosion of Oni Gods!

"Shall I accompany you back to Zhuohua Street?"

Mei suggested, "The residents of the underground shelter have gradually returned home, and the people of Zhuohua Street should have all gone back too."

"Back to Zhuohua Street... alright, let's go back and see Granny Zhuohua then."

Having made up her mind, and with the Honkai becoming somewhat uncontrollable, Kiana actually didn't know how to face others.

Once the decision was made, they acted.

The two quickly prepared to leave the shrine.

After Narukami was taken, the shrine suspended its business, so Raiden Mei isn't tied up with anything right now.

The previously empty streets were once again filled with pedestrians, hurrying along as if nothing had changed.

The area they were in was relatively intact, having not suffered major damage.

But as they walked...

Before they even reached Zhuohua Street, they encountered a resident who knew Mei and Kiana. This person had joined their group halfway to seek refuge at the shelter.

Upon seeing Mei, the resident became visibly excited and ran over to talk to Mei for a long time. They even insisted on giving Mei the items they had just bought, but Mei firmly refused, and the resident reluctantly departed.

--Respect, adoration, awe.

Mei saw the emotions that appeared on the resident's face when they saw her.

Amidst the resident's continuous expressions of admiration and gratitude, Kiana, unable to interject, weakly said, "Maybe we should just forget about it?"

Everyone they met on the way was like this.

If they really went to Zhuohua Street, wouldn't Mei be surrounded and treated like a deity?

That kind of thing was too terrifying.

It would be troublesome if they went and couldn't get away.

Mei rubbed her forehead. "Indeed, let's come back another time. It was my oversight, I forgot..."

"Oh, who knew they'd be so enthusiastic?" Kiana pulled Mei's hand and smiled. "It'll be the same if we come back later. Maybe in time, their reverence for you will fade with the passing of time."

"Many shops haven't reopened yet. Changkong City's supply chain might not have fully recovered either," Kiana mused, then suggested, "How about we go to the outskirts? Mei, you must want to find some targets to test your sword, right?"

"The outskirts..."

The Oni Gods that suddenly appeared in the city most likely broke in from the outskirts. The possibility of encountering Oni Gods there was indeed higher.

But the possibility wouldn't be too high.

If Oni Gods were that easy to encounter, she wouldn't have gone the past ten-plus years without seeing a single one.

Not wanting to discourage Kiana, Mei thought for a moment and recalled a place. "Speaking of the outskirts, I know a place about ten kilometers from the city with a very beautiful lake. You've been in Izumo for so long, you probably haven't properly seen the scenery of Izumo, have you?"

"Huh? Are we going on an outing now?"

Kiana was taken aback. She was definitely tempted; this was practically Mei inviting her on a date.

But the danger...

Never mind. This world had been in crisis for a thousand years; what was a day or two more?

Was she treating herself like a savior by being so tense all the time?

Kiana was startled.

Unknowingly, she had developed such a terrifying tendency. No, no, she needed to relax.

Mei wanted to explain to her that there was no need to treat tomorrow like the end of the world. "It's unlikely there will be any... during this period."

"Let's go!"

Kiana's attitude changed from hesitant to decisive as she firmly chose to go on an outing.

She shouldn't think about things beyond her capabilities, and besides, she had free time right now.

If she didn't take this chance to spend more time with Mei and go on a date, it would only become a regret later when she got busy!

"The place Mei recommended must be great. I want to go on an outing with Mei!"

Mei didn't procrastinate. She glanced at the time and said, "It's not too late yet. It won't take too much time to go there and come back."

If they encountered an Oni God on the way, then it was their bad luck. If they didn't, it would just be a perfect outing.

Chapter Fifty-Six: Is the Starry Sky Your Homeland?

A trip that started with action.

It wasn't too far from here, and before too much time had passed, Kiana and Mei arrived at their destination.

"What a large forest."

This place was probably frequented by people. The small path wasn't overgrown with weeds and led straight into the depths.

"Mei, do you think there might be an Oni God hiding here?"

Kiana, who had been wondering where those strange creatures were hiding in the deserted area, suddenly asked curiously.

"The chances are probably slim."

Mei fell half a step behind her and looked into the woods by the roadside. "There are very few reports of disappearances near Mirror Lake in the city news."

"Then where are those things hiding?"

Kiana was puzzled. "As soon as Takemikazuchi appeared, so many demons and monsters showed up in Changkong City. Where did they all come from?"

Oni Gods aren't like Honkai Beasts, and Takemikazuchi isn't a Herrscher that can trigger a chain reaction and spawn various Honkai Beasts just by appearing.

So where do these things usually hide?

"I'm not sure either," Mei shook her head. She was also a bit curious. "Perhaps I can ask Sirin next time I see her."

"I don't know how long it will take yet."

Not getting her contact information was a real miscalculation. She wouldn't make that mistake again. Next time she met someone, she'd definitely get their contact info first.

"Alright, let's relax today. Don't keep thinking about it."

Mei patted her and noticed a torii gate not far away. The scenery around it looked quite nice too, so she suggested, "How about I take some photos for you?"

"Sure!"

She'd learn what she needed to learn eventually. As for Sirin, she'd probably come looking for her within a month at most.

Since it was an answer she'd find out in the future anyway, she shouldn't waste her brain power overthinking it now.

"Can you stand here?"

Mei held her phone, adjusting the angle for the photo. Looking at Kiana's bright smile on the screen, the corners of her own lips couldn't help but curve upwards.

This was when she truly seemed like a seventeen-year-old girl.

They took pictures of everything interesting they saw along the way. A path that should have taken ten minutes ended up taking them half an hour.

--Mirror Lake.

This was the destination Mei was bringing Kiana to. The scenery was just as its name suggested, like a piece of deep blue mirror inlaid in the middle of the forest, with green grass on the sides.

This wasn't a deserted area.

Next to Mirror Lake, there were also resting pavilions and platforms for fishing.

However, the disaster had only recently subsided, and besides the two of them, no one else was in the mood to go out and have fun at a time like this.

"It's so beautiful!"

"Yeah, it's just like it used to be."