Command Center.

Back at the hotel.

"Did you notice?"

"You mean the drones following and monitoring us?"

Kiana asked back.

"As expected, you noticed too."

Seele looked at Kiana curiously and asked, "But why didn't you say anything and expose them?"

"There was no need."

Kiana shook her head. Not only had she noticed them, she had also figured out who was behind it.

Seele had appeared. How far behind could Bronya be? The strange thing she had seen at the scene of the car accident that day was probably the drone that had flown away.

"Yeah, there was no need."

Seele sighed, her expression somewhat complicated. "I really didn't expect that this matter would also involve a child affected by the disaster caused by Amatsukami back then."

"A child?"

"What? Am I wrong?"

Seele said irritably, "I'm already over twenty, okay? Is there anything wrong with saying they were children back then?"

Kiana was stunned. "Over twenty?"

It was completely impossible to tell.

"Tsk, that's all thanks to the detestable Oniification."

Seele wore an expression as if recalling something unbearable.

"Um, I think this is pretty good too."

Kiana looked at Seele and nodded as she spoke. She felt that Seele's mentality was only a good match for someone her current apparent age.

"Ugh, there's really too much I want to talk about. Why don't you come sit in my room? We can talk slowly."

"No."

Kiana refused without hesitation. "Mei is waiting for me in the room."

After her invitation was rejected, Seele fell silent for a second before finally blurting out the words she had been holding in for a long time.

"Mei again. Is Raiden Mei all you ever think about?"

She said exasperatedly, "You're so clingy. Anyone who didn't know better would think you two were dating!"

Seele thought Kiana would at least feel embarrassed and pay more attention to keeping her distance after hearing that.

Unexpectedly, Kiana did not care at all.

"I want to stay with Mei."

"...You have to go everywhere with Raiden Mei. Don't you think you're even clingier than a couple in the honeymoon phase?"

Kiana put her hands on her hips. "As long as Mei is willing, there's nothing I won't do."

Seele's expression froze.

No, wait. What did she mean by that?

There's nothing I won't do? Kiana, you really want to date Raiden Mei?

"...You like girls?"

"Yes, that's right. Is that not allowed?"

"...That's great."

Seele left in a daze, completely forgetting why she had wanted to invite Kiana to her room to talk.

"Is it really necessary to be that surprised?"

It was perfectly normal for there to be lesbians in the Honkai world, wasn't it?

Kiana looked around, then nodded firmly. This was completely normal.

If I can't find myself a wife, what's the point of transmigrating?

Without caring how great a shock her words had given Seele, Kiana returned to the room in a good mood.

"Mei, I'm back!"

"You're back already?"

Under Kiana's shameless pleading, Mei had stayed in her room instead of leaving again.

Kiana found it a little strange and glanced at the time. "It's already pretty late, isn't it?"

"But Seele just messaged me saying she wanted to talk to you alone about the Command Center."

Mei was somewhat puzzled. "Did you reach an agreement so quickly?"

74

Chapter 74: The Command Center.

"Just now?"

Kiana looked bewildered. She had just parted from Seele, and Seele had walked away in a daze after hearing what she said.

How had she managed to message Mei again?

And what was this about the Command Center?

What Command Center? The Demon Slaying Blade Masters' Command Center?

She and Seele had spent the entire day together, and Seele had not mentioned anything about the Blade Masters or the Command Center on the way back.

Putting everything else aside, Seele had only talked to her about Seele and what had happened in the Far North. She had seemed rather emotional about it.

"When did she say that?"

"More than ten minutes ago, I think."

Seeing the strange look on her face, Mei grew curious as well. "She said you were on the way back and that she wanted to talk to you alone about the news concerning the Command Center once you returned."

"She didn't talk to me about that..."

Kiana suddenly remembered Seele asking whether she wanted to go sit in her room, but she had refused without hesitation.

So she wanted to discuss serious business?

Where had Seele learned such a roundabout way of starting a conversation? If she had something to say, why not just say it?

"She probably isn't in the mood to talk to me about it now."

Kiana awkwardly took a few steps.

"Why do you say that?"

"...Seele and I went to an orphanage today, and we met a girl volunteering there. She was from the same place as Seele, and she was also an orphan affected by the disaster caused by the Kishin."

Kiana hid the words she had just used to shake Seele's heart and told Mei about meeting Seele today.

In front of Mei...

She felt a little embarrassed.

She was not afraid to talk about it in front of other people, but saying it in front of the person involved was too mushy and uncontrollable.

It would be fine if Mei accepted it.

But what if her affection had not crossed the line yet?

Then all her efforts would have gone to waste, and the loss would be devastating.

At least until she was absolutely certain, she could not say such things out loud. If she said them directly, there would be no room to turn back.

"Anyway, she's in a bad mood now."

Kiana gave a slight cough and looked at Mei. "Mei, do you know what this is about? The Command Center—could it be that the cooperation I discussed with her earlier has finally made progress?"

"It's most likely about the cooperation."

Mei could tell that Kiana had not said everything, and she found it a little strange, but she did not ask further.

"Because I fought the Whale Monster yesterday?"

"It should be because of that. I received an invitation too, asking me to go with Seele to their headquarters. They want to return Narukami to me."

Kiana felt that something was off. "...So they never intended to return Narukami to you before?"

"Ultimately, Narukami never belonged to any one person."

Mei said, "I don't intend to take Narukami back either. It doesn't belong to the shrine, and it's better for it to be completed in their hands than to be locked away."

"But Narukami has special significance to the shrine, right? If that's what you're worried about, I can help you buy it back."

The blades produced by the system were more suitable as vessels than the blades they forged themselves. At the very least, they allowed the wielder to suffer less erosion from the curse.

Mei merely shook her head.

It could be bought back, but there was no longer any need.

She would not remain at the shrine as a miko forever, and she already had a complete Resonating Blade in her hands.

"We've talked about cooperating with the Blade Masters before. Do you remember?"

"Of course I remember!"

"Good. We'll proceed according to what we discussed before. As for Honkai... you've told Seele everything you could. We can't rule out the possibility that they suspect you. If that happens..."

"I'm not someone they can mess with."

"Mm. I'll stay by your side the whole time."

They stayed in Shanhai City for several more days.

Only after that did they leave.

This time, neither Kiana nor Raiden Mei boarded a plane back to Changkong City. Instead, they went with Seele to the headquarters of the Demon Slaying Blade Masters.

It was a large base located in the southern region.

The Demon Slaying Blade Masters were an official organization backed by the combined strength of the entire nation of Izumo. They had many bases of various sizes throughout the world.

However, their headquarters in the southern region was the largest and most advanced facility, a large-scale research institute focused mainly on scientific research and logistics.

It was also the Blade Masters' wartime Command Center.

All intelligence related to the Kishin was sent here.

"So this is your base?"

"Our headquarters."

Seele led the way, speaking as she walked. "But we don't come here often."

Most of the Blade Masters were active on the front lines.

"It's huge."

And it was different from what she had imagined.

"Most of the people working here are ordinary people and researchers. They're mainly responsible for intelligence concerning the Kishin, as well as analyzing the Kishin's true nature and things like that."

"Now there's a new assignment."

Yae Sakura reminded her.

"That's right. There's a new assignment now: researching the Honkai energy that can mutate the Kishin and erode humans."

Seele felt that none of it was particularly useful. They had been researching the Kishin for more than a thousand years and still had not developed firearms specifically designed to deal with them.

They still had to hack away with blades.