Bronya Was Adorable
After cleaning up Himeko's criminal traces, Satou Yunona sat on the sofa watching TV, deliberately turning the volume down.
She stared at the screen, but her eyes were unfocused; the girl's mind remained wandering.
A rustling, noisy sound came from above.
They must be back, she thought.
The door opened, and unsurprisingly, the three people who had said Himeko had gone out to buy groceries entered.
"Yuno, you're back already? I was thinking of making lunch before you got back. You must be tired from your journey, take a rest first, lunch will have to wait a while."
Raiden Mei neatly placed her shoes in the entryway, then walked into the room, placing the groceries she was carrying on the table as she spoke softly to Satou Yunona.
"Thank you for your help, Mei. I'm not very hungry, so you don't have to rush. Take your time." Satou Yunona handed the remote control to Bronya, who was sitting down next to her, and replied with a smile.
"Haha, Yuno might not be in a rush, but Kiana gets hungry very quickly, she might not be able to wait." Raiden Mei teased Kiana beside her with a laugh.
"Mei, really, you make me sound like a glutton," Kiana retorted, then sat down on the other side of the sofa next to Satou Yunona.
"Okay, okay, I won't say anymore. I'll go cook now." Raiden Mei looked at the three people huddled together on the sofa, and a beautiful smile naturally appeared on her lips.
Even after experiencing a rather difficult mission, Raiden Mei still thinks life at the St. Freya Academy is great.
She cherished these days.
After receiving nods of agreement from the others, Raiden Mei carried the ingredients into the kitchen.
The status of the Cook will never be shaken.
"Yuno, Yuno, you weren't injured during this mission, were you? Fighting the Honkai is very dangerous. Although I know you and Su Qing'an are strong, I'm still very worried." Kiana said seriously, carefully checking the girl's body with both hands.
Her fingertips traced a path from the girl's waist to the back of her smooth neck. Satou Yunona bit her lip, grasping the girl's small hand. A faint blush rose to her cheeks as she said, "Kiana, I'm alright, I'm not hurt."
Her feelings were complicated at this moment. In Changkong City, she was the one who did most of these things to Kiana. Kiana was much more aloof back then than she is now.
But now the roles of offense and defense seem to have reversed, with Satou Yunona becoming more aloof, while Kiana naturally takes on her previous role.
"It seems she's not injured after all." Kiana hugged the girl, inhaling the unchanged, faint fragrance of her hair, and whispered softly in her ear:
"A world in Honkai, it must be tough."
Satou Yunona was stunned.
Is it very hard? Perhaps, it really is.
Whether it's the body pushing its Pseudo-Herrscher power to near its limit, or the heart filled with tragedy and malice.
Kiana is really perceptive; she couldn't hide anything from her at all.
Or am I just too easy to read?
"Yeah, this Honkai world is so tough," she admitted.
"I see. Don't worry, Yuno. One day, I'll wipe out all that Honkai of Honkai." Kiana laughed, patted the girl's head, and earnestly stated something she knew was almost impossible.
"... Then I'll wait for Kiana to succeed, but I won't give up until then." Satou Yunona spoke her thoughts just as earnestly. To her, Kiana's words were pure and dazzling, a belief that no one would laugh at.
Because, if it were truly possible to do so.
That would be perfect.
"Hmm." Kiana answered, took a deep breath, and suddenly let go of his hand. When her azure eyes reappeared in Satou Yunona's view, they were filled with smiles. She said:
"Now that you're back, get some rest. Don't go straight into training today. To borrow the Class President's words, you need to balance work and rest."
Bronya, who had been quietly changing channels, nodded in agreement and said, "Bronya, I second that."
"Sister Yunona, your usual training volume is already abnormal enough. I suggest you rest well for the next few days so you can perform even better in the future."
"Alright, if even Bronya and Kiana say so, then I won't go today." Satou Yunona chuckled and patted Bronya's gray hair; it was rare for this child to talk so much.
"Mmm, right."
"Sister Yunona, could you do that magic trick again?"
Bronya gently tugged at the girl's sleeve, tilted her head to look at Satou Yunona, and said that her small face was exceptionally cute even without any expression. If someone who knew Bronya well could see that there was a hint of expectation in her gray eyes.
"Oh, of course!" Satou Yunona replied with a smile.
"Hmm~ what should I transform into?"
"This one will do."
She muttered to herself, then got up from the sofa and walked to the television.
Under Bronya's unwavering gaze, Satou Yunona opened her arms and waved them at her like she was coaxing a child, her fair palms empty.
"Let's begin." Satou Yunona smiled and deliberately drew out the last syllable. She slowly put her hands behind her back, and the other person's attention clearly became more focused after she said that.
"3, 2, 1." She counted down, one by one.
At the instant she counted to 1, the girl brought her hands out from behind her back. Her left hand was empty, while her right hand held a bunch of daisies with Abyss Flower.
She smiled and handed the flowers to Bronya, whose eyes were already sparkling. These were bouquets that Satou Yunona had conjured with her powers.
Her powers have been relocked and restricted; now she can only activate the lowest power level, which is probably only enough to relieve muscle fatigue and transform bouquets.
The daisy is the national flower of Italy, and in Satou Yunona's eyes, the image and symbolism of this flower are very suitable to be given to Bronya.
It symbolizes pure beauty, innocence, naivety, joy, happiness, peace, and hope.
One of the flower meanings is eternal happiness.
Its origin comes from the legend that the forest fairy Bertis transformed into a daisy, and she was a lively and happy child.
When they first met, Bronya was probably seen as a somewhat gloomy and unapproachable child. The meaning behind Satou Yunona sending this bouquet of flowers was probably a hope that she could be more lively and happy.
Bronya happily accepted the bouquet, her grey eyes shining brightly, almost like tiny stars. She said:
Bronya and Heavy Cannon Rabbit both agreed that Sister Yunona's magic had no flaws.
"Sister Yunona is actually Magical Girl, isn't she?"
Satou Yunona chuckled, waving her hand in denial of the nickname, and said:
"Oh no, it's not! It's just a regular magic trick!"
"Oh, it's just a regular magic trick," Kiana remarked, watching Satou Yunona's clumsy attempt to cover it up.
"I see." The stars in Bronya's eyes faded, and her pupils dimmed slightly, as if she were a little disappointed.
"Well, Magical Girl are very busy. Only magicians have time to perform magic for Bronya Tiāntiān," Satou Yunona gently patted her little head and continued.
"Look, the bouquet is real! Bronya can put it in a vase in her room."
"Mmm." Bronya quickly regained her composure, looking at the daisies in her hand that exuded a fresh scent, and became happy again.
Compared to the Bronya that Kiana and Raiden Mei first met, who was as mechanical and indifferent as an assassin, the current Bronya is almost no different from an ordinary child.
If Su Qing'an were to complain, in gaming terms, it would be like a wild duck being successfully tamed into a domesticated duck.
But setting aside those joking reasons, perhaps this girl's mind is just as young and immature as her age.
Her young age made her very sensitive to the pure warmth and kindness others showed her, so she gradually tried to reciprocate those feelings in the same way.
Bronya has things she feels compelled to do and obsessions she cannot shake.
But before that, she felt that everyone at the St. Freya Academy was nice, and she really liked that kind of life.
That feeling...
It felt just like being at home.
Kiana's phone vibrated, and she opened it in confusion.
I found that I had received an email.
The email was signed by Su Qing'an.