The information so far was that the other party wore a ridiculous comedic mask that practically begged to be punched. Their known abilities included plant manipulation, telekinesis, and energy projectile attacks.
As for why using those abilities had not triggered the warning from the watch on his wrist specifically designed to detect Honkai Energy, that meant the other party was not using Honkai Energy. Yet they had taken away the Honkai Messenger who had caused the incident earlier.
"Ugh..."
There were two factions within the Cultivator Association. One believed that Honkai Messengers were also an important force in humanity's fight against Honkai Beasts, a force that could be united with them. The other believed that Honkai Messengers were fundamentally part of Honkai's open scheme to erode human civilization. Although becoming a Honkai Messenger was not their choice, and although they were innocent, like patients infected by a plague, they could only be sacrificed for humanity's greater good. Otherwise, Honkai would grow ever stronger and might even produce the legendary ultimate weapon of Honkai—the Herrscher.
Thinking of that gave Midou Ban a headache. What he hated most was this sort of conflict of interests, but as Changkong City's guardian, he could not avoid it.
"Forget it. I'll just report the truth and let those big shots argue until their heads hurt."
Mo Yi's Home
In Mo Yi's room, the tiled floor suddenly rippled like water. Mo Yi's hand emerged from it, pressed against the still-solid floor, and he sprang out.
"Finally back."
It was his first time fighting so intensely in reality and using his abilities. Once Mo Yi returned safely to his room, exhaustion immediately washed over him. The moment he saw the bed beside him, he wanted to leap onto it and sleep until noon tomorrow.
Unfortunately, there was still plenty to sort out tonight—for instance, Theresa, who had come to his home.
Although Mo Yi had gained some understanding of Moonlit Theresa through the Honkai Impact 3rd game, this clearly did not resemble the original plot anymore. If he blindly trusted the game's storyline, he would not even know how he died.
He had promised to send her home, so he would send her home. Besides, it was necessary to learn more about the situation and gather information.
After all, Theresa's appearance would inevitably involve the unavoidable mastermind of the Honkai World—Schicksal's leading figure, Otto Apocalypse.
Gathering intelligence on someone who might become the final boss and mastermind was obviously more beneficial than harmful.
Besides, he had promised Her Highness the Princess that he would play games with her after coming back. He had not sworn an oath, but a man had to keep his word. That was one of Mo Yi's basic principles.
If he said they were racing on Mount Akina tonight, then even if his kidneys hurt, he had to get the car going.
A man could not say he could not do it!
Mo Yi first opened Eien-tei Online and sent Her Highness the Princess a message, telling her that he had finished his business and returned home, so she did not need to worry. However, he still had some loose ends to deal with and would come online later.
Then he opened the door, headed into the living room, and saw Kiana and Theresa on the sofa.
The table was covered in all kinds of snack bags: opened bags of chips, happy water with their caps left off, and cakes reduced to crumbs.
Kiana was half-reclining on the sofa, one hand rubbing her rounded, overstuffed belly, which looked as though she were several months pregnant, while the other held an ice cream. She licked it with a blissful expression.
Just from the mess on the table, Mo Yi knew that Kiana had nearly wiped out his food stores!
As for Theresa, she sat on another sofa with her knees hugged to her chest, like an adorable little cat, licking her ice cream in small bites.
She did not look the least bit nervous or uneasy about having gone to a stranger's home. In that respect, Kiana had indeed followed Mo Yi's instructions.
Still, he could not praise Kiana for this. Otherwise, would she not think she could just open the refrigerator whenever she wanted next time?
Mo Yi stepped out of his room and shouted helplessly:
"Kiana—"
Kiana, engrossed in her after-meal dessert, jolted at Mo Yi's sudden shout. She nearly lost her grip on the ice cream, hurriedly activated Void Space, caught it before it hit the floor, and swallowed it in two bites. Then she looked at Mo Yi with a serious expression and said, "Mo Yi, you're finally back! That's great!"
"I was worried sick about you—"
Mo Yi: "..."
If you licked the ice cream off the corner of your mouth first, I might try believing you once, Kiana.
"But you seem pretty happy licking it—"
As he spoke, Mo Yi pointed at the corner of Kiana's mouth.
Realizing what he meant, Kiana quickly stuck out her little tongue and licked the ice cream off her lips. It was obviously a classic fanservice scene, yet Mo Yi felt absolutely nothing. He did not have any bold thoughts whatsoever.
PS: When I watched One-Punch Man and saw Saitama destroy the meteorite and save the city, only to be blamed by people afterward, I felt an indescribable sense of frustration and anger. But wouldn't things like that happen in reality too? If Saitama were as impossibly handsome as Amai Mask, threw out dazzling special effects, shouted cool attack names, and knew how to promote and package himself, how could things have turned out like this?
This book takes a humorous, comedic route. A lot of what is said is self-mockery and banter, so I hope everyone will not take it too seriously. Just have a laugh and let it go.
Theresa Stays the Night
"It was precisely because I was worried about you that I needed food to distract myself from my anxiety—"
Kiana could occasionally be extremely clever, saying things that even Mo Yi found perfectly reasonable and impossible to refute, just like now.
"Besides, if I didn't eat any, Theresa would think I put something in the food."
Kiana explained as though her reasoning were utterly flawless:
"That's right, Theresa opened all this stuff. I only stuffed it into my stomach so it wouldn't go to waste. Poor me, I was already full."
Theresa: "..."
Theresa, who was licking her ice cream nearby, suddenly found it no longer sweet. Did this count as taking the blame for someone else?
I may be short, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid!
After the two passed through the spatial passage, they had landed in Mo Yi's living room. The atmosphere between Kiana and Theresa had been somewhat awkward when they first came out.
No matter how carefree Kiana was, Theresa was still the terrible villain who had chased after her with a giant axe not long ago. Kiana herself was a cute girl, so she was naturally immune to Theresa's cute act. As for Theresa, she felt awkward over what had happened before. She had mistakenly believed Kiana intended to harm Mo Yi, which was why she had struck so heavily.
Theresa had the mindset of a child and was relatively simple-hearted, so she was especially clear about gratitude and grudges. If she liked someone, she liked them; if she disliked someone, she disliked them. Just like the guilt she felt toward Kiana now, it was pure and deeply sincere.
Unlike certain people who had spent too long struggling through society. They would say a single "sorry" after wronging someone, and half a day later, any sense of remorse would be gone.
"Theresa—"
Dwelling in negative emotions had never been Kiana's life philosophy. She quickly cheered up, waved at Theresa, who was standing there without moving, and smiled. "I'll show you something good. Hehe."
With that, she led the somewhat curious Theresa to the refrigerator in the living room.
The refrigerator was one of the three major forbidden zones Kiana had been expressly banned from approaching. She had long wanted to open it and see what was hidden inside.
But Mo Yi had threatened her with, "If you dare sneak food from the refrigerator, there won't be any dinner for you." Having eaten too much takeout and finally gotten to enjoy home-cooked meals filled with care, Kiana immediately gave in. She did not want to return to the pitiful days of eating takeout every day.
But this time, she was not disobeying. She had come here under Mo Yi's orders, and all of this was because of Theresa. Thinking that, Kiana's favorability toward Theresa rose slightly.
"Wow—"
After opening the refrigerator, Kiana saw an assortment of snacks. Her hands moved swiftly as she grabbed everything she liked and piled it all onto the table.
Before you continue