Collapse, I became Duck's daughter at the start?

Bronya frowned and looked at the waitress.

Her portion was already considered small, and Rosia's was only a third of her size.

"That's for you to say."

Facing Bronya's questioning, the waitress retorted neither servile nor overbearing, her previously soft smile stiffening.

"Alright, Mama Bronya, this much is just right for me. After all, no matter how delicious something is, you can't eat too much..."

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Rosia quickly tried to smooth things over.

"..."

Bronya met the waitress's gaze again before looking away.

Her memory was excellent; the brownie cake wasn't cheap according to the menu. It was obvious the establishment was deliberately overcharging.

"Let's go, Rosia, it's about time. We should go watch a movie."

After Rosia finished her cake in small bites, Bronya took her hand and they left.

According to what the waitress had said, Rosia had visited this place quite a few times. Bronya would settle this score later.

Not long after they left, when the waitress came to clear the table, she couldn't help but say to the pastry chef who had been silent all along:

"People these days... they don't even care about their own children. I don't know what they're thinking."

"So young, and not even as sensible as her child..."

"Alright, don't disturb the other customers."

The pastry chef put away the preservation device and stored the remaining brownie cake.

"One cake lasts a week..."

"How could there be any left?"

Chapter Thirty-Two: The Best Movie in the World

The movie theater had a great atmosphere. Soon after, Kiana and Mei also arrived.

"Quack! Bronya! Me!"

The seats they had booked were two seats in each of the middle two rows.

Rosia and Bronya sat in the front two rows, meaning she had to sit with Mei.

"Do you have a problem?"

Bronya glanced back at her "kindly."

She was already in a bad mood, so her look was quite intimidating.

"Why... why are you being so serious..."

Kiana was just joking and wasn't actually upset about the seating arrangement.

"It's... it's okay, Sister Kiana."

Rosia waved her hand helplessly. She didn't know why Mama Bronya was a bit upset.

Rosia was confused by the movie's content, but because she was holding Mama Bronya's hand the entire time, she felt very secure and happy.

When they were leaving, Bronya patted Rosia's head.

"Rosia, you, Sister Mei, and that idiot Kiana go back first. I have something to take care of."

"Okay, be careful, Mama Bronya."

Rosia nodded her little head with concern.

"Yes, I will."

Bronya said earnestly.

She wanted to go to that shop and find out what was going on. If they were indeed deliberately overcharging Rosia, Bronya wouldn't hold back at all.

Even if she couldn't resort to physical means, she had countless ways to make that establishment pay.

As she passed by a coffee shop, a familiar voice called out from a lounge chair under the awning.

"Long time no see, my daughter."

"Cocolia..."

Hearing that familiar voice, Bronya stopped in her tracks, her entire gaze frozen.

"Oh? You don't even call me Mom anymore?"

Cocolia took off her sunglasses, revealing her purple eyes, and gestured to the seat opposite her.

"Long time no see, sit down and let's chat."

Listening to Cocolia, Bronya pursed her lips, her silvery-gray eyes flickering. Finally, she lowered her head and sat down.

"Raiden Mei is currently under the control of St. Freya Academy. A special device has been implanted in her body, and if..."

Seeing Cocolia staring at her without speaking for a long time, Bronya could only be the first to speak.

"I know Raiden Mei is good, but she's not important anymore..."

Bronya, interrupted by Cocolia, felt her pupils shrink slightly upon hearing her words.

"Let's talk about something more important, for example..."

Cocolia crossed her legs, gently swirled the wine glass in her hand, and finally placed it on the table with a crisp sound.

"My granddaughter, Rosia."

The coast of the Far East

A blond teenager wearing a dark green hat walked along the beach as if strolling. This place was about two hundred kilometers away from St. Freya Academy.

"Interesting, they specifically moved the equipment to the seabed to hide the leaked Honkai energy?"

Otto lightly touched the seawater with his hand and smiled.

"Unfortunately, such tricks are merely showing off in front of an expert."

Otto glanced mockingly at the seemingly ordinary tourists on the beach.

The experiments he had conducted were something Cocolia could never complete in her lifetime. The deep sea, underground, the sky, even the distant poles, all housed his laboratories.

As long as it involved Honkai energy, Otto's research had already reached a level that Anti-Entropy couldn't even dream of.

"Strange, regarding human experiments involving Honkai energy, why hasn't Welt Yang ever stopped them..."

Otto received confidential intelligence from Anti-Entropy that Amber had transferred.

If Anti-Entropy could obtain some things from the Schicksal database, then Otto naturally had ways to pry out something interesting from them.

"For a mere warlord to be able to make her do this..."

Seeing this, even Otto was a bit puzzled, but he quickly figured it out.

"Is someone supporting her in secret? Given Welt Yang's personality..."

Although he didn't yet know the fundamental reason for Cocolia's audacity, Otto had a general understanding of her.

"Heh, so that's how it is. She's really targeting Raiden Mei, who possesses a natural Stigmata hidden by Raiden Ryoma?"

Every time he came to the Far East, he could discover some small tricks, which was truly interesting.

He never expected that the cause of the Third Honkai Outbreak could be clearly understood just by investigating one person.

Otto couldn't help but admire Cocolia. Stimulating the birth of a Herrscher through emotions, although the method was crude and foolish, she had actually succeeded.

"If I'm not mistaken, her experiment should be starting soon."

After preparing for so long, Otto's interest grew.

"So sensitive to natural Stigmata... it shouldn't be..."

For some reason, Otto thought of that figure feeding a cat.

"If... she's still human..."

"I hope you will consider it, my daughter."

Cocolia looked at the silver-haired girl with a stern expression.

"I..."

In front of Cocolia, Bronya was experiencing one of her rare moments of hesitation.

"You've grown up, Bronya. You've learned to refer to yourself as 'I.' You should also understand what a mother needs to consider..."

Looking at the girl whose demeanor was gradually transforming, Cocolia shook her head, then took out a box from the side and handed it to her.

"This is a wine I've collected for a long time. I hope that the next time we meet, we can open it together as a group of four."

After handing the box to Bronya, Cocolia stood up and left.

She didn't ask for Bronya's opinion any further, because she had been stating things from the beginning, not requesting them.

Bronya sat in place, clenching her fists, her lips and teeth pressing together until blood trickled from the corners of her mouth.

"Why..."

"Why!"

Night

When Bronya returned, smelling of alcohol, the dormitory was already quiet, but the light was still on.

There was a note on the table with two cute little character icons.

One was her, and the other was Rosia.

"Mama Bronya, remember to eat dinner. The food is in the refrigerator. Just heat it up in the microwave."

Bronya clutched the note, then shakily crouched in the corner of the kitchen, her eyes red-rimmed.

"March 24th, went to the movies with Mama Bronya today, and we went to our favorite dessert shop, but Mama Bronya didn't seem very happy..."

"The world's best movie was shown in the seats right next to us."

"So happy."

Chapter 33: Because Sugar Makes People Happy

"Such a strong smell of alcohol... Did Ms. Himeko drink in the living room again yesterday?"

When Kiana woke up, she was hit by a strong alcoholic scent the moment she opened the door.

She had gone to bed early yesterday, so today she was unusually awake before Mei.

"Rosia? What are you doing?"

Seeing the girl standing on a small kitchen stool, Kiana curiously peeked her head in.

"Mama Bronya seemed drunk last night, so I'm making a hangover soup. Otherwise, if she wakes up in the morning, Mama's head will hurt a lot."

Rosia said with a serious expression.