Bustling streets, couples radiating the sickly sweet scent of love, frolicking children—overnight, the city seemed to have regained its usual atmosphere.
Yet, among the crowd, besides those genuinely cheering and celebrating, there were also those with ulterior motives and others filled with worry.
Mei navigated the sea of people alone, hoping to find a certain white-haired girl. Pushed and shoved by the crowd, the black-haired girl was squeezed to the side of a teahouse—
"Kiana?!"
Raiden Mei's eyes lit up with surprise as she spotted a white-haired girl sitting at a teahouse table with her back to her. The girl was currently fiddling with her chopsticks, poking at the xiaolongbao in front of her as if they were a knife and fork, trying to figure out the proper way to use these distinctly Shenzhou utensils.
"You are...?"
Drawn by the shout, the girl temporarily set down the two bamboo sticks in her hand and turned to look at the Valkyrie behind her. Her azure eyes scrutinized Raiden Mei...
The latter's surprised expression faltered after seeing the girl's face clearly. The smile on her face became difficult to maintain, replaced by disappointment. Then, as if struck by a thought, hope rekindled...
"Excuse me, Miss Valkyrie, you must be from the Kaslana family, right...?"
Though it was a question, Mei spoke with a tone of certainty as she looked at the woman before her.
"...What do you want?"
Imhotep neither denied nor directly answered Raiden Mei's question, instead posing one of her own...
"I wanted to ask, have you seen a girl with white hair and blue eyes, just like you?"
Raiden Mei's question was laced with obvious anxiety and worry.
"I have. What about it?"
The white-haired girl's brief reply plunged Raiden Mei into immense joy. She eagerly pressed on, desperate to know Kiana's whereabouts...
"Do you know where she went, or where Kiana is staying now...?!"
Raiden Mei's tone grew increasingly urgent and anxious.
"I don't know..."
Imhotep uttered the lie without a change in expression...
"I only know where she's been staying recently. But if you're asking where she is right now, I have no idea... Maybe she's on some rooftop, flicking her cape and taking selfies?"
"..."
Raiden Mei's face, which had just lit up with joy again, dimmed once more...
"I see... Sorry to bother you..."
The purple-haired passerby turned, dejected, and walked back toward the crowd... But Imhotep's voice sounded behind her again...
"I don't know what you want with her, Schicksal Valkyrie..."
"But you are too weak... so weak that you'll be easily swept away by the tides of history... Valkyrie Raiden Mei, I know you, I recognize you... the Third Herrscher of this era... or rather, the unawakened Third Herrscher."
"The person you seek is a Herrscher, a complete Herrscher who loves humanity and the world, and fights for them... a powerhouse destined to leave a profound mark on the history of civilization..."
"Whatever you wish to do, Valkyrie Raiden Mei... whether it's seeking revenge against the Honkai, or following in the footsteps of that Kiana Kaslana you mentioned..."
"Those are privileges reserved for the strong... and as a weakling..."
"You'll only become her burden, slowing her pace... even if she holds no resentment and gladly accepts it..."
"And what about yourself?"
"You are too weak... Third Herrscher. You are unwilling to accept that power, you fear that power, and so the gap between you and her grows ever wider..."
"When she needs only take a single, light step, while you must exhaust all your strength just to keep up..."
"What will you use to catch her then... so-called love?"
Imhotep, who seemed to have finally mastered the correct way to use chopsticks, skewered the soup dumplings from the steamer one by one, mimicking a candied hawthorn skewer as she brought them to her mouth.
"That kind of ethereal, formless concept can bridge the gap between two people's relationship... but only the relationship itself... A substantial difference in power cannot be filled by such things."
Hearing the girl's lament-like words, Raiden Mei stopped... She looked back at the white-haired girl skewering soup dumplings with her chopsticks, temporarily ignoring her textbook-perfect misuse of the utensils, and said to Imhotep with unwavering determination:
"I will find Kiana. On this point alone, I will not give up!"
"Heh... Mere determination is meaningless. You will soon understand, Valkyrie Raiden Mei. That abyss-like gap in strength..."
"Go on, keep making excuses for your cowardice and fear of power."
"I will wait for you... until you are torn to shreds by cruel, merciless reality, until your laughable, naive resolve shatters and is truly reforged into true determination..."
"Then, I will tell you how to obtain the power you desire... No, when you truly make your resolve, you won't need our help. You will be able to obtain that power on your own..."
Imhotep's mocking words caught up to the departing Raiden Mei, causing her to falter for a moment before quickening her pace.
"Who were you talking to...? And is that how you're supposed to use chopsticks???"
Carrying a plate of Shenzhou specialty pastries, Kyuusyou returned to Imhotep's side, her mouth twitching as she glanced at the soup dumpling skewer in Imhotep's hand and the figure disappearing into the crowd.
"Isn't this how you do it?"
Lifting the soup dumpling skewer to examine it, the white-haired girl seemed to find nothing wrong.
"I think I understand why Rita never makes you certain Shenzhou specialty dishes... You're using chopsticks like a fork, aren't you... And that figure just now, if I'm not mistaken, that was Raiden Mei, right?"
"Ah, yes. A... hmm... a coward?"
"It's still too early for her to accept the Third Herrscher's true power, Imhotep."
Using chopsticks, Kyuusyou picked up a piece of char siu to demonstrate the correct technique, then popped it into her partner's mouth when she opened it expectantly...
The latter squinted her eyes in satisfaction, chewing the food in her mouth and mumbling indistinctly, "It's not like I'm rushing her... It's just that Kiana keeps muttering about how weak Mei is, and how if she went out herself, what would happen if Raiden Mei got bullied by Honkai Beasts or other Herrschers when she's alone..."