At the crack of dawn, when all was still and silent, the eastern horizon began to glow with faint wisps of light, seeping into the pale blue canopy of the sky. A new day was slowly approaching from afar.
Soon, the sun rose completely, and the city stirred to life with a growing clamor.
At this very moment, Miss Kiana was sleeping soundly in Miss Mei's apartment.
In the side bedroom of the apartment, the girl was fast asleep, wrapped in a white down duvet.
She had long since kicked the covers into a messy heap. Her arms, calves, and half a shoulder were exposed to the air. Her small, delicate feet were also uncovered, so fine and rounded they looked like works of art.
Due to certain misunderstandings, Miss Mei had spent a considerable amount of time explaining her relationship with Li Zihan to Kiana.
By the time the explanation was clear, it was already very late. Thus, Kiana had conveniently ended up staying the night in Miss Mei's apartment.
And that led to the current scene.
Click—
The sound of a door opening, ever so slightly, broke the silence. The sleeping girl's eyelids fluttered open for a moment before drooping shut again, powerless.
"Kiana, don't sleep in."
A gentle, feminine voice drifted from the doorway. The girl, wearing an apron over her loungewear, stepped into the side bedroom and walked towards the bed of a certain little slacker.
"Mei, just a little longer," the white-haired dango mumbled, clearly wanting to stay in bed. Her eyes remained closed, making one wonder if she was talking in her sleep.
Then, her duvet was yanked away.
The warmth that sapped one's fighting spirit vanished from her body, causing Miss Kiana, who had intended to sleep a little longer, to shiver violently and jolt awake.
She felt a small spark of temper flaring up, but the moment she saw Miss Mei's face, it dissipated completely. She broke into a silly grin, just like a Samoyed.
"Mei, good morning!"
"It's not early anymore, Kiana," Miss Mei sighed, having clearly checked the time.
"If you don't get up for breakfast soon, it's going to get cold."
"Let it get cold then. As long as it's food you made, Mei, I'll eat every last bite."
Having eaten her fair share of cold meals during her time wandering, Kiana yawned and curled up like a cat.
It seemed she intended to imitate a stray cat, conserving warmth by reducing her surface area, to squeeze in a little more sleep.
Standing beside her, Miss Mei watched this display. Her gaze sharpened instantly, and her voice shifted from gentle to benevolently nuclear.
"Ki—a—na—"
The slightly eerie voice rang out next to her ear, making the white-haired dango's body tremble. She forced a stiff smile and immediately leaped out of bed.
Her landing was like that of a pouncing tiger.
"Mei, I'm getting up to eat right now!"
Seeing the girl acting like a complete clown, Miss Mei had intended to put on a stern face and lecture her, but she couldn't suppress the urge to laugh. Her beautiful eyes curved into crescent moons.
Seeing Miss Mei's smiling face, Kiana grinned foolishly back.
That smile remained on her face until she saw a very familiar figure also sitting at the dining table.
"Ah Li, didn't you already leave to handle that pesky X-10 experiment?"
Miss Kiana, who had assumed today would be a private day for just her and Mei, stared at the guy sipping tea. Her bright, clear eyes went wide, and her fierce expression resembled that of a hissing kitten.
If there was one person in this world who infuriated Miss Kiana the most, it was undoubtedly Li Zihan.
This charlatan-like fellow was always speaking in riddles, twisting a simple misunderstanding into something that sounded like a secret betrothal and causing her to make a fool of herself in front of Mei for ages.
If it weren't for the fact that he helped her find her Maternal Aunt and promised to provide intel on her old man, she would have strung that bastard up and beaten him senseless!
Miss Kiana, who had already been strung up and beaten once, had conveniently forgotten the time she was tied up like a caterpillar and toyed with. She bared a set of pearly white teeth at the figure sitting at the dining table.
"I only handled some preliminary matters. It's not like I'm heading directly into the Sea of Quanta," Li Zihan said, glancing at the white-haired dango.
While he was eager to go rescue the girl and exchange notes with Kevin 'Aotian', entering the Sea of Quanta without sufficient preparation was an easy way to get killed.
Kevin 'Aotian' was no good-natured old man like Welt. If they disagreed, he would genuinely resort to violence.
"Stop messing around, Kiana," Mei said, patting the white-haired dango on the head. She stood to the side, feeling Kiana's reaction was a bit too intense.
Seemingly realizing that her behavior was indeed a little unreasonable, Miss Kiana sulkily sat down at the table.
"By the way, Zihan, is there something you came back for?"
Seeing that Kiana had become much more obedient, a small smile touched the corners of Miss Mei's lips as she turned her gaze to Li Zihan.
If she recalled correctly, Li Zihan was supposed to be very busy for the next few days.
"Mhm, I'm here to take this idiot to see her relative," Li Zihan said, pointing at Kiana.
To completely deal with Higokumaru, he planned to borrow the Oath of Judah from Theresa the Silly.
Although Theresa was silly, it was highly unlikely she would be willing to lend a top-tier Schicksal weapon to an outsider like him.
Therefore, he needed to pull in one or two people she was familiar with to close the distance.
"Who are you calling an idiot?" Kiana's eyes widened, clearly displeased with the title as she yelled.
Ever since this guy returned to Mei's side, his IQ seemed to have collapsed like a sandcastle hit by a wave.
"Hey, hey, is that any way to talk to your great benefactor?" Li Zihan grinned, retorting with a question. He had indeed done Kiana some great favors.
"The honor of the Kaslana name is weeping, you know."
"Isn't it just a few favors I owe you? If I, your lady, want to pay them back, it's just a matter of minutes!" Kiana's eyebrows shot up, indignant.
Once she paid back her debts, she would definitely tie this charlatan up like a caterpillar, force him to do the worm, and utterly humiliate him in front of Mei.
"My, aren't you impressive," the words, delivered in a deadpan tone, flowed into Miss Kiana's ears, interrupting her vision of a certain moment in the future.
"So, do you need to owe me one more favor and have me call your old man for you?" Li Zihan asked with a smile, his interest piqued.
The Anti-Entropy Conservative Faction had Siegfried's contact information. Through his connection with Raiden Ryoma, he was certain that a certain white-haired uncle, whose character had been ruined thanks to some brain-dead writing, was nearby.
After all, with someone as suspicious as him appearing by his "daughter's" side, how could he possibly not be concerned?
Kiana, who just a moment ago had been boasting about how she could pay back her debts in minutes, froze.
She... it seemed she really, really needed that.