Honkai Impact: Grandma Pine Sparrow is still chasing me!

Chapter 386 Dream 1 Heart

"Seele, aren't you going to explain yourself?"

After dealing with the paramecium that clearly wanted to kill him, Qiong gently touched the bloodstain on his lips, staring at the slightly trembling Seele, waiting for an explanation—after all, Qiong was also a victim. To him, everything was so inexplicable.

"Seele, tell Bronya what's going on?"

Faced with her sister Bronya's questioning, Seele—or rather, White Seele—shrank into the blankets.

"No! It's not Seele! It's..."

Deep within his heart, on the beach, Kuroki paced back and forth anxiously.

It's all that idiot's fault! Who told him to...?

In her mind's eye, Kuroki gritted her teeth, while the girl under the covers waited for her other self to explain, but she couldn't bring herself to say it...

So, why is that?

Seele was speechless for a moment. If Black Seele didn't help, she would hide inside and push her out.

Seeing that Seele remained silent, Kiana crossed her arms and began her attack on Sora.

"Hey, Gray Fur, you didn't do anything bad to Seele, did you?"

Bronya's expression was calm, but the fact that her heavily armored bunny was rubbing its hands together suggested that she was not at peace.

"Idiot Kiana, judging from the current situation, it should be..."

Bronya paused, glanced at Kiana who was completely absorbed in her own thoughts, and at the gray-haired girl who was explaining things to Mei with both hands and feet, and then at her younger sister who wouldn't even show her head, before she managed to come up with a preliminary conclusion: "Seele's night raid on Sora"...

"It must be a misunderstanding."

"Mei, I didn't, I really didn't! I just told Seele a few stories and then went to sleep! It was a complete accident! You can ask Bronya if you don't believe me! Bronya and I were just discussing when to give you the gift I prepared!"

"A gift for Mei? Bronya?"

Kiana quickly picked up on the keywords and looked at Bronya for confirmation, to which the latter quickly gave an affirmative reply.

"Yes, Brother Qiong is indeed discussing with Bronya when to give the gift he prepared to Sister Mei."

"Oh, a gift for me?"

Kiana sensed something was wrong when she realized Mei's attention had been diverted.

No! This isn't right! We're going to be fooled by that dead gray hair!

"Mei, forget about gifts for now! Think about it, why is Seele here?"

Kiana's words drew Mei's attention back: "Yeah, what's Seele doing here?"

"Let Qiong and Xi'er explain things clearly first."

With Seele, who had a guilty conscience, out of the question for the time being, the three of them turned their attention to Qiong. Qiong, who had nothing to hide, calmed down after her initial panic and began to defend herself.

"Before going to sleep, Seele hugged Houmu and said she wanted me to tell her a story... I really did tell Seele a story, and then I fell asleep while I was telling it! I didn't know anything in my dreams... Uncle Siegfried can vouch for me, I'm a restless sleeper!"

Kiana was not convinced by Sora's explanation.

"You filthy bastard, I've heard that you kicked your dad, but you didn't hug him, did you? And my stinky dad didn't bite your lip, did he?"

"How can that be the same? When I slept with that old man, I dreamt that Rita, that slut maid, was trying to poison me with Durandal's cooking, and... well, it was a nightmare!"

Kiana was stunned by Qiong's confident and eloquent manner: although she felt that what Qiong said made no sense, she couldn't quite put her finger on why.

“It was different just now. I just dreamt of a competition that was held a long time ago, and I was winning the championship while holding my piggy bank—you can think of it as a black and white pet pig.”

"Dead Gray Hair, you've raised pigs? And even participated in pet competitions with them?"

Kiana and the other two were stunned by the sheer absurdity of Qiong's story and his outrageous past. Even Kiana, who was the most eager to confront him, had her attention diverted by the "pig."

"You can't say that. Although piggy banks are made of pigs, they are small and cute animals. If I remember correctly, many people over there regard them as symbols of wealth and good luck—"

【pig?】

Seele peeked out from under the covers. When the four of them looked at her, her face was flushed and she looked like she was about to explode.

Does Brother Qiong think Seele is less than a pig?!

"You are...Seele?"

Seele's change in attitude was so drastic it was impossible to ignore. Her once azure eyes turned red, and she roared at Qiong through gritted teeth. Qiong immediately realized that Black Seele had logged in... It was possible that Black Seele was behind all of this!

"Brother Qiong, come here for a second."

"Ok?"

Before the operation, Bronya pulled him to the other side of the room.

"Brother Qiong, what exactly did you do? Bronya has never seen Seele get angry at anyone before. Your words shouldn't have angered Seele at all..."

P.S.: Except for Anzu, but even then she usually runs away crying.

After glancing at Hei hope who was glaring at them, Qiong bent down and whispered in Bronya's ear.

"How should I know? Bronya, it's not my fault! It really isn't my fault, it's all... never mind, what do you suggest we do?"

"Based on Bronya's experience, it will be fine in a few days. Or, you can go and buy some blueberry cakes for Seele in the next few days."

What? He actually has to pay for the cake? His wallet has shrunk considerably since he ordered that knife from Uncle Yang! And he still has to support Xiao Xing... Thinking of this, Qiong shook his head decisively—at least for the next few days, until the A-rank Valkyrie's allowance is issued, all he cares about is money.

"Cake? But Bronya, it wasn't my fault! Seele even bit me, how can it be my fault and I have to make it up to her? Don't you agree?"

Bronya: ...

Bronya gave Sora a look, letting him figure it out himself, and at the same time, she felt relieved.

Qiong's refusal to buy a cake to appease Xi'er proves that Qiong is truly keeping her promise... It seems there's no need to break Qiong's legs with Heavy Bunny.

As for Seele, she'll just buy her a few cakes in Sora's name. Seele's gotten older now, so it's understandable that she might do something irrational now and then. As long as she apologizes to Mei and Sora on Seele's behalf and then supervises Seele and teaches her the right values ​​and worldview, it won't be a problem.

"Sister Bronya, what are you and Brother Qiong talking about?"

Seele's eyes flashed with a bloodthirsty light, making Bronya tremble: Is this really her Seele?

"No, nothing at all. Bronya is scolding Qiong-gege and telling him to reflect on his actions! Otherwise, Bronya will break his legs! By the way, Seele, why are you..."

Before Bronya could finish speaking, Seele transformed into a blur, leaving Houmu behind and "escaping" from the room: We've already been exposed, if we don't run now, when will we?

"Seele! You idiot Kiana, go with Bronya to find Seele! There might be bad guys roaming the academy! Sora and Mei stay behind to protect the headmaster's house!"

"Bronya, I think we can bring Mei along—Hey! Let me go, let me go!"

Bronya used Heavy Bunny to forcibly kidnap Kiana—just like before, only to make room for Sora and Mei.

However, as the shouts of "Mei!" faded into the distance, Kiana wouldn't suddenly interrupt this time.

Kiana and Bronya went after Seele, leaving only Sora and Mei in the room.

"Mei, about Seele..."

Qiong looked at Mei with embarrassment. No matter what, this happened to him... It's all Siegfried's fault for not coming back so late!

However, Siegfried didn't come back so late because Raven escaped from prison, and Raven was caught by himself during the escape... No, no, no, that's Kevin's fault. If it weren't for his instructions, why would Raven come to St. Freya for no reason?

It's all Kevin's fault!

"Qiong, what are you thinking about?"

Mei, dressed in her pajamas, looked at Sora with a half-smile.

"It's all Kevin's fault."

Meiyi:?

Qiong realized her slip of the tongue and awkwardly scratched her head.

"Oh no! I mean..."

As Qiong was trying to organize his thoughts to defend himself, he suddenly remembered something he had hidden under his bed.

"Mei, wait a minute..."

Although Sora's way of changing the subject was abrupt, Mei chose to accept it.

When she chose to observe, she didn't say anything, but took everything in: it was obvious that Seele had become very concerned about Qiong for some reason. Judging from Seele's screaming and anger just now, although it was a bit incongruous, she had definitely failed... At this time, she couldn't push Qiong or be unforgiving, otherwise her position in Qiong's heart could easily be replaced by some unknown bad woman...

Don't forget, she's destined to become a Valkyrie who can grace any occasion, cook any meal, and even fight off Honkai Beasts and fox spirits! Since Qiong herself didn't betray them or cause any consequences, she shouldn't delve too deeply into it.

"This is for you!"

After rummaging around under the bed for a while, Qiong took out a long, brown gift box and presented it to Mei with both hands.

"There really is a gift for me? It wasn't something you and Bronya did for..."

Good heavens! Her boyfriend actually knew to give her gifts to make her happy?!

"Of course it's true! I wouldn't lie to you!"

Qiong waited earnestly for Mei to open the box.

"Bronya and I discussed it for a long time, looking for a suitable time to give it to you. Unexpectedly..."

Mei paused slightly, a warm feeling welling up inside her. She gently accepted the gift box, lined with deep purple velvet, inside which lay a katana. The scabbard was a deep purplish-black, with a faint halo flowing across it, the guard was purple, and above that, in the center, were three sparkling purple magatama.

"This is... a katana?"

"Yes, this knife is called 'Dream One Heart'."

As soon as Qiong finished speaking, Mei had already grasped the hilt of the sword. With a crisp sound of drawing the sword, the katana was drawn three inches from its sheath. Mei could tell that this was an unsharpened sword, but if it were carefully polished, it would definitely be a fine sword.

But Mei didn't care about her dream at all; she was only focused on how it would be a good sword once it was sharpened. More than its lethality, she was more interested in the gorgeous patterns on the blade—it was a gift from Sora! It was even more precious than the missing Dragon's Roar in a Box, because it was a gift from Sora, not a loan!

"Um, you should like it, right?"

Looking into Mei's bright eyes, Sora realized she had made the right choice; her efforts had not been in vain...

"Thank you, Sora."

When Mei looked up, her eyes shone with a brilliance more captivating than the glint of a sword.

"I really like this gift."

She gently sheathed her katana, then stepped forward and gave Sora a soft hug.

"but……"

Mei stepped back and took his hand.

"A custom-made katana like this must be expensive, right? Don't spend so much next time~ And when giving gifts to girls, maybe you could consider something more everyday? Of course, I really like this sword! Now it's time to sleep, Kiana and the others have all gone out, so let's—"

"us?"

Qiong repeated unconsciously, her Adam's apple bobbing slightly. They were all wearing pajamas now...

Mei didn't answer immediately, but instead led him toward the bedroom that belonged to Sora.

"Right now, it's just the two of us. There's no Kiana, no Bronya, and no Seele..."

Mei's voice was soft, yet it was like a bombshell dropped into the heart of the sky.

"But...but they could come back at any time, right?"

"It's okay! Let Kiana and the headmistress sleep together, we'll lie together tonight?"

The bedroom door closed gently. Mei carefully placed her dream on the bedside table, then sat on the edge of the bed and patted the spot next to her.

---------------

Yae Sakura is having trouble sleeping.

It wasn't just because Theresa ordered the hunt for Raven, but also because of her own concerns: unlike Rita's belief that Sora's heart could be easily won over, Sora had single-handedly defended against all of Theresa's "strength," "intentions," and "capital," and it would only become more difficult in the future.

But just when she was experiencing failure once again, Theresa's grandfather, the Archbishop of Destiny, was actually willing to provide her with "absolutely reliable help"?

Otto Apocalypse, that old fox who's even more cunning than her, would help her? Without even asking for anything in return?

Despite being out of touch with the times, Yae Sakura knew that what's free is often the most expensive. After much deliberation, she reluctantly refused Otto's help—reluctantly because Otto said he could guarantee a complete wedding registration service if she agreed and could be taken to a designated location by Sora (even if it involved trickery).

"What should I do...?"

Yae Sakura gazed at the starry sky and the moon to distract herself from her sense of loss... Suddenly, a rustling sound reached her ears.

"Who's there!"

"Sister Ying, it's me..."

"Seele, don't run away!"

Upon hearing the sound, Yae Sakura sheathed her katana just before drawing it.

"Seele? Bronya and... Kiana? What are you three doing out here at this hour instead of sleeping?"

----------------

Originally, because the Will of Demosis defeated the Iron Tomb in 3.7, Xi Lian was particularly happy and planned to write something about "Germany" or even "Xi, Te, Le" (a play on words, implying a different character), and then apply it to Seele to write about the well-known "500,000 Marks of Bread" trope. However, putting aside the True Ending which is neither a Happy Ending nor a Bad Ending, after doing some research, I gave up...

The figure of 500,000 is merely a dramatic device used in film and television to convey the tension of "not being able to fit it all in one cart." In the real Weimar Republic of 1923, the price of bread had already exceeded 200 billion marks, peaking at 420 billion marks…

Furthermore, there's actually a rebellion against the Lord? The English name of the King of Qiemo, Terminus, also means the end of a railway line... Well, so it really is "pioneering" corresponding to "end"?

By the way, I'd like to gather some opinions here: Because the cause and effect are reversed and the "eternity of the past" exists, Da Xilian "Demyoge" Mimi cannot (at least not in the short term) come to the protagonist's side through the attraction of the star core. At least for a long time, there will be a gap in the Memory Spirit, but because of the need for output, we have to use a Memory Spirit to fill the gap...

You guys think we should use someone? Flying Fish Ball, Ordinary Duck, even a certain bishop who just finished charging through the tree seems like a good choice (a Machine Soul is still a Soul), but...

Can you recommend a few? I'll think about it.