"i! How are you?"
Looking at i who walked out from the living room, Takatsuki was surprised at first, then seeing the bath towel wrapped around her, he imdiately lowered his voice.
Oh my, if Theresa saw this, she would definitely use Judah to bash his head in.
"Shh…"
i put a finger to her lips, then quietly walked to the edge of the hot spring and stepped into it. In the faint, cool light nearby, i's face was flushed, and he didn't know if it was from the heat of the hot spring or from shyness.
"Kiana and the others have all gone back to their rooms."
i added, then subrged half her face under the water.
What are you here for? Although Takatsuki really wanted to ask that, even though he was a straight man, he wasn't an unyielding straight man.
Although she was wrapped in a bath towel and her entire body was subrged under the hot spring, Takatsuki could still see i's skin through the spring water.
Because she needed to tie up her hair for the hot spring, her nape was also very alluring under the water.
"Ahem."
Looking at i's face, which was getting redder and redder because of his gaze, Takatsuki coughed twice and slightly turned his head away: "It feels like it's been a long ti since it was just the two of us like this."
Takatsuki didn't know what prompted i to do this. It certainly wasn't for soaking in the hot spring. Although he didn't know why she didn't speak, Takatsuki had no choice but to open the topic himself.
"Mm…" Amidst Takatsuki's awkward small talk that seed to kill the conversation, i still replied. She slightly revealed her face from the water, her body subrged: "Because Kiana is always clinging to ."
Although she said this, there was no hint of complaint in i's tone.
"That's just Kiana. Even though she's the most confused herself, she can always bring vitality to others."
"Yes."
Lowering her head to look at the surface of the hot spring water: "Actually, sotis I think, how wonderful it would be if it could always be like this, just like our trip back then."
"There will be opportunities. If we travel again, where would you like to go?"
Thinking about the instance system that was currently charging, Takatsuki asked.
"There's still a chance…?"
i's tone was full of anticipation: "As long as everyone is together, anywhere is fine."
"However…"
She seed to recall sothing: "Takatsuki, what do you think of Bronya?"
"Bronya?"
Hearing i's words, Takatsuki paused: "Which aspect are you referring to?"
i pursed her lips, seemingly contemplating how to express herself. Takatsuki didn't rush her. After a while, i finally spoke: "I heard Bronya, it seems she was contacting soone nad Cocolia."
"And it seems she was reporting our situation to her…"
"Bronya was secretly contacting Cocolia and got discovered?"
Takatsuki chuckled twice. Yes, she originally contacted through a chip in her brain. After the chip was destroyed by them, she could only contact through external ans, so the possibility of being discovered was very high.
"Don't worry, i, Bronya was also deceived. In fact, she's not a bad person at all."
Takatsuki felt like he was constantly spoiling things for i. He thought a lot and realized that instead of being perfunctory, it was better to tell the truth directly.
"Bronya was once a precarious rcenary called Silver Wolf of the Urals. During an assassination mission against Cocolia, she was captured by Cocolia and then adopted into her orphanage. There, there were many other orphans adopted by Cocolia, all victims of Honkai. They all called Cocolia 'Mom'."
"At the orphanage, Bronya t a girl nad Seele and beca friends with her. Their relationship, well…"
Takatsuki thought for a mont and said: "It's probably similar to you and Kiana."
"Cocolia is a very strange and contradictory person. She loves the children, but she is also full of ambition. She wants to defeat Honkai through experints, and the subject of the experint is Bronya."
"Seele, like you, was born with a Stigmata. After learning about Cocolia's experint, she showed Cocolia her Stigmata and asked to replace Bronya in the experint. The result was that the experint failed, Seele's body turned into a quantum state, and she fell into the Quantum Sea, which is that place outside the world."
"Bronya, in order to see Seele again, voluntarily participated in the experint and entered the Quantum Sea to see Seele. Originally, she wanted to stay there and accompany Seele, but Seele was unwilling for Bronya to make such a sacrifice. She used her own power, combined with the power of the Quantum Sea, to construct Project Bunny 19C and gave it to Bronya."
"Bronya promised Seele that she would definitely rescue her, but after the experint, Bronya's emotional circuits were damaged, and her legs lost the ability to move, which is how we first saw her."
"Cocolia caused the Third Honkai and concealed it from Bronya. She deceived Bronya, saying that if she could bring back the Gem of Conquest , she could save Seele."
Takatsuki finally shook his head: "Cocolia's lies were full of holes, but Bronya believed them deeply. Perhaps she just hoped that this only hope was real."
"So that's why you then…"
i thought of Takatsuki telling them about the Quantum Sea in front of Bronya. Takatsuki nodded: "That's right, I hoped she wouldn't rely on that woman. However, originally, the three of you would beco good friends who could rely on each other. After Cocolia repeatedly used the chip to control her to do things that would harm you, Bronya herself burned the chip, completely breaking ties with her. She also rescued Seele with her own strength, and all I'm doing now is trying to accelerate this process."
"I misunderstood Bronya. I didn't expect her to be like that…"
i buried her face in the water again, seemingly blaming herself for having just doubted Bronya.
"It's not your fault, i. She is still trying to carry out Cocolia's mission. Bronya has no mother and never had a normal childhood. If you want to make it up to her, give her more care."
"Mm, I will."
Takatsuki watched i, still looking remorseful, and moved over from one end of the hot spring.
"I just gained an interesting power today. It's very suitable for running errands, doing chores, cleaning, and so on. Now that the villa is so big, I'll share so with you."
Looking at Takatsuki approaching, i didn't refuse: "What power?"
"Give your hand."
Takatsuki took i's outstretched left hand. A pink bond appeared between them, and a black substance passed through this bond into i's body.
"This is called the Shadowkhan."
Before i could ask, Takatsuki proactively said, then summoned a Shadowkhan standing in the shadows in the distance, scaring i so much that she completely subrged herself in the water.
"Haha, don't worry, they themselves have no consciousness. The Shadowkhan are aggregates of shadow energy and can be summoned through shadows. What I just shared with you is the energy for ten Shadowkhan. Because they are shadows themselves and move agilely, they can even pass through gaps that ordinary people can't."
As Takatsuki spoke, that Shadowkhan instantly darted up a tree, then drilled into a gap beneath the villa's exterior.
"They are different from a Stand; they can only understand simple commands."
"So that's how the rooms were cleaned back then?"
i poked her head out, watching the performing Shadowkhan, and suddenly thought of sothing.
"That's right, but I don't want to expose these to Hiko and Theresa, so rember to keep it a secret for , and be careful when using them. Others can't see a Stand, but anyone can see the Shadowkhan."
i nodded. Shared secrets always brought people closer.
"By the way, what is this?"
Looking at the faint pink bond, it still hadn't disappeared after the Shadowkhan's power had been transferred. This bond would not disappear unless Takatsuki actively withdrew it; at most, it would beco invisible.
"Oh, that's a new ability of my Stand. It can connect people and share power. If you ever have too much Honkai Energy in your body, you can also transfer it to , so I won't take it back."
Takatsuki kept this bond for this very reason. Although Miss Thunder Law was relatively friendly, if she had too much Honkai Energy, she might not be able to control her power.
"Oh, by the way, this ability has a very nice na."
"?"
Takatsuki looked at the confused i and said with a smile, "Love Train, connecting us through love."
As soon as the words fell, i's face instantly flushed. Takatsuki suddenly felt as if he had been electrocuted, no, he was indeed electrocuted.
Watching i, her face red, return to her room, Takatsuki waited a long ti before he could move again.
"Is this a power leak due to excessive emotional fluctuations…?"
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