Honkai Star Rail: Make Honkai Great Again Chapter 36: Who Is She?

As expected.

Kiana's expression remained calm—she had already suspected as much, so she wasn't even surprised anymore.

She'd t Yae Sakura just yesterday.

And now, first Sakura… then Sirin.

At this rate, if she ran into any other familiar faces in Izumo, she probably wouldn't even bat an eye.

"Do you know Yae Sakura?"

After confirming that the girl before her really was Sirin, Kiana didn't bother beating around the bush. She wanted to know what had happened with Almighty Thunder.

"You know her?"

Sirin tried to lift her hand but found herself too weak to even clench her fist. A flicker of surprise crossed her face.

So this wasn't a dream after all.

If this were a near-death illusion, it shouldn't have felt so real—nor would she have dreamt up a girl she had never seen before.

"Kind of," Kiana said. "My na's Kiana. I'm currently staying at Narukami Shrine. I just t Yae Sakura yesterday."

Sirin's surprise deepened. She stared at the white-haired girl sitting beside her bed, eyes wide in disbelief.

Kiana?

Wasn't that the na Sakura had ntioned—the one she said she wanted to beco friends with if she ever ca back alive?

Sakura had even praised her endlessly.

Before entering the Imaginary Space, Sirin had scoffed at Sakura's words, thinking her ridiculous. She'd even thought briefly about this 'Kiana,' wondering what kind of person could make Sakura—normally so composed—trust soone so completely after just one eting.

Sirin had been curious.

But she hadn't expected to et that Kiana this soon.

Even without answering, her expression made it obvious.

Kiana tilted her head. "You two are friends?"

It didn't feel right to imdiately ask about Almighty Thunder—better to ease into it with small talk.

"No!" Sirin reflexively snapped.

Who would call that jinx their friend?

If not for that woman's talk of 'sacrifice' and 'anyone can die,' she wouldn't have been so unlucky!

"…We just know each other," she corrected quickly, realizing her tone had been too sharp. Like Kiana, she understood that building rapport through their mutual acquaintance would make communication easier.

"I've heard her ntion you," Sirin said, forcing her expression back to calm as she studied Kiana's face. "She likes you quite a bit."

Yae Sakura, huh? Guess she's good for sothing after all, Sirin thought privately. Lucky her.

"...Kiana, is sothing wrong?"

A knock at the door interrupted them, followed by a familiar, concerned voice—Raiden i.

She had been waiting outside for so ti, intending to discuss Nagazora's situation with Kiana. But the white-haired girl hadn't co out once.

That was strange. Kiana knew she was waiting—so why stay inside so long?

Worried sothing might have happened, i ca straight to the guest room door.

Then she heard a second voice inside—a stranger's voice.

Instantly, her guard went up.

She rembered perfectly well—Kiana didn't have a phone!

She'd tried asking for her contact info before, but Kiana didn't have one. i hadn't wanted to push her by offering a phone either.

So then, who was in there with her?

Yae Sakura's na flashed through i's mind. That was the woman Kiana had ntioned yesterday—and praised as a good person.

"i's here," Kiana said instinctively, standing up in surprise. But her joy lasted only a second before she froze, glancing nervously at the girl on the bed.

…How was she supposed to explain this?

Raiden i. Daughter of Raiden Ryoma.

Sirin knew that na.

She didn't know him well—but she knew who he was.

Noticing Kiana's awkward expression, Sirin tilted her head slightly. "Aren't you going to let her in?"

"Ah—r-right, of course."

Might as well tell the truth.

Trying to play it off casually, Kiana hurried to the door. When she opened it and saw i standing there, she greeted her with an embarrassed smile.

"Nothing happened—well, sothing did, but not what you're thinking," Kiana said quickly, grabbing i's hand and pulling her gently into the room.

Then i saw her.

Lying on the bed was an unfamiliar violet-haired girl, half-sitting up, her golden eyes faintly open.

"…Who is she?"

As expected—soone was in Kiana's room.

And not only that—she was lying on the bed?

Raiden i's gaze hardened slightly. She didn't speak at first, but her violet eyes flickered with equal parts confusion and caution.

"She's…"

Before Kiana could speak, the girl on the bed beat her to it, her tone calm but deliberate. "I'm your father, Raiden Ryoma's comrade-in-arms."

"My father's… comrade?"

That caught i off guard. She'd assud the stranger was one of Kiana's friends—but that answer was on an entirely different level.

From peer to elder.

Yet… the girl looked about her age.

Narrowing her eyes slightly, i spoke with careful restraint. "A comrade of my father's, who slays Kami…? If that's true, then why are you in Kiana's room?"

And lying in her bed, no less.

Also, with Almighty Thunder on a rampage, shouldn't soone of her supposed rank have been fighting alongside her father?

Why was she here instead?

Sirin's lips curved into a faint smirk. "An excellent question. One I'd like to ask myself as well."

What's that supposed to an?

i followed her gaze toward Kiana, realizing the question was being tossed right back at her.

"i, just sit down and let explain," Kiana said, motioning to a nearby chair. "It's like this. Earlier, when I used my 'Phase Shuttle' ability, I felt sothing off in the subspace. So when I got back, I decided to check it out."

She paused, making sure i was following.

"And then… I found Sirin. She was resonating weakly with the subspace. When I reached her, she was lying in a collapsing Imaginary Space—badly injured and on the verge of death. Since she was still breathing, I brought her back."

Subspace? Imaginary Space?

i's brows furrowed. She didn't understand the terminology, but from the context, it was enough to grasp the situation.

A collapsing space. A dying girl. And Kiana—of course—had jumped in to save her.

anwhile, Sirin's expression didn't change much outwardly, but inside, her thoughts churned like a storm.

Kiana… the girl who could traverse between spaces without the 'Sky' blade?

Impossible.

Her eyes flicked around the room again. No, this clearly wasn't anywhere near the battlefield.

But she could still hear distant thunder. So this shrine—this Narukami Shrine—was close enough to be within the aftershocks.

Still, how could this girl move between dinsions? Without the blade 'Sky,' even Sirin herself wouldn't dare attempt it.

"I think she just finished fighting Almighty Thunder," Kiana continued, "so I treated her injuries."

"Subspace… Imaginary Space…" i repeated quietly, the unfamiliar terms rolling off her tongue. Even without full understanding, it made sense now.

The violet-haired girl had nearly died—but thanks to Kiana's recklessness and compassion, she'd been saved.

"...What's the date today?"

The question ca suddenly from the bed. Sirin had been listening silently until now, but at the ntion of treatnt, her composure faltered. Her tone sharpened with urgency as she finally asked for the current date.