Chapter 8: It Was Me All Along!

"What is this...?"

Kiana looked up in bewilderment, her eyes widening at the kaleidoscopic display of colors—black and white, swirling together in a world woven from the Milky Way and the cosmic sea.

It felt as if she were immersed in a gentle yet boundless deep sea, the soft currents caressing her soul and bestowing tranquility upon her mind.

One moment she had been on the verge of collapse in the imaginary space battlefield; the next she found herself in this mysterious space, a place capable of calming even the most troubled heart.

"Sirin! Is that you? What are you planning now?!"

Kiana instinctively clenched her fists, raising her guard to its highest, and shouted into the bizarrely desolate space.

Sirin frowned, scrutinizing her surroundings. When her gaze landed on a pale, slender figure in the distance, a flicker of surprise crossed her brilliant golden eyes.

Only then did Sirin realize that Kiana was completely naked.

Sirin quickly lowered her gaze, taking in Kiana's snow-white upper body, while the lower half was partially concealed by the black lace trim of her Herrscher dress.

She breathed a soft sigh of relief. "Stop shouting. This isn't my power."

"Kiana!" A layered voice suddenly echoed behind her. Kiana startled and whirled around, only to meet Sirin's gaze, which held a mixture of disdain and suspicion.

"I don't remember you having an exhibitionist streak."

"What did you just say...?!" Sirin's remark jolted Kiana into awareness of her own state. A sharp, embarrassed squeal escaped her lips. "Ah!"

Instinctively, Kiana covered her chest and groin, her face flushing crimson with shame.

"Sirin," she hissed, biting her lip, "what exactly are you trying to do?!"

"As I've said, this isn't my power. Do you not understand simple words, ☆~?" The two girls were identical in appearance, save for Sirin's radiant golden eyes.

Sirin sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I never imagined 'I' could be this idiotic one day."

"You...!" Kiana clenched her fists, grinding her teeth in fury.

Her feelings toward Sirin were complex. Sirin's true nature was that of Bai Qi, making it impossible for Kiana to truly hate another version of herself.

Kiana knew Sirin had done her best to avoid harming her during her revival, yet she still couldn't condone Sirin's actions.

Biting her lip, Kiana thought, The proud and dignified Queen of the Void would never stoop to such childish pettiness.

"So then, what's going on in this space? And where are my clothes?" Kiana couldn't help but shrink into herself.

"Who knows~☆!" Sirin's melodious voice rang out as she gazed down at Kiana with a delighted smile.

"Sirin, let me out of here!" Kiana stepped forward, her face etched with urgency.

She had to save Teacher Himeko! Every second counted; the longer she waited, the greater the danger to her teacher.

Sirin scoffed dismissively. "I can't."

Though her expression remained calm, Sirin was inwardly shaken. Her spatial powers couldn't even begin to affect this space—it was like an ant trying to topple a tree!

As she spoke, Sirin's attention drifted to the black-haired figure nearby. The girl seemed to have noticed them. After a brief hesitation, perhaps confirming that Kiana was also naked, she cautiously approached.

Kiana's eyes lit up at the sight of the newcomer.

The young girl's raven-black hair cascaded down her back, its wildness softened by an air of quiet docility. Her violet eyes, clear as morning dew, and snow-white skin exuded an elegant serenity, every gesture radiating the essence of a Yamato Nadeshiko—especially given her current state of undress.

The fleeting flash of admiration in Kiana's eyes vanished in an instant. This isn't the time to admire beautiful girls!

"Moshi moshi~ Hello there~!"

Even in this bizarre situation, the girl's gentle voice, like a warm summer breeze rustling through flower buds as they unfurl, carried a soothing magic.

"Ano... could you tell us where we are? How did we end up here?"

The girl's gentle aura, so similar to Raiden Mei's, sent Kiana's affection soaring.

"..."

Sirin glanced indifferently at the black-haired girl, sensing she was just an ordinary human with no trace of Honkai energy. Clearly clueless about their predicament, she was utterly useless.

"Sorry, we don't know either. We just suddenly appeared here," Kiana said, frowning.

"I see..." The girl's cheeks flushed a delicate crimson, like cherry blossoms in full bloom. Being naked in front of strangers, even of the same gender, was mortifying.

She had been sleeping soundly when her consciousness abruptly snapped awake, transporting her to this inexplicable place. If not for the complete absence of demonic energy and the genuine warmth radiating from both the mysterious space and the two women before her, she might have suspected she had fallen victim to an Upper-Rank Demon's Blood Demon Art.

"It seems we've all been dragged into this without warning," the black-haired beauty suggested. "Since none of us sensed any danger, shall we cooperate to figure out what's going on?"

"Yeah, of course!" Kiana nodded. Given their perplexing situation, cooperation seemed like the best course of action.

We need to get out of this hellhole ASAP!

"My name is Kiana Kaslana. Just call me Kiana. This is Sirin."

Worried about Teacher Himeko, Kiana couldn't muster her usual carefree attitude.

"Kiana, Sirin? Those sound like Western names," the black-haired girl murmured softly, then bowed slightly with perfect Far Eastern etiquette. "My name is Kanae Kocho ."

"Kanae...Kocho... ."

Kiana blinked. She's from Mei's hometown!

Incidentally, her blink was caused by the intensified gravitational waves as Kanae bowed.

"Wait a minute! Why is Sirin the only one with clothes?" Kiana belatedly realized, shaking her fist at Sirin. "And you said this space had nothing to do with you?! Explain yourself!"

Sirin had no way to refute that—er, explain.

Glancing down at the hem of her Herrscher dress, Sirin felt mostly relieved not to be running around naked like Kiana.

"Tch, how should I know?" Sirin scoffed, glancing sideways at Kiana's chest.

Not gonna lie, Kiana's current figure was slightly more... endowed than her usual frame.

"You—!" Just as Kiana was about to retort, two figures suddenly appeared at the edge of their vision, silencing her.

"More company?"

Wait! Something's wrong!

A man?!

-

Black feathers adorned her collar, and sharp, skirt-like projections extended from the waist of her armor, revealing fair thighs. Slender, shapely legs were encased in black stockings.

This iconic image instantly confirmed her identity to Bai Qi, the "aerial splits cleaner": Sirin, the Herrscher of the Void!

A pufferfish... is that me?!

As for the other two figures... Sorry, Bai Qi couldn't recognize them without any clothes.

Ahem, just kidding!

Snow-white hair cascaded down, framing vibrant sapphire eyes and an identical face. Though her hair was disheveled, Bai Qi easily identified her as Kiana, thanks to the Herrscher of the Void as a reference.

A paramecium... is that also me?!

Come to think of it, Sirin and Kiana shared the same soul. Where there was Sirin, Kiana would naturally follow. It was only natural.

The final figure, however, remained a complete mystery to Bai Qi.

While Third-Dimensional and Second-Dimensional appearances often mirrored each other closely, distinctive hair and eye colors usually made instant recognition possible, even without signature attire.

Bai Qi couldn't quite place the black-haired beauty with pale purple eyes, especially without her usual attire. He figured she probably wasn't a main character from his "story."

Whether she was a protagonist or not was irrelevant, and her identity could wait. What baffled Bai Qi most was... why were they all girls?!

Assuming a 50/50 probability for each person's gender, including Ren, the chance of all three being female was (1/2) (1/2) (1/2) = 1/8!

Was this just a coincidence?

Bai Qi suppressed his doubts and, unusually, adopted a gentle expression. His gaze openly swept over the three beautiful girls.

His eyes roamed freely over their fair, delicate bodies without restraint. Since they're all versions of me, what's there to hide?

"So, are these two newcomers, or three?"

"Who are you? Did you bring us here?" Kiana ducked behind Sirin, using her as a shield. "Pervert! Give us back our clothes!"

Kanae Kocho didn't dare use Sirin as a shield. The girl's domineering, queen-like aura made her seem utterly unapproachable.

She could only turn away, shielding herself with her long, black butterfly-wing-like hair to avoid being fully exposed to the strange man.

Kiana and Kanae Kocho's faces were flushed crimson, but their gazes, along with Sirin's, were as cold as the glint of steel.

Bai Qi, fully clothed, appeared to them—stripped bare—as the obvious culprit of their predicament.

But when the three women saw Bai Qi's face, their icy glares quickly melted away.

That face... it's so familiar!

Huh?

What's going on here?

Bai Qi frowned.

It's understandable that Ren, being a soul fragment, wouldn't remember me. But why don't these "selves" recognize me either? The car accident didn't disfigure me. Besides, why do they look so thoroughly like girls?

While it's true that material conditions shape consciousness, and a prolonged existence in a female body could indeed feminize one's personality, it would take at least a century of living as a woman to affect me this much.

Unless... the memories of those "Bai Qis" have been corrupted!

"Shake my hands," Bai Qi said after a moment's thought, extending both palms. "You'll understand everything."

"He'll know everything too!"

"As for your clothes," Bai Qi explained calmly and gently, "this space is only accessible to souls. Physical objects can't enter."

"But you can materialize them through your own 'perception.' It takes a little practice, but you'll learn it after shaking hands with me."

Bai Qi's warm demeanor and natural friendliness made him seem far from an enemy.

A simple handshake wouldn't normally be a problem, but Kiana and Kanae were in no condition to move freely.

"Hmph, you lowly ants," the Herrscher of the Void declared from her throne in the void. Her elegant legs parted as she descended toward Bai Qi with a regal stride. "I shall grant you the privilege of touching the body of an god."

Sirin also wanted to understand what was happening. She sensed no Honkai energy emanating from Bai Qi, ruling out any potential threat. What truly intrigued her was the peculiar sense of kinship she felt toward him—even stronger than what she felt for Kiana.

The queen's majestic aura, combined with her chuunii-like words, created a subtle unease in Bai Qi's expression.

How to put it?

Sirin's actions reminded him of his childhood, when he'd wield a straight stick like he was a mighty warrior, cleaving imaginary foes in two with wild abandon.

The instant her delicate, pale hand grasped Bai Qi's, both Sirin and Kiana froze, their eyes widening in shock.