The Infinite Journey of a Certain Flame

Well, I have to say that Bronya's conjecture does have some basis.

Unfortunately, Sirin, who is standing in front of her, is not yet able to accomplish such a feat.

"Who's the weird little person?!"

Xilin stomped her foot, then tried to make herself look more ferocious and menacing.

However, to Bronya, her tiny arms and legs made her look like a porcelain doll, incredibly cute.

So, instead of maintaining a wary expression, she gradually relaxed her facial muscles.

He revealed a very peculiar, speechless expression...

"Hey! Don't look at me like that!"

Looking at that speechless expression tinged with contempt, contempt mixed with helplessness, and helplessness revealing a complex expression that seemed to be one of pity for someone looking at an idiot.

Xilin was so angry that her sweet, childlike voice turned shrill.

Even in such a miserable state, she was still betrayed by Kiana.

"Alright, alright, stop. It would be troublesome if Bronya had any bad memories associated with the doll..."

"you!"

Facing her owner who was gently patting her head like a caring older sister, Xilin was so angry she wanted to bite someone.

Fortunately, she stopped herself in the end, only letting out a cold snort.

"Fine, I won't bother with you mortals. Hey, you ducklings over there."

Upon hearing this, Bronya looked around, then raised her gun and looked again, but ultimately failed to find any hidden enemies.

After a brief hesitation, this Valkyrie, now vastly different from before, slowly raised that shameful posture, then calmly retorted:

"Who? I must have misheard."

"Uh, cough cough, yes, I misheard. Um... Hello, Captain of Team Two, I am a special AI auxiliary robot from the Destiny Headquarters. Just think of me as Ai-chan No. 2."

Hearing Sirin spout such nonsense, Kiana immediately covered her face, feeling as if she had been tricked.

She never expected that this guy could talk such nonsense.

What kind of special AI-assisted robot from the Destiny Headquarters? I've never heard of such a thing before!

Besides... even if it's Ai-chan's second generation, it's impossible for them to be named in this way, right?

However, just as Kiana was mentally ranting...

"Oh? Hmm..."

Bronya took a step forward, carefully examined Sirin, and finally nodded.

"I heard that headquarters recently developed such a model. I didn't expect it to be put into actual combat before it even underwent testing? The newcomer is really lucky."

"Right, right? So, what's next..."

Just as Sirin was about to preemptively guide Bronya to set off, the latter suddenly turned to look at Kiana.

Although it felt incredibly awkward, she still slowly spoke, following the question in her heart:

"What's your name? A newcomer from team one."

"Me? My name is Qi—cough cough, Zhen Qi."

"Zhen...Qi? That's a rare surname, especially for someone like you... Never mind, it's not a good habit to pry into other people's privacy. Are you alright? I noticed you seemed to have been hit..."

After Bronya finished speaking, she reached out and gently took Kiana's hand, as if to help her to the side to rest...

Why are we all so different now? (Honkai Impact 3rd): Chapter 3 My Bronya can't possibly be this good at flirting!

"Hey! Wait a minute!"

As Bronya slowly approached, Kiana's heart inexplicably began to beat faster.

She never imagined that one day she would see Bronya like this, and she also never imagined that the other party would... not mock her after the war?

Instead, she smiled and moved closer to me, just like Mei... Wow, has her personality changed after she grew up?

Kiana waved her hand somewhat awkwardly, then took a few steps back, feeling a strange sense of unfamiliarity with Bronya.

"What's wrong? Newcomer, it's not a good habit to be stubborn."

Seeing that the newcomer was actually backing away from her, Bronya felt a wave of frustration.

I wanted to observe and explore her situation more closely, but who would have thought I would be discovered?

Hmm...it seems this newcomer has many secrets waiting for me to discover?

Just as the two sides were locked in a stalemate, Sirin decisively came to Kiana's side.

"Hey!"

The petite doll gritted her teeth, impatiently squeezing out words that implied:

"Stop causing me trouble! If she wants to help you, just let her! Don't forget your current role; you're a newcomer who's seriously injured and hasn't recovered yet. Honestly, you were doing a great job acting with Barney in that world..."

Well...

Ugh, this is so troublesome!

Kiana covered her forehead, feeling uncomfortable with this restrictive situation.

She didn't actually want to hide her identity, but she had no choice...

The system has emphasized this too many times: if it's exposed, something terrible might happen.

In the end, a helpless Kiana had no choice but to make the act real, clutching her forehead and feigning exhaustion.

"Ugh, this is so boring. I really want to drink Mei's... cough! Bronya, you don't need to worry about me so much..."

She pretended to fall to the ground and then get up to go through the motions of feigning illness.

Before he could even fall face-first to the ground, Bronya suddenly reached out and helped him up with a smile.

"Hehe, this is the duty of a captain. After all, we are partners who fight side by side."

Bronya, with a smile in her eyes, helped Kiana up, her head held high and her chest out, showing no trace of the girlish affectation she used to have. Kiana, who was being helped forward slowly, did not want to continue to expose herself, so she had no choice but to obediently move forward with her.

As she walked, she muttered to herself.

Uh... that's true. I guess I was too hasty. I completely forgot that she used to be so arrogant.

But he's a reliable comrade-in-arms!

only...

"It's so big and soft, it's making me feel a little..."

Kiana never dreamed that one day she would be able to feel Mei's feelings through Bronya...

This is so weird!

Kiana, who was struggling to breathe under the weight of the white slime, stopped in her tracks and pleaded:

"I'd like to rest over there for a bit..."

"Oh?"

Bronya, who was carefully observing Kiana, followed her gaze and discovered a rather secluded small warehouse building.

Compared to other places where monsters roam, this place seems exceptionally reliable.

Bronya withdrew her gaze, and couldn't help but exclaim in genuine admiration:

"Okay, let's go. I'll protect you if there's any danger."

"This doesn't sound like something you would say..." Kiana thought to herself.

Whether it was because she had glimpsed her thoughts or not, Xilin touched her chin and then moved closer to her.

It stared sternly at its master.

"Hey!"

"What are you doing..." Kiana waved her hand impatiently, as if shooing away a fly.

Their attitude was so bad that Sirin stomped her feet in anger again.

However, despite wanting to teach its owner a good lesson.

Sadly, she couldn't think of any way to teach this dishonest guy a lesson, so she could only shake her head helplessly.

"Host, I hope you can understand my good intentions."

"Phew, it's done now."

Kiana had no choice but to agree, and then Bronya helped her into the small warehouse that provided shelter.

After helping her sit up steadily against the wall, Bronya slowly got up.

"The injury seems to be gradually healing. Will it be able to pull through on its own?"

"Yes, that's fine. Thanks for reminding me, Bronya."

"You're welcome. There's still a lot I want to know about you."

Bronya slowly crouched down, staring directly into Kiana's azure eyes.

Through those eyes, she recalled the past... someone hidden deep in her memory, someone she felt a strong connection to but could never quite recall...

"You want to understand me?"

"That's right, Zhenqi...you give me a familiar feeling..."

As Bronya spoke, she slowly placed her delicate hand, adorned with a special tactical silk glove, on Kiana's shoulder.

This unexpected contact, for some reason, made the person's heart beat faster once again.

Strange...it's really strange, why am I so nervous?

Kiana stared into those eyes that were similar to hers but different from the ones she remembered, and for some reason, she felt a strange sense of déjà vu, as if she were in another world...

"what happened?"

Perhaps sensing her own abnormality, Bronya tilted her head slightly, her eyes gradually becoming stern.