Just when the white-haired tuna hoped to leverage their bestie friendship, attempting to pull Seele onto the same side to jointly condemn Jiang someone... Miss Blue Seele delivered her incredibly 'impartial' verdict:
"Setting aside the facts, Kiana, aren't you even a little bit at fault?"
This heavy blow struck the already guilty Kiana dumb. If you're setting aside the facts, what's left to talk about? Happy Beans [a game currency, implying triviality]?
"...Seele." Tasting the force of that punch, the white-haired tuna was deeply dissatisfied—Is our bestie friendship over? Are you siding with this bad guy?!
"Er..." Realizing what she had just said, Seele felt awkward. It... was indeed a bit abstract. Facing Kiana's plaintive little stare, she averted her gaze and remained silent.
Kiana was a good friend, true, but Jiang Qiao was 'Bronya-neechan'! Comparing Kiana and Bronya, naturally Kiana < Bronya ≤ 'Bronya (Jiang Qiao)'.
Besides, based on the current situation—she was being impartial! Can you deny that '[Kiana (Jiang Qiao)]' is currently [Kiana]?
Deeply unhappy with this state of affairs, [Jiang Qiao]—Kiana—grabbed her baseball bat, glared fiercely at Jiang Qiao using her body, and yelled, "Damn it! This lady is going to send you flying!"
How long has this bastard even been here?! Even Seele seems completely bewitched by him! For Miss White-haired Tuna, who had bonded with Seele at lightning speed and become best friends—this was absolutely intolerable! Touching Mei is one thing, but now he won't even leave Seele alone! Can't you leave just one for this lady?!
"Anytime. As it happens, purely as 'Kiana,' I've gained some insights into using this body." With a flick of the wrist, a baseball bat constructed from Lances of the Void materialized. The sharp swish of the bat made the air whistle.
A formal dress, resembling a black swan's elegance, draped over the perfectly curvaceous figure of the young girl. Her blue eyes, slightly narrowed and marked with the cross-shaped sigil of divinity, reflected their mirrored shapes and appearances.
"You bastard!" Seeing Jiang Qiao instantly change outfits—Kiana, now Herrscher-fied, stared wide-eyed, flustered.
Honestly—she couldn't achieve this level yet. Even though Jiang Qiao had used special means to suppress Miss Pufferfish's interference, and even after rigorous training from that white-haired old guy in the place called Elysian Realm, Kiana's grasp of Herrscher powers remained superficial.
She could only freely control three Lances of the Void, let alone change outfits—while Herrscher forms were an innate ability for every Herrscher, it didn't mean they were commonplace.
As 'special outer shells' woven from high-density Honkai Energy, external 'descriptions' of one's core self, any Herrscher capable of constructing their Herrscher form had at least reached a proficient level. (The Herrscher of Reason was an exception, as that lineage specialized in blueprint construction).
For Kiana, achieving this likely still required a long journey—at least until she truly accepted herself. Of course, due to certain influences, the white-haired tuna didn't want to wear this outfit anyway.
Without much envy, facing this Jiang Qiao—[Kiana]—her current emotion was more akin to dread. After all... this was her nightmare. This wouldn't end just because Miss Pufferfish was suppressed; it would always remain buried deep in her heart.
However, the white-haired tuna quickly seemed to find a coping mechanism—'anger.' While anger might make people lose rationality, it also somewhat meant they no longer had to make such difficult choices.
"Don't use that!" As the body's owner, the furious Tuna yelled discontentedly. She was already annoyed enough that Jiang Qiao took her body to fight her, and now he was even using Herrscher powers... So shameless!
As for why she didn't take her body back—according to the previous method, wouldn't she have to kiss that guy again? The white-haired tuna was unwilling to let this bad guy take advantage of her again.
Besides—doing things this way wasn't without advantages. After all, that was her body. Fighting Jiang Qiao might feel unfamiliar, but fighting herself... Hmph hmph, this lady knows herself inside out! And this way, she could also prevent that guy from using any more 'despicable' tricks~
Thinking this, Miss Kiana couldn't help but feel pleased with her own cleverness—Didn't let him take advantage, prevented his weird moves, and gained a considerable advantage... This round, the advantage is mine!
"No problem." For Jiang Qiao, there was naturally no reason to refuse such a suggestion. His deliberate use of the powers was merely to perform 'maintenance checks' on this [Kiana] body. After all, it had been a while since he last used it; preventing potential hidden issues was necessary.
For example—
"Ahhh! That bastard!" Miss Pufferfish, bound to a pillar, felt all the Herrscher authority she had secretly seized while someone was away 'return to its rightful owner.' Her entire mentality instantly collapsed, and she shrieked curses.
Given the Herrscher of the Void's disposition, she naturally wouldn't give up easily, especially with that bastard absent. But after being caught by Jiang Qiao last time, the reinforced seals severely limited Miss Pufferfish's ability to steal powers... oops, reclaim her own powers. She could no longer slowly probe in the dark; that path was blocked.
Left with no choice, the Herrscher of the Void could only try another method—cooperating with Kiana. As long as that idiot actively used Herrscher powers, by cooperating as the other half, she could use Kiana as a front to reclaim the portion of 'powers' only Kiana could access.
Another benefit was that if Kiana was happy, maybe that bastard wouldn't come back. Then, when she eventually got out... hmph hmph.
But clearly, that plan had now also crumbled. The powers Miss Pufferfish had painstakingly reclaimed were once again completely taken away, down to the last drop.
"I'll ********* you!" Miss Pufferfish raged. Do you f*ing know how hard I worked to get this bit of Herrscher power?! That substitute is an utter blockhead, deadwood that can't be carved!
To guide Kiana into using Herrscher powers, Miss Pufferfish, who disliked the white-haired tuna, had reluctantly held her nose, practically coaxing and spoon-feeding her, helping her use the powers.
Honestly, she felt that with any decent person, after all her efforts—and that bastard... Although the Herrscher of the Void hated Jiang Qiao and wished him dead, she had to admit, he treated that substitute practically like his 'own daughter.'
All the 'Imaginary Authority' he confiscated was actually within Kiana's range to command—if she was willing. Yet, this 'minor issue,' as Miss Pufferfish saw it, resulted in Kiana being able to wield less than 1% of her Herrscher powers... This girl was even worse than the idiot who ran in previously!
If Bronya's weakness as the Herrscher of Reason was due to lack of tempering and mismatched will, unrecognized by the minds of 300,000 people, then that was merely 'substandard.' Kiana wasn't substandard; she was sprinting madly in the opposite direction! If not for external help, the backlash from the Herrscher powers alone would have been enough to cripple this idiot.
It was only thanks to the white-haired man in the Elysian Realm having some effect, plus Miss Pufferfish desperately dragging her back onto the path, that she gained free control of those three Lances of the Void... Did she really think she mastered it herself?
After working so hard to get just that little bit, and now... The tough Miss Pufferfish actually started crying. You can't play like this! This lady may not have achieved merits, but at least I put in the hard work! Yet you, you big pig trotter [insensitive guy], really won't leave even a scrap?!
"Kill you... kill you...!"
Looking at the Herrscher of the Void like this, even the iron-hearted Jiang someone suddenly felt maybe he had gone a bit too far. He stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and deducted a tiny speck from the confiscated Herrscher powers, returning it to Miss Pufferfish.
The latter, sensing the returned power, suddenly stopped crying mid-sob and started to laugh. Phew, finally got a little back... Hmph, maybe this bastard isn't so bad after all. Thinking this, Miss Pufferfish clutched the small piece of Herrscher power, chuckling secretly—oblivious to the fact that this tiny bit of 'work compensation' originally came from the Herrscher of the Void's own meager remaining assets.
Jiang Qiao had left a bit behind out of various considerations, fearing Miss Pufferfish might do something drastic. Finding it confiscated along with the rest this time, and seeing her pitiable state, he returned it.
Sigh, I'm just too kind.
In the blink of an eye, having completed the 'body maintenance,' the white-haired girl raised an eyebrow at the charging Kiana. She nonchalantly swung the Void Lance-constructed baseball bat, clashing it against the one in Kiana's hands.
"Clang—"
Without needing much thought, simply following the body's instincts, the sharp swings of the bat forced Kiana, who had been confident of winning a baseball bat melee against Jiang Qiao, into an increasingly frustrating position. Finally, she threw the bat aside and yelled, "I'm not fighting anymore!"
"Why are your moves exactly the same as mine?!" she complained irritably. It felt like fighting someone taught by the same master, unable to break through their techniques. No, it was worse than that. To be precise, it felt like her every breath, every pore's movement was being perfectly replicated!
"Because—baseball bats are 'this lady's' specialty weapon, of course~" Casually twirling the bat before resting its tip lightly on the ground, the girl's exquisite face bore a radiant smile brimming with 'confidence,' her pink tongue darting out playfully.
Seeing this [Kiana], Kiana subconsciously thought—As expected of this lady, so cute, I want to... Wait! Realizing Jiang Qiao was inside that body now, her expression instantly became constipated.
"Give me back my body!" Flying into a rage from shame, Kiana finally gave up holding back, lunging 'fiercely' forward to reclaim her body. As for whether this was inappropriate... That's this lady's body! As the owner taking back my own body, how can that be called taking advantage?!
—Of course, perhaps a more important reason for taking her body back was... facing [Kiana], Kiana suddenly felt lacking in confidence. The former seemed to have inherited all of [Kiana]'s strengths, while the weaknesses—perhaps they were just deliberately concealed. But regardless, seeing such a version of herself was quite stimulating for Kiana.
Regarding 'losing to the fake Kiana Jiang Qiao despite being the real Kiana,' the white-haired tuna, sharing concerns similar to previous victims, chose a more effective countermeasure. —Watch this lady snatch her body right back! How can you surpass me then?!
Jiang Qiao, naturally, didn't resist. His reason for using Kiana's body was simply that the timing was right, and it provided a convenient opportunity to 'maintain' [Kiana].
The seemingly genius white-haired tuna, having achieved victory indirectly, blushed slightly, glared fiercely at the former occupant, then... subconsciously licked her lips, a dazed, unsatisfied expression crossing her face. ...This taste... so good... Want more...
But obviously, in front of Seele, the fiercely proud Kiana absolutely didn't dare make any more bold moves. After all, doing it to swap bodies was one thing, but doing it just to drink that 'dirty stuff'... she'd be seen as a total pervert!
Wait, something's strange... Noticing something wasn't quite right down below, the white-haired tuna glanced down, her cheeks flushing even redder.
Seele, oblivious to this particular situation, looked somewhat dazed. 'Bronya'-neechan... Jiang Qiao-Nii-chan looks so cute as 'Kiana' too...
—Actually, the main reason Kiana could bond with Seele so quickly was because Jiang Qiao had used the opportunity back in London to massively boost her affection level. Oh, and Bronya's introduction, plus Kiana's own personality.
Seele's fondness for Kiana stemmed from childhood; being frail and sickly, the timid Seele had little resistance to such lively, carefree types.
And Jiang Qiao's version of Kiana took that foundation and built upon it. While the carefree part was hidden, it gained a gentleness and casualness similar to Bronya's. This was practically dancing on Seele's xp [preferences]!
Looking at Jiang Qiao, now back in his own form, Seele felt a slight regret, while also thinking—It would be nice if Bronya-neechan and Jiang Qiao-Nii-chan swapped again.
Regarding this...
Back in her room, happily playing games, the completely unaware Miss Bronya sneezed without warning. She glanced at the time, realizing quite a while had passed.
"Strange, where's Seele..." she muttered. Thinking Seele should have arrived long ago, she had even specifically prepared to play Honkai: Star Rail together~ Seele playing support, while she played DPS, slaughtering everything in the Simulated Universe~ Wouldn't that be wonderful?
Feeling inexplicably restless, Bronya chewed her thumb, wondering if she should just go find Seele. But glancing at the unfinished game screen, an idea popped up:
"How about... one more round?"