A potted plant on the desk? Nope...
The plate by the bedside, or that fruit knife? Nope... Sniffing it, it smells faintly of apples...
How about the shoes and socks?
Why are they all the same too?! Does this vanished fourth person have some kind of image to uphold? Wearing the exact same outfit for every occasion?!
Grumbling internally, Kiana pulled open the room's drawers.
She was starting to lose hope of finding any distinctive proof. Everything in this room exuded an air of monotony.
All the items were standardized, uniform, showing absolutely no hint of personal style...
The only thing she could discern was that the room's occupant was likely male, quite young, not particularly brawny, probably not even as built as her stinky old dad...
The first thing she saw upon opening a drawer was several pairs of identical glasses... Wow~ This person even gets multiple identical pairs of glasses?!
Could it be that this guy's defining characteristic is liking everything to be exactly the same?!
Kiana was stumped but had no better ideas. She could only hope to find several identical ID cards, or work badges, or something...
Rummaging inside the drawer, Kiana felt several marker pens, also identical models, which she tossed aside with some disdain...
Normally, having identical pens wouldn't be a big deal, but after seeing the identical clothes, shoes, and glasses, Kiana was thoroughly desensitized.
Next, Kiana pulled out numerous pairs of small items from the drawer: pins... badges... shiny coins... basically, all sorts of familiar things could be found...
Kiana finally understood where that strange sense of déjà vu was coming from!
This was practically the hoard of a compulsive collector, a little "hoarding hamster"!
The type to unconsciously stuff everything into their pockets, then empty them into a drawer for temporary storage when changing clothes at night...
It seemed this "hamster" probably didn't smoke, otherwise, there'd be a bunch of lighters here too.
Kiana didn't even stop to think where on the train this "hamster" would even find lighters to pick up; she had unilaterally decided on the owner's personality.
Now she was facing a dilemma.
The most defining feature of a hoarding hamster was its nest... uh, no, its room itself. But Kiana didn't dare leave, nor could she take the entire room with her...
Maybe... wait here until Mei and the others came to sleep, then call them over?
Crap, Mei already slept this afternoon and evening. What if she doesn't plan on sleeping tonight?
Bronya?
It would be a miracle if she slept normally at all!! Having pulled two all-nighters with Bronya, Kiana was well aware of Bronya's nocturnal schedule!
"Ah... doesn't that mean I have to rely on luck?" Kiana sat down on the bed, troubled, propping her chin on her hand out of boredom.
Well, waiting it is... Mei will definitely come looking for me... I just don't know how long it'll take...
Aaaah... I only ate two big bowls of rice tonight. Can that little bit of food really sustain me until tomorrow morning? Also... this room is so boring, the only way to pass the time seems to be sleeping...
What if I oversleep?
Problem after problem surfaced, only to be dismissed by Kiana with a single word: "Patience."
That's settled! I'll just wait!! Back before the Great Honkai Eruption, I could zone out for an entire class period. No reason I can't do it now!
Kiana confidently crossed her arms and began to wait.
Two minutes later, Kiana was fidgeting uncomfortably back in front of the drawers, meticulously searching for anything to pass the time.
She wasn't impatient! It was just... just that she hadn't given up on finding definitive proof yet!! Yes, that's it!
Almost convincing herself, Kiana nodded and started emptying the drawers one by one, displaying the hoarding hamster's stash.
"Pins, markers, coins... Huh?" Kiana's hand suddenly touched something. She felt it curiously—a square protrusion at the bottom of the drawer.
It had regular bumps on it, feeling like a combination lock.
Treasure!!
Everyone knows hoarding hamsters always hide their treasures in the deepest, most hidden places!
Okay, I know invading someone's privacy isn't right, but these are extraordinary circumstances, requiring extraordinary measures!
Sorry about this! Mr. Hamster!!
Apologizing not-so-sincerely in her heart, Kiana reached out, feeling the combination lock.
It felt like a numerical combination lock, with a smooth area that seemed meant for fingerprint unlocking... She didn't know how many digits were needed, or the order...
Breaking it open was the last resort. Before that, Kiana felt she should try to protect Mr. Hamster's nest... uh, no, his drawer.
But... she really didn't know the password!
No choice, she had to rely on luck again!!
"Let me think... Hmm..." Kiana closed her eyes, trying to meditate, letting her instincts guide her hand to press the numbers.
But too many distracting thoughts cluttered her mind, making it hard for Kiana to even achieve her specialty – becoming brain-dead simple. Her eyes darted around, landing on that shiny, polished coin.
The coin looked somewhat familiar. The more Kiana looked at it, the more she felt she'd seen it somewhere before.
On impulse, Kiana reached out, picked up the coin, turned it over in her hand, and then casually tossed it into the air.
In that instant, Kiana froze.
She felt like... she had seen this scene before...
A coin tossed, falling, deciding fate...
She felt like... she'd seen it... in Nagazora City, about a month after the Honkai Eruption...
Kiana watched the coin spin in the air, watched it spiral down onto the bed, watched it roll a short distance across the sheets, and then stop in the most impossible way—on its side.
The coin stood upright...
And on the edge of the coin, a string of 12 digits was clearly illuminated by the light!!
Kiana's eyes lit up, her fingers already moving.
The number on the coin, 12 digits, Kiana entered every single one into the combination lock! With a soft click, a very thin hidden compartment popped out from beneath the drawer!
Inside the compartment lay a black notebook and several sheets of paper printed with various data—physical examination reports!
Found it! Proof that the fourth person existed, and unique proof at that!!