Honkai: Starting to Wander with Kiana

After that, Mei became the cook for the Ryn. Because Kiana had such a big appetite, there was always lots of food to prepare. Mei had plenty of chances to practice and, with Cortana's teaching, she became a decent enough cook.

Yes, a cook. Ryn noticed that after saving Mei, Kiana seemed to have developed feelings for her. But thankfully, Ryn had acted first. Kiana might have liked Mei, but she still kept her distance. Otherwise, Ryn would have been the one wearing the green hat.

Every day, Ryn watched Mei prepare all sorts of dishes for Kiana. Mei would eagerly await Kiana's reaction, hoping to show her love. But each time, Kiana would simply say, "Yum!" before bouncing into Ryn's arms. The slightly jealous look in Mei's eyes only made Ryn feel smug.

Sometimes, right in front of Mei, Ryn would grab Kiana's chin.

"Kiana, give me a kiss."

"Coming right up—"

Kiana always warmly responded to his request, giving him a passionate kiss. Mei could only freeze, clench her jaw, and watch helplessly, unable to do anything.

Heh heh, serves you right for ignoring Kiana before. Now you can't even get close to her.

During this time, Ryn asked Cortana to dig deeper into Ryouko Kunikida's case. They discovered many gaps in the story, but the most important finding was undeniable evidence that Ryouko had indeed misused a large sum of money. However, no one knew where the money had gone. Online searches yielded nothing, and Ryouko himself refused to talk about it.

Interestingly, they discovered that Ryouko had an accomplice named Siegfried Kaslana. When Ryn and Kiana learned about this, they almost stormed the prison with weapons in hand. Even though Ryn didn't know Siegfried well, he was still their future father-in-law.

Unfortunately, they were too late. Siegfried had already been cleared of all charges and released. Not being able to meet Siegfried deeply hurt Kiana, but she was determined to find her rotten dad one day.

Although they didn't find Siegfried, Ryn and Kiana did manage to arrange a meeting between Mei and Ryouko.

Ryouko reassured Mei, telling her not to worry about him and that someone would come to clear his name soon. He also warned her to be cautious, as there might be people targeting her during this time.

Even Ryouko himself was confused. Me Corporation was entirely comprised of Entropy members, with the company existing solely to provide funding for Entropy. As an Executor, he was merely following Entropy's orders, yet his entire estate had been seized. Worse still, no one from Entropy had come forward to help him.

Damn it, don't tell me they sold me out!

Ryouko and Mei talked for quite some time while Ryn and Kiana watched from the sidelines, eating and observing as if they were watching a show. After a good while, their conversation finally ended.

"Who are these two?" Ryouko asked.

"This is Kiana, and that's Ryn. They're the friends I mentioned earlier. They've taken me in, and I've been staying at their place recently," Mei explained, introducing them.

However, when Ryouko heard the names Kiana and Ryn, his expression turned sour.

Damn Siegfried! No wonder you came looking for me. So Kiana and her friends are in Nagazora too! Damn it, damn it… Could it be that my Mei has also become a sacrifice to the Herrscher of the Void? You manipulative bastard! Next time I see you, I'll stab you without hesitation.

Despite the turmoil within, Ryouko managed to put on a smile for Kiana and Ryn.

"I'm sorry to trouble you, but I'll have to leave Mei in your care for a while. Thank you very much."

"No problem at all," Ryn and Kiana said, waving his gratitude away. "Mei is our friend, after all."

However, Ryn's expression turned serious as he glanced at Mei, then back at Ryouko. He asked Cortana to disable the nearby surveillance equipment before saying, "Mr. Kunikida, I'm afraid we can't help you with your case. My investigation suggests that this is an internal Entropy issue. Kiana and I are Schicksal people—we have neither the authority nor the ability to intervene. At most, we can pass along messages between you and Entropy."

"Entropy? What is that?" Mei asked, confusion evident in her tone. Does Father have something he's been hiding from me?

Ryouko's gaze became evasive. He didn't want Mei to know he was part of Entropy, but with the truth exposed, he could no longer deny it. He gave Ryn a look, signaling him to explain.

"Mei… the world isn't as simple as you think. There's a disaster called 'Honkai' that threatens our world. Schicksal and Entropy are organizations dedicated to fighting against it. Unlike Schicksal, which is controlled solely by Bishop Otto, Entropy is managed collectively by a leader and several Executors who make decisions together. Your father, Ryouko Kunikida, is one of those Executors, codenamed 'Entrepreneur.' His role is to secure funding for Entropy. Don't worry, though—he's not a combatant, so he doesn't go to the frontlines."

Mei fell silent, processing the heavy information. She began connecting these revelations to her past and looked at her father in disbelief.

"So… when Mom died, you weren't busy with work—you were busy with Entropy's affairs, weren't you?"

"Mei…" Ryouko didn't know what to say. He had loved his wife deeply, but it didn't change the fact that he had been too occupied with Entropy's responsibilities to be by her side in her final moments.

Mei wasn't sure if her mother had known about Ryouko's work with Entropy. Before her death, her mother didn't ask Mei to hate her father. Instead, she told her he was busy saving the world.

Did she know? Mei wondered. Does saving the world really have to come at the expense of the people you love?

"That's enough. Don't say anything else—it's all in the past. Take care of yourself, Dad. You two can talk. I'll wait for you outside," Mei said, turning to leave.

Kiana looked at Mei's retreating figure, then at Ryn, who nodded. Understanding the signal, Kiana followed after Mei.

Now alone in the prison with Ryouko, Ryn relaxed slightly. As soon as Mei was out of earshot, Ryouko sighed and fixed Ryn with an annoyed glare.