Elias: Kiana, Deploy!

Ring Ring—!

As soon as the school bell rang that day, Elias pulled Kiana and dashed out of the school gate. He only gave Mei a brief explanation, saying that he had something very important to do, without elaborating further.

Kiana, however, looked quite unwilling.

"Ehh~ Why did you drag me to this kind of place, Elias? I'm very disappointed in you. I never expected you to actually threaten me—how bold of you."

The white-haired bundle of energy raised her tiny fists, which were capable of knocking out a small Herrscher in one hit, puffing her cheeks in anger as she spoke.

Elias didn't blame her for throwing a little tantrum—after all, he really did threaten her.

Last night, while wandering around the city, he happened to come across Kiana, who was also out at night, hunting down Honkai Beasts and zombies.

At that time, Kiana was dual-wielding pistols, one foot stepping on a zombie's head as she fired a finishing shot. But before she could strike a pose and bask in her own coolness, she saw Elias standing there, phone in hand, already recording a video of the entire scene.

As for what happened next…

Elias: "Oh wow, I never expected our ultimate, unbeatable, super-duper adorable Kiana to be a nighttime hero. Should I upload this online to promote you?"

Kiana: "A-A-Ahh! Elias! Y-you—you—why are you here?!"

Elias: "Heh, just out for a post-dinner stroll, you know. They say walking after meals helps you live to ninety-nine. But judging from your reaction… heheh… Kiana, you wouldn't want others to find out about this, would you?"

Kiana: "Ugh, Elias, I misjudged you! Just say what you want directly, I will never yield!"

Without hesitation, Elias flicked her forehead and rolled his eyes. This shameless cat's mind was way too impure—how did Siegfried even raise her?

Also, blackmailing an idiot should be illegal, okay?

...

"Enough talking, get to work."

"At least tell me what the job is!"

Elias pointed at a building not far ahead. Large capital letters on the wall spelled "ME"—this was the ME Corp branch he had been investigating for days.

"We're sneaking in to find the truth."

"Riddler, get out of Nagazora City..."

"Uh, alright, my bad."

Elias sighed, gazing at the sky. He never thought he'd turn into the very type of cryptic person he used to hate.

He couldn't help but recall those frustrating days playing through the Elysium Everlasting storyline—only to realize he had become just as annoying himself.

"This is Mei's father's company. You know her dad was accused of fraud and imprisoned, right? But based on my investigation, it's very likely that he was deliberately framed by one of his enemies."

"Huh? Is that really the case? That's awful! We need to tell Mei right away!"

"Don't rush. I said it's just a hypothesis. Right now, we need proof. And the most likely place to find that proof… hmm, would be this ME Corp branch."

Elias took out the black hooded cloak, gloves, mask, and sunglasses he had prepared beforehand.

"So, let's infiltrate together. The ME Corp branch is now under the control of the enemy I suspect, and I can't break in alone."

"...Alright! If it's for Mei, then I'll do it!"

"Good, great determination!"

(Haha, this foolish insect is so easy to fool~)

Looking at the highly motivated Kiana in front of him, Elias couldn't help but think how gullible she was.

Elias knew he couldn't break into the ME Corp branch alone, but with this white-haired bundle of energy, things were different. Though she wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, her combat power was off the charts.

With this walking muscle tank paired with an external brain for strategy—perfect! Foolproof!

After disguising themselves properly, Elias and Kiana began their infiltration.

"Kiana, deploy!"

"Understood!"

The girl charged forward, dual pistols in hand.

The boy followed closely, directing tactics.

Before long, the two slipped into the building, effortlessly knocking out every person they encountered. It was as if max-level players had entered a beginner's dungeon.

"This mission is too easy, you shouldn't have called me~"

"...It's actually easier than I expected."

Even Elias was a little surprised.

He had anticipated heavy security inside the building, but it turned out to be nearly deserted. After Kiana took down the guards at the entrance, there was practically no one left to stop them.

It didn't take long for Elias to figure out why.

Although Cocolia had taken over ME Corp after overthrowing Raiden Ryoma, the branch in Nagazora City was just a subsidiary. Moreover, it was within the planned range of the Third Honkai Eruption.

To that cunning fox, this branch was expendable. Once the massive Honkai event occurred, the entire Nagazora City would be wiped out, let alone a mere branch office.

So it was no surprise that security was lax, with only a dozen armed guards and not even a single Titan mech.

...

After some investigation, the two found a door that stood out from the rest.

"Elias, this door looks really suspicious."

"Yeah, it's way too obvious."

The entire carbon-alloy door radiated the high-tech aesthetics of Anti-Entropy. Even a fool could tell that something important was hidden behind it.

"Kiana, kick it down."

"Alright, I love this direct approach!"

As someone who hated puzzle-solving games, Kiana highly approved of Elias' straightforward method. She raised her foot and delivered a powerful kick to the titanium-alloy door, sending it flying.

Elias' eye twitched. As expected of a Kaslana—pure brute strength.

For a brief moment, he thought he heard a distant voice shouting, "Milk enough, kick up!" But it was probably just his imagination.

As the door broke open, Elias finally found what he was looking for.

Beside him, Kiana's eyes widened.

"A-Are these weapons?!"