Big Brother, Bronya Needs Help

"Oh? Looks like the last member of the trio has finally arrived."

Elias' eyes lit up as he spotted the two gray turbines outside the window. Finally, he thought—after all this time, he was finally seeing her.

The last time he had 'seen' her, she was still inside her mother's womb.

"Elias, what are you looking at?"

"Nothing much, just something I need to take care of. Kiana, Mei, you two should head home first."

"..." x2

"Why are you two looking at me like that?"

Elias instinctively leaned back a little, feeling oddly cornered under the scrutinizing gazes of Kiana and Mei. Their expressions made him feel as if he had just been caught red-handed before he could even do anything suspicious.

What he failed to consider was that, although their time together hadn't been particularly long, these two girls had already come to understand what kind of person he was.

"I get the feeling that Elias is about to do something dangerous. Mei, what do you think?"

"Mm, I feel like whatever it is, we should face it together. Elias, please rely on us more."

"Uh… I wasn't planning anything dangerous," Elias mumbled in weak protest.

He really wasn't! He just wanted to chat with a certain silver-haired girl, that's all. Really! No danger involved!

Kiana, of course, was the first to call his bluff.

She chomped down the last bite of her burger, then casually pulled out two fully loaded pistols from her waist… Luckily, the other customers in the restaurant assumed they were just toy replicas.

"Hmph! Someone always says he won't do anything reckless, but when push comes to shove, he's even more impulsive than I am! Elias, do you think I'm stupid?! Just tell me where the enemy is—I'll show them the full might of a well-fed Kaslana!"

"Eh? Wait… Kiana, you're not stupid?"

Elias' eyes widened in genuine shock. Did this paramecium seriously lack any self-awareness? If he had any bad intentions, he was pretty sure he could lure her into anything with a box of fried chicken.

"I-I'm not stupid!"

"Pfft—Alright, alright, don't get mad. But Elias… you really shouldn't be going off on your own. We're a team. No matter what happens, Kiana and I will always face it with you."

"Uh… why did the atmosphere suddenly turn so serious? It's really not a big deal. Why does it feel like I'm about to fight the final boss or something?"

Elias chuckled wryly at the two girls' concern. They're overreacting… right?

With practiced ease, he reached out and pinched Kiana's cheeks before ruffling Mei's hair.

"I won't do anything reckless. You two just go home and wait for me. Mei, make sure to have some late-night snacks ready for when I get back. Don't worry—I'm really strong now. I did pin Kiana to the ground and make her call me 'Dad' this afternoon, after all."

"That didn't count! I just accidentally let my guard down! Hmph! If you've got the guts, fight me again!"

"Sure, sure, I'll spar with you when I get back. Don't worry, I won't be out too late."

With that, Elias tossed the rest of his fries into his mouth, followed by an entire packet of ketchup. After speed-running his meal, he walked up to the register, paid the bill, and left.

(Come to think of it, neither of them seem to mind physical contact with me anymore. If this were a game, my affection rating with them should be at three stars by now… Heh.)

Of course, part of it was due to the Conquest Gem and Serenity Gem's influence. But at the same time, Kiana and Mei had already placed absolute trust in Elias—

After all, a Herrscher Core could influence their bodies.

But it couldn't manipulate their hearts.

"How delightful. Let's settle this quickly so I can head home… Oh, as expected, she followed me."

Elias strolled casually down the street.

Using the store window's reflection, he confirmed that Bronya was indeed tailing him.

Among the 'Three Heroines,' Bronya was undoubtedly the most intelligent. But precisely because she was so smart, Elias could easily predict her thoughts and actions.

No doubt, Cocolia had sent her.

And without a doubt, her mission was to retrieve Mei—and exact revenge on Elias.

After all, he had recently crushed Cocolia's carefully planned operation. Given her nature, there was no way she'd let that slide.

But even putting aside the fact that she couldn't act recklessly in public—

Bronya's current strength wasn't enough.

(She's definitely aware of Kiana's strength, so attacking Mei carries too much risk—if the Herrscher of Thunder's personality awakens, things could spiral out of control. So, if she wants to take us down one by one, I'd be the most obvious target.)

From Cocolia's perspective, Elias was just an ordinary person, someone Bronya could easily handle.

Too bad she wasn't aware that information had already become outdated. As of this morning, Elias had received an epic power-up.

(A Bronya without her motorbike? That's basically her serving herself up on a silver platter. Even if she did have her bike, I could still find a way to revoke her license!)

"Let's see how you plan to make your move, Bronya. Don't disappoint me." Elias found a park, then sat on a bench, pretending to nap without a care in the world.

...

"Target confirmed. Initiating operation."

The emotionless loli murmured to herself as she reviewed the intel on Elias. She judged that this particular target wouldn't be difficult to eliminate.

(He's just a normal person. He interfered with Cocolia's long-term plans, so he needs to be removed.)

Bronya wasn't privy to the details of Cocolia's grand scheme—she didn't know that the woman had intended to sacrifice the entire city of Nagazora by triggering a large-scale Honkai Eruption.

All she had been told was that Mei might hold the key to bringing back the person most precious to her—Seele Vollerei—from the Sea of Quanta.

"I'm sorry, Elias. We have no personal grudges, but for the sake of finding Seele, you'll have to endure serious injuries for a while."

Bronya spoke in a monotonous whisper.

Seeing Elias separate from the others was a pleasant surprise. A normal person, alone, against her, a battle-hardened warrior? It was a one-sided match.

But in such an open park—

With so many civilians nearby—

Bronya determined that using Project Bunny's full firepower wasn't necessary. She also didn't want to cause too much of a scene.

So, what was the best approach?

Bronya glanced at her own legs.

If they were still functional—if she hadn't needed her exoskeletal supports—she might have used…

Stockings.

Deceiving the enemy with her frail appearance, then strangling or suffocating them with stockings—this was a method she frequently used in her 'Silver Wolf of the Urals' days.

Though she couldn't use the second half of that tactic anymore, the first half remained just as effective.

Bronya knew full well that her appearance was highly deceptive to normal people.

And so—

"Big brother over there, Bronya is in trouble. Can you help Bronya?"

With zero intention of hiding, the cunning ducky walked straight up to Elias.

Though her face remained expressionless and her voice monotone, a deadpan loli was still a top-tier moe weapon.

Elias smiled and immediately chose to take the bait.

"Of course, adorable little sister. What do you need help with?"

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