Chapter 84 - Memory Drive

Although the term "Rider's Heart" sounded rather strange, it wasn't something entirely beyond Nagami's comprehension.

After all, every Kamen Rider protagonist had their own convictions—Takumi wanted to protect the dreams of others.

The mage sought to save humanity from despair; and Shinji simply wanted to end the Riders' war.

Even in Ryuki, there were Riders who stood on the opposite side.

But no matter their cause, if they could unleash a power far beyond their Rider armor, there would be scenes of them defeating the boss in their base form.

And in those moments, you could always find one thing in common:

'Fearlessly fighting for what they believed in!'

Nagami thought that perhaps the Rider's Heart was something akin to that unwavering conviction.

If that was the case, then the reason he couldn't transform probably wasn't because he lacked a Rider's Heart.

Rather, it was because of the dual soul nature he shared with C.C., or perhaps it was simply a matter of prioritization!

Using it together with C.C. was like Shotaro trying to wear two transformation devices at once.

No wonder he couldn't transform!

Fortunately, the solution was simple: just slightly disrupt the transformation device's detection of the "dual existence."

This would have been a real headache for the old Nagami.

But things were different now—C.C.'s body bore the stigmata of Yae Sakura.

Let's go back to the item description of the Double Driver.

[When your resolve is true, the user can forge a Memory Drive unique to their will.]

That line was the foundation of Nagami's backup plan.

In the past, he'd never even have considered letting someone in this world pass the Honkai test on their own before drawing the belt.

Now, let me drop two keywords here:

Memory Drive!

Herscher Core!

What does that make you think of?

Nagami was convinced that this Rider Belt he pulled with his life's gacha luck was practically tailor-made for the Honkai world.

After all, if you were the Herrscher of Flamescion—wielding the Godslaying Sword to break through despair and becoming a flame to light up the darkness—

Nagami was sure that with Kiana's willpower in the story, she could definitely forge her own Memory Drive.

Void! (Void Herrscher's Memory)

Reason! (Herrscher of Reason's Memory)

Vijunana! (Herrscher of Knowledge's Memory)

Blight! (Herrscher of Sentience's Memory)

Just like the cores and gems embedded in the Godslaying Sword, if they were crystallized as Gaia Memory Drives, the Rider's Heart would fully unleash their power!

It might even surpass the Herrscher Cores themselves.

Of course, there was one problem: with Nagami meddling in the story, the "tuna" (Kiana) wouldn't experience the same despair that forced her to awaken as the Herrscher of Flamescion in the game.

And there was no way the young, single beautiful red head woman would die—Nagami wouldn't allow it!

With power in his hands, there was no way he'd let a storyline he disliked come true.

Still, even if he said that, as the vessel of the Second Herrscher, K423 would inevitably face that cruel truth one day.

No one could change that fate—not even Nagami.

That's why it was necessary to let the tuna Kiana learn to think for herself.

He'd invest a little hope.

If it didn't work out, there was always the lady herself.

"Ugh, I can't take this anymore! What is this Honkai Chronicle nonsense? If we're fighting the Honkai, shouldn't we just fight them?"

Kiana slammed the thick 30-centimeter book shut in frustration, her brain buzzing, and pounded the table as she yelled at Nagami.

"I swear you're murdering my brain cells! I demand the same treatment as Sirin!"

Meanwhile, "Sirin" was playing games with Bronya.

"As long as you can reach a tenth of Sirin's level, I'll carry you to victory."

A maid slid a latte across the table to the boy.

Nagami propped his chin on his hand, listlessly lifting the coffee to his lips as he spoke.

"Of course, no problem!"

Kiana face lit up with excitement at his casual promise.

She folded her arms and studied "Sirin"—who looked exactly like her.

If they looked this similar, there couldn't be that much of a gap in other areas, right?

As for the fact that "Sirin"'s presence utterly outshone her, she had subconsciously shoved that out of her mind.

Nagami's expression was subtle as he glanced at "Sirin", who responded with a slight nod.

""Sirin" what on page 57?"

Kiana looked at him blankly, unsure what he meant.

A second later, a voice she knew all too well rang out in her ears:

"The Honkai beasts are roughly categorized from lowest to highest: Assault Class, Knight Class, Ballista Class, Chariot Class, Sanctuary Class, Warlord Class, Emperor Class, and finally, Judgement Class…"

Kiana eyes widened in shock.

She stared at the opening lines of page 57, then at "Sirin" calmly reciting them while playing her game.

Each word felt like a dagger, stabbing deep into her already battered heart.

The bright blue light in her eyes slowly faded, and her slender arms fell limp on the desk in front of her.

Why?

Why?

Why is it that even though it's the same voice and the same face, the gap between people can be so vast?

"Ugh… C.C…" Utterly crushed, Kiana burst into tears and lunged at the green-haired girl quietly relaxing beside her—though in reality.

She was idly scrolling through chat groups.

Kiana pounced her with such force that she nearly sent C.C. toppling to the ground.

Her delicate face pressed gently against C.C.'s chest, nuzzling back and forth.

In a world where cold hearts were the norm, only this girl's embrace brought warmth.

C.C. was caught off guard by the soft breaths that brushed against her chest, but before she could react, "Sirin" who is lounging on the sofa had already put down her game console.

She rose, walked behind Kiana, and yanked her by her two braided pigtails.

"Have some dignity, will you?"

'Damn it! I want to throw myself into C.C.'s chest too!'

What the heiress Kiana shouted in her mind was worlds apart from what she said aloud.

She stared expressionlessly at the spot where the Grasshopper had been rubbing her face just moments ago.

Inevitably, she thought back to the first time she'd met C.C.

And then her mind wandered to scenes she couldn't possibly describe in detail.

A flush of crimson instantly bloomed across her delicate face, creeping down her pale neck until it was almost blood red.

Her entire demeanor shifted in a way that was obvious to anyone watching.

How to put it…

It was like seeing a short sleeve and immediately imagining the bare arm beneath it—and then everything else.

"Ah! Don't pull my hair!" Dragged away from the soft, warm comfort, the tuna Kiana flailed her tiny hands in protest.

She looked back at "Sirin"—whose face was inexplicably red and puffed out her cheeks in mild annoyance.

"Alright, alright, stop causing trouble now, Kiana," A gentle voice rang out.

Wearing an apron and holding a spatula, the Herrscher of Rice emerged from the kitchen to lightly 'scold' Kiana antics at the doorway.

But her tone was far too soft, and combined with her warm, serene smile that radiated domestic bliss, it was more like a mother gently disciplining a mischievous daughter.

Of course, the Hyperion had a large cafeteria for the Valkyries to eat in, but Mei insisted on cooking for Nagami herself.

She even went so far as to stop the maid from helping in the kitchen.

"Okay…" Looking a little aggrieved but too intimidated to argue with Mei, Kiana pouted and hung her head low.

Meanwhile, C.C.—who, at her core, was a powerful SP character—noticed at a glance exactly what was going through "Sirin"'s mind.

If they'd been alone, she would have teased her immediately.

Instead, she just shook her head and turned to the maid standing quietly nearby.

"Speaking of which… Miss Rita."

"There's no need for such formalities, Lady C.C.," Rita replied with a gentle, spring breeze-like voice. "I'm just a humble maid. You don't need to use honorifics with me."

"…Rita, considering the Hyperion's speed, it should have already arrived at St. Freya, right? Why…" C.C. put on a pair of glasses she'd found somewhere on the table.

Through Nagami's perspective, she saw herself exuding the vibe of a literary girl as she nodded slightly, asking with a hint of puzzlement.

"Although you and Nagami-sama managed to prevent the Third Honkai Eruption, the massive surge of Honkai energy before then still caused some… minor incidents. For ordinary people, they're disasters in their own right."

Rita's delicate features curved into a pleasant smile as she explained in her soft voice, "The Hyperion has been handling these little problems on its way back."

"We'll arrive at St. Freya Academy tomorrow."

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