"It might sound hard to believe, but it seems this young lady has fallen in love at first sight. And what's even more unbelievable is that this young lady has apparently fallen for a guy."
The girl named Kiana Kaslana leaned against a wall, rubbing her smooth chin, an expression of undisguised shock on her face.
Just a moment ago, Kiana had been making deliveries, same as any other day, earning some money to cover the living expenses needed for her worldwide search for her father.
But as she passed by a certain street, she saw a newly opened flower shop. The instant she laid eyes on the young man tending to the flowers at the entrance, Kiana's heart gave an unruly, rapid leap.
The girl knew what that feeling was. It wasn't that she was sick; it was that she had, apparently, fallen in love at first sight with that person.
But no matter how she tried to recall the young man's features, she could only describe him as plain and unremarkable. He wasn't particularly handsome, and while he gave off a nice feeling, it shouldn't have been enough to make her fall for him at a single glance.
"They say that in this world, there are always a few people you're destined to fall for the moment you meet them. Could it be that young man is one of those people for me?"
Driven by a mix of curiosity and that inexplicable good feeling, Kiana eventually found her way back to that street. She didn't enter the flower shop right away, however, choosing instead to watch from a distance.
She saw the young man again. He was crouching down, loosening the soil around a flower whose name she didn't know. Watching the peaceful smile on his face, Kiana felt a strange stirring in her heart, and her mind was suddenly filled with memories that shouldn't exist.
Those memories told her that this person was her love, her lover, her partner.
Kiana jerked back, shaking her head vigorously to clear her mind and temporarily push aside those fuzzy, chaotic memories. She shrank back in alarm, beginning to wonder... was this really love at first sight?
This felt more like one of those hypnosis-themed stories she'd read in manga.
"Has this young lady been hypnotized without realizing it? Is that why I'm seeing him as someone I like and even fabricating a bunch of memories that don't exist at all?!"
Kiana felt a cold sweat begin to break out, a nauseating feeling of her very mind being rewritten washing over her.
"No way! I only glanced at him twice and I'm already starting to make up memories. If I stare any longer, am I going to be completely hypnotized and brainwashed? I'd better run!"
Just as Kiana was thinking this, she saw a purple-haired young woman walking towards her from a short distance away. And the moment she saw that girl, Kiana was certain—her heart was now pounding for her.
Huh? Wait! This feeling!
The look of infatuation on Kiana's face instantly twisted into one of unconcealed horror. What was wrong with Nagazora City? In just a few days, she had already met two dangerous individuals who could influence people's minds with their appearance alone!
"No wonder there was news of my deadbeat dad here. With such obvious anomalies around, it's probably deeply connected to the Honkai. That's why there'd be a clue in this city, right?"
Kiana's expression became conflicted. If she kept getting involved, she might really get trapped and be unable to escape. But this kind of clearly abnormal situation might just be the key to finding her deadbeat dad.
Raiden Mei watched Kiana, who was cowering in a corner with a strange expression on her face, trembling all over. She knew that the current Kiana shouldn't have recovered her memories yet—no, to be more accurate, she shouldn't have synchronized with the memories of the past timeline yet. So why did she look so terrified?
Mei considered taking Kiana to Xin Yu's side, figuring that would help her recover her memories quickly. But she had only taken a few steps forward when Kiana noticed her and fled in a panic.
Huh?
A question mark slowly materialized above Raiden Mei's head. Even without her memories, Kiana wasn't this timid, was she? And she shouldn't have run away the moment she saw her.
Unable to figure it out, Raiden Mei decided to go and ask the person who should have the answer.
Arriving at the flower shop's entrance, Mei saw Xin Yu sitting inside, tending to a potted plant. She walked in, the crisp chime of the wind bell sounding by her ear.
"Good afternoon, Mei."
Xin Yu looked up from the plant and smiled at her.
"Xin Yu, I just saw Kiana outside a little ways away, but she was acting very strangely, like she'd seen a ghost or something. I had just started walking toward her when she got scared and ran off."
Hearing this, Xin Yu paused for a moment, clearly not having anticipated it. He then took a few seconds to search for the answer.
"Ah, I see. When Kiana saw me, her connection to me started to awaken her memories of the previous timeline. But since the process wasn't complete, she perceived it as some kind of mental manipulation or interference. That produced a sense of fear. When she saw you, she had a similar feeling, so she assumed we both have that ability. That's why she got scared and ran away."
Raiden Mei couldn't help but chuckle. So Kiana had been reading too many weird stories, which led her to overthink things and scare herself.
"Should I go and help her, then?"
"No need. If she is to remember, she will. If she doesn't, that might not be a bad thing either."
"Xin Yu..."
"Mei, I'm not going to lie to you, so I'll be blunt."
"My original plan was never to proactively awaken your memories. If you couldn't remember the stories we once shared, I would have just let you live happily in this new, beautiful world and forget my existence."
"Why? Did we become a burden to you?"
"No. If you couldn't remember me, it would prove that the bond between us wasn't as deep as I imagined—not deep enough to overcome the influence of time through our connection alone."
"And if the bond isn't that deep, then I imagine you wouldn't want a lover to suddenly pop into your life out of nowhere."
Raiden Mei understood his gentle phrasing. In reality, if her love for Xin Yu wasn't truly that deep, if she was merely using him, then the bond would never be strong enough to overcome time and reawaken her memories of the previous timeline's story.
"What if... what if no one remembered you?"
"That wouldn't be so bad, would it? It would just mean that the life you desire now is the one you crave most in your heart. Getting rid of a scumbag like me wouldn't be such a bad thing, right?"
"...Why are you still the same as before, never thinking of yourself?"
"What do you mean? I have thought about it. After all, if a situation like that were to happen, it would just mean our fated connection has come to an end."
Seeing Xin Yu's still-placid expression, Raiden Mei stepped forward and took his hand.
"No matter how the world changes, no matter how time flows, I will never forget you. My love."
"...Mm. I've received your promise."
Xin Yu stood up and gently embraced Raiden Mei.