Chapter 2: Spinning Strikes Are the Deadliest

The light thuds of dainty leather boots echoed crisply against the tiled floor—pa-da, pa-da, pa-da. Her lungs were heaving with breath from the intense sprint, chest rising and falling rapidly. But the panting didn’t sound like a noisy distraction from exercise—instead, it came across more like cute, healthy bursts of energy.

Her heartbeat was already pounding at three times its usual pace. Beads of sweat shimmered slightly on her smooth, pale forehead, dampening her silvery bangs that now clung messily to her skin. She looked a little disheveled, yet full of youthful vitality. Her long silver hair, braided into two thick pigtails, swung like beautiful tails behind her as she ran.

“Make way! Make way!”

The girl sprinted down the corridor, shouting as she went. She seemed either oblivious to or intentionally ignoring the environment—and the big, bright red warning sign that read:

[This is a medical facility. No running. No loud noise.]

She had only one goal: to get to her destination as fast as possible.

“Hey, move it! Unless you’re dead, get outta the way!”

Without even the slightest hint of politeness, she shoved past a patient in front of her. She accidentally bumped into them and, instead of apologizing, muttered a slight complaint under her breath.

Such a self-centered and reckless girl.

This girl, about 16 years old, had delicate features like a porcelain doll. Her deep blue eyes sparkled like ocean gemstones. Her snow-white hair should’ve radiated an angelic aura, but her impatient personality made her resemble a hyperactive white rabbit… in mating season.

Her name was Kiana Kaslana.

A Valkyrie of the Schicksal Organization, one of humanity’s humanoid weapons against the Honkai.

And when it comes to Kiana, there are a few stories worth telling.

She considered herself more than qualified to be an S-rank Valkyrie. In terms of raw strength and talent, she certainly had the potential to back that up. Unfortunately, her written test scores were… abysmal. Failing grade, outright.

Though she eventually managed to scrape by and earn her license, the silver B-rank printed on it nearly made this so-called genius cry her heart out. She kept retaking the written test but always failed. Her memory—like that of a goldfish—and her proud, stubborn personality earned her a certain nickname among her fellow Valkyries:

“The Brilliant Idiot Kiana”, or simply: “Dumb Kiana.”

Today, she was heading to the 12th floor of the hospital. After sprinting for a dozen seconds on the first floor, she finally saw the elevator—and, miraculously, it was still there! The doors were open!

“Lucky!!”

Considering Kiana’s usual streak of bad luck, this felt like a good start to the day. But just as she reached the elevator—

“Hey! You in the white, rabbit-looking thing! Move! Emergency patient incoming!”

“Eh? Eh, wait, what—!?”

Before she could respond or resist, a burly head nurse—not the least bit feminine—grabbed her by the neck like she was a bunny and tossed her right back out of the elevator. It looked exactly like someone yanking a rabbit by the ears and tossing it back in its cage.

“Get outta the way! Geez! If I miss seeing Mei because of this, you’re all dead!”

“If I don’t get this patient treated, you’re dead!”

The nurse’s terrifying reply silenced her immediately. What was meant as a childish outburst instantly turned into embarrassment. Kiana covered her mouth, blushing in shame.

The head nurse, realizing the girl was just being a brat, didn’t pursue it further. She hit the emergency override button on the elevator, cutting off external controls, and sent it straight up—to the 32nd floor.

“Ugh… Just my luck…”

Kiana hunched over, her energy draining. The once-vibrant girl now slumped like a shut-in who hadn’t left her dorm room for a week. She glanced at the elevator with a tiny hint of guilt and folded her hands in prayer: “Hope you make it out okay…”

Previous judgment retracted—she may be a little bratty, but… she’s probably a good kid.

“Ugh, 13th floor… I guess I’ll just take the stairs.”

She sighed and, spotting that all nearby elevators were far above her, obediently headed for the stairwell. Might as well make it her workout for the day.

Room 19, Bed C, 13th Floor.

A bed near the window. Due to the patient’s unique circumstances, the Schicksal Organization made a rare exception and cleared out this room just for her.

Lying under a crisp white blanket was a girl.

Petite, flat-chested, with slightly open amber eyes that held a muted sadness. Her silver-gray hair, usually tied in a precise and elegant manner, now hung loose, slightly messy but still naturally beautiful.

Her face… was almost otherworldly in beauty, more like a character from a fairy tale—a little princess or a lonely young witch.

All these details gave her a faint air of fragility—not in a pitiful sense, but in a way that made people instinctively want to protect her.

Bronya Zaychik.

That was her name. A girl robbed of her legs and emotions by selfish hands during the prime of her youth.

Yes, this girl had no emotions. A closer look at her doll-like face would reveal a machine-like coldness, a sense of distance.

But as with all fairy tales, every caged princess eventually meets her prince, and every lonely witch eventually encounters a meddlesome boy who shows her the world.

For Bronya, that person wasn’t a prince… but a girl. Elegant and graceful like a Yamato Nadeshiko—a beautiful, traditional Japanese woman—who could also, in a heartbeat, jump onto your face and blow your head off with a shotgun.

Yes, Raiden Mei.

Usually calm, gentle, and motherly—someone who made you feel instantly at ease. Now, at this very moment, she sat beside Bronya’s bed, humming a soft tune while peeling an apple with the sweetest of smiles.

The first thing one would notice about Mei was her sleek black hair, tied simply into a ponytail. One could easily imagine how stunning she’d look with it down. Her face radiated pure warmth—no flowery adjectives were needed. She was simply kind.

So kind, in fact, that many would consider her the perfect wife just by looking at her once.

She hummed softly, her voice as sweet as honey, peeling the apple into tiny bunny shapes. Her every move—from posture to expression—oozed motherly care and grace. She was the kind of girl who had likely been called “Senpai,” “Onee-san,” or “ideal daughter” more times than anyone could count.

Scratch that—she wasn’t the kind of girl you’d call a perfect wife.

She was the kind of girl you’d want to marry on the spot.

“Hmm?”

As she finished slicing the apple, Mei felt a pair of eyes on her. She looked up and met Bronya’s amber gaze. The girl immediately turned her head away, slightly flustered.

“What’s wrong, Bronya?”

“…Nothing.”

“Bronya~ I told you, lying kids aren’t good kids. Are you a good kid, Bronya?”

“…Yes.”

“Then tell Mei-neechan, why did you turn your head away?”

Mei’s voice was soft and warm, filled with affection and sweetness—enough to melt any frozen heart. For someone like Bronya, who was both emotionless and expressionless, it was an instant defeat.

She turned back, cheeks glowing faint pink, and mumbled quietly like a mosquito:

“Because Mei-neechan… really feels like a mom.”

It was a sincere answer. But Mei knew one thing—Bronya had never met her real mother.

“Thank you, Bronya~ Here, aaah~”

She gently patted Bronya’s head. The girl’s face lit up with a look of pure comfort, like a content kitten. Mei used a toothpick to pick up the apple bunny and offered it to her.

Bronya obediently opened her mouth, gently taking the piece like a little bird being fed. She cradled the apple in her hands and nibbled it like a tiny rabbit.

“Bronya, you don’t have to eat it so carefully.”

“But… Mei-neechan infused this apple with love. It must be divided into one-centimeter segments with my front teeth, then slowly chewed to savor the love within.”

Such a bold declaration sent Mei’s brain into overheat mode. Her cheeks turned redder than the apple peels. She nearly short-circuited.

“L-Love?! That’s not… I didn’t…”

“Does that mean Mei-neechan doesn’t love Bronya? As expected, Bronya is an unwanted child…”

“Wha—No, no, no! Bronya, you’re definitely wanted!”

“Then prove it.”

“Okay! How?!”

Still flustered, Mei fell into Bronya’s trap.

“Hug me.”

“Eh?!”

“Hug Bronya. Tight. All the way.”

“…But…”

“Bronya is unwanted…”

Bronya’s head drooped. Her pale gray hair covered her face. She looked like a poor orphan left out in the rain.

“…Okay, okay! I got it!”

With a blush still glowing on her cheeks, Mei pulled Bronya into a warm embrace. It wasn’t awkward or reluctant—it was real. She hugged her tightly, pressing Bronya’s small body gently into her chest.

Golden afternoon sunlight streamed through the window, bathing the two in a soft glow. It looked like a scene from a stained glass window—like the Virgin Mary cradling the Christ child.

“Bronya, how long do you want me to hold you?”

“Until I feel Mei-neechan’s love.”

“How long will that take?”

“Calculated time: one hour and thirty minutes.”

“…My back is going to hurt.”

“Recalculating: ten minutes.”

“I was just kidding…”

Mei smiled, brushing Bronya’s hair gently. “There’s no way I’d let go of Bronya just because of a sore back.”

Her hold was gentle, perfectly balanced—not too tight, not too loose. Enough to feel the warmth of the other without suffocating.

“…Bronya now feels Mei-neechan’s love filling up. Estimated time to full charge: 30 seconds.”

She didn’t dare turn her face. Her cheeks were red as apples, ears burning hot. She let her hair fall over her face to hide it.

Everything was so peaceful and warm.

Could this calm last forever?

“MEI-YAAAAAAA!!!”

…Apparently not.

Kiana burst through the hospital room door with a loud yell and a flying kick—once again completely ignoring hospital rules about noise and running.

Correction: She intended to be loud.

She wanted to catch a certain rabbit girl off guard, the one who always stole Mei’s attention. Maybe if she annoyed her enough, she’d go clinically insane and stay hospitalized longer.

But what she walked in on was the exact opposite.

Two girls… in a warm embrace.

“…Mei???”

Kiana tilted her head. Her ocean-blue eyes lost all shine.

Mei, caught in the act, quickly released Bronya and stammered:

“K-Kiana! This! That! It’s not what it looks like!”

“It’s just that Mei-neechan filled me with love,” said Bronya, deadpan.

Critical hit!

“Filled… with love??” Kiana took a psychological blow to the heart.

“Via hugging, exchanging body warmth, and sensing heartbeat and breath.”

Fatal blow!

“Exchanging body warmth?!?!”

Kiana could barely breathe. Her lungs were shutting down from emotional trauma.

“Yes. It felt like Mei-neechan and I… became one.”

Bronya’s Triple Attack: Direct hit, Fatal blow, Critical finisher!

“Became… one… uwaaahhhh~~!”

Kiana collapsed against the wall, strength draining from her limbs.

Bronya turned to the window and gave a stealthy thumbs-up—wait, was that a sparkle on her fingertip!?

“Bronya, stop!! It’s not like that!” Mei’s face was redder than an apple—no, hotter than a branding iron. Her brain nearly melted from the embarrassment.

“Mei… is that true?”

Kiana whispered from the floor, broken.

“No, no! It’s not like that! She just said I seemed like a mom, and asked for a hug! I didn’t hug her just because she was so cute and soft I couldn’t resist!”

“Pfft—”

“Eh?! Kiana?!”

Mei panicked, rushing over to Kiana and shaking her gently. Meanwhile, Bronya, like a sage, calmly declared:

“Mei-neechan… Spinning strikes… are the most lethal.”