Honkai: Starting to Wander with Kiana

Everyone grieves differently. Ryn couldn't gauge how sad Bronya and Seele were, nor did he particularly care. He didn't know them yet. If they became friends later, he'd worry about their feelings then.

The city was abuzz, preparing for its summer festival, and all the schools were getting into the spirit of the season.

Kiana burst into Ryn's arms with a flying tackle, excitedly declaring:

"Ryn, Ryn! Wanna come check out our school's summer festival? There'll be tons of yummy food!"

Rubbing the little white puffball's head, Ryn asked Cortana to pull up his schedule. Seeing that he was free on the festival days, he agreed.

"Hmm... sure. Do I need to bring anything?"

"Nope, just come as you are! I tried getting Mei to come too, but she said no—she's got plans with other people. But Sparkle will be there!" Kiana grabbed Ryn's hand and swung it around, overjoyed.

Last year, Ryn hadn't enjoyed the summer festival. Being unfamiliar with the area, he found it noisy and overwhelming. He looked around briefly before heading home. Besides, the main reason for going—trying the delicious food Kiana promised—had been a letdown. They couldn't find anything worthwhile to eat.

This year, though, Ryn was determined to make up for it. Good food and good company—double the fun!

"Sparkle... Will she join us too? I can't imagine her lasting long before she'd make us carry her on our backs."

Ryn pictured Sparkle in his mind: the ultimate laid-back, carefree girl who always seemed ready to strike a lazy pose. Her delicate frame seemed like it could topple over with the slightest breeze.

She'd probably whip out a couch from nowhere to loaf around. And while she was a stubborn and hard-to-read girl, Ryn had to admit that teasing her was endlessly entertaining when he was bored.

As for Mei... Ryn assumed Kiana meant Raiden Mei, the young lady from the Mei Group. It wasn't surprising she hadn't joined. Mei always had a crowd of admirers surrounding her, and Ryn suspected she saw Kiana as just another one. Mei often ignored Kiana, but the oblivious Kiana always believed they were friends.

The summer festival approached quickly, filling the streets with traditional lanterns. Governments, clubs, and colleges began parading, while food carts overflowed with hungry crowds.

In Akademstadt, most attendees were either parents with their children or groups of kids. Few adults wore traditional yukata, but almost all the children did—nobody wanted to be left out of the competition to look their best.

If everyone else was dressed up, how could Ryn let his adorable Kiana be the exception?

Kiana wore a blue yukata with a floral pattern, complete with a large pink bow tied at her back. Ryn tied blue ribbons in her two ponytails, making her look even cuter.

Though he initially resisted wearing a yukata, Kiana's pleading won him over. He chose a stylish black one with red stripes, which made him look rather dashing.

When they were ready, Ryn knelt on one knee, extending his hand to Kiana.

"My princess, shall we attend the summer festival together?"

"Hmph, my knight... I will allow it. Do your best to please me!"

Kiana placed her hand in Ryn's, their fingers interlocking as they walked side by side to meet Sparkle.

At the meeting spot, Sparkle was already sprawled out on a couch she had somehow brought along.

Kiana waved. "Hey, Sparkle. Why are you still in the same clothes? Shouldn't you change for the summer festival?"

Sparkle lazily opened her eyes, glanced at them, and gestured to her outfit.

"What do you mean? I'm wearing a kimono, aren't I? It might not look like yours, but it's still a kimono!"

Kiana tilted her head in confusion. Aside from the long sleeves resembling a furisode, Sparkle's outfit didn't look anything like a kimono.

Sparkle sighed at Kiana's disbelieving expression. "Fine... truth is, kimonos are expensive, and my family's struggling. We can't afford to waste money on something like that. Plus, I don't like wearing yukata outside, so I just stick with this."

"You should've told us sooner!" Kiana exclaimed. "Ryn and I are rich now. We're friends, Sparkle—if you ever need help, just ask us!"

Ryn nodded in agreement. Thanks to the success of kallen: Two Deaths of Sakura and Otto's generous funding (most of which he embezzled), Ryn was practically swimming in money. With Cortana's hacking skills, they could access almost any bank account—so long as Schicksal didn't interfere.

"You're right," Ryn said. "Kiana once told me you couldn't even afford a donut—I thought she was joking. If you're really struggling, I can lend you money. If you can't repay it, you can work for me. The terms will be generous."

Sparkle was flabbergasted. Sure, her family was in decline, but they weren't destitute! How had this conversation turned into charity talk?

"What are you even saying? I just can't afford traditional robes right now—it doesn't mean I'm starving! And the donut thing? That's just because I didn't have enough cash on me that day!"

"...Huh? But the yukata I bought for Kiana only cost about a million yen. That's less than half the price of the meal Ryn treated us to with Otto last time. Compared to that..." Kiana trailed off, realizing her math added up.

"You dense, clueless fool!" Sparkle yelled, grabbing Kiana by the scruff of her neck. "Who spends millions on a meal? Idiot! Everyone else rents their kimonos—why'd you have to flaunt your custom-made one?"

Ryn rubbed his head, cursing inwardly. Spending too much time around imbeciles turns you into one, huh? This was definitely the mindset of a nouveau riche person. He'd struck it rich overnight and almost forgotten what life was like for regular people with average incomes.

But Cortana sure was tempting. All he had to do was give her his idea and desired outcome, and she'd figure out the rest—developing the game to perfection. He could even charm some cash out of Otto if needed. Sure, Otto probably suspected he was squandering money, but as long as he didn't voice any objections, he must not have cared that much.

Meanwhile, as Otto stepped out of the flying machine, he sneezed.

"Hmm...? Someone's talking about me?" He paused for a moment, pondering. "Is it my adorable TLC...? I'll pay her a visit when I get the chance."