Theresa Apocalypse: Commander of Schicksal's Far East Branch, Principal of Saint Freya Academy, and the "granddaughter" of Schicksal's Overseer, Otto.
In essence, she was Kallen's clone, A-310, created by Otto using the genes of the Emperor-class Honkai Beast "Vishnu." Because her personality resembled Kallen's, Otto acknowledged her as his granddaughter and named her "Theresa."
However, an artificial human was, after all, an artificial human, somewhat different from a normal person.
Theresa's genes possessed significant defects.
This was not only reflected in her intelligence, which was even more lacking than the airheaded, innocent, and sweet Kallen's, but also manifested physically.
Theresa stopped developing after the age of twelve; her height was only 145cm.
Moreover, both her appearance and physique were no different from when she was twelve.
In comparison, Aunt Captain Murata, though possessing an Asian face, stood at 167cm, had an amazing figure, and exuded the charm of a mature woman.
On one side was a short, white-haired girl who didn't even look thirteen. On the other was a mature beauty brimming with feminine charm and a sense of dignity.
Although neither of them seemed quite right, Li Zihan had already said that his great aunt was one of these two.
Theresa or Murata Himeko—which one looked more like a "Great Aunt"?
Don't you all have a clue by now?
With almost no hesitation, Miss Kiana threw herself into Auntie Himeko's embrace.
Murata Himeko looked at the girl hugging her tightly, her expression somewhat stunned.
Hey, hey, hey, I'm not your great aunt! Your great aunt is the one next to you!
Miss Himeko, tightly embraced by Kiana, looked at her old partner beside her, who seemed to have been petrified by Medusa's gaze, and for a moment, didn't know what to say.
Theresa... really didn't fit the typical image of a "Great Aunt."
What should she do?
The embraced Miss Murata Himeko shot Theresa a look, signaling her to say something.
Theresa, currently withdrawn into herself, showed no reaction.
She was still immersed in the bewilderment of wanting to hug Kiana, only to be completely ignored.
In her magnificent eyes, so similar to Kiana's, even the highlights had dimmed.
This girl is really hopeless.
Miss Murata, who had long grown accustomed to Theresa's various antics in daily life, gave up on communicating with her through eye contact.
Miss Himeko, who currently had absolutely no relation whatsoever to Miss Kiana, pondered for a moment, intending to reach out and push the girl hugging her away.
"So, besides Dad, I still have other relatives."
An extremely soft voice sounded from her chest. Murata Himeko paused, lowered her head slightly, and saw a face that appeared full of vitality, but upon closer inspection, still revealed fatigue.
This child, in over a year, has traveled all the way from Northern Europe to the Far East. She must have suffered a lot.
Recalling the information about Kiana, Murata Himeko's heart softened, and the arm that was about to exert force drooped.
Reaching out again, the hand that was supposed to push Kiana away was now placed on Kiana's head, gently stroking her white hair.
The girl whose long hair was being stroked showed a relieved expression, and her arms around Murata Himeko tightened a little.
Himeko, who also hadn't felt familial affection for a long time, looked at the girl burying her head in her chest with a look of reassurance, and a sense of warmth welled up in her heart.
Miss Theresa, like a complete stranger, stiffly and arduously, like a rusting machine, turned her head to look at the harmoniously interacting pair, her mind a chaotic mess.
Hey, hey, hey, Kiana, I'm your Great Aunt! The one you're hugging is my adjutant!
And Himeko, how could you just let Kiana hug you? Kiana got the wrong person, can't you give her a hint?
Too many words wanted to burst out but were stuck in her throat; Theresa couldn't utter a sound for a moment.
The young man, who was well aware of everyone's identity, under Miss Mei's slightly bewildered gaze, took out a mirrorless camera he'd produced from somewhere and recorded a video with great interest.
Wonderful moments in life were worth recording, to be pulled out and savored during boring times.
Miss Mei, not understanding why Li Zihan was filming, walked over to his side and asked with surprise.
"Zihan, what are you—?"
"Recording the genuine display of emotion when my friend Kiana meets her great aunt."
The young man, fully intending to watch the subsequent recording as a comedy video, smiled and said.
"Don't you think the reunion between Ms. Theresa and Kiana is very 'touching'?"
Is that so?
Miss Mei, feeling that something was a bit off, moved behind the mirrorless camera that was recording and watched the video being captured.
It seemed like there was no problem.
Miss Mei, feeling that everything was normal except for the slightly unsightly expression on the white-haired dango nearby, blinked and stood beside Li Zihan, watching him record.
Meanwhile, after nuzzling her head against Auntie Himeko's chest for a while, Kiana turned around and looked at a certain white-haired dango beside her—one who, if she appeared in a manga, would definitely be drawn in monochrome.
"Great Aunt, is this little one my cousin?"
Kiana looked at the white-haired dango who shared her hair and eye color, squatted down, and reached out a delicate, pale finger to poke the Principal's small, jade-like face, a smile on her own.
This child really does look quite a bit like me.
The white-haired dango whose face was being poked turned a little green.
Her eyes widened as she looked at the person who should be calling her "Great Aunt" but was instead treating her as a "cousin," her body trembling slightly.
"Eh, are you not feeling well?"
Suddenly noticing the change in Theresa's expression, Kiana's voice also carried a hint of concern.
Could it be that Great Aunt rushed here with cousin to see me and cousin caught a cold on the way?
"Should we take her to the hospital?"
Hearing Kiana's concern, Theresa's expression, far from improving, suddenly darkened.
It was like storm clouds gathering before a downpour.
Looking at the Principal, whose face was so dark it looked like ink could drip from it, the Captain—who seemed to have just finished acting out all of Theresa's lines—gave a dry laugh and turned her head away.
This reaction made Kiana a little confused.
What's wrong with Great Aunt?
"Let me make a brief introduction."
A fairly clear voice came from not far away, attracting Kiana's attention.
"The one you were just hugging is the ace of Schicksal's Far East Branch, Saint Freya Academy's tactics instructor, Murata Himeko."
The young man, who still hadn't stopped recording, introduced Captain Himeko with a smile.
Kiana froze. If she remembered correctly, her great aunt's name was Theresa Apocalypse, right?
Wasn't the person she was just hugging her great aunt?
If the person she was just hugging wasn't her great aunt, then where was her real great aunt?
Feeling the situation developing in a rather bizarre direction, Kiana turned her head and saw her "cousin" looking at her with an extremely complex gaze.
From that gaze, Kiana discerned things like "the anger of a senior being offended by a junior," "the bewilderment of a subordinate rebelling," "the disarray of mistaken identity," and so on.
An expression of disbelief surfaced on Kiana's face and quickly took it over entirely.
If she remembered correctly, only two people had come this time.
If the red-haired woman from just now wasn't her great aunt...
The white-haired dango stared at her, expressionless.
The answer was already very obvious.