Making Honkai Impact lll In A World Where Kallen Exists [Continuation]

In another unknown space, all the vanished machines had gathered in a dimly lit laboratory. The real Klein, with heavy dark circles under her eyes, was still processing the final experiment report.

Hearing the mutterings of "human cushions" and seeing their reluctance to work overtime so clearly displayed on their faces...

She could only sigh helplessly.

She promised... Once this report was finished, she would ask the professor for a day off for them.

But looking at her exhausted appearance, as if she could fall asleep at any moment, it was obvious that she needed rest even more.

(T/C: this is new? I don't remember this scene in the OG.)

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Reality – The Golden Courtyard

"...Klein, if you need to rest, just say it directly."

Mobius spoke with a complicated expression. Klein's life... wasn't supposed to be this miserable, right?

So why was she feeling a little emotional about it?

But then again... Every time she saw Klein, she always looked somewhat dazed.

"I can manage... The Doctor's experiments are important..."

Klein replied gently. "Besides, isn't the Doctor always like this too?"

She looked up innocently at Mobius, but deep in her eyes, there was a trace of exhaustion.

Clearly, no matter which Klein it was, her overworking habits were a given... And the person she worked overtime for was always the same.

----------

In the anime.

The snowstorm outside the house was too strong. Even if they nailed wooden boards over the windows, the wind blew them away instantly.

So, knowing that the snowstorm would make the hall cold, they could do nothing about it. The best they could do was leave the kitchen doors partially closed to block some of the cold.

Hua and Elysia quickly contacted the power company, only to be told that the snowstorm was too severe today. The repairs could only be done tomorrow.

Ah... That meant they would have to spend the night in the freezing cold and darkness.

"I'll handle it! Isn't it just some broken wiring? Leave it to the almighty Vill-V!"

Vill-V enthusiastically spun her wrench and grabbed a power drill, looking completely confident and prepared.

Without hesitation, Su and Hua immediately pulled her back, gripping her shoulders tightly. No matter what she said, they had no intention of letting go.

Last time they left a repair job to her, it involved fixing Klein's mechanical body...

At the time, they chose to stand by and watch. Now, they deeply regretted it. If they made the same mistake again... What if the whole house collapsed?

They couldn't handle another disaster.

"Achoo—!"

Griseo sneezed, her thin nightgown offering little protection from the cold. She lowered her head, looking uncomfortable. "Kosma, it's so cold..."

Kosma and Aponia quickly grabbed a nearby blanket and wrapped it around Griseo, trying to provide some warmth.

"I'll think of something... Upstairs, there should be some extra blankets..."

Kosma glanced at the darkened second floor, frowned slightly, and prepared to go upstairs to fetch them.

"Why not just use the wall furnace?"

Before he could move, Kevin stepped forward and pointed at an old, antique-looking iron furnace from the previous century, locked shut and covered in dust and soot.

The power outage had nothing to do with the furnace, but...

"The wall furnace?!"

Inside Can's fluffy body, Pardo originally had no intention of coming out. But now, with the cold, she huddled inside even more.

Yet, upon hearing the words "wall furnace," she immediately stood up. Her fur bristled all over, making her look completely guilty.

Elysia's eyes also lit up. This seemed like the perfect solution to provide warmth and light.

The only issue was... It hadn't been used for a very long time.

Pardo, wearing Can's doll form frantically dashed toward the furnace, jumping around in an attempt to block Kevin from opening it. With a leap, she flung herself forward, shouting, "No, no, no—!"

She was desperate to stop Kevin from opening the furnace, but Kosma placed a firm hand on her forehead, preventing her from making any further reckless movements.

Now restrained by Kosma, the large cat continued to struggle restlessly, yelling, "Don't open it! Under no circumstances should you open it! Aaaah—!"

The moment Kevin opened it, he immediately understood why she had panicked.

A thick cloud of dust burst out, and a massive pile of objects tumbled from inside. The sheer number of miscellaneous items completely filled the space in front of the furnace. The objects were disorganized, but somehow familiar...

It seemed that while the wall furnace hadn't been used for heating, it definitely hadn't gone to waste.

Someone had secretly turned it into a personal storage spot.

Pardo's stuffed animal form broke into a cold sweat. She was terrified—her little secret had been exposed!

Meow—! She... she... she had been found out!

The others also turned their attention to the furnace in shock.

Who would have thought something like this was hidden inside?

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Reality – The Golden Courtyard Hall

"I always thought it was suspicious. That cat doll really is a little hoarder!"

Elysia muttered in a mix of amusement and exasperation.

She glanced at Pardo, but there was no real blame in her eyes.

Even though Pardo had tried her best to hide it, one slip-up had given her away in a rather hilarious manner.

"A wall furnace, huh... Tch, that sounds like a great place. Too bad we don't have one in the Golden Courtyard..."

Pardo sounded disappointed.

"Meow—"

A short cat-like cry signaled agreement. To Pardo, her secret stash had been the perfect hideaway.

It was practically a dream come true for a cat.

"I think I saw some instant noodles in there. Must be Kevin's stash."

Su said with a smirk.

Nobody knew how he could tell.

If this turned into a horror story, it wouldn't be good.

"...That doesn't make much sense. It could have been yours, too."

Kevin shot him a flat look and replied indifferently.

Since when had instant noodles been exclusively his?

Dumplings... Now, he wouldn't argue with that.

"Aah—"

Su chuckled softly and teased, "Clearly, you have this setting. Meanwhile, I just have a setting where I pretend not to see things."

"..."

Kevin sighed helplessly. He could never understand how Su's mind worked.

"Still, Griseo and Kosma have such a good relationship. When they were cold and hungry, the first name they thought of was each other's."

Elysia sighed. "As for Vill-V, well done, but you are not allowed to do it again next time."

"I didn't expect you to distrust me like this, Ellie..."

Vill-V looked aggrieved, staring at her.

"Sigh, stop that. Don't give me those laser-beam eyes. Saying it like that... I understand, it's really troubling."

Elysia massaged her temples, recalling the last time she trusted Vill-V and the unfortunate outcome. That person... was simply not to be trusted!

"Aha, heh heh." Vill-V laughed carelessly.

----------

If being discovered was the first step toward social death,

Then when the evidence was picked up one by one for discussion and to trace the owner, the flower-patterned handkerchief was truly in a panic.

But there was no stopping it now.

Among the scattered dust, various objects were piled together.

Elysia, with her sharp eyes, flicked her finger and picked up a pink dress with both hands. She turned to the green-haired woman.

"The dress I gave you—why is it here, Dr Mobius?"

Her gaze was deep, fixed on the figure who was now looking guilty and turning away.

"How should I know!"

Mobius avoided that sharp gaze and answered casually.

Meanwhile, one of the others, curious, stepped closer, crouched down, and found a certain magazine with a very familiar-looking person on the cover.

A photo album, featuring a collection of stylish jeans.

That wasn't the shocking part.

The shocking part was that the person on the cover bore an uncanny resemblance to Kalpas.

Eyes widening, Sakura turned the pages. Vill-V and Aponia glanced at the cover and immediately gathered around, all with amused expressions.

After flipping through it, the three of them were left in complete shock, staring at the pages without blinking.

"The exclusive model is... Kalpas?!"

The loud exclamation caught the attention of the gossip-loving onlookers—Elysia and Kevin—who also came over with amused smiles.

Elysia's mouth hung open, while Vill-V smirked mischievously. Aponia cast a sideways glance toward Kalpas and hesitated.

"Are you... working part-time?"

"Stop looking! Do you want to die?!"

Behind them, Kalpas's eyes burned with a fiery red glow, unable to suppress their rising anger.

The feeling of having such a secret exposed was a clear path to immediate social death.

And yet, Elysia continued to call out to the crowd,

"Everyone, come look! It's Kalpas's photo album!"

This immediately drew the attention of everyone present. Many, out of curiosity, eagerly approached to see this unexpected contrast.

Kalpas couldn't stop them. They could only watch as the album was passed around, their frustration boiling over into a powerless rage.

Kevin, however, was completely unfazed. He hadn't forgotten his original task, determining whether the fireplace could still function properly.

Ignoring the dust, he crawled into the fireplace and used his phone's light to scan the area, only to find it blocked by a large pile of objects.

But then, he quickly spotted a familiar item, a toy greatsword named Heavenly Fire, its blade resembling Judgment of Shamash.

A fleeting childhood dream, nothing more.

Without hesitation, he grabbed it and used it to clear out the blockage in the fireplace.

Meanwhile, Elysia's voice occasionally drifted into his ears. She was flipping through the magazine, commenting with amusement,

"Wow, this picture is adorable!"

"Kalpas, this really suits you."

… If things continued like this,

Kalpas felt like they either needed to send Elysia away from this world or send themselves away instead.

Boom!

With Kevin's efforts, a large pile of books and miscellaneous items came crashing down.

Among the fallen items, Su picked up a book.

No one knew why he had been keeping his eyes closed, or why he needed his phone's flashlight.

But the moment he saw the cover, he snapped his eyes open.

His violet pupils were filled with utter shock, his usually indifferent and composed expression undergoing a dramatic shift.

What had he just seen?!

Was this a lack of morals? Or a failure of human decency?

For a moment, he was too stunned to speak.

Muttering to himself, he said, "These characters... look very familiar..."

And indeed, they did.

If there had been only one lookalike, it could have been brushed off as coincidence.

But the four male figures on the cover corresponded perfectly to the four men present in the courtyard.

That... was truly bizarre.

The cover had bold headlines like The Young Lady x The Demon, The New Transfer Student is Extremely Dangerous... all sorts of provocative titles that made one want to shake the book in disbelief.

The character resembling Kalpas was shirtless, showcasing masculine charm.

Kevin, on the other hand, appeared slightly shy, his half-open clothes draped over his shoulders as he held a bouquet of flowers.

Kosma, with his green hair, had an innocent and youthful expression, glancing sideways.

It was unsettling!

"Ah—"

Griseo, who had been sitting on the sofa, glanced at the book and immediately sensed danger.

Her already cold body shivered even more violently.

She stared blankly at the magazine in Su's hands.

Then, without hesitation, she flung off her blanket, her flushed face filled with panic.

Frantically waving her hands, she desperately tried to stop Su from reading any further.

As someone involved, she didn't even need to look inside to know what was coming.

But... it was too late to pray.

Su flipped open the manga, and Kosma leaned in as well.

Inside, a young boy with small horns on his head smiled confidently and said,

"Your Highness, if you smile at me, I will become your guardian!"

Another panel depicted a man, his face obscured, pinning the female lead against the wall as he said coldly,

"Woman, I have tolerated you for too long."

Su and Kosma both found it unbearable to continue. Their expressions twisted into something indescribable.

(T/C: I'm translating and Watching the video🤣)

Meanwhile, Elysia had somehow slipped into the scene, still smiling mischievously as she observed the drama unfold.

Like someone who had stumbled upon the most entertaining thing in the world, she giggled like a hamster, clicking her tongue in amazement.

Romance manga like this weren't uncommon,

But what was rare was that she had found real-life counterparts for the characters inside!

How could that not be fascinating?

"T-This... This...!"

Griseo's head practically emitted steam from embarrassment.

She was so ashamed she wanted to dig a hole and hide.

"E-Everyone, please don't look!"

Her voice cracked, carrying the sound of sobs and desperate pleading.

Sweat rolled down her face.

She was truly panicking.

Terrified, even.

But it was futile.

If you don't want others to find out, then don't do it in the first place.

"Tonight, stay by my side,"

In the manga, a long-haired man with glasses whispered while closing his eyes.

And yet, three people were still reading.

"No need to look, ah— aiya—!"

Griseo couldn't take it anymore. She immediately leaped forward, trying to snatch the manga, but the three people dodged just in time. She missed, falling onto a pile of books that had just been knocked over.

It was clear that she was very anxious and had put a lot of effort into her move.

Everything on the wall-mounted fireplace above her came crashing down, covering her body.

Then, she poked out her little head, her face flushed red with embarrassment as she looked at the group.

…Even cuter.

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[Heaven bless us, open your eyes! The highest-level scene has appeared]

[Griseo · Alert (Above), Griseo · Fear (Below)]

[From Griseo's medical miracle: Not only can Uncle Su cure illnesses, but I can also cure blindness]

[The manga must be among you all, but in this group, only one person knows how to draw— so, who could it be?]

[Griseo is really adorable!]

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In reality, within the courtyard,

The one who had been pressured twice finally voiced his thoughts.

Kalpas: "...Hmph!"

His anger momentarily subsided. After all, he truly cherished this home.

Without Griseo, this home would eventually fall apart.

Yes, he had said before that he really didn't like children.

"Has Griseo ever drawn something like this before? Little Griseo, did you plagiarize something for inspiration? Or should we call you... a master of imitation?"

Elysia, like a curious child, asked playfully. The sly look in her eyes had already completely sold Griseo out.

She was thoroughly enjoying this scene.

In every possible way.

"Sister....Elysia..."

Griseo's face was rosy, carrying a hint of embarrassment. Just imagining herself in that situation made her feel overwhelmed.

Her toes curled tightly inside her shoes, and it seemed like steam was rising from her head.

"I-I never drew a manga like that before..."

She lowered her head and spoke in a small voice.

But she had drawn something similar, she admitted in her heart.

"Oh? Is that so? But I do remember giving Mobius a little pink dress."

Elysia's smile remained unchanged. She tilted her head slightly and turned to the other suspect— Kalpas.

"...Ah, you don't think I would've drawn portraits, do you?"

Kalpas gritted his teeth and said, "Impossible! If I had, that company would have been torn to shreds by now!"

Of course, he wanted to prove his innocence.

The older Griseo's face also turned a little red, but her gaze shifted between Elysia, Kalpas, and the little version of herself...