Honkai Diary: Start With Picking Up A White-Haired Treasure

In August, winter approached.

The one-month deadline for Zeke's visit to Schicksal Headquarters was rapidly approaching, and Kiana and Sin were growing increasingly restless.

Fortunately, Bronya had Sin Mal firmly under control, while her authority over the arsenal effectively kept Kiana in check as well.

At that moment, with Bronya holding onto her hand, Sin found herself forcibly pinned against the table.

Sin's face displayed deep conflict; she felt incredibly anxious, eager to rush out and find Zeke. However, not only had Zeke left clear instructions beforehand, but Bronya also continually blocked her attempts, leaving Sin utterly helpless.

"Don't worry, he'll return. Trust him," Bronya said calmly, seemingly composed.

In truth, even she was subtly feeling uneasy.

For Anti-Entropy, venturing into Schicksal Headquarters was akin to entering a den of dragons and tigers. The presence of Otto at its helm made it all the more terrifying—his name alone could silence crying children and rouse nightmares in adults with ironclad minds.

Has Zeke truly been safe during his prolonged absence?

Bronya momentarily lost focus before swiftly regaining her composure.

In front of Bronya and Zeke, Sin always portrayed herself as a charming, clingy little princess. However, when dealing with outsiders, her true nature often shone through: arrogant, aloof, and impatient. If Bronya didn't keep a close watch on her, without a doubt, Sin would charge straight towards Schicksal, undeterred even by Zeke's restrictions on her black armor usage.

Furthermore... Bronya glanced out the window to see a struggling white-haired paramecium dangling upside down from a tree outside. Despite being tightly bound by multiple layers of high-strength iron chains, she still seemed determined to break free.

"Ugh!"

"Creak!"

The iron chains emitted ominous groans.

Kiana's monstrous strength had evidently increased again, yet her brain remained as lacking in common sense as ever. She too was a stubborn fool who would charge straight towards Schicksal without hesitation—no doubt about it.

Meanwhile, Rozaliya and Liliya lay quietly on the table, occasionally nudging each other but with evident apathy, their usual mischievous energy nowhere to be seen.

Seele brought over some snacks and tea, placing them casually without her typical meticulousness. Unlike before, when she'd carefully arrange everything within reach for everyone, ensuring equal portions and providing all necessary utensils and napkins... Clearly, even Seele was preoccupied, worried about Zeke's prolonged absence.

"Sigh..."

Bronya shook her head helplessly.

Since Zeke left, she became the only reliable person here. She needed to step up and serve as the group's backbone—then, once he returned, she could leverage this responsibility to negotiate more Homu collectibles from him!

Yeah, just for Homu's sake, that's all! I'm definitely not worried about that arrogant little brat! Absolutely not!

Bronya blinked, her expression resolute and unwavering.

"Bronya, you need to step up your game!"

She muttered to herself, feeling the communicator in her pocket vibrate.

"Hm?"

Mother Cocolia and Alliance Leader Welt were coming over, along with Zeke... Bronya paused for a few seconds before soft lines appeared on her otherwise emotionless face, the corners of her mouth unconsciously curving upward.

It was only because of Mother Cocolia—no one else mattered. Yes, that's right.

"Release!"

Bronya put away the communicator, gesturing once more to untie Kiana's restraints outside. The girl promptly tumbled headfirst onto the ground.

"Ow! My nose! Bronya!"

With her face covered in grime, Kiana angrily crawled through the window, ready to pounce on Bronya.

Bronya glanced at her dispassionately and uttered a single sentence that froze Kiana in place: "Zeke is back."

"Eh?!"

"So, grubby ones, go wash up right away. If your appearance isn't presentable, change into one of those cute little dresses. I remember someone who hasn't done their vocal exercises for today yet. And we need plenty of delicious snacks—besides Zeke, Mother Cocolia and Lord Leader will be joining us too."

"Yes ma'am!" × 5

The orphanage buzzed with activity.

Kiana dashed straight to the bathroom like a streak of lightning.

Sin sprinted off to her bedroom, accompanied by a flurry of cheerful flowers blooming in the background.

Rozaliya and Liliya hurriedly shoved each other aside as they raced toward the idol training room set aside just for them.

Humming lightly, Seele gathered the untouched tea and pastries from the table and skipped gracefully toward the kitchen.

"I'll get started on preparations, Big Sister Bronya."

"All right, thank you, Seele. Good work."

After seeing Seele off, Bronya was left alone in the vast living room.

She sighed softly, pondered briefly, then curled her fingers, causing a small red gentleman's hat to fall into her hand.

Zeke had gifted it to her—one of the rare presents not featuring Homu.

When she first wore it, he'd told her how adorable she looked.

Recalling his words, for the first time, Bronya felt her cheeks grow warm—perhaps due to catching a chill in the cold weather?

After a moment's hesitation, Bronya gently placed the small hat on her head.

"It's not because of... I just thought it'd be nice to feel cute sometimes," she said with a straight face, then covered her cheeks. Even though there was no one around, she didn't want anyone catching even the slightest glimpse of her blush.

With expressions of reverence, Zeke escorted the Valkyries to their plane and approached Cocolia, who had been waiting impatiently.

"Hey there, back from your month-long tour at Schicksal Headquarters? Aren't those Valkyries just fantastic? Even the ones on this flight are top-notch by mortal standards—truly enviable..."

Whack!

A worker bee collided with the back of Cocolia's knee, causing her to stumble and fall face-first, abruptly halting her snarky remarks.

Zeke walked past her without sparing a glance, his voice devoid of emotion: "Let's go; we still have some distance ahead."

"You little brat?! Didn't you hear I was showing concern for you?!"

"Nope."

"Fucking hell! After all I've done for you, is this how you treat me?"

In response, Zeke produced a gold card.

He had found it among Otto's belongings, unsure exactly how much money it held, but being one of Otto's personal cards, it undoubtedly contained substantial funds. According to Amber, this card served as emergency operating capital for the game company behind Kallen's Fantasy, should she ever cut off financial support—a side note, Otto remained oblivious to Zeke's acquisition of this card until now.

"The PIN is 530529."

It was Kallen Kaslana's birthday.

Generally speaking, for Otto, most non-critical fixed passwords were related to Kallen—guaranteed success with one try.

"Thank you, oh great master! You're truly awesome!"

Cocolia slipped the card into her seemingly bottomless cleavage, grinning ingratiatingly.

"Great master, please come this way. I've arranged a dedicated vehicle just for you, and I'll personally drive you myself."

"Hmm."

Zeke glanced at her sidelong, his heart unmoved.

Hmph, mere Cocolia. Without proper discipline, she might be considered a vicious predator, but under control, she's nothing more than a sleazy husky.

Ah well, no need to worry about her now. It's time to head back swiftly; I'm eager to see that... ahem, my laboratory again. Yes, solely because I miss my lab, nothing else.