Honkai: Man(Sludge) From Future

Stigmata BattleSuit wasn't something just anyone could perfectly sync with, and naturally, access levels to the Stigmata Space varied wildly.

Kiana had known this for a while, especially after dealing with those cultist creeps, which gave her a deep understanding of the weight of Stigmata Space access permissions.

But what she hadn't expected was so many people trying to escape into the Stigmata Space to dodge their real-world traumas.

'I ended up as an experiment clone, a freakin' hybrid at that. Lost both my parents at the same time, and even I didn't have anywhere to run and hide.'

Kiana felt a pang of self-pity, but Noldrei's position had thankfully filled in that father-figure void she'd been missing for years. Motherly love? Nah, she wasn't trying to get labeled as a weirdo.

After White led her around for this patient tour, Kiana figured just leaving these people as they were wasn't gonna cut it.

But grouping them all together just made the whole situation feel even more… abstract.

Could this many mentally unstable people crammed together actually get better? She seriously doubted it.

"White, what do you think we should do about all this? It's just a few hundred thousand students and already we've got this many reality escapees. I can use my authority to lock them out and kick them, but… hold on… wait a sec? Doesn't this mean Noldrei's Stigmata BattleSuit rollout is gonna get delayed?"

Kiana hesitated. She didn't think the Stigmata BattleSuit itself was to blame for any of this.

It was just that the "test of self" stage had become an even better escape tool than video games or chunni fantasies.

In other words, Kiana didn't think Noldrei had messed up his plan at all. From the perspective of the overall strategy to fight the Honkai, everything Noldrei was doing was undeniably beneficial.

Seeing Kiana's hesitation, White actually offered some reassurance. "Actually, you don't need to worry too much about this. Most people can pass the Stigmata BattleSuit Stage One trial. Sure, plenty fail, but those failures can be overcome by repeatedly entering the Stigmata Space and building up resilience."

"These ones who get stuck escaping themselves are actually the minority. And it's not like nobody can push through and climb out of that escapist trap."

Kiana perked up, curious. She hadn't realized anyone actually could make it out.

"Oh yeah? Who?"

White flipped through the discharged patient records. "A girl named Yukinoshita Yukino. When she first came in, she was practically living entirely in her own world. But she managed to pull herself out of Stage One through sheer willpower."

"This girl went through bullying as a kid, not exactly happy memories for her. The fact that she could gain a clear understanding of herself and break free means she's probably ready to face that part of her past head-on."

White held up Yukinoshita's photo.

"?!" Kiana was pretty surprised. She'd actually met this girl before. She remembered her being with her teacher or something.

"I've seen her! She even told me: 'The will left behind when humans are helpless against the world… perhaps that's what we call a Stigmata.' Sounds like Stage One left a pretty deep impression on her."

Kiana loved stories like this. She was all about people pulling themselves out of tough spots through their own efforts. Especially when the person was a cute girl, then she was extra into it.

White also smiled with genuine relief. "Sounds like she nailed Stage One. Hopefully, she'll get through the later stages too."

Thinking about the trials and tribulations Yukinoshita Yukino would face in the Stigmata Space in the future, Kiana couldn't help but grin.

She decided to keep a closer eye on this girl. Maybe even copy Noldrei and tell her something like, "I have high hopes for you."

Gotta nail that regal, top-dog vibe of the Crown Princess.

"Oh, right, White, any news from your brother? It's been a while since this gender freedom thing got announced, how's the outside world reacting?"

Kiana was more concerned about the outside world situation. When she went out, she honestly couldn't see anything too out of the ordinary. Even when she used the women's restroom, she hadn't run into any pervy creeps who'd turned into women.

White's tone turned icy when the topic shifted to this.

She said, "People are still dreaming, stuck in a fantasy of the old world. Apart from those with gender dysphoria who are desperate for transition, most people are just… acting like nothing's happened, continuing with their lives as if nothing changed. They're trying to pretend they can still live in the old society."

"But that's completely impossible! Because Council Chairman already set the stage for Academy City's three million in public opinion. Staying put and refusing to change won't protect their interests; it'll just make them slow and out of touch, leading to a whole bunch of problems."

Kiana grew even more worried for the people of Academy City.

What did these people do to deserve this? Just randomly picked by Noldrei to be the stage for the dawn of a new era, forcing them to face a new age of gender freedom.

And Noldrei wasn't letting up at all, even pushing things along in the background with public opinion manipulation.

'You've only been in charge for six months, and you've already learned how to wield the power of this era so fast?'

Kiana started to wonder if her brain was wired the same way as Noldrei's. Otherwise, why was her learning curve so much steeper than his?

'Is it really just me being slow? Even in that future era, are there still gonna be slowpokes like me?'

She asked anxiously, "White, what do you think I should do? Anything to minimize the damage to the people of Academy City when this upheaval hits?"

White was stunned by her question, her voice trembling slightly. "Are you… planning to go against the Council Chairman? I'd advise against it. That's how you minimize the damage to Academy City."

'Don't trust your girl, huh?' Kiana, still in Cecilia mode, rolled her eyes, even though she kinda didn't trust herself either.

"I really don't know how to fix this, but isn't this the kind of time you're supposed to give me ideas?"

Kiana figured Black and White were Noldrei's helpers for her, so he probably wouldn't mind them helping her out too.

White still advised, "I strongly suggest you don't. Council Chairman definitely knows you'd think this way, and he's probably already calculated your entire plan of action. He's the real emperor of Nagazora, what he doesn't give you, you can't just take."

Kiana choked. It wasn't like she was trying to rebel and go head-to-head with Noldrei! Why did she sound like she was about to launch some palace coup or something?

But Noldrei hadn't picked these two helpers for Kiana for nothing.

White gave her honest answer, "If you really want to find a way to ease the conflict, or at least try to slow down Council Chairman's timetable… there's only one thing that could possibly work…"

"The Kengan Association!"