Raiden Mei: "I just passed by and saw that the door was not locked. In addition, Bronya tonight really worried me, so..."
Himeko: "Don't panic, I went out after seeing Angel fall asleep. That girl won't come over."
Raiden Mei was a little embarrassed, but Himeko smiled indifferently. They explained to Bronya separately.
"ξ⁺(ᗜ _ ᗜ)⁺ξ!"
But no matter what, at least Himeko's words made Bronya's heart fall back to the ground.
They couldn't explain the matter of Nagazora to Angel. No one was prepared.
...
"Bronya, are your roommates here?"
"It's not important, Mother. What's important is that the leader has told me the whole truth about Nagazora."
Bronya decisively changed the subject, not wanting Cocolia to continue delving into the roommate issue, especially since Raiden Mei was among the roommates - according to Welt, she was the target that Cocolia was trying to kill now.
However, the words "the truth about Changkong City" stunned Raiden Mei and Kiana at the same time, and they subconsciously wanted to ask.
Fortunately, Himeko stretched out her hands, hugged their heads, and covered their mouths at the same time.
"Keep talking."
Himeko mouthed to Bronya, while signaling Raiden Mei and Kiana to calm down.
Bronya returned a look to Himeko, took a deep breath, and continued:
"The leader said..."
"Wait, leader, Welt Yang, your history teacher?"
"How does mom know this!?"
Bronya was genuinely surprised that Cocolia casually revealed the identity of the leader - according to Welt, only Dr. Tesla and Dr. Einstein, who are conservatives, knew about his situation in Saint Freya!
Is Cocolia's intelligence ability really so terrifying?
'It seems that I really don't know my mother at all.'
Bronya had a wooden face and smiled bitterly in her heart.
At the same time, this made Welt's previous remarks more reasonable.
Yes, she knew so little about Mother Cocolia's. How could she judge her mother's motives and thoughts on her own?
Cocolia thought it might be a chance to show off her intelligence, so she didn't react to Bronya's exclamation but just murmured:
"Hmph, they acted really fast, and I haven't seen them be so efficient in dealing with the Herrscher. So, after all this time, you contacted me once in more than half a year. You were persuaded by the leader to persuade me to give up killing the Herrscher of Thunder?"
At this point, Cocolia sighed deeply, looked at Bronya with a little sadness, but finally raised a gentle smile.
This is the reaction of a mother who was hurt by her child. Facing her beloved child, she was tolerant and understanding.
"No! I... I also... I miss Mother..."
Bronya was confused, and her wooden expression could not show her inner anxiety and touch, so she could only explain it with a hurried voice.
Cocolia raised her eyebrows, not mentioning whether she had received the letter or not, but still smiling tolerantly and gently, and said:
"It's very cold in Siberia this season, but the Far East is not much warmer, so remember to dress warmly. By the way, your exoskeleton leg armor has not been maintained for more than half a year. I have made a new one. I will ask Tachibana Yuki to send it to you soon. If there are any problems, remember to give feedback in time, and I will ask the technical department to adjust it again."
The familiar care was just like the tenderness that Cocolia occasionally showed in her past memories, but it was more direct.
Bronya's eyes flashed with tears. The experiment destroyed only her ability to express emotions, not her emotional capacity. These words, more than half a year later, made Bronya's heart tremble.
"Hiss!"
Bronya took a deep breath, calmed her surging emotions, and then said calmly:
"Thank you, Mom, but Bronya's attitude will not change. Stop it, Mom."
"I know you are as stubborn as before. Who else can understand your character better than me as a mother? But Bronya, no."
Cocolia shook her head slowly, her tone calm and firm.
Bronya's heart tightened, and she said:
"Mom, you don't understand Sister Mei at all! She is not a monster, give her a chance!"
"How to give her a chance?"
"Sister Mei is a good person!"
"Okay, go and tell the three million wronged souls in Nagazora! See if they let her be a good person?"
"Does that mean Sister Mei must die?"
"Yes! The Herrscher of Thunder is the monster I accidentally freed. I am sure to take Raiden Mei. Otto can't keep her either!"
The conversation between mother and daughter quickly escalated from tenderness to confrontation.
The feeling of being so angry that they couldn't agree was back!
Bronya's breathing began to quicken, and she gritted her teeth and said:
"Mom, why don't you understand!"
"Bronya, you are confused by her! Have you forgotten why everyone in the orphanage became like that? Have you forgotten why you were captured to be a child soldier? Because of the Herrscher! The Herrscher is the enemy of mankind! No matter what she was like before, when she becomes the Herrscher, destroying her is the only choice!"
Cocolia scolded righteously.
"Mom, you really haven't changed at all! You are still the same as before, stubborn and ruthless!"
"Whatever you say! I must destroy her before she creates the next Nagazora!"
"If you want to hurt Sister Mei, you must step over Bronya's cold body first!"
"Bronya!!!"
The picture was suddenly interrupted by Cocolia's sharp roar.
Before the communicator went dark, Bronya only heard a sound that seemed like the communicator being crushed from the other side, and at the same time, she also saw Cocolia's crazy and tearful expression.
'Ah, I hurt her again...'
Bronya stared at the communicator in her hand blankly and realized belatedly that after more than half a year of misunderstanding and a unilateral cold war, today, she once again hurt Cocolia's heart.
Such words as stepping over the body of a child are as lethal to a mother as a real dagger.
Then, tears burst out of her eyes.
"Why do you want to do this, mother? Bronya doesn't want this."
Under the worried and helpless gazes of Himeko, Kiana, and Raiden Mei, Bronya couldn't suppress her collapsed emotions, hugged the communicator, lowered her head deeply, and made trembling sobbing sounds.
Want to see advanced chapters? Chapters 1-140 available at patréon.com/PorterOfSomething