Honkai: Man(Sludge) From Future

'Kill humans to save humanity?'

The android Cecilia understood Durandal's confusion. At the same time, she also knew exactly what kind of person Otto was.

"Yes, this era doesn't need me to save it. Even if you tell me about my childhood dream, it doesn't mean anything to me now."

"Just like these people outside... Look at that one..." Durandal pointed to the crowd passing by outside the door. Some people had even modified their bodies to be bizarrely shaped. She had no idea why they would change themselves like that. Did having a few extra eyes on your face prevent you from falling?

"That person, and that person... I don't think they need any so-called saving. These people are much more capable than I imagined. They just lack a certain condition. Just like how I was born with Kaslana and Schariac blood. If you concentrate these things on any one person, they would come up with more interesting uses for them than I have."

Durandal felt that just using her body for combat training was an insult to the genes she carried. While not to the extent of Noldrei, who burdened everyone with a Kaslana, she should at least be like the researchers under Dr. Tesla, right?

"It seems you haven't had it easy either, Bianka."

The android Cecilia smiled. She couldn't say a word about her daughter's troubles. Even she herself was still adapting to this new world after just being "revived."

"Well, I think..." Durandal glanced aside. "I'm a little curious. Why don't you call me Kiana? Isn't that name more intimate for you?"

"Yes, it is more intimate for me... sigh..." The android Cecilia was filled with helplessness. "It's more intimate for me, but it's a bit uncomfortable for you. Since it wasn't you from the beginning, why continue to bear a name that makes you uncomfortable?"

"It's mainly my sister. She also likes to call me Kiana sometimes. It's not that I'm not used to it, but sometimes it gets confusing, and I feel a sense of helplessness with her. Having an extra father... it's still a bit hard to get used to. I've never experienced anything like it."

To Durandal, both Siegfried and Cecilia were people she had never met.

She felt like she had stolen her sister's parents. Kiana had always seen Siegfried as her real father. To suddenly find out that her father wasn't real and that she was the one who was adopted—how devastating must that have been?

Unfortunately, Kiana actually didn't feel that devastated. Her emotions recovered quickly; the body from the future had helped her overcome the pain.

"Is that so? That's... a bit dangerous."

The android Cecilia realized there was a rift between the two sisters. It might be fine now, but it could erupt at any time in the future.

Just as this mother-who-wasn't-a-mother was worrying about her two daughters, she suddenly saw an unexpected person nearby.

"Huh? How come?"

The android Cecilia looked in surprise at the android in the distance. But she didn't sense any of the White Tower network fluctuations that an android should have.

"What's wrong?" Durandal followed her gaze and saw a wandering "android."

She squinted at the android girl but didn't see much of a difference.

"That's not an android, but a normal human. A normal human girl, just like you."

The android Cecilia hesitated for a moment, then walked over and struck up a conversation with the girl.

Durandal didn't doubt her "mother's" words. She was also wondering why a human would modify themselves to look like an android.

Then, a scene that shocked Durandal unfolded.

The android Cecilia launched an offensive, successfully broke through the other's mental defenses, and captured a maiden's heart.

Sayu Ogiwara honestly confessed why she was pretending to be an android.

'Is this the social skill of an S-rank Valkyrie?!'

Durandal felt she was completely incapable of this. She usually just went straight for the punch, and left the rest to Rita to solve.

Clearly, the single-celled Kaslana way of thinking dominated Durandal's mind.

"Can I call you Sayu, then?"

The android Cecilia took care of the little girl. She asked gently, "Are you saying you want to be someone who is needed by others?"

Sayu Ogiwara never thought she would be seen through by an android. She had done her best to make herself look like one, which had cost her almost all the savings she had accumulated in the Academy City.

And this gentle, wife-like android wasn't angry at her pretense at all. She even came over to comfort her gently.

'The person who created this lady must have been very attached to and longed for her, right?'

"Yes, I also want to be someone who is needed. When I saw the androids, I thought, 'If only I could be an android!' An android with a personality as good as yours... the person who ordered you must really like you, right?"

The girl's heart was filled with longing for androids. She even dreamed that one day she could be desired for her emotions like this, that her emotions could once again fill the void deep inside her.

Durandal paused for a moment. She took a deep breath and looked at the android Cecilia.

This girl's words had accurately stepped on her landmine.

The android Cecilia didn't get angry, nor did she transfer the cold treatment she received onto this girl. She continued to comfort the girl as always, "No one would want to create someone who needs them, would they? Even you, Sayu, have never thought of ordering an android specifically to need you. Isn't that the best proof?"

"Because of their innate emotional nature, androids can be better needed by people, and their emotions can be better understood. This transparent emotional interaction can help humans heal the mental trauma they've suffered in the outside world. But sometimes, androids can't do certain things."

"You need to be human to find emotions between people. It's true that it's easy to be accepted as an android, but precisely because it's easy to get, it's also easier and more natural to be abandoned."

Sayu Ogiwara had never thought about this problem. In her eyes, she had never seen an abandoned android. Or rather, the time since androids were born was too short, and the cruel side of interpersonal relationships had not yet been revealed.

"Is... is that true? Are there androids who are not needed?"

Sayu Ogiwara was very surprised. She still didn't understand why some people would abandon something they clearly needed.

She was silent for a long time, then smiled faintly. "Yes, there will be androids in this world who are not needed."

Durandal stood aside in silence, quietly listening to what the android Cecilia said. Even as an android, she was as outstanding as her mother was said to be.

From her, one could always see the shadows of the deceased Cecilia.