Bizarre Honkai, a Wife-Chasing Crematorium

The thermometer reading rose slightly, still hovering around zero, but at least the immediate threat from Raiden Ryoma seemed to have passed. His identity was safe, for now.

A loud, rhythmic knocking echoed through the cabin. 

"Mo, are you in there?"

Raiden Ryoma opened the door, his eyes falling on the gruesome scene within.

Li Mo feigned surprise, stammering, "I… I…"

Ryoma's eyes narrowed, a knowing smile spreading across his face. "Bring her home. She's your sister now."

Li Mo nodded silently, unsure of Ryoma's boundaries. In the original timeline, Ryoma had been a loving father. Now, as a Bizarre entity, his affection seemed to have taken a twisted turn, allowing Li Mo to indulge in such cruelty.

Or perhaps it wasn't so twisted after all. Such things happened in the real world too, hidden in the shadows, shielded by power and wealth.

"Let me speak with her." Ryoma gestured for Li Mo to step aside.

Li Mo complied, watching as Ryoma entered the cage.

"From today onwards, you are my adopted daughter," Ryoma said coldly, his voice devoid of warmth. "I haven't chosen a name yet, but that's irrelevant. You have no other choices. You can try to call for help, but no one will care. And if I find out, you'll face far worse than this."

Li Mo felt a guilt. He'd just stolen Mei's identity, her family, her father's love, even if that love was now a grotesque parody of its former self. Ryoma might be a Bizarre entity, but his protectiveness was genuine. Mei's cries for help would indeed fall on deaf ears.

"Mo, I'll take care of this. No one will find out." Ryoma turned his head, his body remaining still, an unnervingly unnatural movement.

Li Mo suppressed his revulsion. He was still human, his emotions raw. He couldn't afford to show fear.

"Thank you, Father." I have a Bizarre father now…

"Give her a name. Don't bother with her old one. She's yours now. You have the right to name her. Use your family name, of course. You haven't… forgotten it, have you?" Ryoma's mismatched eyes stared intently at him.

The first test. He's checking if I'm really Raiden Mo. It made sense. There was no Raiden Mo in the original timeline. He was a product of the memetic contamination, his very existence suspect.

Li Mo pretended to think for a moment. "Raiden Mei."

Ryoma nodded, and just like that, they decided Mei's fate.

Back in the city, Ryoma took them to a private hospital. Strange, that hospitals still existed in a world of Bizarre entities. And their patients seemed to have real injuries.

No. I can't apply human logic to Bizarre entities.

Li Mo remained silent, observing, trying not to reveal any out-of-place behavior. He needed to understand the rules of this world, the rules of being a "Bizarre," before he could act.

"Mo, you're unusually quiet today," Ryoma observed, turning to face him.

"I'm worried about her condition," Li Mo replied smoothly, deliberately misleading him. His prior cruelty made any expression of concern sound hollow. Ryoma would interpret it as concern for a damaged toy.

Ryoma smiled. "Indeed. Such a perfect toy is rare. We have a basement. I'll clear it out for you. Your own little… playground."

Playground? More like a torture chamber…

He glanced at Mei. Her face was pale, her eyes filled with a strange mixture of fear and… something else.

Is she a Bizarre entity? The Notebook said everyone is. But she reacted like a normal human… traumatized, perhaps? Or simply resigned to her fate?

I need to talk to her. Alone.

He decided to take her away, if he could, to show her a glimpse of a normal life. He wasn't sure if she was a Bizarre entity, and he wouldn't reveal his true identity or purpose. But he wouldn't torture her. He'd try to make amends.

Ryoma took Mei into surgery. Li Mo watched from outside. The equipment was normal, human medical technology. But the doctors and nurses… their eyes were glazed over, mouths agape, drooling.

So Mei is human?

"Mo, your teacher called. Twice. She wants you back at school."

Teacher? I'm five. Kindergarten?

"I want her to come with me," Li Mo said, pointing at the operating room. The Notebook had warned him: target Mei, and the Bizarre entities will accept him as one of their own. 

He needed her close, to cover for any accidental slip-ups.

Ryoma wasn't surprised. "She'll be fine. The best doctors, the best equipment. One day, at most."

"And if she doesn't recover?"

"We'll make her recover."

Li Mo didn't ask what that meant. He simply nodded.

In a world touched by resets:

"Bizarre entities? Resets? Indestructible Head Bizarre? A-rank Valkyrie Shigure Kira… are you feeling unwell? This report is… rather fantastical, wouldn't you say?" Rita maintained a polite smile, her words laced with thinly veiled skepticism.

"It's all true. Every word," Kira insisted.

Rita walked towards her. "Schicksal has dispatched teams to St. Freya. No sign of any 'Head Bizarre,' or the black coffin you described. They practically excavated the entire back mountain."

"And your account… even for fiction, it's quite outlandish. Trapped in St. Freya, time flowing differently, attacked by hundreds of indestructible Head Bizarre after 7 PM, taking refuge in a lit auditorium…"

"Then, a mysterious boy from Shenzhou appears, performs a 'funeral' ritual, and the Head Bizarre vanish."

"He also apparently has the power to reset time, completing all the remaining rituals, putting the Bizarre entities to sleep, and then sending you and the surviving students back in time to the day before you entered St. Freya."

"Am I correct?"

Kira grew frustrated. "I know it sounds crazy, but it happened!"

"But who can corroborate your story?"

"The Valkyrie trainee, Saori Tsuruyo. She can confirm everything."

"A trainee? It wouldn't be difficult to coerce a civilian into giving false testimony."

"Fine. Believe what you want. I'm not changing my report."

Rita chuckled. "I'm just teasing, Senior Kira. No offense intended. Just verifying the facts. It's quite a story… We spoke with Miss Saori. Her account matches yours. The Overseer questioned her personally. She's telling the truth."

"However, the Overseer is very interested in these… 'Bizarre entities,' and this boy who can reset time…"

"I told you, he left. He doesn't belong to that world."

"Of course. But you also said he appears wherever there are Bizarre entities, correct?"

"What are you getting at?"

"The Overseer has detected a… corrupted world. Perhaps that's where your Bizarre entities are."

"You want me to find him?"

"Yes. Miss Saori will accompany you. She seems more… level-headed."

"Of course she is! I only experienced the first day. She lived through five, even though she doesn't remember the last part, the meeting with that… gloomy boy." They'd shared their memories after the rescue. Kira knew exactly what Li Mo had done.

"The Overseer will send you using the Second Divine Key. If necessary, I, or even Lady Durandal, can accompany you."

"No need. Sometimes, a smaller team is better. Especially with that hotheaded dolt…"

"So you agree?"

"What choice do I have? The Overseer has spoken. I'm a Valkyrie. I follow orders."

"The Overseer wants this boy brought back. Anything you need, just ask. Within reason, of course. Your only objective is retrieving the boy. The Bizarre entities are not your concern. Avoid them if possible." Otto didn't want Kira getting sidetracked.

"I understand. I need to discuss this with Tsuruyo."

"Of course."

Kira didn't want to deal with Bizarre entities, but she had no choice. And there was no one better suited for this mission. Both duty and personal curiosity compelled her.