The air seemed to freeze in that instant.
Kiana's eyes went wide. The original confusion and pain were peeling away bit by bit, replaced by a sort of dawning realization, as though she'd been struck by a heavy hammer.
She gazed at the Su Yu before her.
Gazed at this man who was crouching in front of her, holding both of her hands.
In a daze, that young face wearing a gentle smile somehow overlapped with the figure buried deep in her memory—the red-haired silhouette who always reeked of alcohol, yet whose embrace was the warmest of all.
"Is this a mistake?"
That sentence was like a key, unlocking the door in her heart that had always been bolted shut.
That's right.
On that night on the rooftop, hadn't he been exactly the same?
Even though he was just an ordinary person without even a shred of Honkai energy, he'd clung desperately to her hand, shouting that he would absolutely never let her die.
Even though using that dangerous enhancer was excruciatingly painful.
He'd still forced himself to keep it from her ears, swallowing all the agony down into his belly, just to put up an "omnipotent" front in front of her.
Even...
A nightmare that had once jolted her awake flashed through Kiana's mind.
In that pure white space, he had been killed by Sirin over and over again.
Pierced through, torn apart, ground to pieces.
But not once did he retreat.
He rose up from the pool of blood and said to that Herrscher looming high above: "Kiana is the best, bravest girl I've ever met."
Was that really just a dream?
If it was a dream, why did her heart ache so much? Why, looking at his smile now, did she feel an urge to cry?
Kiana didn't know.
But looking into Su Yu's deep eyes, she suddenly understood.
They were both the kind of fools who, to protect someone else, would throw their own lives into the bargain without the slightest hesitation.
If there was anyone left in this world who could understand the choice Himeko had made back then, anyone who had the right to say "I know exactly how you feel," then it was probably only this guy before her, who had risked his life for her again and again.
Su Yu had asked her whether Himeko had done wrong.
In truth, he was also asking himself whether he had done wrong.
Asking whether the version of himself who, in order to save a Herrscher, had not hesitated to plant a hidden danger in this peaceful world, had after all done wrong.
Kiana opened her mouth.
Reason told her that this was, of course, wrong.
Absurdly, outrageously wrong.
If it weren't for her, Teacher Himeko could have gone on being her ace Valkyrie, or retired and married a good man.
And Su Yu could have gone on lying flat like a slacker, living peaceful, settled days, without having to worry about being backstabbed someday by a Herrscher personality.
But...
She looked into the tender sea at the bottom of Su Yu's eyes.
Felt the utterly real warmth conveyed from that big hand.
She remembered that afternoon when she received her ID Card, sunlight spilling across the side of his face as he said, "You have a home now."
"I don't know..."
Kiana shook her head, her voice thick with a nasal tone.
"I really don't know what's right and what's wrong. This kind of grand principle... this young lady has never been able to figure it out."
She sniffled, lifted her head, and those eyes interwoven with azure and gold brimmed with tears, yet stubbornly refused to let them fall.
"But, Su Yu."
"Thank you."
"Thank you for not giving up on me... thank you for forcibly dragging back that self-abandoning, escape-obsessed idiot Kiana."
The tears finally broke the dam, sliding down her cheeks and dripping onto the carpet, blooming into a small dark flower.
"Even though... even though I still think your approach might be wrong. By saving me, you might be leaving a scourge for this world, a bomb that could go off at any moment."
"But..."
Kiana's voice choked for a moment, and then a smile so brilliant it was heartbreaking blossomed across her face.
"But, I'm happy."
"I'm really happy."
Scenes from these recent days flashed through her mind.
At the concert, Mei—gentle just like Mei—had smiled as she told her about Su Yu's embarrassing past, with Kevin chiming in with the occasional follow-up jab from the side.
At the late-night food stall, he'd even taken the initiative to swap contact info with her, giving her new friends in this world.
Inside the Arc City police station, that hearty Instructor Lewis had clapped her on the shoulder, laughing out loud and praising her for being so accomplished at such a young age.
And then there was Carole, who looked at her with a face full of adoration, practically treating her like an idol.
At the Inch Heart Dojo, there was Squad Monitor Fu Hua, who always kept a straight face, and that crowd of grand-disciples who respectfully called her "Little Grandmaster."
For the first time, she felt that she wasn't merely a monster who only brought destruction, but someone who could be respected, a senior.
Beneath the Ferris wheel at the amusement park, there had been Griseo's small, warm hug.
Elysia, that mischievous woman, had teased her and Su Yu up on stage in front of so many people, making her blush so hard she wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
And then there was that little bunny Bronie, who was always chewing bubble gum and acting all high and mighty, yet was always tough on the outside and soft on the inside.
Scene after scene of memories surged up into Kiana's heart in this moment.
All of this, every bit of it.
It was all because that day, in the stairwell on a rainy night, Su Yu had reached out his hand to her.
Without him, this world's "Kiana Kaslana" wouldn't have even had the opening chapter of her story.
"This stretch of time at your side... every single day spent in this peaceful world, every meal eaten, every person I've met..."
"To me, they're all incomparably precious treasures."
"More important than anything."
"If this is also a mistake... then let me be just a little bit selfish. I want to make this mistake last a little longer."
Su Yu felt his heart slam hard against something.
That bittersweet yet warm feeling filled his chest in an instant.
He looked at the girl before him, crying like a smudge-faced kitten yet smiling brighter than the sun.
This was the smile he wanted to protect.
This was the whole meaning of his coming to this world and struggling for dear life under that damned System.
In that moment, all the exhaustion, all the pain, even the shadow of being slaughtered a thousand times over in the consciousness space—all of it became insignificant.
"Me too, Kiana."
Su Yu smiled as well, a smile that came from the heart, the smile of one who had been relieved of a great burden.
He drew out his hand and rubbed Kiana's head, neither too lightly nor too hard.
The motion was very practiced, carrying the doting of an old father toward his daughter, and also like soothing a little kitten that had finally found its home.
"Getting to meet you... is my good fortune too."
Kiana didn't slap his hand away in her usual tsundere fashion.
On the contrary, she leaned into the force of that big hand, narrowing her eyes slightly, as though savoring this long-missed intimacy.
The warmth of his palm conducted down through the strands of her hair, cozy and warm, making her feel a little dizzy.
Without realizing it, her body began to tilt forward.
The distance between the two of them grew closer and closer.
So close that Su Yu could smell the faint scent of body wash on her—the lemon scent he'd bought, fresh enough to make a heart race.
An impulse welled up inside Kiana.
An impulse to lean over, to lean against that chest of his that didn't look all that broad yet was infinitely dependable.
She wanted to listen to his heartbeat.
She wanted to... get a little closer to him.
Just as the two of them were about to breathe each other's breath, the atmosphere so charged that even the air seemed about to turn pink—
The odd-eyed white cat "Chongchong," who had been sprawled on the carpet this whole time watching the show, suddenly shook its ears in disgust, got to its feet, and strolled off into the bedroom with elegant, dainty steps.
Clearly it had no wish to eat this bowl of unexpected dog food.
However, in the very last second before Kiana's forehead could touch Su Yu's shoulder—
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A deafening pounding on the door exploded at the entryway like a thunderclap.
That rhythm, that force—it was practically as if someone were trying to tear the security door right off.
"Su Yu—! Are you home?!"
A loud voice still carrying an obvious drunken slur pierced through the door panel, sounding particularly jarring at this tender moment.
"It's me! Himeko!!"
"Open up! I can't find my bottle opener at home—lend me yours!!"
Kiana's body went rigid all at once.
That voice.
That name.
And that smell of alcohol that seemed to seep through the door.
All that tender, romantic atmosphere, in this instant...
Crack.
Shattered all over the floor.
Su Yu got up and went to open the door.
Before the security door had even fully opened, a complicated odor mixing cheap beer with high-end perfume slipped in first.
The moment Su Yu pulled the door open a crack, an exquisite face flushed with the rosy tint of slight tipsiness poked in.
Her long red hair was draped casually over her shoulders, the tips still carrying a few droplets of water yet to dry—clearly she'd just taken a shower.
Himeko narrowed those eyes that always seemed to hold a pool of springtime water, her gaze sweeping over Su Yu's shoulder to land with pinpoint accuracy on the white-haired girl on the living room sofa who was trying to curl herself into a ball.
"Yo, good evening, little Kiana~"
Kiana sprang up from the sofa like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"G-good evening! Hime... Sister Himeko!"
She waved her hand about haphazardly, the blush on her face not yet faded—if anything, now it was red as a fully ripe tomato.
Probably feeling that the atmosphere just now was far too awkward, she grabbed the empty potato chip bag off the table and, using it as an excuse, fled as if for her life into the kitchen.
"I'll go... I'll go get a new bag of chips!"
Watching the girl's flustered retreating figure, Himeko arched an eyebrow, the corner of her mouth curling into a meaningful, wicked little grin.
She withdrew her gaze and turned back to Su Yu, who was blocking the doorway, her eyes full of mockery.
"My, my, looks like I've come at a bad time?"
She leaned lazily against the door frame, her tone carrying a few notes of teasing, a few of playful interest.
"Did I happen to interrupt your good deed, Producer Su?"
Su Yu let out a helpless sigh.
"You're overthinking it. We were merely engaged in a... very pure, academic discussion about a game script. That's all."
"An academic discussion? Sure, I believe that."
Himeko obviously didn't believe it. She coughed twice, and though the smile still hung on her face, her gaze turned a touch more serious.
"I know you two get along great as senior and junior martial siblings—you're young, and I get it, dry kindling and a roaring flame."
She stuck out a finger and waggled it in front of Su Yu.
"But Su Yu, as a teacher of the people and also your good landlady, I have a duty to remind you—that little junior sister of yours hasn't reached the legal age yet, has she?"
"I really don't want to come home someday and see a police car parked at the door, and then you getting hauled off by the police uncles in silver bracelets—the property values on this floor would take a hit, you know."
Su Yu rolled his eyes, feeling his temples throbbing.
Was there anything in this woman's head besides alcohol and dirty-minded garbage?
He turned and picked up that multifunctional bottle opener from the shoe cabinet at the entryway, then crossly stuffed it into Himeko's hand.
"There, here's your opener. If there's nothing else, then hurry on back."
Su Yu's gaze swept over her once, and his brows knit even tighter.
Although the woman was draped in a long knit cardigan that looked quite thick, the collar hung open, and underneath there was only a black lace slip nightgown thin as a cicada's wing.
That fabric was pitifully scant, clinging tightly to her full curves, large expanses of snow-white skin dazzling the eye under the dim hallway light.
"I'm telling you... could you have at least a little bit of vigilance befitting a woman living alone?"
Su Yu couldn't help but gripe.
"Late at night, coming to knock on a single man's door wearing nothing but your underwear—are you really not afraid something might happen?"
"Oh my?"
Hearing this, Himeko, far from restraining herself, instead grinned and leaned a step closer.
"What? Are you worried something might happen to me... or worried that you yourself won't be able to hold back?"
As she spoke, she deliberately thrust out her chest.
With that deliberate thrusting motion, the black lace slip was instantly stretched to its limit.
Under the dual effect of gravity and fabric, those already exceedingly full hemispheres were squeezed into a deep, suffocating cleavage.
The lace pattern pressed tightly into that snowy, supple skin, outlining the plump, rounded edges.
Su Yu looked at the surging waves before him with a blank expression.
He didn't even bat an eyelid.
This degree of fan-service, to someone like him who regularly had to face Herrscher-level mental attacks of the sort Sirin dished out, was something he could now meet with a heart as still as water.
"I'm worried you'll catch a cold and pass it on to me."
Su Yu tossed out the line and reached out to close the door.
"Goodbye, I won't see you out."
"Hey hey hey! Wait! Don't close the door!"
Seeing the door about to shut, Himeko could finally no longer keep up the act.
With quick eyes and quicker hands she shot out a foot to wedge in the gap, and that lazy mature-lady demeanor of hers instantly collapsed, turning into a pitiful, woeful state.
"Besides the bottle opener, there's one more thing! Really! It's super urgent!"
"You absolutely have to help me! Su Yu! Good neighbor! Good little brother!"
Su Yu stopped his motion of closing the door and looked at her through the crack with a face full of suspicion.
"What is it? Borrowing money is off the table, and there's no liquor to lend."
"It's not money and it's not liquor..."
The expression on Himeko's face turned a little awkward, even a little... bashful?
She scratched at her messy hair, her gaze beginning to wander, looking left and right, just not daring to look at Su Yu.
"Uh, actually, it's... well, it's just..."
"My dad suddenly has some free time. He messaged me saying he's coming to see me next week."
"Oh." Su Yu nodded. "That's a good thing, a loving father and a dutiful daughter. So then?"
"Uh... mm... so then, well, how do I put it..."
Himeko bit her lip, that look of wanting to speak yet hesitating making her seem exactly like a primary schooler who'd done something wrong and was afraid of being scolded by a parent.
"You know how it is... the older generation puts a very heavy emphasis on this whole continuing-the-family-line thing."
She drew a deep breath, as if making up her mind about something, and spoke at lightning speed:
"My dad's coming this time under my mom's death-order! If he finds out that I'm already this age and still single, without even the shadow of a boyfriend..."
Himeko swallowed, instinctively reaching back to cover her own behind, real terror showing on her face.
"I figure that when I go back for New Year this year... my mom's going to use that heirloom feather duster to whip my butt to shreds!"
Su Yu: "..."
He stared speechlessly at this mature lady before him, who could be called sophisticated in both dress and bearing.
Who could have guessed that the usually decisive, no-nonsense Teacher Himeko—who could down toast after toast at the drinking table without getting drunk—actually had this sort of... setting where she was scared of getting her butt spanked by her mom?
Wasn't this contrast a bit too extreme?
"What use is coming to me for something like this?"
Su Yu sighed, his face wearing an "I can't help you" expression.
"You should go find Elysia. She's got a wide network and a warm heart—just have her play matchmaker for you and set you up with a few reliable blind-date prospects, wouldn't that do it?"
As he said this, Su Yu put his strength into it again, getting ready to close the door.
"There's no time to go find them! And besides, I can't handle that whole blind-date scene!"
Himeko grew frantic.
This time she no longer stuck out a foot, but, relying directly on the courage of the alcohol, squeezed her whole self through the door crack like a loach!
"I said stop, stop—!!"
She grabbed Su Yu's arm in one motion, the force astonishingly strong, her nails nearly digging into his flesh.
A thick gust of alcohol fumes blew into his face, but right now Su Yu had no leisure to mind the disgust.
"Just take it as a favor to me! Su Yu! I'm begging you!"
She shut her eyes and shouted loudly:
"You be my boyfriend! How about it?!"
"Just put on the act for a few days! Once we've fooled that old man and sent him off, it's done! I'll cover a whole month of your food expenses! I'm begging you! Good little brother—no, good big brother!"
That one shout, full of breath and vigor, echoed through the not-very-spacious living room.
The air froze once again.
Su Yu was just about to say something, like "Do you know you ought to take a look in the mirror? You may be good-looking, but your imagination's looking pretty good too."
Just at that moment.
"Crunch."
A crisp sound broke the silence.
At the kitchen doorway.
Kiana held a freshly opened bag of potato chips in her hand, about to pop one into her mouth.
At this moment, her motion froze in midair, her mouth slightly agape, and the chip in her hand—crushed into fragments from too much force—scattered all over the floor.
Her eyes went wide, her gaze drifting back and forth between Su Yu and that red-haired woman clinging desperately to Su Yu's arm, her whole self as if turned to stone.
And there at her feet.
That odd-eyed white cat named Chongchong sat squatting on the ground, its tail elegantly curled around its front paws.
It tilted its head, watching the scene before it, and those odd-colored pupils actually revealed a humanlike expression that could only be called "here to enjoy the show."
Su Yu felt only a wave of dizziness in his brain, his temples throbbing.
A Herrscher after his life up ahead, a Paramecium going wild with mental embellishment in the middle, and a drunkard forcing marriage on him from behind.
There was no way to go on living like this!!
He drew a deep breath, looked at this woman before him who had thrown away all shame just to avoid getting her butt spanked, and squeezed out a single sentence through gritted teeth:
"To stay alive, you've even started calling me big brother?!"
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