Himeko clearly didn't think of herself as an outsider.
In the suffocating silence of the living room, she slipped through the gap between Su Yu's arm and the door frame like a slippery red fish.
Her high heels were kicked off carelessly at the entryway, and she padded barefoot across the floor, swaying as she made a beeline straight for the only long couch in the center of the living room.
"Ahh... I'm dead tired. I'm pretty sure I've been hit with some kind of curse."
With a long, utterly undignified sigh, her whole body sank into the couch like a puddle of red sludge.
Kiana grabbed a fresh bag of chips from the kitchen and, picking the spot closest to Himeko, sat down some distance away. "What curse?" Her cheeks still carried a faint flush that hadn't quite faded.
Himeko snatched up a throw pillow and hugged it to her chest, her bleary, drunken eyes fixed on the ceiling, her tone brimming with despair toward this whole world.
"Did I blow up the Milky Way in my past life or something? Is that why I got hit with this die-and-die-again curse in this one?"
She held out one hand and started counting off on her fingers, listing her grievances.
"Number one—the very first thing he said after sitting down was to ask how much money I had saved and whether I'd finished paying off my mortgage. I told him I'm a teacher, you can go look up my salary on the public notice board yourself. And then this guy actually whipped out a calculator on the spot and started calculating my pension!"
Kiana's hand froze inside the bag of chips, her face full of disbelief.
"Pension? How old even are you?"
"Right?!! Do I look like I'm about to retire?!!"
Himeko slapped the armrest of the couch in fury.
"Number two was even more outrageous—some little brat still doing his master's degree, said he wanted to find an older sister to take care of him, and even asked if I could give him an allowance every month... I'm looking for a partner, not a son!"
"Number three..."
Himeko buried her face in her hands in agony.
"Number three actually had the nerve to look down on me for drinking! Said it's improper for a woman to drink! And he wanted me to throw out all the liquor in my house!"
"That was the last straw—I just splashed that whole glass of ice water right in his face to help him sober up!"
Although Kiana didn't say anything out loud, the chips in her hand were being stuffed into her mouth faster and faster. She pricked up her ears, listening to Himeko's rant with rapt attention, her expression shifting from sympathy to fury to sheer disbelief—more invested than she'd be in a TV drama.
She couldn't taste the chips in her mouth at all.
But who cared about taste? This gossip was way tastier than any chips!
"Haah..."
Worn out from her tirade, Himeko let out a long sigh and turned her head, her gaze landing right on Su Yu, who was standing off to one side pouring water.
The living room light fell upon Su Yu.
Having just showered, he wore only a loose white T-shirt and a pair of house shorts.
That T-shirt, which used to hang loose and empty on his frame, was now stretched a little tight.
That was the effect of the enhancement agent the System had rewarded him with.
Although he still looked lean on the outside, the definition of those muscles was impossible to hide.
Himeko's gaze traveled up from his arm, past his shoulder, and settled on the outline of the pectoral muscles the T-shirt traced out.
She swallowed unconsciously, a soft gulp sounding in her throat.
Himeko smacked her lips, and a portion of the drunken haze in her eyes dissipated, replaced by a... wolf-spotting-meat green glint.
This kid... when did he turn out like this?
She still remembered the first time she'd met Su Yu a few years ago—he'd been the textbook shut-in: pale-faced, with arms about as thick as chopsticks.
Although his features had a decent foundation, that whole "malnourished" aura was an instant turn-off.
But now...
His shoulders had broadened, his back had thickened, the muscle lines on those arms were taut in just the right way, and his whole aura had changed—from "frail shut-in" into the type who "looks ripped with his shirt off, looks slim with it on."
Tch.
Himeko licked her lips, her gaze turning meaningful.
Did this guy secretly eat some kind of immortal elixir? Hit a second puberty? How was he getting better-looking the more he grew?
This muscle, these lines, this damnable air of hormones.
Had she known this kid had such good raw material, the last time at the entryway she should've used the booze as an excuse to turn the act real and just have her way with him!
Compared to this top-grade little brother right in front of her, those weirdos she'd met on the blind dates weren't even fit to fetch his shoes!
Su Yu just felt a chill run down his back.
He instinctively took a step back, putting distance between himself and the couch, eyeing this female hooligan with a wary expression.
"Sister Himeko, please conduct yourself with dignity."
He declared righteously.
"I sell my art, not my body. And according to the Minor Protection Law... oh wait, I'm already an adult. But according to the Code of Professional Ethics for Teachers, what you're doing is against the rules too!"
"Aiya, what are you talking about, is your big sister that kind of person?"
Himeko instantly put on a smiling face, her speed at switching expressions nothing short of breathtaking. She abruptly sat up straight, leaned over to the edge of the coffee table, pressed her palms together, and looked at him with eyes full of pleading.
"Su Yu, good little brother, just do your big sister this one favor!"
"Just pretend to be my boyfriend for a few days! Just to deal with my dad! A few days is all I need!"
"No way, this is non-negotiable."
He refused without the slightest hesitation. What a joke—being a shield for this drunkard, heaven only knew what kind of mess it would stir up.
But Himeko did not give up.
Since a frontal assault wouldn't work, then... she'd take the roundabout route to victory.
She turned her head and looked toward the white-haired girl beside her, who had been quietly munching away on the drama this whole time.
"Little Kiana~"
Himeko's voice instantly went saccharine, sweet to the point of being cloying. She gazed at Kiana pitifully, even managing to squeeze out two crocodile tears to play the part.
"Look, your big sister treats you pretty well normally, right? Buying you snacks, even helping you hide your identity..."
"Right now your big sister has run into the biggest crisis of her life! I'm really going to get my butt spanked!"
"Could you... lend me your Su Yu for a few days?"
"Just a few days! I mean it! Once I've dealt with that old man I'll give him back to you! Return him to you completely intact!"
The chips in Kiana's hand finally fell to the floor after all.
She stared blankly at Himeko, her brain short-circuiting for a moment.
Lend... Su Yu?
What was with that tone, like she was borrowing a power bank or something?!
"Huh? This..."
Kiana stammered, her eyes darting toward Su Yu in a panic, then back to Himeko.
"Isn't, isn't this Su Yu's own business? It's, it's got nothing to do with me, right?"
She twisted her face to one side, trying to hide her burning earlobes.
"He's an adult... whoever he wants to be a boyfriend to... it's not like I can control..."
The odd-eyed white cat Chongchong, squatting on the ground, let out an extremely human-like sigh.
It rolled its eyes hard, its whiskers twitching twice.
This foolish human.
Her tail was practically curling up to the sky, yet her mouth was still this stubborn. The tsundere attribute had already been power-crept out of the current meta, hadn't it?
"Aiya, how could it have nothing to do with you?"
Himeko was clearly a sharp old hand at people.
She saw through this little tsundere's fatal weak spot at a single glance.
"You're Su Yu's most beloved, most important Little Junior Sister, after all!"
Himeko emphasized her tone, speaking with utter sincerity.
"For something like this, he'd definitely have to ask for your opinion first, right? If you don't agree, he wouldn't dare say yes to me!"
"Mo... most important person?"
Those few words were like sharp arrows, striking precisely at the soft spot in Kiana's heart.
A critical hit.
And true damage at that.
The corners of Kiana's previously tightened mouth began to curl upward at a visible speed, even as she frantically tried to press them back down.
But her originally somewhat awkward mood instantly floated up, light and weightless, like a balloon pumped full of air.
So... in other people's eyes, am I the most important person to Su Yu?
He even has to ask my opinion on something like this?
"Ahem, ahem..."
Kiana gave two tactical coughs, forcing her face into a stern look, putting on a reluctant air.
"Since... since you put it that way..."
She rapidly calculated in her heart.
Sister Himeko really was a good person.
If she hadn't barged in that day, Kiana might still have been unable to pull herself out of her breakdown.
And she often brought her tasty treats, even helped Su Yu cover for him during livestreams...
It was just pretending to be a boyfriend for a few days.
It wasn't for real.
Besides... if Su Yu dared to turn the act into reality...
Kiana stole a glance at Su Yu and shook her fist in her heart.
I'll bite him to death!
"Um... if it's to help Sister Himeko..."
Kiana spoke up awkwardly, her voice as tiny as a mosquito's hum.
"It's, it's not like it's totally out of the question..."
"As long as... as long as Su Yu himself doesn't object..."
It was over.
Watching these two women, one big and one small, instantly reach some bizarre consensus, Su Yu felt his vision go black.
Was this what they called "being neatly arranged into a corner"?
Having gotten the answer she wanted, the thoroughly satisfied Himeko said "we'll discuss the details later" and got up to leave—probably to go enjoy the boozing party of a single woman living alone.
As the security door clicked shut.
Su Yu, as if he'd just finished running a marathon, slid down the door panel, letting out one long, heavy breath of stale air.
These days, being a transmigrator wasn't easy, and being a transmigrator who also had to moonlight as a "temporary boyfriend" was even harder.
He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.
The energy that farce had just drained from him was more exhausting than a fight with Sirin in the consciousness space.
"One king crab, two Boston lobsters, plus unlimited salmon sashimi..."
Su Yu saw Kiana sitting cross-legged on the carpet, pinching a few gold-foil cards in her hands, counting them over and over.
The expression on her face was like she was tallying up the rare loot that had just dropped from clearing a dungeon.
Those were the top-tier seafood feast vouchers Himeko had stuffed into her hands before leaving.
The most expensive seafood restaurant in Arc City, where the per-person cost started in the four figures, and rumor had it that even reservations were booked out three months in advance.
And these few cards in Himeko's possession were the VIP no-queue passes the restaurant gave to its regulars.
Su Yu stared speechlessly at the white-haired girl who was counting money... no, counting vouchers.
"...Say."
Su Yu walked over to the side of the couch and looked down at this Paramecium who would sell her soul for the pleasures of the palate, his tone full of the helpless exasperation of one who hates that iron won't become steel.
"Miss Kiana Kaslana—for the sake of one measly seafood buffet, you'd so cleanly and decisively sell out your dear keeper, your only support, your guide in this world... just like that?"
"Without even a haggling process? Doesn't your conscience hurt?"
Kiana's voucher-counting motion paused for a moment.
She looked up, blinked those big innocent eyes, and then righteously tucked the vouchers in her hands into her chest, like a little hamster guarding its food.
"What do you mean, sold you out! That sounds so terrible!"
She mumbled, then stood up from the couch and patted Su Yu on the shoulder, putting on a mature "I'm doing this for your own good" manner.
"This is called... the reasonable utilization of resources! Besides, that's Sister Himeko! Great figure, beautiful, and a rich lady too! So what if you pretend to be her boyfriend for a few days? It's not like you lose anything!"
"And besides..."
Kiana's gaze wavered, and her voice suddenly dropped low.
"Anyway, with your personality... even if I didn't agree, after Sister Himeko softened you up with a bit of that wheedling and nagging, you'd definitely go soft-hearted and say yes in the end, right?"
Su Yu was stunned for a moment.
He opened his mouth, wanting to refute her, only to find that he was, astonishingly, at a loss for words.
Indeed.
Faced with Himeko's "if you don't help me I'll die in front of you" sort of posture, plus the fact that the two of them were former teacher-and-student and friends, he probably would, in all likelihood, end up caving.
"So there!"
Kiana hummed twice, puffing out her chest again, wearing an "as expected, this young lady is so clever" expression.
"You're the kind of person who says no with his mouth but whose body is very honest. Last time when Eden gifted you the studio, didn't you make a fuss and stall for ages, only to obediently accept it in the end?"
"Since the outcome's already decided, you might as well let me be the bad guy."
Watching this girl in front of him who had suddenly become rigorously logical, who had even learned about "maximizing benefits," Su Yu's mouth twitched a couple of times.
"...Is that really something you're capable of saying, Kiana?"
He couldn't help but snipe.
"Did your IQ get forcibly enlightened by those few king crabs?"
"None of your business!"
Kiana rolled her eyes at him, sat back down on the couch, and played with the tickets in her hands.
The living room went quiet for a few seconds.
Into the originally relaxed atmosphere, a hint of sourness suddenly seeped in.
"Besides..."
Kiana pursed her lips, her gaze drifting out the window.
"It's just pretending anyway, it's not real. It's only a few days of acting—once Sister Himeko's matter is settled, everyone's happy."
She paused.
"And besides... with a deadweight like me around, it's no use even if you wanted to make it real, right?"
"You wouldn't want to be stuck with me as a third-wheel within a two-meter radius every time you go out on a date with a girl, would you? Even though the distance has been loosened now, I still have to follow you around."
"When that happens and people ask 'who's this white-haired girl,' how are you going to explain? 'Oh, this is my household freebie, the buy-one-get-one-free kind'?"
Although her mouth said she was a "deadweight," that slightly raised chin of hers, and those eyes fixed intently on Su Yu's reaction, were clearly a declaration of sovereignty—
"You can't shake me off anyway, not in this lifetime, so don't even dream of it!"
"Ahem, ahem..."
Su Yu gave a few tactical coughs, forcibly suppressing the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
If he kept this conversation going, this girl would probably puff up and lose her temper again.
"All right, all right, the seafood feast is yours, and I'll carry the blame. That works, doesn't it?"
He walked over to the computer and sat down, placing his hands back on the keyboard, striking a working posture.
"Let's get back to business—where were we just now? Oh right, Kallen Kaslana's file."
Su Yu typed a few words, and the document interface reappeared on the screen.
"You saw the information about Kallen being sentenced to hanging by Schicksal in the virtual reality... and then? What was the first thing you did?"
At the mention of business, the awkward look on Kiana's face finally reined itself in a little.
She took a deep breath, carefully tucked the seafood vouchers in her hand into her pocket, then crossed her legs, her expression turning solemn.
"Even though that little squirt Bronya kept reminding me from the side that it was history that had already happened, an established fact, that no matter what I did in the virtual reality I couldn't change the outcome..."
Kiana clenched her fists, a fire blazing up in her eyes.
It was the flame that belonged solely to the Kaslana family, the one named "hot-blooded" and "idiot."
"But... how could this young lady possibly stand by and watch her own ancestor, watch that hero who fought for justice, just get executed by that pack of sanctimonious hypocrites!"
"Even if it was fake... I couldn't stand it!"
She abruptly swung her arm, as if to smash some invisible shackle.
"And so, I made a bold decision—"
Kiana turned her head, looked at Su Yu, and said, enunciating each word:
"Storm. The. Execution. Ground!"
[System Notice: Material "Kaslana-style Jailbreak" has been recorded. Keywords: hot-blooded, impulsive, sense of justice—this is so Kiana.]
This was the Kaslana way.
Whether it was Kallen five hundred years ago, or Kiana five hundred years later.
Faced with an unjust fate, their first reaction was never to resign themselves to it.
But to clench their fists and charge in to beat the hell out of it.
Su Yu typed four words into the document.
[Storm·The·Execution·Ground]
The cursor blinked after those words, like a leaping heart.
"Good." Su Yu raised his head, the corner of his mouth curving into a smile. "Keep going."
"I want to hear how Kiana Kaslana... raised hell across Europe five hundred years ago."
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