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That night, Bronya took leave to care for Sin.
Thus, the burden of daily chores once again fell solely on Kiana.
How exhilarating yet overwhelmingly stressful; stressfully overwhelming but also incredibly thrilling.
"Splish splash!"
Kiana, filled with complex emotions, turned off the hot water spray, patted the droplets from her cheeks—and then covered her face with both hands, feeling as if the intense heat could evaporate all moisture instantly.
"No, Zeke shouldn't wait too long!"
Clenching her fists, she gathered herself, wrapped a towel barely covering her thighs around her body, and stepped out of the bathroom, heart pounding excitedly yet nervously.
What? You ask about Sin?
Nothing to worry about; that heartless little troublemaker is tough as nails and will soon be back to wreak havoc again! Confidently thinking this, Kiana cautiously peeked out from behind her bedroom door.
"Zeke~"
Her antenna hair swayed cheerfully as she sweetly called Zeke's name, striving for a coy yet seductive gaze—only to find herself performing for thin air.
Zeke wasn't in the bedroom.
"(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻!"
Kiana shrugged it off, hands spread nonchalantly, and continued towards the study room.
Upon reflection, the study was indeed another promising spot!
"Zeke~"
Kiana leaned around the door frame, repeating her act of feigned shyness, but once again met emptiness.
"???"
This was getting curious.
Logically, shouldn't Zeke have instantly appeared to ravish her with his Arbiter Rank power? Why was he nowhere to be found?
Confused, Kiana, wrapped in a bath towel and barefoot, made a full circuit through the house. Finally, she spotted Zeke on the outdoor balcony.
"Zeke~"
Kiana swiftly approached and wrapped her arms around Zeke's neck from behind.
Zeke naturally sensed her presence, inhaling the subtle fragrance emanating from her after her bath. His hands moved away from the book resting on his knees, gently grasping the tender hand on his neck as a faint smile played on his lips.
"All cleaned up?"
"Yep! I'm ready now, Zeke!" Kiana grinned, affectionately nuzzling against his face with excitement.
Zeke remained silent, gazing at the moon above, seemingly lost in thought.
Kiana's smile gradually faded, and after a moment, she softly asked:
"Worried about Sin?"
"Mm-hmm," Zeke replied quietly.
Kiana's grin returned, saying:
"Zeke, you've become more open."
"Huh?"
"In the past, you wouldn't admit it honestly. Despite caring deeply, you always acted dismissive—such a stubborn tsundere!"
"Have I...changed?" Zeke hesitated, slowly questioning himself.
Well, indeed he must have changed.
Before, although he cared for Kiana and the others, he was overly concerned with maintaining his masculine image, never openly acknowledging his feelings.
Now, concern is simply concern, love is just love—he truly had become more genuine.
Who brought about these changes? Upon reflection, ever since arriving in this world on that first day, when a certain little white ball of fluff forcefully entered his life, many things must have subtly transformed without him realizing it.
As memories surfaced in his mind, Zeke gently squeezed Kiana's hand and let out a long, contemplative sigh.
"Sigh..."
"What're you sighing for? There's nothing seriously wrong with Mei; I can sense her vital signs are steady, almost as if she took some potent tonic. She'll wake up soon, healthier than before!"
"..."
"Oh! So it's not about Mei then? What's on your mind? Honkai? Dr. Mobius? Me? Or pondering how to resolve issues with Seele and Wendy?"
"...Why do you always bring up sensitive topics?" Zeke rubbed his forehead, feeling exasperated, and sighed again.
Kiana chuckled mischievously, wrapping her arms around Zeke's neck, her soft chest pressing against his back. "Hehe! Only Zeke could solve such tricky problems. Anyway, I'm counting on you—go for it!"
"Believe me or not, but what if I really create a harem and take all of them in?"
"..."
Zeke's earnest threat met with Kiana's silence.
Logically, at this point, shouldn't she be stubbornly throwing a tantrum or something similar?
Puzzled, Zeke turned his head slightly to find Kiana pouting nearby, her eyes filled with mixed emotions and glistening with unshed tears.
"Feeling sad again? I'm sorry; let's not joke about it anymore. Clearly, humor isn't my forte."
"I'm not..."
"Hmm?"
"Not really sad. It's just that suddenly, I wonder if we would have been happier if on our first day together, I had whisked you away to some hidden corner where no one could find us, living quietly ever since." Kia lamented wistfully, secretly harboring a yearning for such a life. A life without Honkai, without convoluted pasts, just her and Zeke, simple and peaceful, always together—how wonderful would that be?
Zeke shook his head and beckoned Kiana closer with a crook of his finger.
Kiana blinked, understanding intuitively, and moved in front of him, facing Zeke as she sat on his lap.
"Eep!" The sudden move caught Kiana off guard, widening her eyes momentarily.
Then, her gaze softened, feeling as though carried by a gentle breeze, fully enjoying their passionate embrace.
After a long moment, they parted again. Kiana gazed tenderly at Zeke before burying her flushed face against his chest.
Zeke's lips curved with delight as he gently stroked her hair, saying:
"Silly girl. No matter how far you hide, Otto will always come looking for you."
"Then we'll blast him away! With me and Zeke together, who cares about Otto or Schicksal? We'll take them all down!"
"All right, let's assume Otto's issue is resolved that way. But if you had stayed hidden, you wouldn't have met your current friends: Bronya, Sin, Mei, Seele, Wendy, Fu Hua...and Theresa. You wouldn't have encountered any of these people."
"Aww! Fine, I guess things are better this way." Kiana traced circles on Zeke's chest, murmuring reluctantly.
Kiana wasn't like those drama characters who shout about forsaking everything except love. Her friends, family, and everyone close to her held immense importance. It was only through these relationships combined that the complete Kiana Kaslana emerged.
"So, have you figured out how to address the issues with Seele and Wendy?" Kiana abruptly shifted the topic, asking plaintively.
Zeke rubbed his temples, feeling another headache coming on—when it came to this particular issue, even his lofty intellect offered no assistance.
His gaze momentarily drifted again.
'It's not just them; there's also Fu Hua...'
Recalling the Elder Immortal's uncharacteristic displays of earthly affection, Zeke felt the pain in his forehead intensify.
"Snicker!"
Sensing Zeke's distress, Kiana couldn't help but giggle softly.
"Wah!"
As if retaliating, Zeke unexpectedly pinched her buttocks, eliciting a surprised yelp from Kiana, who finally stopped laughing with flushed cheeks.
After a moment, she glared at Zeke indignantly, pouting as she said,
"Alright, I'm not forcing you to resolve everything right away. Take your time. Let's just leave it to fate for now."
Kiana lightly punched Zeke's chest.
Deep down, she understood that the crux of this situation didn't lie with Zeke, but rather with Wendy, Seele, or perhaps even herself.
Thus, they could only entrust it to time, waiting until either Wendy and Seele come to terms and peacefully let go of their feelings, or until Kiana can calmly accept the new circumstances.
As for Zeke—he was nothing more than a wishy-washy, straight-as-an-arrow, stinking scumbag; what did he know about emotions?!
"Thud!"
Kiana punched Zeke's chest again, filled with frustration and helplessness. Then, unable to resist, she tightly embraced him—what could she do? No matter how much of a scumbag he was, she couldn't stay away from him!
Internally, Kiana grumbled her complaints while simultaneously berating herself. She wondered why, despite calling him a "scumbag" inside her head, being held by Zeke still made her feel an overwhelming sense of happiness and contentment—wasn't that just pathetic?
"Filthy! Disgusting!"
"Bastards!"
"I @%?**!!!"
Bam! Bam! Bam!
In Kiana's consciousness domain, Sirin relentlessly slammed her head against the ground, spewing curses.
On one hand, she scoffed at these deep emotions—whether it was Kiana's wholehearted, burning love or Zeke's tender affections, sometimes restrained and other times overtly expressive. She insisted they were nothing but false, ugly, nauseating performances.
Yet on the other hand, Kiana's feelings were so pure and intense that each wave repeatedly struck Sirin's mind, sharing the same origin as hers, making them impossible to resist.
Sirin's hatred had its limits, for Babylon Labs now lay buried in the past. No matter how profound her resentment, its source was distant, causing it to gradually fade rather than intensify. Conversely, Kiana's love... Sirin hadn't yet seen its bounds; instead, it grew stronger with each passing day. As long as Zeke remained by their side, this trend seemed unstoppable.
As one emotion dwindled and the other grew stronger, Sirin felt utterly shattered.
"Crash!"
Another forceful headbutt shattered the floor beneath her. Sirin lifted her face, covered in blood.
"No way! I will never feel anything beyond hatred and contempt for humans—never!" She yanked frantically at her hair, then continued slamming her head against the ground in vain, trying to suppress—or perhaps just escape—the emotional influence from Kiana.
Amidst this frenzy and self-inflicted wounds, even the proud and stubborn Herrscher of the Void couldn't resist the momentary curve of her lips.
Then—
"Ahhhh!"