Griddled squid might just be the most evil food in the entire world.
At the stall, the owner was pressing down on the squid with a spatula, making a satisfying sizzle.
White smoke rose, carrying the unique savory aroma of seafood and the charred scent of the griddle, drilling straight into Kiana's nostrils.
Kiana watched as the squid tentacles curled and changed color on the hot plate, stained a reddish-brown by the sauce.
She watched the owner skillfully sprinkle on chopped scallions and onions, watched a customer take the paper bowl and eagerly bite into a piece—
She heard her stomach let out a world-ending wail.
She felt like the other customers around her all instinctively pulled their own paper bowls a little closer.
Kiana: "..."
No.
Absolutely not!
She used every ounce of willpower she had to force her eyes shut, turn her back on the squid stall, and take a step—
"Takoyaki! Freshly made takoyaki!"
It's super effective!
Kiana's eyes snapped open in despair. The takoyaki stall was just three steps away.
Golden-brown balls of dough were tumbling in the mold, brushed with teriyaki sauce, drizzled with mayonnaise, and sprinkled with seaweed flakes and bonito flakes.
The bonito flakes were quivering slightly in the heat, as if waving and beckoning her over.
Kiana's eyes welled up. Useless tears streamed from both her eyes and her mouth.
"Miss? Miss!" the takoyaki vendor called out a few times. "Would you like to buy some?"
Kiana's mouth opened, but no words came out.
She shook her head with great difficulty, turned, and, with heavy steps, as if a water ghost were dragging her down, she left the takoyaki stall.
She didn't know how she made it out of the snack street.
It had been a battle of hunger, and her body had played the role of both deserter and traitor in this sacred war.
She leaned against a lamppost on the side of the road and let out a long sigh.
"I'm so hungry..."
Her voice was weak and listless.
She closed her eyes, trying to conquer her body with her mind.
Shu. Think about Shu.
Finding Shu is the most important thing.
Eating can wait until after she finds Shu.
Yeah, she'll have Shu treat her to a meal then... Right, that's the plan.
Would Shu treat her? Of course he would! And it would definitely be a feast!
The thought made her feel a tiny bit better.
Her mental fortifications rebuilt, Kiana finally opened her eyes—and immediately saw the milk tea shop across the street.
A girl was walking past with a cup of milk tea, taking a long, loud slurp right in front of Kiana, a faint look of bliss on her face.
The milk tea had a thick layer of milk foam on top, sprinkled with chopped pecans. Condensation beaded on the side of the cup. It looked—
Kiana violently tore her gaze away.
Argh! Can't look anymore!
Kiana, don't let a mere milk tea pierce your iron will!!
Don't think about it, don't crave it!
She slapped her cheeks, forcing herself to turn and face away from the shop.
Find Shu, find Shu, find Sh—
A figure quickly passed through the crowd behind her.
Kiana's intuition felt like it had been struck by lightning!
Shu?!
She whipped her head around!
The crowd was still a rushing river of people, coming and going.
The figure had already vanished.
Kiana's eyes scanned every face, trying to catch that fleeting feeling.
But there was nothing... absolutely nothing.
Only unfamiliar faces and unfamiliar backs. Everything was as unfamiliar as ever.
Was she just hallucinating from hunger?
Or...
She stood there, stunned, for a full five seconds.
Then she shook her head.
Whether it was a hallucination or not, at least—
At least it had snapped her out of the damnable temptation of food.
She took a deep breath and slapped her cheeks again, harder this time.
"Get a grip, Kiana," she told herself. "Shu is more important than food. Shu is more important than milk tea. Shu is more important than grilled gluten, griddled squid, and takoyaki combined."
After saying it, she felt like something she said wasn't quite right.
But it didn't matter. The sentiment was there.
She turned and left the street, continuing her search.
Behind her, the aroma of the snack street still lingered in the air.
She didn't look back.
...
...
After walking about fifty meters, she suddenly stopped.
"Wait a minute."
She frowned.
"Did I just say Shu is more important than grilled gluten, griddled squid, and takoyaki combined?"
She seriously contemplated this proposition.
"...There seems to be a problem with that comparison."
But whatever.
Wasn't she looking for Shu right now anyway?
Find him first.
Think later.
Find—
Growl—
Her stomach rumbled again.
"Come on, can't you cooperate?"
Growl~
"Sigh..."
Kiana sighed in resignation and continued walking.
Might as well search on an empty stomach.
It wasn't the first time, anyway.
...
In front of a residential building far from the bustling downtown area.
Kiana had no idea how she ended up here.
The sky had long since turned dark. The streetlights came on one by one, illuminating the unfamiliar city, brighter than any night in the ruins. So bright it made her feel a little dazed.
There were fewer people on the street now, but she was still walking, with no idea where she was going.
Her legs were starting to ache, the soles of her feet were getting numb, and her stomach had evolved from "growling with hunger" to "too hungry to have the strength to growl."
She felt like a pony that had been chasing a carrot all day, running on nothing but the last dregs of stubbornness.
But even stubbornness couldn't last forever.
She stopped in front of this small building.
It wasn't a special place, just an ordinary six or seven-story residential building. The exterior was tiled with those old-fashioned small white ceramics, and there were a few closed shops on the ground floor.
The door to the stairwell was open, a dark maw from which the faint glow of a voice-activated light could be seen.
Kiana glanced inside.
Then, she made a decision she would never make under normal circumstances—
She sat down.
Right in the innermost corner of the stairwell, leaning against the wall, hugging her knees, curling herself into a small ball.
"Haaaah..."
She let out a long breath.
So tired... really tired.
This was more exhausting than fighting Honkai Beasts all day.
When she fought Honkai Beasts, at least she knew what she was doing. After one, there was another. The goal was clear, the process simple.
But now?
She had been searching all day, asking who knows how many people, walking who knows how many miles—
And found nothing.
Not even that fleeting feeling had returned.
It was as if Shu didn't exist in this city at all.
But she just knew he was here.
She couldn't explain the feeling. She just knew.
Kiana buried her face in her knees and began to review her "battle results" for the day.
People found: Zero.
Effective descriptions: Zero.
Shus caught by intuition: Zero.
Shus smelled by nose: Zero.
Shus seen by eye: Zero.
By—
"Damn, when did I get so good at summarizing?"
This wasn't like her. She never usually thought about these things. What was the point? The more she thought, the more annoyed she got.
But for some reason, her brain just wouldn't stop today. Maybe it was because she was so tired that her mind was starting to run wild.
She buried her face in her knees again.
Thinking is so tiring.
Searching for someone is so tiring.
Being hungry is so—
Growl—
Her stomach chimed in cooperatively.
Kiana was out of options. She gave her stomach a weak, tired smile.
"I know, I know, you've suffered... Tomorrow. I'll definitely find a way to get you some food tomorrow."
She closed her eyes.
Just a little rest.
Just a little while.
Then I'll keep looking.
I promise.
...
...
...
Her consciousness gradually faded.
The voice-activated light in the stairwell went out.
In the darkness, a small figure remained curled up against the wall, her breathing slowly evening out.
Kiana had fallen asleep.