As the slow-motion effect of the final strike played out, the ranking on the screen finally froze at first place, surpassing the runner-up by a whole twenty-something points.
It was in the bag!
Kiana stared at that number for three seconds, then took a deep breath.
"Waaaaaaaaahhhhh—!!!"
She bounced up from the sofa, threw her hands above her head, and cheered wildly.
"First place! First place! We're number one!"
Before the corners of Shu's mouth could even lift, he turned his head only to be violently clamped by a pair of strong, powerful arms.
Hm? A hug?
No!
This hug had strength behind it!
Shu felt his world suddenly spin. The force threatening to send him flying and the force clamping his body were like two mothers fighting over a child, about to tear him alive into a "Sh" and a "u".
He was forcibly spun around two full circles by Kiana's embrace, her excited screams echoing in his ears.
"We won! Shu! We won!"
Kiana's voice blasted Shu's mind blank, leaving nothing but her cheers.
After two spins, Kiana put Shu down. His feet touched the ground, feeling a bit wobbly.
Kiana had already let go of him and continued to hop up and down in place, cheering by herself.
"Yeah yeah yeah! Number one! Number one!"
Shu stood there, his heart pounding thump-thump-thump rapidly.
He looked down at his chest.
It felt like a restless little deer was crashing around inside his heart, just like the Kiana in front of him. It felt exactly like a heart flutter.
But Shu knew it wasn't romance.
He had just been startled by Kiana's actions, and his heart thought he was in danger, so it was working overtime.
Yes, this was the suspension bridge effect.
He looked up at Kiana, who was still cheering.
Her long white hair swayed with her jumping, a huge smile was on her face, and her eyes were curved into two crescents.
Shu's gaze paused for a moment.
Then he looked away.
Yeah, suspension bridge effect.
Definitely.
Kiana cheered for quite a while before finally realizing what needed to be done most right now.
She plopped back onto the sofa, panting, but her eyes were still sparkling.
"Shu, Shu!" She pointed at the screen. "Quick! Change the name! Change it to—"
She paused, cleared her throat, and announced in her loudest voice: "Kiana is Number One!"
The corner of Shu's mouth twitched.
He looked at Kiana, his gaze gradually becoming subtle.
Oho—
Kiana felt a bit uncomfortable under his gaze, and the smile on her face receded slightly.
Then she turned her head away, pursing her lips to whistle a tune that wouldn't come out, avoiding his eyes.
"Just... just striking back, that's all." Her voice was mumbled, lacking the confidence to enunciate clearly. "No other meaning, just striking back..."
"Pfft—"
Shu swore he really tried to hold it in.
Kiana whipped her head around and glared fiercely at Shu, looking like she would pounce and ruffle his hair into a bird's nest if he dared to laugh again.
Shu fell silent. He turned back, grabbed the mouse, and started changing the name.
[ Kiana is the Truth ]
He typed the last character and clicked confirm.
On the screen, the first-place ID changed into five brand-new characters.
Kiana leaned in to take a look.
Then she nodded with satisfaction.
"Mhm, that's more like it."
Just as she finished speaking, the rankings on the screen suddenly moved.
The second-place score jumped up a chunk.
It rose by about 6 or 7 points, but it was still a ways off from Shu's score.
A moment later, the second-place ID also changed.
[ Bros I Can't Insta-Ult ]
Kiana stared at that new ID and paused.
Then she burst out laughing with a "Pfft".
"Hahahaha—"
She laughed so hard she leaned back and forth, her whole body resting against Shu.
Shu was shaken by her movement, and the corners of his mouth curved up as well.
Leaning together, they looked at the rankings on the screen, at that newly changed ID, and at those points that couldn't be caught up to no matter what—
They laughed together.
Their laughter echoed in the living room.
The night outside the window was deep.
But inside, it was warm.
Amidst the laughter, Shu suddenly yawned.
A very quiet one.
But before he could cover it up, Kiana's gaze swept over him like a searchlight.
"Shu."
Her voice suddenly became very serious.
"You're sleepy?"
Shu's movement paused.
He opened his mouth, wanting to deny it.
But the aftereffect of the yawn lingered, and his eyes stung a little.
"...A little bit."
Kiana immediately stood up and reached out to pull him.
"Let's go! Bedtime!"
Shu was pulled up by her, feeling a bit dazed.
"Wait—"
"No waiting!" Kiana didn't look back, dragging him toward the bedroom. "Health is most important! If you're sleepy, you have to sleep!"
Shu was dragged to the bedroom door and stopped in his tracks.
He looked at the half-open door and suddenly felt a bit of resistance.
Not because he wasn't sleepy.
It was... he didn't want to go in.
He didn't want to be alone in the dark so early.
He wanted...
He wanted to stay a little longer.
Talk to her a little longer.
Even if just sitting on the sofa doing nothing.
Shu didn't know why he felt this way.
He just instinctively didn't want to go in.
"Um..." He spoke, his voice a bit dry. "I'm not that sleepy yet..."
Kiana turned around and stared at him.
"You just said 'a little bit'."
"Just... a little bit." Shu averted his gaze. "I can sit for a while longer."
Kiana narrowed her eyes.
She stared at him for two seconds.
Then her expression changed.
It became soft.
It became... exceptionally meaningful.
"Shu."
Her voice was gentle.
"Is it because you're worried about me being alone out here that you don't want to sleep?"
Shu's breath hitched for a second.
"No." He denied it immediately. "I'm just—just not sleepy yet."
Kiana didn't speak.
She just looked at him with those pure blue eyes of hers.
Stare—
Hmm, the taste of a lie.
She sighed softly, Mei's image involuntarily appearing in her mind.
"Alright, alright." She waved her hand, mimicking Mei's tone from her memories. "I'll go to sleep too. Even if you sleep first, I won't be bored."
Shu paused.
He looked at Kiana, who was obviously imitating someone, and felt a bit confused.
He still didn't want to go in; that resistance remained.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
But nothing came out.
Kiana looked at his reluctant appearance and frowned.
Then she suddenly peeked into the bedroom, her gaze sweeping over the bed.
Hmm, it's quite big. It's a double bed, definitely enough for one person to roll around on.
More than enough for two people to sleep.
She withdrew her gaze and looked at Shu, who wore a look of horror because he hadn't stopped Kiana in time.
Then she revealed a brilliant smile:
"How about... we sleep together?"
Shu: "...?!"