How long did Shu sit on the floor?
He didn't know. He only knew he was like a salted fish that had lost all its strength, lacking even the desire to flip over.
But since ancient times, humanity has constantly passed down a core philosophy of life—no matter what happens, life must go on.
Well, perhaps this saying is a bit unfamiliar to modern people.
It's come to this, let's eat first.
Shu stared at this sociological truth that popped into his mind like a floating comment for three seconds.
Then he sighed, crawled up from the floor, walked to the wardrobe, and placed his hand on the door handle Kiana had just pulled open.
Deep breath.
Pull open.
Those Kianas entered his field of vision once again.
Every single piece of merchandise stayed quietly in its place, looking at him in various poses.
Shu stared at them for three seconds.
Then he suddenly felt optimistic.
It's fine.
It's fine, I only bought normal merchandise in a normal way.
Nothing too excessive.
Really, there isn't.
He hadn't bought a single one of those legendary life-sized silicone dolls or dakimakuras, nor did he have any interest in buying them.
He also hadn't bought any of those "soldier's reserved dignity" items that needed to be hidden under the bed, nor had he ever particularly looked into such things.
All his figures and merchandise were bought from the community market of a certain devil company with a devil logo...
In other words, he only bought official, licensed products.
He just ordinarily liked this character, ordinarily spent money to collect things, and ordinarily filled a wardrobe—
Wait.
It didn't seem very "ordinary," especially for the original owner of this body.
Shu was silent for a second.
Then he decided to give up thinking about this question.
Embracing the brokenness is also a form of optimism.
He told himself this.
Then he started picking out clothes for himself.
What to wear today?
His gaze swept over the clothes in the wardrobe and subconsciously landed on another set of pajamas... It was a one-piece pajama set, quite loose-fitting. Even when Shu wore it, it was a huge, baggy piece of clothing.
To be honest, the number of pajamas and normal clothes in Shu's wardrobe was surprisingly similar, with several sets for each season.
But just as he subconsciously reached out to grab it, Kiana's declaration from yesterday suddenly flashed through his mind:
"From today onwards, I'm taking charge of your food, clothing, and daily life!"
Shu's hand paused.
Then he sighed, turned his head, and took down another set of casual wear.
Fine.
I'll listen to her... otherwise who knows what might happen again?
After getting dressed, he cast his gaze deep into the wardrobe.
Although Kiana seemed very unkempt, she was a girl after all, and a beautiful girl who was quite self-aware of her own beauty.
Girls naturally washed frequently, plus her last bath had been the night before last...
He couldn't possibly let Kiana continue wearing dirty clothes after taking a bath, right?
So he had to find a new outfit for Kiana as well.
Shu's gaze searched around the wardrobe, directly passing over those loose pajamas.
There was already a huge difference in size between Kiana and himself. Even his slim-fit clothes would be exceptionally large on Kiana.
After some thought, he finally pulled out an outfit from his few scattered clothes... a dress!
Shu indeed didn't have any women's undergarments in his house.
But that didn't mean Shu didn't have women's clothing in his house!
[Honkai Impact 3rd] Kiana - Time Sand Light Chaser Theme Dress!
This was something Shu had accidentally...
Alright, he wouldn't pretend. This was a set of clothing Shu had bought all at once during a shopping spree. This set was divided into male and female versions: a dress and a suit.
Shu chose his own size for the suit, but as for the dress... Shu had no intention of wearing it, so he just selected the default size.
It felt like it should suit Kiana quite well.
And also—
He hesitated for a moment.
What about underwear?
He really didn't have any of that.
I can't just let her go commando, right?
Shu's face felt slightly hot.
He swiftly strangled this thought in its cradle.
Let her buy this herself.
Yes, let her buy it herself. Later, I'll lend her my phone to buy it online. I'll find a nearby store so it will arrive by tomorrow at the latest.
He picked up the outfit, ready to head out.
Walking to the door, he suddenly remembered something.
Should I... just buy a phone for Kiana directly? And get her a SIM card?
Shu stood at the door, silent for two seconds.
Buying a phone was quite necessary, but... was a SIM card necessary?
Who could Kiana call? Him?
Or was Mei actually about to show up at his door to block his path?
And there was even less of a need for mobile data; there was Wi-Fi at home.
Anyway, Shu felt it wasn't necessary.
He sighed, carried the outfit he found for Kiana, and walked out of the bedroom.
The living room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Kiana sat on the sofa.
Her posture was very upright.
She placed her two hands on her knees, hunched her body, and her eyes darted around constantly.
Hearing the door open, her body stiffened slightly.
She quietly raised her head and looked at the bedroom door.
Shu stood at the bedroom door, looking at her as well.
The moment their eyes met, their gazes bounced away rapidly, like identical poles of a magnet repelling each other.
The atmosphere... how to describe it.
It was like two computers overloading at the same time, practically burning out their CPUs in a chain of guesswork, yet neither dared to shut down and reboot first.
There was no helping it. The destructive power of that wardrobe full of figures was simply too great for both of them. There were too many things they could associate with it, and neither dared to think about the things they associated with it.
"Um..."
Both of them spoke at the same time.
And shut their mouths at the same time.
And fell silent at the same time.
Kiana's face turned red.
The tips of Shu's ears also turned red.
"I'm... going to wash up." Shu spoke, trying hard to make his voice sound normal. "Then I'll make breakfast. Wait a moment."
"Oh... okay."
Kiana nodded stiffly, giving a wooden reply.
Shu silently placed the clothes in his hands next to Kiana, then turned and walked away without hesitation, his movements smoother than when he was malding for points yesterday.
After the sound of the bathroom door closing echoed out, Kiana in the living room finally let out a long breath, as if relieved of a heavy burden.
She raised her hands to cover her face, which was already beet red and which she completely dared not lift, and let out a long, drawn-out whimper:
"Uuu..."
Heaven knows how much of a breakdown she had the moment she pulled open those wardrobe doors.
If it had just been a wardrobe full of figures, that would be fine. If it were figures of everyone, she would just laugh it off, then take the opportunity to tease Shu, throwing out a waifu war question to playfully mock him.
That was what Kiana had thought last night, though she had planned to do it after getting a bit more familiar with Shu. She hadn't planned to do it so early...
Well, she was half-asleep and groggy this morning, so she forgot.
She felt completely justified in this. Even if Shu found out she did it on purpose later, Kiana wouldn't be afraid at all... okay, maybe a little afraid.
But those figures she saw just now...
All those various "herself" arranged neatly, like some kind of solemn exhibition.
It was all her.
All Kiana.
Not a single Mei.
Not a single Bronya.
No other characters whatsoever.
All her.
The Kaslana brain detected a crisis!
Is it an enemy? Malice? A conspiracy? A disaster?
Hmm? What does it mean to be a hardcore yandere fan?