Her mind went into overdrive, immediately followed by frantic error reports.
Kiana admitted that she had indeed seen Shu buying her merchandise in those memories. The question she had asked back when she first returned to the base had been asked with certainty.
Fine, she admitted it, she had done it on purpose.
Who told Shu to always walk around with a straight face? Especially right after he came back—it was like he had a mask welded to his face. He acted like a prison warden, it was terrifying enough to make someone cry!
But back then, she only wanted Shu to relax, to find something he liked doing, to unwind for his own sake.
Regarding the figures, she truly hadn't thought it was a big deal.
After all, she was the main character. Lots of screen time, huge popularity, tons of merchandise—wasn't that completely normal?
Shu loved this game, so it was perfectly reasonable for him to buy some merchandise of the main character, right?
It was normal for her to be included in those important merchandise lines, right?
But what did it mean for it to be ALL her?! Where was Mei? Where was Bronya?
Something's not right.
Shu, you're very not right!!
This was no longer a matter of "loving the game."
Just what exactly is it that you love?!
Hmm, so hard to guess.
Kiana's face flushed another shade redder.
No, no, no.
I can't think like this.
She shook her head vigorously, tossing those thoughts out of her mind.
Then she began trying to convince herself:
First, Shu really likes this game. To support this game, it's very normal for Shu to buy some figures and merchandise.
Second, there are many characters in this game, and I am the main character.
It's very normal for the main character to have a lot of merchandise.
Yes, very normal. All of this, whether looking at it or talking about it, is extremely normal.
And maybe Shu just has OCD, and the merchandise for one character has to be hidden in one specific place?
Maybe if I open the nightstand drawer, I'll see a uniform row of Mei or Bronya figures?
Regardless of the result, she had at least convinced herself.
Then she started spacing out. But as she spaced out, another sentence popped into her head:
But... having ALL the main character's merchandise... isn't that a bit TOO 'complete'?
Calm down.
Calm down, Kiana. You need to think. Think harder.
Hmm... actually, she herself had some excessive merchandise.
For example—
That dakimakura of Mei in her room.
Even though Mei herself was right beside her and she could cling to her anytime, she had still found a way to "custom-order" a life-sized Mei body pillow.
She was so used to hugging that thing to sleep that if she didn't have a pillow in her arms, she actually couldn't sleep well.
And a body pillow compared to figures... uh...
Kiana suddenly realized she had absolutely no right to judge Shu.
If those figures hadn't been hers, or if the person visiting Shu right now wasn't her, but Mei or Bronya, Kiana felt Shu probably wouldn't have even bothered to hide them.
They were just open and aboveboard decorations, collectibles.
But what about her body pillow?
A cloud of steam practically exploded from Kiana's head.
She knew exactly why she had custom-ordered that thing.
So... the hardcore yandere fan was actually me all along?!
As her wisdom stat spiked, Kiana instantly felt like her life was over.
In the kitchen, Shu was busy working.
Today's breakfast was still bread and milk, but the side dish was no longer eggs, but thick-cut bacon he had just bought yesterday.
Currently, Shu was frying the bacon in an oiled pan.
The smell of meat snapped Kiana out of her daze, though she continued to space out on the sofa.
But her brain just wouldn't stop.
So why exactly does Shu have so many of my figures?
Today's Kiana was exceptionally clever, attempting to use various theories to explain this anomaly.
Hmm... I remember Shu is actually a hoarder, right?
A collector.
She also remembered seeing in the Book of Time that back in De Pasquale, "she" had deduced the first characteristic of Shu from his room: a "hoarder."
Some people just liked collecting. No matter what it was, as long as it was a set, they had to complete it. As long as it was in their hands, they refused to let it go.
Shu was probably this kind of person.
No, Kiana was almost certain Shu was this kind of person.
So... as a hoarder, Shu collected all versions of me...
Ve—ry—rea—so—na—ble!
Did Kiana actually believe this herself?
Could she believe it?
Did she dare not believe it?!
What hoarding habit, what investment mindset—
She had seen how neatly those figures were hidden, arranged so squarely you could see the owner's meticulous care at a single glance.
Is this a "hoarding habit"?
Could it be?
Kiana's brain CPU completely overloaded.
She covered her face and let out another long whine.
"Uuu..."
No!
She took a deep breath and began her final self-hypnosis.
Kiana, you and Shu are the best of partners!
You've fought together, lived together, and experienced so many things together.
He treats you well because you're partners.
He buys your figures because you're the main character of a game he likes.
This is normal.
Very normal.
Very, very normal.
So—
You cannot have any weird thoughts.
Cannot.
Absolutely cannot.
She recited this three times in her heart.
Then she opened her eyes.
Shu was walking out of the kitchen holding breakfast.
Their eyes met.
And bounced away again.
Like a startled hamster and a frightened kitten, the two of them shrank back into their respective corners.
Breakfast was placed on the table.
The two sat down silently.
Silently picked up their chopsticks.
Silently ate.
No one spoke.
Silence.
Silence was today's breakfast.
Sunlight shone in through the window, warming their two corpses.
...
Breakfast ended in silence.
Shu stood up to clear the dishes. He didn't dare let himself have a single moment of idle time, terrified that if he stopped, his mind would run wild.
Even though facts had already proven that these chores couldn't fully occupy his thoughts at all.
And at this moment, Kiana noticed something.
Shu had changed his clothes!
Earlier, when Shu was in his pajamas, Kiana had constantly felt a strange sensation—that no matter how she looked at him, Shu just felt weird.
But now, after Shu had changed his clothes, Kiana understood at once.
Shu had never worn clothes like that in front of her.
Ever since they first met, Shu had always worn clothes suited for movement.
Later on, that iconic flame robe was practically welded to his body. That was the Shu Kiana was familiar with.
Not this Shu, who seemed completely devoid of motivation and looked like he had raised himself to be a useless bum...
Uh...
Kiana felt this Shu was a bit better than the previous Shu. Although he had a bit of a lazy shut-in vibe, at least he felt more like a living, breathing person than the Shu she knew.
She wholeheartedly agreed with this assessment.
Then she violently shook her head.
What on earth am I thinking about!