In the afternoon, Kael returned to the apartment a little earlier than usual.
He carried freshly bought ingredients, preparing a slightly more lavish dinner to celebrate Sirin's… "return"?
He himself couldn't quite say what exactly he was celebrating; he just felt that after a certain emptiness in his heart was filled, he wanted to do something.
He opened the door with his key; the living room was quiet.
At this time, Kiana should still be at the academy conducting her so-called "investigation."
"Sirin, I'm home."
Kael greeted her out of habit.
There was no immediate response as usual.
Kael was a bit puzzled; he placed the ingredients on the cabinet by the door and walked a few steps further in.
He saw Sirin standing with her back to him, in front of the living room's French window.
The afterglow of the setting sun dyed her purple hair a warm golden hue; her posture was still upright, but her shoulders were slightly tense, as if she was intently engaged in a communication.
Kael could hear her lowered voice, carrying a calm, businesslike tone that he wasn't very familiar with:
"...Hmm, I know. Just handle the daily affairs of the Far East Branch according to procedure; no need to report everything. For St. Freya Academy's expansion plan... please double-check the budget with the logistics department to ensure..."
Kael's footsteps paused.
Far East Branch? St. Freya Academy?
As he hesitated whether to withdraw, Sirin seemed to sharply notice the movement behind her, and her voice abruptly stopped.
She spun around suddenly, a flicker of undetectable panic on her face, and quickly tapped her personal terminal on her wrist, cutting off the communication.
"Bro—Brother! You're back?" Sirin's face quickly shifted to her usual docile expression, tinged with a hint of dependence, but her eyes darted around.
"Yes, just got back."
Kael walked closer, his gaze falling on her wrist, which she hadn't fully hidden yet, "Are you busy with a mission? Did I interrupt you?"
"No, no!" Sirin quickly shook her head, putting her hands behind her back, her tone carrying a hint of undetectable urgency, "Just some... routine reports from the Far East Branch, nothing important."
She paused, as if to change the subject, and leaned forward to link arms with Kael, looking up with expectant golden eyes: "What delicious food is Brother making tonight? I'm a little hungry."
Kael looked at her slightly nervous expression, a trace of doubt flashing through his mind.
Just a routine report, did it need such tension? Moreover, her tone just now was different from the shy little girl he remembered, or the cold facade she later put on at Otto's request; it was more like a... true composure.
But he didn't delve deeper.
Sirin was now an S-Rank Valkyrie; handling some affairs was perfectly normal.
He trusted Sirin, just as he trusted that she wouldn't deceive him.
"I bought fish. Tonight, we'll have steamed perch and your favorite steamed egg."
Kael ruffled her hair, putting that little doubt out of his mind, "Go wash your hands; dinner's almost ready."
"Okay!"
Sirin immediately smiled, as if her earlier tension had never existed, and skipped towards the bathroom.
Watching her back, Kael smiled helplessly, picked up the ingredients, and headed to the kitchen.
It's normal for children to grow up and have their own work and secrets... Meanwhile, far away in the Far East, deep within a cluster of buildings that were both modern and imbued with a touch of academy romance — St. Freya Academy, the Principal's office.
Theresa Apocalypse had just finished her encrypted communication with Sirin.
She lowered her arm, sighed softly, and rubbed her throbbing temples.
The office was spacious and bright, yet not luxuriously furnished; instead, it was filled with various cute elements — a Haxxor Bunny-patterned teacup, a Haxxor Bunny doll on the corner of the desk, and even a few Haxxor Bunny posters on the walls.
However, in stark contrast to these cute decorations were the mountains of documents piled on the desk and the persistent weariness in Theresa's brows.
During the day, she was the energetic Principal Theresa in the eyes of her students, occasionally frantic due to too many documents, but generally "reliable."
She diligently handled the academy's affairs, big and small, responded to various directives from headquarters, and even had the mood to try new bitter melon-flavored dishes.
But whenever night fell, the commotion subsided, and she was left alone in this office, the forcibly suppressed sadness would surge like a tide in her heart.
She walked to the window, looking at the lights gradually coming on in the academy, her eyes somewhat vacant.
Thirteen years had not truly healed that deep wound.
"A'Chen..."
She whispered the name, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible, "If you were still here... you'd surely finish these documents in no time, right... and you'd laugh at me for slacking off again..."
In her mind, Kael's image appeared clearly: his helpless yet doting smile, ruffling her hair and saying, "Theresa, stop fooling around." It was so vivid, as if it had happened yesterday.
A sharp, fine pain twisted in her heart.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to pull away from the memories.
She couldn't dwell on it; she still had responsibilities to bear, and St. Freya Academy needed her protection.
She walked back to her desk and picked up the mug with the bitter melon pattern; inside was her freshly brewed, extra-strong bitter melon tea.
The extreme bitterness spread across her tongue, bringing a familiar "pain," as if only this could slightly suppress the gnawing ache in her heart.
She wouldn't know that just moments ago, the increasingly composed and capable S-Rank Valkyrie Sirin, with whom she had been speaking, was preparing to have dinner with the person she had yearned for for thirteen years, in an apartment in another city.
And Sirin had chosen to bury this secret deep within her heart... In the apartment in Changkong City, the dinner atmosphere was uncharacteristically harmonious.
Kiana seemed to have temporarily set aside her hostility towards Sirin, diligently eating and praising Kael's cooking profusely.
Sirin ate quietly, her movements elegant, but each time Kael served her food, she would look up and give him a light, genuine smile.
"Kael! This fish is so delicious! Can you make it again tomorrow?"
Kiana asked, her mouth full of fish, her words indistinct.
"Depends, if the market has fresh ones."
Kael served her a bowl of soup, "Eat slowly, don't choke."
Sirin watched Kael's natural care for Kiana, her eyes dimming slightly, but she said nothing, merely silently eating every bit of the broccoli Kael had served her.
After dinner, Kiana volunteered to wash the dishes, while Kael and Sirin sat on the living room sofa to rest.
"Brother," Sirin said softly, breaking the silence, "Do you... like this life now?"
Kael paused, then smiled, leaning back against the sofa, his gaze sweeping over the not-so-large but lively apartment: "Yes, it's quite good. Although it's a bit noisy,"
He pointedly glanced towards the kitchen, where Kiana's off-key singing could be heard, "but it's very... real."
No need to face the incessant gunfire of interstellar battlefields, no need to deal with the headquarters' intricate politics, only needing to worry about three meals a day, and handling the small "friction" between two girls.
For him, this kind of ordinary, trivial life was a serenity regained.
Sirin watched the relaxed expression on his face, a hint of complexity flashing in her golden eyes.
She could tell that her brother genuinely enjoyed his current life.
This made her even more determined to keep this secret.
Sister Theresa... if she knew Brother was alive, she would surely rush over regardless of everything, right?
At that time, would Brother still have this peace?
And... she didn't want to share Brother with anyone else, not even with Sister Theresa, who had been with her.
"As long as Brother is happy."
Sirin lowered her head and said softly, carefully hiding the emotions in her eyes.
Just then, Kael's terminal chimed; it was a reminder from Senba Academy about tomorrow's work schedule.
He picked up the terminal to check it, saying casually, "Tomorrow, the academy has a small fire drill; I need to go early to prepare."
"Okay, Brother just go be busy." Sirin nodded, "I will... take care of myself."
She looked at Kael's profile as he focused on checking the information, silently adding in her heart: 'And I will... help you keep this peace.'
World-famous painting Theresa in the Far East.