This meant Kiana could finally sprawl on the beanbag nearby, rolling around while he worked at the desk—
instead of sitting there looking pitiful, dragging a little stool over to squeeze in by his legs.
"Well?" Su Yu turned his head, watching Kiana cautiously shuffle backward. "This is a huge step toward freedom."
Her little feet scuffed the floor inch by inch until she reached the new boundary.Her body didn't go translucent in that terrifying way.
"…It really is farther," Kiana murmured, staring down at the distance between them.
She kept her usual composed expression, but the slightly lifted corners of her mouth—and that flash of light in her eyes—sold her out completely.
"Su Yu."
She spoke again, her voice trembling a little.
"The stories I told… the story that was nothing but pain and despair… did people in this world really remember it?"
"Of course."
Su Yu walked over—but didn't cross the line. He looked at her from the newly earned distance.
His gaze was steady, with the kind of certainty that made you believe him.
"Look at the comments online, Kiana."
"They didn't just remember the misery."
"They remembered the girl who still wanted to reach out her hand—even inside despair."
"They remembered your name. Even if it's only the name from a comic… it's enough for you to put down roots in this world."
He paused, then added with a grin:
"And of course, we also have our genius little artist to thank. Griseo's brush can sketch even the color of a soul."
"Griseo…"
At that name, Kiana's eyes softened.
She leaned against the wall behind her, arms folded, like she'd drifted into something far away.
"If it were Mei…" she said quietly.
When she spoke that name, there was no longer the heaviness and bitterness from before—instead it sounded like she had candy melting on her tongue.
"If it were Mei, what color would Griseo see her as?"
"…Purple, probably."
"But not the violent, lightning kind of purple—more like… warm and gentle. Like evening glow. Like a bowl of purple sweet potato porridge that's just been cooked."
Hearing Kiana bring up Mei on her own—and in such an unguarded mood—made something stir in Su Yu.
A good sign.
That name was no longer just a bleeding scar.
It had become a harbor—something she could lean on in this unfamiliar world.
The memories weren't torture anymore.
They were strength.
"Sounds like she was a really gentle person?" Su Yu followed her lead, testing the tone, keeping it light—like they were chatting about an old friend he'd never met.
"And she makes purple sweet potato porridge? So she can cook?"
"Not just 'can cook'!"
It was like someone flipped a switch. Kiana's eyes lit up, and her Mei superfan instincts immediately came roaring back.
"Mei's cooking is the best in the world! Doesn't matter if it's simple home food or complicated desserts—if she made it, it was never bad!"
"You've never had her curry rice. That taste… ugh. Just thinking about it makes me drool."
She swallowed, and her face broke into the kind of defenseless smile you only show when talking about your favorite person.
"But—at the very beginning, that young-lady princess couldn't even tell salt from sugar."
Kiana smiled, remembering the start.
"You know, right? The Raiden family's young miss—hands never touched real work."
"When we first met, she tried to make me a bento. Blew up the kitchen. The rice balls came out so hard they were basically stones. Nearly chipped this lady's teeth."
"But…"
As she spoke, she gestured like that smoke-filled kitchen scene was right in front of her.
"That idiot… for me… just so I wouldn't live on instant noodles and junk food—she secretly signed up for cooking classes."
"Her hands were covered in band-aids and she refused to tell me why… until one day she served me a perfect, heart-shaped bento."
"All that effort, all that change—was just so I, the idiot, could eat a hot, tasty meal."
"Cooking is a big deal," Kiana said, turning to him, serious now. "Later Mei's cooking wasn't just 'good'—it was really…"
She paused, searching for the right word.
"Like she could turn ordinary ingredients into art."
Su Yu lifted a brow and played along at the perfect timing.
"For example?"
"For example…"
Kiana lowered her head, finger unconsciously drawing circles on the tabletop.
"One time I ate everything in the fridge. All that was left was half a carrot, two eggs, and a small piece of tofu."
Her mouth tugged upward.
"Mei took one look, didn't say anything—and fifteen minutes later she put out egg-drop soup, carrot-and-egg stir fry, and steamed tofu custard."
Su Yu pictured it.
An empty fridge, and a sheltered rich-girl type turning scraps into a whole meal.
That wasn't just skill—that was the kind of daily tenderness that quietly spoils someone without asking permission.
"She didn't get mad?" he asked. "About you emptying the fridge?"
"She did," Kiana said.
Her expression turned oddly complicated—part guilty from being caught, but also sweet in the way it felt to be cared for and scolded.
"She cooked while nagging: 'Kiana, why did you empty the fridge again?' 'Do you know that beef was for the weekend?' 'Are you a bottomless pit?'"
She mimicked Mei's tone—lower, a little strict, helplessly resigned.
Then she stopped, eyes curving.
"But after the food was done, she still put the biggest piece of meat in my bowl."
Su Yu didn't say anything.
He just listened, watching the girl in front of him slowly drop her guard, showing the softest part of herself.
"She also liked organizing," Kiana went on, once the floodgates opened.
"My room was a disaster zone—clothes on the chair, snack bags everywhere. Every time Mei came over, the first thing she did was sigh. The second was start cleaning."
Her finger stopped circling.
"Once I asked why she always cleaned up for me. She said—"
Kiana's voice fell quieter.
"'Because I don't want you living in a trash heap.'"
Sunlight slipped through the curtains and carved a bright edge along her profile.
"Sounds ordinary, right?" She looked up at Su Yu. "But that night I came back and found she'd cleaned everything… and she'd left a candy under my pillow."
"Candy?"
"Yeah. Strawberry hard candy." Kiana's lips lifted slightly. "Mei knew I liked sweet stuff."
Su Yu watched her expression.
Totally different from when she talked about the Third Eruption.
Back then, her eyes were dark, her voice suppressed—every word forced out like it hurt.
But now—
She was smiling.
Not the kind you fake for politeness.
A real smile that rose up from inside.
Like soda bubbles.
"What else did she like?" Su Yu asked softly, like he was afraid to break the warmth.
Kiana thought, counting on her fingers.
"Reading. She had tons of books, most of which I couldn't understand. History, literature… and some original English novels."
She pouted.
"I tried reading one once. Fell asleep on page one. Mei laughed at me for a whole week."
"And?"
"Music." Kiana said. "Classical stuff—Chopin, Beethoven, Mozart. I can't tell them apart. It's all 'makes me sleepy' music."
"But when Mei listened, she'd close her eyes. Her expression would relax."
She paused.
"And she'd gently bob her head to the rhythm. She never noticed, but I caught it a bunch of times."
Su Yu couldn't help smiling too.
He could see it.
An elegant rich girl sitting by the window, listening to classical music—perfect posture, composed expression—
and then her head bopping lightly like a little bird pecking.
That gap-moe contrast really was unfairly cute.
"You just stared at her?" he teased.
"Peeked," Kiana corrected seriously. "If I looked openly she'd get embarrassed. Mei acts calm, but she's ridiculously easy to fluster."
Her eyes brightened.
"Once Bronya said her cooking was good. Just one sentence. Mei's ears stayed red all night."
Su Yu laughed.
Raiden Mei—host of the Third Herrscher, ME Corp's young miss, the Valkyrie known as the Thunder Queen—
turns beet red for an entire night just because someone praised her food.
"Does she know you peeked at her?" Su Yu asked.
"Probably not." Kiana shrugged, smug. "I hid it well."
She lowered her head and took another bite of bread.
Sunlight danced on her white hair, giving it a thin golden rim.
She kept talking—how Mei liked collecting cute dolls, how she acted mature but was actually afraid of ghosts and would cling to Kiana's sleeve in haunted houses…
how they once promised under the cherry blossoms that they'd grow old together, even joked about doing plaza dancing when they became grandmas…
The drifter from Sky City—scarred, wary, forever ready to fight—was gone in this moment.
In her place was just a girl, proudly showing off her best friend, soaking in happy memories.
Su Yu listened quietly, watching the frost on her face melt little by little under the warmth of remembering.
Since she'd come to this world, this was the first time he'd seen Kiana talk this relaxed.
No vigilance. No guarded edges. No tension like she was braced for a surprise attack.
Just sharing memories of someone who mattered.
"Mei sounds like a really good person," Su Yu said.
"She is."
Kiana answered instantly, without the slightest hesitation—almost proudly, like it wasn't even a question.
"The best person in the world."
Her voice was light, but firm.
Wind rustled outside. Leaves whispered.
Su Yu knew the timing was right.
Kiana didn't just need sugar from her memories anymore.
She needed a little light in reality.
"Kiana."
He said her name softly, cutting off her chatter.
He looked into her eyes, voice serious.
"Do you want… to go meet her?"
Kiana froze. The smile on her lips locked in place, like she didn't understand what he meant.
"Meet… who?"
"Raiden Mei of this world."
Su Yu raised his hand, pointing out the window—toward the peaceful, noisy city, toward this world without Honkai, a world made of nothing but ordinary days.
"Even though she isn't the Mei who lived through life and death with you. Even though she might not know you."
"She's still out there—somewhere in this world—living a quiet life."
"Do you want to meet her?"
"…That Mei who lives in the sunlight."
....
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