The lights in the private box were dimmed a little. Outside, the stage crew was still tuning the sound system, and every now and then a dull thump of a drumbeat drifted in.
Su Yu and Kevin were leaning by the window, each holding a can of soda, arguing about some equipment stats in a game. Their laughter floated over intermittently.
Kiana sat on the sofa. In her arms, the tub of popcorn had been unconsciously dug into a small crater by her fingers.
She turned her head and looked at Mei beside her.
That gentle, poised woman was quietly flipping through a program booklet. In the low light, her profile looked especially soft.
"Um…"
Kiana hesitated for a long time, but she couldn't hold it back anymore.
Her voice was tiny—so small it nearly disappeared into the background music.
"Mei… sister…"
The word sister came out a little stiffly, but it was already more natural than her earlier hello.
Mei set the booklet down and turned to her, watching her with a warm, patient gaze.
"What is it?"
"You think…"
Kiana paused. Her eyes drifted—against her will—toward the silhouette by the window, then snapped back like a thief caught in the act.
Her fingers twisted the rim of the popcorn tub without realizing it.
"What kind of person… is Su Yu?"
The moment she asked, Kiana felt her face heat up.
She didn't even know why she was asking.
Maybe it was because of Mei's words—the first time he seriously entrusted someone—or maybe because…
she wanted to hear what Su Yu looked like through someone else's eyes, and whether it matched what she'd seen.
What was the real Su Yu like?
Mei followed her gaze toward Su Yu.
She didn't answer immediately. Instead, as if genuinely thinking it through, she lightly tapped her fingers against her knee.
"Su Yu…"
Mei's voice was gentle, but there was a steady certainty to it—like someone describing a person whose essence she already understood.
"That guy usually looks pretty lazy. If he can sit, he'll never stand. If he can lie down, he'll never sit."
"He's always got that 'I'll deal with it later' salted-fish vibe."
"He's constantly saying things like, 'This is such a pain,' or 'I really want to retire.'"
"Sometimes I honestly wonder if—without games and food delivery—he could even survive in modern society."
As Kiana listened, she couldn't help nodding.
Yes. Exactly.
Every day it was either gaming or instant noodles, or staring blankly at his computer.
"But…"
Mei's tone shifted. The smile in her eyes deepened—recognition, approval, the kind you reserve for an old friend.
"When he truly wants to do something… or when he wants to protect something…"
"His execution is terrifyingly strong."
"Huh?" Kiana blinked.
"I've known him a long time," Mei said. "I've seen him pull all-nighters to clear a brutal game hurdle."
"I've seen him throw every connection and resource he had into helping a friend solve a problem—even if it left him a complete mess."
Mei looked at Kiana now, and her gaze turned serious.
"Don't be fooled by how unserious he looks most of the time."
"When it matters, he's the kind of person who steps forward first—and takes all the responsibility onto his own shoulders."
"And if he's made you a promise…"
"No matter how hard it is, he will keep it."
"That's Su Yu."
Kiana's heart skipped—hard.
Hand your life to me.
If you don't have a reason to live… then I'll give you one.
That day—crammed into that narrow entryway—
That man had grabbed her, hard, refusing to let her run, his eyes burning with a stubborn certainty.
He'd said he would give her a reason.
And then he'd really done it.
In a peaceful world like this, for a ghost with no identity—
he'd gone and built an absurd game that no one would believe if he described it out loud.
Kiana couldn't stop herself from stealing another look toward the window.
Su Yu was laughing with Kevin about something—bent over, completely lacking any dignity, not even a little serious.
And yet…
it was exactly someone like that—
when she'd believed she'd been abandoned by the entire world, doomed to rot alone in the dark—
who had forced his way into her life and shoved a beam of light into it.
Hand your life to me.
It was such a heavy sentence.
But somehow…
looking at that lazy silhouette now, Kiana felt that if it were him…
maybe handing it over wouldn't be so frightening.
Her fingers clenched at her clothes again.
That sour, swelling feeling rose in her chest.
Hearing someone praise Su Yu made her…
happy.
Even… a little proud.
Like some treasure she'd been hiding—something nobody knew existed—
had finally been recognized by someone who understood its worth.
Only a little.
Yeah. Truly only a little.
"And also…"
Mei spoke again, her voice carrying a teasing warmth.
"To make him care this much—so much that he'd get himself that battered just to save someone…"
"Kiana, to him, you must be someone very special."
"Boom—"
Kiana felt her face explode with heat, the warmth rushing all the way up to her ears.
"N-no I'm not!"
She panicked, dropped her head, and shoved a huge handful of popcorn into her mouth—
as if she could block the frantic pounding in her chest by stuffing it full.
Her protest came out muffled.
"It's just—just a debtor and creditor relationship!"
"He's only scared I won't be able to pay him back and I'll run away!"
Mei didn't say anything else.
She only watched Kiana's blatant "I'm totally not flustered" performance, the smile in her eyes turning softer and softer.
Being young is nice.
Even in a different world.
Even after suffering so much.
As long as someone is still willing to reach out a hand…
as long as you can still feel your heart move…
then it means this heart is still alive.
...…
Kevin had called Mei over to discuss the background of the next song. In the dim light, the two of them looked slightly blurred at the far end of the private box.
Only the occasional whisper and quiet laughter added warmth to the space.
Su Yu glanced that way, then carried a cup of hot cocoa over and sat down in the empty seat beside Kiana.
The sofa was soft; it sank with a faint sound.
Kiana didn't flinch away.
She didn't immediately widen the distance like she used to.
She only turned her head slightly, still holding the half-empty popcorn tub, her gaze drifting out toward the stage lights beyond the glass—her eyes unfocused.
"How does it feel?" Su Yu asked softly, as if afraid to disturb this rare calm.
"Does it… hurt?"
Even though he'd been chatting with Kevin, his peripheral vision had been on her the whole time.
Letting Kiana face this world's "Mei" was a strong medicine.
It was meant to loosen the knot in her heart—
but Su Yu hadn't been sure it would work.
For someone who'd lived through so much loss and pain…
watching a version of the person she loved living a completely different, happy life—
that kind of gap could become another blade.
Kiana accepted the hot cocoa. The warmth traveled from her palm through her body.
She looked down at the dark liquid, silent for a moment, then gently shook her head.
"I thought… it would hurt."
Her voice was calm—no trembling, no suppressed sobbing.
The calm of someone who'd been through storms, and come out the other side.
"I thought I'd be jealous… resentful… or even want to run away."
She lifted her head, looking toward Mei, who was leaning close to Kevin not far away.
That woman was smiling brightly, eyes clear and intelligent—untouched by any shadow of Honkai.
A happiness that was ordinary, and therefore precious beyond measure.
"But… my heart was strangely calm."
"I know she isn't Mei."
"Even though she looks so much like her… even smiles the same…"
"I know she isn't my Mei."
As she spoke, her fingers traced the rim of the cup. A faint shadow flickered through her eyes.
"When I saw her so close to Kevin…"
"Honestly… I felt a little sad."
"Because… I used to imagine, if none of it had happened… if I could have been like her…"
Her voice paused.
That small smile had no bitterness—only a kind of aching release.
"But more than anything…"
"I'm happy."
"Really."
She turned to Su Yu and looked him straight in the eyes, earnest and clear.
"I'm truly happy… that the Mei in this world—no, the Mei of this world—can live happily."
"She doesn't have to fear a Herrscher persona waking up inside her."
"She doesn't have to worry about Honkai beasts destroying her home."
"She doesn't have to be forced to pick up a weapon and fight."
"She can be a scholar in peace."
"She can fall in love with someone she likes."
"She can look forward to a concert for a long time…"
"Just as an ordinary girl, living in a peaceful world."
Kiana's eyes were faintly red, but the heterochromatic irises were bright—almost dazzling.
"As long as I know that…"
"That's already enough."
"At least in this world, she's safe."
"She's happy."
"And me…"
She inhaled deeply, tightening her grip on the cup.
"Just being able to see her like that—even if only from far away…"
makes me feel like all my fighting wasn't completely meaningless."
Su Yu listened quietly, watching the expression on her face—fragile and strong at the same time.
At this moment, Kiana wasn't the stray cat who only knew how to run.
She wasn't the prisoner shackled by guilt.
She was learning to make peace with the past.
Learning to accept this new world.
And learning to…
forgive herself.
"Yeah," Su Yu said softly.
He reached out—but he didn't pat her head.
Instead, he lightly tapped his cup against hers.
"That's enough."
"And…"
He looked at Kiana, his voice carrying a mutual understanding only the two of them shared.
"You too."
"In this world, you don't need to worry about Herrschers."
You don't need to fear Honkai."
"You can eat pizza."
"You can go to concerts."
"You can stay up all night trying to clear a game."
"Kiana."
He said her name—gentle, but firm.
"You're just a girl."
"You also have the right… to live happily."
Kiana froze.
She stared at him—at those eyes that were still clear even in the dark.
There was no pity in them.
Only certainty.
The kind that makes you feel safe.
"You also have the right to live happily."
That sentence landed like a seed in the barren field of her heart.
Maybe…
could it really be true?
In a world without Honkai—
even someone covered in sin like her…
could she try to grasp even a little happiness that belonged to her?
Kiana didn't speak.
She only lowered her head, using the motion of drinking hot cocoa to hide the thin film of moisture rising in her eyes.
But this time, she didn't curl inward and retreat.
Instead, quietly—carefully—
she nudged the popcorn tub toward Su Yu.
"Um…"
Her voice was small, tinged with awkward tsundere stubbornness.
"This popcorn…"
"It tastes pretty good. You should try some too."
Su Yu looked at the tub she'd pushed over, and smiled.
He grabbed a handful and tossed it into his mouth.
"Mhm."
"It really is pretty sweet."
....
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