Hiko is a good drinker. And by that, I ant a really good drinker. She served us the ‘snacks’ she reserved for herself—from nuts down to skewered barbeque. Then she took out three shot glasses, filling each with ice cubes. We all sat down on the ground, a futon-like pillow serving as our seats. There is the couch, yes, but I followed what the two did. Theresa seed more than familiar with Hiko’s operations, I must say.
Apart from these, her house is very cozy. It is slightly colder than outside due to the air-conditioning. The couch held several assorted pillows. Theresa took one of them and hugged it beneath her chest.
When she saw how little Hiko poured on her shot glass, she imdiately raised a complaint.
“Why is there too little? I can handle my drinks just as fine.”
“I don’t want to clean up soone’s vomit again.”
“I told you that was an accident..!”
Hiko’s words made pause.
Immortal cultivators possess strong resistance towards alcohol. Unless they are spiritual wines of the sa realm as them, it would be impossible to get soone drunk. It just so happened that the win I brought was in the seventh-grade. The drunkenness from that spiritual wine stems in a bunch of Daos cramd onto one’s mind. The wine itself sends the mind into a blurred state that focuses on reorganizing these Daos, thereby achieving progress in their cultivation.
I couldn’t help but let out a few laughs. I didn’t bother hiding my reaction, prompting Theresa to look at with a resentful stare.
“How about this, Principal. Whoever remains standing later wins. Are you up for it?” I asked.
“Of course! Why not?”
She emitted a familiar bravado… similar to Sin’s.
Why does it feel like I will outdrink Teriri later?
*****
Shi Tian’s instincts are right. Hiko is the best drinker in all of heaven. The combo of alcohol, late-night binging of shows, and cultivation while sleeping is the pinnacle of retirent life. She did not have to worry about a lot of things, occasionally going out to visit her previous students at Saint Freya. All of them, without any exceptions, beca immortal cultivators. Their attainnts are at the Purple Mansion Realm, serving as instructors at Saint Freya.
The academy’s status had risen to new heights after five hundred years. It is officially recognized as the number one immortal academy throughout Earth. The resources tilted on it turns bottlenecks into trifles.
Seeing her forr students becoming successful gave Hiko a sense of accomplishnt, and at the sa ti, a crisis.
Six hundred and seven years.
That’s her current age.
One thought plagued her mind forever:
‘Am I destined to beco a bachelor until the end of tis..?’
Similarly, an answer presented itself.
Shi Tian.
The matter of his ‘Partners’ having ‘high-chances’ of becoming his wives gradually beca widespread as ti passed by. Not only was it due to their beliefs in immortal cultivation. Shi Tian himself proved it by having Bronya and Sin as his wives. Now everyone tacitly agreed to that matter… which led to the remaining fifteen won to have varying thoughts.
For Hiko, it was her hope in escaping her bachelor status. Though aside from that, it all stems from her interest in this little guy. She could recall their first random encounter. She noticed Kiana’s features and thought she was a part of the House Kaslana. White hair, blue eyes, and an unstoppable fighting spirit made up for Kaslana, after all.
Then…
There was no next ti.
Hiko barely caught up with Shi Tian when he left the letter in Theresa's office. The next ti she saw him was during the Moon Battle. Her impression of Shi Tian was the sa as others. A kind-hearted hero who would fight alongside others to save the world. The nigh-perfect image made him farther than a human and more of a god, however. That was sothing that made Hiko feel off. Hence she wanted to know more about it.
Everything stemd from curiosity, as any other who fell for him did.
“Wee…That grandfather of mine… left hanging with a lot of questions..!”
Seeing Theresa put up a childish act, with her cheek pressing on the tabletop, made her sigh helplessly. Shi Tian happened to see her wear the expression of ‘not seeing Mount Tai’, which made him smile. Hiko was at a loss in eting his smile, causing a tinge of red to appear on her ears.
His bright golden pupils emitted boundless wisdom as he looked down on the shot glass in his hands.
“It is best to leave it at that, I suppose. The Overseer, Otto Apocalypse… he lived too much of a complex life. Yet all of it ended due to a simple reason. Ironic, isn’t it?”
While Theresa was drunk, a semblance of reason remained. She fell silent upon hearing his comnt, sending her into a contemplative thought.
“Speaking of it, I haven’t heard much of your side, Miss Hiko. If you don’t mind…”
“Only if you share yours.” Hiko put up a demand.
“Sure.”
With Shi Tian’s approval, Hiko began telling her story. From how she started as an MIT student who ended up becoming Schicksal’s Valkyrie while investigating her father’s death, she freely told them all. Theresa knew them already, so it was mostly Shi Tian who listened.
By the ti she got to the point where she failed on multiple dates, she paused. The silent, expectant look that she gave to him told everything. And so Shi Tian spoke.
“I… ca from another world.”
His first sentence caught the attention of the two. Not once have they heard of his backstory.
“It was a normal and peaceful world. Basically Earth without the honkai. Everyone is troubled with normal things. It wasn’t much, but I lived a good life. It wasn’t until I died that I ca to this world… to IX.”
Shi Tian’s unchanging nature is enough to surprise everyone. Not even the Aeon of Nihility could make him fall. That was with him still a mortal. As if that wasn’t enough, he pushed through the honkai and led everyone to victory. Now, he’s acting as the mainstay against the Aeons that threatened everyone’s safety.
All of it sounded differently in Hiko’s ears.
‘...He went through unimaginable things...’
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