"Haah~ Good morning, i, Kiana. You two are as cute as ever today." The next morning, Elias stretched lazily, loosening up his body after waking up.
Sunlight stread through the window, casting a warm glow on him. The faint outline of his body was visible beneath his white shirt.
On the sofa sat an adorable paracium—Kiana—while beside her, i, exuding full-on wife energy, was mopping the living room floor.
"Morning? It's already past noon, Elias. But… since you just called cute, I'll let it slide this ti, hehe~"
"Haha, alright, alright. Thank you so much, our ultimate, invincible, super-duper cute Kiana."
"Eh?! W-What are you saying all of a sudden?!" Kiana's face turned red. For so reason, Elias seed even more affectionate than he was yesterday.
i, on the other hand, was slightly dumbfounded. She thought, Kiana didn't try to attack last night… could it be that she went after Elias instead? Otherwise, why has her affection level skyrocketed overnight?
"Ahem, Elias, you looked like you were sleeping so soundly that I didn't wake you. I left so lunch for you…"
"Hm? Oh, nice! Thanks, i. As expected, you're the best. It's been so long since I've had one of your als—I've been craving it."
"Eh? So long?"
"Last night was also the first ti in ages that I had such a restful sleep… though, it felt like I was missing sothing in my arms."
Elias sighed nostalgically. Back at Babylon Labs, he had managed to get a bed and blankets, but in that hellish environnt, deep sleep was nearly impossible.
Sleeping in i's guest room last night was the most comfortable sleep he had had in months—though, he did wish he had a soft, fragrant little girl as a pillow.
"Mmm, as expected, i's cooking is the best. This is what true culinary bliss tastes like."
"I-It's not that amazing…"
"No, it really is. I've co to realize that being able to eat your food is an irreplaceable happiness for ." Elias spoke with absolute sincerity.
Only those who had experienced true hell could understand just how precious and beautiful the ordinary monts of daily life truly were.
"!!!"
Under Elias' heartfelt words, the mighty battleship Raiden i was on the verge of sinking.
She quickly grabbed onto a nearby chair to steady herself, but her face was already burning red. She felt like she could hardly handle Elias' intense gaze—her heart was pounding wildly.
anwhile, Elias still felt sowhat dazed.
To Kiana and i, only a single night had passed, but for him, it had been several months.
And in those months, he had experienced things far more intense and dangerous than anything in his past two lifetis combined.
It had been a journey to change the past.
Yet what he had gained from that journey was not just strength—it was a newfound appreciation for the beauty of life.
(It's been so long since I last had i's cooking… Back in Babylon Labs, even food a hundred tis worse than this felt like a luxurious delicacy.) As he thought about this, Elias found himself gazing at i.
"Staaare~~"
"Elias… is there sothing on my face?"
"No, I just want to look at you."
"Guh!"
"i, can I… hug you for a bit?"
Clang!!
Ignoring i's already steaming, embarrassed expression, Elias pushed his 'excessive' request even further, instantly making the cooking maiden's brain short-circuit.
She was so shocked that the ladle in her hand dropped to the floor.
Just yesterday, i had been thinking about taking things slowly, letting Elias gradually grow fond of her.
But now, Elias had just thrown a completely unfair direct strike, leaving her utterly lost on how to respond.
"E-Elias, what's gotten into you? I-I an, it's not that I'm against it, but… you're being a bit too affectionate and straightforward today."
"Am I? I just really missed you two. Though, I suppose that's not sothing I can explain easily… Just think of it as having a really, really long dream last night. I'm not even sure if I should call it a good dream or a nightmare, but… it felt endless, and it was exhausting." Elias took a deep breath and exhaled, his shoulders sinking slightly.
"..." x2
i and Kiana couldn't fully grasp his words, but both of them saw the exhaustion in his eyes—especially Kiana, who found that expression strikingly familiar.
It was the look of a traveler who had just returned from a long, arduous journey.
It was the sa look she had when she first arrived in Nagazora.
"..."
Elias opened the window and gazed outside.
The weather wasn't exactly warm anymore, but compared to the extre cold of Siberia, it felt comfortable and pleasant.
During the ti-space simulation, he had lost count of how many tis he had longed for i and Kiana—longed for i's delicious cooking, for Kiana's innocent laughter, for the warmth of resting his head on a girl's lap, for the simple joy of eating lunch together.
To him, this was a long-awaited reunion. The longing he had accumulated in that simulation unconsciously made him more affectionate and proactive now.
"i, is it not okay?"
"It's okay! Of course, it's okay!"
i took a deep breath. A hug, right? She didn't know what kind of dream had made Elias act this way, but she would never refuse it!
She just needed to ntally prepare herself—hugging the boy she secretly liked was a big challenge for a pure-hearted Yamato Nadeshiko like her.
But before she could finish preparing, Elias had already hugged her.
"…Mmm, hehe, i slls so nice."
"@# !@#*%!"
"Elias, Elias! Look, i's about to pass out! Let go of her and let take over!"
"K-Kiana, I'm fine! Don't worry about , I can keep going!"
i instinctively swallowed hard. For so reason, the mont Elias hugged her, she felt an overwhelming sense of comfort, as if every cell in her body was cheering in delight.
"Uuu… so unfair! I want a hug too!"
"Hm? Kiana wants one too? Sure, co here."
Elias blinked before pulling the paracium into a big hug, showing no favoritism.
Kiana instantly froze, completely caught off guard. This was the first ti she had ever been hugged by a boy her age.
"Wait, no! I ant I wanted to hug i, not you, Elias! Hmph~ You're being way too bold today, but if you think you can take advantage of , you've got another thing coming!"
"I'll give you a drumstick."
"Gulp! T-That's not the point! This is about a girl's dignity and purity!"
"Two drumsticks. No, three."
"..."
Half a minute later.
Kiana was happily munching on a drumstick.
She had been craving it for so long. If it weren't for i telling her that it was reserved for Elias' lunch and forbidding her from touching it, she would have devoured it long ago.
As Kiana happily munched on her drumstick, Elias was just as content—happily snuggling against this little Kiana-cat. Both sides got what they wanted, a true win-win situation.
"Sss~ Haaah~ so good!"
After getting his fill of Kiana-snuggling satisfaction, Elias finally picked up his chopsticks to enjoy his lunch. i's cooking was sothing he had to savor with his full attention. Because of that… he completely failed to notice the strange reactions of the two girls.
i: (What's going on? Why is Elias so incredibly attractive today? I can't help but want to get closer to him… I just… I just want to be near him…)
Kiana: (Calm down! What's wrong with ? Why does Elias look so pleasing to the eye right now? Did this guy secretly evolve into so kind of aphrodisiac spirit? No, no, I need to stay calm—he's i's boyfriend! …Wait, hold on, they're fake dating, right? Then… does that an it's fine?)
Neither of them realized that their rapid heartbeats and the growing fondness they felt toward Elias had nothing to do with their emotions alone.
It was because of the Gem of Conquest and the Gem of the Void.
These two Herrscher Cores, embedded within them, had suddenly sensed the presence of their original owner—Elias—after being separated for 15 years.
And so, instinctively, they longed to reunite with him.
Regardless of their compatibility, both i and Kiana were artificially implanted Herrscher vessels, whereas Elias had been personally chosen by the Will of Honkai during the Second Eruption 15 years ago—
He was the true master of these two cores!
Thus, the cores themselves were drawn to Elias, completely bypassing the girls' own wills.
Their very bodies instinctively longed to be close to him.
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