After witnessing Li Xuan single-handedly defeat the Honkai Beast, Kiana stared at him as if he were a monster. Li Xuan's attempt at a sunny smile only startled her further.
"Why were you able to defeat it?" Kiana asked, her mind blank. But as soon as the words left her mouth, she blushed, realizing how foolish the question was. Who would reveal their secrets to a stranger?
"Because of this," Li Xuan said, pointing to the badge pinned to his left chest—"A Knight Does Not Die with Empty Hands"—and smiled.
'Okay, he answered me, but how could such a tiny badge allow an ordinary person to take on a Honkai Beast single-handedly?' Kiana glanced at the badge, noting the "Do you think I'm an idiot?" look in Li Xuan's eyes. Any normal person wouldn't believe such a claim.
'In this day and age, no one believes the truth,' Li Xuan thought with a sigh. He understood, though. 'Normal people wouldn't believe it, but I can't explain. It involves my biggest secret. Besides, if I told her I'd transmigrated, she'd probably be looking at me with a completely different expression—not "Do you think I'm an idiot?" but "Is this guy crazy?"'
That would be an even worse look.
So he simply remained silent.
Li Xuan saw not the look of "Do you take me for an idiot?" but something far worse: "Is this person mentally unstable?" So he simply remained silent.
The atmosphere grew awkward.
Fortunately, the awkwardness didn't last long before a firefighter arrived.
"Ha... ha... Kiana! Why were you running so fast?" A black-haired girl with a ponytail tied with a bow stopped behind Kiana, bent over, and gasped for breath, looking utterly exhausted. Due to the angle, she hadn't noticed Li Xuan.
"Kiana! If you do that again, I'm canceling your weekly bath with me for a week!" The black-haired girl warned Kiana, then looked up and saw Li Xuan standing behind her. Her face flushed crimson in an instant.
Li Xuan watched the girl curiously, wondering why she'd use bathing as a threat. But when he saw her face, the question vanished from his mind. The girl was exquisitely beautiful, tall and slender, with the gentle, refined air of a noble lady.
Li Xuan's eyes lit up.
Unfortunately, while Li Xuan was lost in thought, Kiana noticed the sudden intensity in his gaze. For some reason, a surge of annoyance welled up within her, similar to the displeasure she felt when Sister Mei showed concern for Bronya.
Kiana dashed past Li Xuan, grabbed the black-haired girl's arm, and pretended to whisper, "Senior Mei, let's ignore this perverted, lecherous creep!" Li Xuan could only stare at Kiana helplessly. 'One extra glance and I'm a pervert?' he thought wryly. 'If that's the case, there wouldn't be a single man left in the world—they'd all be wolves.'
Sensing Li Xuan's resentment, Kiana felt a surge of satisfaction, as if she'd just enjoyed an ice pop on a scorching summer day. She defiantly puffed out her chest.
"Kiana! I'm so sorry, she just likes to talk nonsense. Please excuse her rudeness." The girl named Mei bowed apologetically to Li Xuan. "No problem, no problem," Li Xuan replied immediately, since she had already apologized.
"Hello, my name is Raiden Mei, and this is Kiana Kaslana," Raiden Mei said, gesturing to the silver-haired girl as she politely introduced them. Before she could finish, she felt someone tug at her skirt. Mei looked down to see Bronya standing beside her, and added with a smile, "And this is Bronya." Standing next to Raiden Mei, the loli with the yellow plushie nodded expressionlessly at Li Xuan.
"Hello, I'm Li Xuan," Li Xuan replied politely.
The atmosphere grew awkward again.
"What brings you here?" Li Xuan asked, scratching his hair to break the silence.
Raiden Mei's eyes lit up. "We saw a Golden Light just now! We were curious to see what it was... Did you see it?!"
Li Xuan felt a pang of guilt. So they were here looking for him?! He quickly decided to lie, feigning seriousness. "No, I just arrived and didn't notice anything."
At that moment, Bronya turned to Raiden Mei and said, "Bronya is hungry." Kiana, standing nearby, scoffed, "Useless little runt, already hungry after such a short time. Just like a child... Hmph." But following the universal law of "bragging lasts only three seconds," Kiana's stomach let out a loud "grumble." All eyes snapped to her belly.
"I'm not hungry! It's... it's just an upset stomach!" Kiana stammered, her face flushed crimson as she clutched her stomach helplessly.
"Cough... why don't you come over to my place for dinner?" Li Xuan suggested.
Then he immediately regretted it.
"Ah~ Senior Mei, try this peach compote!" Kiana said, holding out a piece of fruit to Raiden Mei. "Bronya wants rice balls," Bronya told Raiden Mei.
'Why do I feel like I'm not even eating?' Li Xuan thought, taking a bite of the rice ball Raiden Mei had made. It tasted bland.
'What is this?' Li Xuan looked down at the rice ball. Across the table, he heard giggling. He looked up to see Kiana practically sitting on Raiden Mei's lap, while Bronya clung tightly to Raiden Mei, fiercely competing with Kiana for her attention.
'What is this?' Li Xuan thought, taking a fierce bite. 'Dog food!'
'Yuri! Too bad it can't produce offspring!' He huffed, a curse from a lonely bachelor.