Where... where is this? When did I fall asleep? Kiana Kaslana opened her eyes to see a yellow beach, blue sky, and the ocean. A hint of confusion filled her azure eyes.
Hiss~ My neck hurts! Kiana felt a sharp pain in her neck as she turned her head, making her cry out.
"Kiana, you're awake~ Are you okay?" Mei's gentle voice reached her, putting Kiana at ease. Looks like there's no danger, since Mei-senpai is here. "I... eh?!" Kiana was about to stand up when she realized she couldn't. She looked down.
Which bastard tied me to this chair?!
"Oh judge~ you're finally awake... My dish and the dumb dog's are ready. Please, come and judge them!" the rabbit-eared girl Eviya said, holding a plate with a cloche over it.
"Wait! Why am I tied up?! Let me go! The previous agreement doesn't count! I don't want to be the judge!" Kiana shrieked, struggling and wriggling in the chair. Of course, thanks to Eviya's exquisite and unknown knot-tying skills, her struggles were completely useless.
"Don't be scared, human! My ice cream is delicious~ It's rich in sugar and fresh squid tentacles! Come on! Sweetness is the source of all biological evolution!!" the dog-eared girl Pretty urged, holding out an ice cream cone for Kiana to eat. The squid tentacles in the cone were slowly wriggling.
Sweetness is the source of evolution? Apologize to all the creatures on Earth that took thousands of years to evolve! You can evolve just by eating dessert? Suddenly, the coolness factor of biological evolution has dropped below sea level,
Li Xuan, a bystander, silently complained.
"No! Why would you put squid tentacles in ice cream!! And they're still moving!!" Kiana exclaimed, feeling like she had seen through it all. This was, without a doubt, a dish from the dark culinary world.
"Instead of eating that trashy ice cube, why not try my curry~ Squid ink and curry are a perfect match! The brilliant yellow of the curry and the elegant black of the squid ink, mixed with salt and chili—this is the pinnacle of gastronomy!" the rabbit-eared girl Eviya preached with a worshipful expression.
Hey! Your thing isn't any better than hers! It's a big, yellowish-blackish lump. If you showed it to anyone, it would have to be rated 18+ and censored... This must be the pinnacle of dark cuisine!
Li Xuan thought, his face turning pale as he looked at the poop-shaped curry that challenged human vision.
"Ugh!! That disgusting color is even iridescent! And what's with all the bubbles?!" If Li Xuan's face was pale, Kiana's was now green.
"Bronya Zaychik calculates... a strong chemical reaction is occurring within the curry," Bronya Zaychik said, unable to maintain her deadpan expression. The corner of her mouth twitched.
"Um... it really does look a bit... unsettling," Raiden Mei said, her face looking unwell. As soon as she finished speaking, the two Familiars turned to her simultaneously, holding their dishes, their eyes seeming to say, 'Would you like to take her place as the judge?'.
And so, Mei decisively chickened out. "But since we promised to help you two settle your score, we'll just have to trouble Kiana a bit..." Mei said, forcing back tears as she sold Kiana out.
"Help me! I don't want to die!! Mei-senpai, don't abandon me!!!" Kiana was in complete despair.
"Don't be afraid, Kiana. Just close your eyes and eat it. It'll be over before you know it," Li Xuan advised. After all, if Kiana didn't eat it, who knew if it would be his turn next? So, it was better to sacrifice a friend than to die himself.
I'm afraid if I close my eyes, I might never open them again, Kiana Kaslana thought despairingly. She could almost see her mother in heaven.
"A moment of silence. Although I don't want to save Kiana, letting this continue could lead to unforeseen consequences," Bronya Zaychik said.
"Consequences?" Mei asked, confused.
"The two Familiars were likely drawn here by a strange Honkai energy from the squid. The dishes they made also emit this strange Honkai energy, and as the smell spreads, the energy is constantly expanding..." Bronya Zaychik said with a worried expression.
"Roar~" Suddenly, the roar of a Honkai Zombie came from behind them.
"How can this be?! Didn't we already clear out all the Honkai Zombies?" Li Xuan said, turning around in surprise. Not far behind them, Honkai Zombies were pouring in through the opening Mei had cut in the fence earlier.
"This is bad," Li Xuan said, a headache coming on.
(End of Chapter)