As night deepened, outside the dorm window, the artificial starlight of Schicksal Headquarters and the distant navigation lights of the naval port intertwined, casting a soft glow through the glass.
In the living room, there was only the flickering light of the game screen and two figures nestled on the sofa.
"Left, left! Oh no! A'Chen, jump now! That platform!"
Theresa clutched the controller nervously, her body almost leaning into Fu Chen's embrace, her small head close to the screen, wishing she could dive in and control it herself.
"Don't rush, don't rush, wait for the right moment... Okay!" Fu Chen calmly controlled the character, making a precise double jump and landing steadily on the platform Theresa had been shouting about, even taking care of the ambushing small monsters.
"Yay! That's great!" Theresa cheered, instinctively hugging Fu Chen's arm and shaking it, "I knew A'Chen was the most reliable!"
The soft touch on his arm and the girl's unguarded closeness made Fu Chen's movements pause slightly, and the character on the screen almost stumbled.
He cleared his throat uncomfortably, sitting up a bit straighter: "Focus on the game, your mechanism is about to activate."
"Oh, oh!" Theresa then let go, refocusing on her own character, muttering, "This design is so sneaky..."
Fu Chen glanced at Theresa, who was once again fully immersed in the game beside him, and the slight sense of unease that had just arisen quickly dissipated.
Look, she's still a child at heart.
He smiled helplessly and continued to cooperate with her to advance through the level.
Time quietly slipped away amidst Theresa's laughter and occasional "thrilling" cooperation.
When the alarm clock rang, Theresa was in the thick of the game. Seeing the "Save and Exit" prompt on the screen, her small face immediately fell, and she drew out her words: "Ah—why is it time already—just a little more..."
"We agreed to stop when the time was up."
Fu Chen put down the controller, his tone leaving no room for doubt, "You still have work tomorrow, and I also need to organize my vacation plans."
—Although his so-called vacation plans currently only consisted of "sleeping, eating, and possibly being roped into something by Theresa."
Although Theresa was still reluctant, she knew Fu Chen was right. She reluctantly put down the controller, muttering softly: "Then it's settled, we'll continue tomorrow!"
"We'll talk about tomorrow's matters tomorrow." Fu Chen stood up, stretching his somewhat stiff shoulders, "Let's go, I'll walk you back."
"No need, it's just a short walk, I can go back by myself." Theresa jumped off the sofa, smoothing out her slightly wrinkled skirt, "You should get some rest early, you just woke up and I've been bothering you for so long."
Fu Chen raised an eyebrow in surprise: "You're being so sensible today?"
"I've always been sensible, okay!" Theresa puffed out her cheeks in protest, but her gaze was a little evasive.
Although she... she didn't want their time together to end so quickly tonight, she also didn't want Fu Chen to think she was too clingy.
She was afraid of scaring away this emotionally oblivious guy.
Fu Chen looked at Theresa, who clearly didn't want to leave but was pretending to be sensible, and his heart softened. He instinctively wanted to ruffle her hair.
This time, his hand hesitated after rising, but then gently landed on her soft white short hair, ruffling it: "Got it, our Theresa is the most sensible. Be careful on your way, and send me a message when you get home."
The warm touch on her head and the phrase "our Theresa" made Theresa's heart skip a beat, and her cheeks flushed slightly, though fortunately, the dim light made it hard to see clearly.
She nodded vigorously: "Mm! Then I'm off! Goodnight, A'Chen!"
"Goodnight."
Watching Theresa slip out of the dorm like a nimble kitten, even thoughtfully closing the door behind her, Fu Chen finally let out a long sigh. Looking at the messy living room, he dutifully began to tidy up the game console and snack wrappers.
Although his rest had been disturbed, it... didn't seem annoying.
For someone like him, who had spent years on battlefields and warships, this kind of lively atmosphere, full of everyday life, was a rare comfort.
And Theresa, after leaving Fu Chen's dorm, did not immediately return to her own place.
She walked to the corner of the corridor, leaning against the cold wall, covering her still slightly flushed cheeks with her hand, her lips curving into an uncontrollable smile.
A'Chen tonight was still so gentle, indulging her willfulness.
Although he still maintained the demeanor of an "old friend" and "older brother," she could feel that he treated her differently.
He would cook her favorite dishes, play childish games with her, ruffle her hair... That was enough.
At least for now, she could, as his "best friend," naturally stay by his side, occupying his rare free time.
"Hmph... Anyway, there's still plenty of time." Theresa muttered softly to herself, a hint of stubbornness and cunning, unbefitting her apparent age, flashing in her eyes, "A'Chen, you'll understand eventually..."
She hummed the background music from the game they had just played, her steps light as she merged into the lights of the headquarters corridor.
Over the next two days of vacation, Fu Chen, as expected, wasn't entirely idle.
Theresa, under the pretext of "a vacation should be for good relaxation," dragged him to complete all the two-player story missions of "Haxxor Bunny Adventure: Endless Brawl," and then, through soft persuasion, made him bake two bitter melon cakes (and again tried to challenge him to make extra-spicy Mapo Tofu).
Although Fu Chen grumbled, "My vacation isn't for being your playmate and chef," his actions showed no refusal.
He even took time to visit the commercial district, carefully selecting a gift for the upcoming birthday of little Kiana.
—A custom-made horm doll, dressed in a tiny Valkyrie training uniform.
On the afternoon of the third day, after finally seeing off a satisfied Theresa, who had agreed to meet again at the birthday party, Fu Chen looked at his dorm, which had finally returned to quiet, and actually felt it was a little... too quiet.
He shook his head with a wry smile; it seemed he had truly gotten used to Theresa's noise.
On the eve of the end of his vacation, Fu Chen didn't play games again but instead organized the key work points for the Asgard's subsequent tasks, then went to bed early.
This time, there was no sudden "night raid," and he slept very soundly.
In his dream, there was no threat of Honkai, no heavy official duties, only warm lights, lively game sounds, and a chattering, smiling white figure.
What a good dream... (This chapter was written a bit hastily)