"That was a close one."
"Sorry~ I really didn't think things would escalate like that."
Kiana scratched her cheek sheepishly as she spoke, causing the radiant blade of Honkai energy in her hand to dissipate into particles.
Honestly, if she hadn't come to her senses at the last second and knocked Mr. Siegfried over the head with the flat of her sword, my virtue would have been history.
"So... who actually made that stuff?"
"Ah, so you caught on?"
"Of course I did. I know your cooking skills—or lack thereof—better than anyone."
"Hmm~ You sure you want to know?"
"...Actually, never mind. I'd rather not."
Kiana gave me a playful, knowing grin. Looking at her, a sudden wave of unease washed over me, and I decided that some secrets were better left buried.
I had a nagging suspicion that the culprit was someone very, very close to me.
What's worse was the fact that even if she had forced it into his mouth, Mr. Siegfried actually chewed and swallowed it.
What did that imply? It meant there was no 'flavor dissonance' strong enough to trigger his survival instincts.
In other words, despite the catastrophic side effects, the appearance and taste were not just similar to the steak sauce I usually make—they were identical!
That meant the perpetrator knew my cooking style better than anyone else... I think you can guess where my train of thought was headed.
"Come on, come on. Just drink this and forget about it~"
"And whose fault is it that I need to 'forget' in the first place?"
Good grief.
Despite my grumbling, I clinked my beer can against Kiana's with a crisp *clink* and took a long swig.
I've never been much of a drinker, but on a day like this, I couldn't survive without a little liquid courage.
I guess I really am getting older.
The thought hit me with a sudden, inexplicable bitterness.
Oh, for the record, little Bronie was already fast asleep, so I had tucked her into bed. As for Mr. Siegfried, Kiana had dumped him on the sofa and thrown a blanket over him.
I had suggested putting him in my bed and just letting him stay the night properly, but Kiana insisted that was 'unnecessary' and basically tossed him onto the cushions. It was only out of pity that I went and grabbed the blanket for him.
"Kaaaah~! Hehe, I didn't get it back then, but now I finally understand why Major Himeko always reached for a drink every night."
"...It just shows how much time has passed. It means we've finally caught up to the age Major Himeko was back then."
"And someday, we'll even surpass her age, won't we?"
Kiana took another deep gulp of beer as she spoke.
I followed suit in silence.
Kiana likely felt a lingering guilt for being the one who technically ended her mentor's life, and I felt the guilt of knowing what would happen and failing to stop it.
Perhaps this weight is something we will both carry for the rest of our lives.
Still, things were much better than they used to be.
The very first time Kiana reached the legal drinking age, I was the one she drank with.
Since we were the same age, we decided to have our first drink together, just the two of us.
Once the alcohol hit her system, she had broken down, sobbing and apologizing to Major Himeko.
On the surface, she looked like she had overcome it and stood tall. Even after she had encountered Himeko's will within the Gem of Desire, the sorrow of losing someone so precious wasn't something that would vanish so easily.
"Thanks for today. Even after all the trouble, thanks for forgiving me."
"If you're actually sorry, stop doing it... though I know saying that is pointless."
"Hehe, you know me too well."
"Well, our history is long enough to make me sick of you."
"...Are you really sick of me?"
"It's just a figure of speech."
"Is it? Good. That's a relief."
Maybe it was the alcohol? Seeing Kiana answer with such genuine vulnerability made me seriously consider whether I should cut her off from the beer.
As she sat there with a silly grin, resting her chin on her palm while gazing at me, I picked up a tangerine from the fruit plate I'd brought out, peeled it, and popped a segment into her mouth.
"Ugh~ Sour!"
"Eat it and snap out of it."
"I'm not drunk!"
"That's exactly what a drunk person says."
"...But I'm really not."
She muttered as she reached out to grab the rest of the peeled tangerine from my hand. Watching her eat it, I started peeling another one.
"...Hey."
"Yeah?"
"Was I a huge nuisance today?"
"Not really? This is just my normal daily life at this point, so I don't mind much. Besides—"
"Besides?"
"I told you a long time ago: don't worry about being a nuisance. You can lean on me as much as you want."
"...You still remembered that."
That happened a lifetime ago, even before we met Mei-senpai.
Having become close through our travels, we realized we were attending the same school and became inseparable.
On that specific day, Kiana was acting out of character, practically fusing with her desk and radiating a dark, gloomy aura.
"Something wrong?"
"...Everything's ruined."
"What, so just another Tuesday for you?"
"This is different!"
"Why? Did the teacher say you'll have to repeat a grade if you fail the re-test?"
"...Whoa, creepy. How did you know?"
"I mean, it wasn't hard to guess."
Usually, regardless of whether she bombed a test or not, she'd be the first to ask to go out and play. Seeing her slumped over like that was the first clue.
The concrete evidence was the graded test paper clutched in her hand. Based on those factors, the conclusion was obvious.
"Want me to help?"
"Huh? Won't I be a burden?"
"Not at all. It's good review for me too."
I pulled up a chair in front of her desk and looked over her paper, tailoring a study plan to her level.
I focused on high-probability questions, making her memorize the essentials, and somehow, Kiana managed to scrape by and pass.
"What? You have to stay above the class average for the finals, or else?"
But because of the teacher's follow-up ultimatum, Kiana cried for help once more, and I ended up bringing her all the way back to my place to study.
"What was your rank for the last midterm?"
"...Th-This much?"
"...Wow. I'm impressed you even found the time to play with a score like this."
I hadn't expected her to be so far down the ranking list that you didn't even need to count from the bottom.
The actual score was genuinely alarming.
"If... if I'm being a nuisance, you don't have to help."
"...Eh?"
"Sorry for bothering you. Thanks for today. I'll see you tom—"
"No, no, wait a second."
I grabbed Kiana's arm just as she was trying to beat a hasty retreat after saying her piece.
Why was she suddenly so agitated and ready to run?
"Like I said, you aren't a burden. Why are you so obsessed with that word anyway?"
"But still...."
"No 'but stills.' Humans are creatures that literally cannot survive without being a 'nuisance' to someone at some point."
"...Is that so?"
"It is. Whether it's family or friends, people always impose on each other, often without even realizing it. Whether a relationship is good or bad depends on whether you can accept that from each other."
"Hmm."
"Well, my point is... you should try relying on others more. If you keep forcing yourself to act energetic, hiding your true feelings and charging ahead without a place to rest, you're going to break eventually."
"...I see."
My words seemed to strike a chord. Kiana bit her lip slightly and lowered her head.
Watching her, I scratched my cheek and continued.
"Ugh, if you're finding it hard because you've never relied on anyone before... why don't you try starting with me?"
"Eh? But what if you leave because of that?"
"I have no intention of leaving. And besides..."
"?"
"Having a beautiful girl rely on you is one of the greatest joys of being a man. So, go ahead and be as much of a nuisance as you want, okay?"
"Pfft, what is that even supposed to mean?"
Kiana let out a faint, airy laugh, a soft smile spreading across her face.
But the darkness quickly returned to her expression.
"But if that happens, I'm the only one receiving. I have nothing to give back to you."
"Huh? That's not true."
"...How can you be so sure?"
"Well, that's because—"
I buried my face in my hands as the rest of the memory flooded back.
"Whoa, why the sudden face-palm?"
"No... thinking back, that was a total cringe-fest! I can't believe I actually said something so embarrassing!"
"Hehe~ You're regretting it only now?"
"I'm only now thinking about it rationally! Back then, the sun was setting, the mood was all sentimental, and I was in the middle of a puberty-induced emotional burst... Gwaaaaah! The shame!"
Especially with the beer buzzing in my head, the 'cringe' of those memories felt ten times more intense!
"Kiana, please. Forget that story and never, ever tell it to anyone else."
"Hmm~ What should I do?"
"I'm begging you! I haven't even told my wife about that!"
"Ahahaha~ Don't worry. I have no intention of telling. It's our little secret, right?"
I let out a massive sigh of relief.
No, seriously, just thinking about it makes me want to curl up into a ball. If anyone else—especially my wife—heard that story, I'd crawl under my duvet and kick until the fabric shredded.
"*Yawn*~ Anyway, it's getting late. What's the plan?"
Looking at the clock, the date had already changed.
The drowsiness brought on by the alcohol was starting to settle in, so I asked Kiana what she wanted to do.
"If you're okay with it, I'd like to stay the night."
"Then I'll set up the bedding in the guest room."
"No, I'll do it. You just go to bed and don't worry about me. I'm going to drink a little more before I sleep."
"Hm? But I can't let a guest do that—"
"I said I'm fine, so just go in. You're at your limit, aren't you?"
"Mmm... then I'll take you up on that. Goodnight."
"Yep, sleep well."
With those words, I shuffled into my room and let my body fall onto the mattress.
As the haze of the alcohol pulled me toward slumber, my eyes grew heavy, and my consciousness slowly drifted into the deep.
* * * * *
After he had drifted off to dreamland, the bedroom door slowly creaked open.
Sensing that he was deep in sleep, she walked toward the bed and sat down with practiced grace.
She reached out, her fingers gently tracing his sleeping features as she whispered under her breath.
"You might think of it as a 'cringe-worthy' past, but... honestly, how could I ever forget that?"
Though she was now hailed as a Savior of Humanity, her life had been anything but a peaceful stroll.
There was a time when people feared her, when she was avoided even by those without malice, and when she was the target of countless slurs and accusations.
The reason she had been able to keep smiling through all of it was partly due to the support of many people—but mainly due to the words he had once said to her.
"Well, that's because... when I see you smiling, I feel like I've gained energy too. To put it simply, it's like your unique charm. I really like it."
"Eh?"
"...W-Wait! I don't mean 'like' in a romantic way! I mean, uh... how do I put it? I like your smile? No, saying I like a part of your body—wait, that sounds even weirder!"
"...Pfft! I get it, I know what you mean~ Ahahaha!"
"Well... as long as you understand, that's a relief."
As she recalled the sight of him scratching his cheek in relief, a sudden surge of affection—mixed with a hint of mischief—surged within her. She gently pinched his nose.
"Mmm...."
"Fufu."
Seeing that he didn't wake up even as his face scrunched up, her heart softened again. She sat down on the floor by the bed, resting her head on her arms as she watched his profile.
Few people saw her as just 'Kiana Kaslana' rather than a Hero or a Valkyrie.
Even among those few, he was the only one who treated her normally, no matter what she did.
He would complain and act troubled when she dropped by unannounced, yet he would always welcome her.
He would get angry at her pranks, but he always forgave her shortly after.
Even when she was a total nuisance, he would only sigh; he never once thought of leaving her side.
"...I'm jealous."
It was true. She was jealous.
Jealous of the person who got to monopolize his affection.
She had never expected Bronya to grow up so suddenly and strike like a lighting bolt while everyone else was busy keeping an eye on each other.
Then again, it wasn't just Kiana—everyone else had been caught off guard.
After all, back when the 'Cold War' started, Bronya was still practically a child.
"But even if I've acknowledged the situation, it doesn't mean I've given up."
Leaning forward, she slowly pressed her lips against his cheek.
It was a brief moment, yet for her, it felt like an eternity she wished would never end. She slowly pulled back and whispered into his ear.
"I hope you'll be the one doing this to me someday."
She spoke with a playful, teasing lilt, a wide smile on her face as she started to stand—
"And just what do you think you're doing, Kiana?"
"H-Hiek?!"
The voice behind her was absolute zero. Kiana whipped her head around to find his wife standing in the doorway, arms crossed and leaning against the frame.
"Bronya?! I heard you weren't coming home today!"
"Yes, that is correct. I put in extra effort to see my beloved family's faces as soon as possible... though instead of 'yesterday,' I ended up returning 'today.' All thanks to certain... interferences."
"Heh~ Is that so? ...So, how much did you see?"
"From the part where you said: 'It doesn't mean I've given up.'"
"...Right. So you saw everything."
"Yes. I saw every. Single. Thing."
The two of them smiled at each other—a sight that would make anyone else's heart stop from pure terror.
One looked with eyes like raging fire; the other looked with a gaze as cold as drifting snow. They stepped out into the hallway simultaneously, their voices ringing out in unison.
"0019, Extermination Mode initiated!"
"Flaming Blade!"
In the early hours of that morning, an entire sector of Schicksal HQ was completely obliterated.
It was only natural that Overseer Theresa, who had finally finished a mountain of paperwork and was just about to sleep, clutched her head in agony upon hearing the report from Amber. She immediately summoned the two of them for disciplinary action.