When they stepped out of the phone shop, Kiana had an extra paper bag in her hands—one that held her brand-new phone.
She lowered her head to look at the bag, then lifted her gaze to Su Yu walking ahead of her. The bag was light, but in her heart it felt heavy.
"Phones… aren't cheap, right?" she asked softly.
She wasn't worrying about the money so much as confirming whether the expense made sense.
Life on the run had taught her that every coin was hard-won. She didn't want to take things for free like a parasite—no matter that the person giving them was Su Yu.
Su Yu didn't even slow down, and he didn't turn his head.
"Relax. It's not as expensive as you think. Consider it an advance on your wages. Don't forget—you're the 'core asset' of my game right now. If you don't even have a way to contact you, how am I supposed to exploit you as your boss?"
"This bit of money? Once you're my exclusive model, you'll earn it back in no time."
Kiana's brows visibly loosened.
If it was "wages," if it was an "advance," then it became an equal exchange. She provided labor; he paid compensation.
That meant she didn't owe him a personal debt.
"…Got it," she said.
She hugged the paper bag a little tighter and hurried to keep up with him.
Su Yu glanced at her from the corner of his eye.
He'd basically figured this cat out.
Giving her things outright? No—her sensitive pride would refuse it.
Lending her money? Even worse—she'd carry it like a weight and feel uncomfortable in her own skin.
But if he simply changed the framing—this is what you earned, this is for work—then she could accept it in peace.
What a stubborn, adorable little weirdo.
"Next stop," Su Yu said, pointing forward. "I'm going to show you Tianqiong City's biggest shopping street."
He looked back at Kiana and winked.
"Stay close. Don't get lost."
...
The shopping street was far livelier than the old alley where the restaurant had been.
A wide pedestrian avenue stretched ahead, lined with beautifully decorated storefronts—clothing boutiques, milk-tea shops, bookstores, arcades… Neon signs in every color flickered in the night.
A massive LED screen played an ad featuring the current superstar, Eden, flooding the whole street with a brightness like daylight.
There were a lot of people.
Young couples walked past hand-in-hand, holding ice cream or balloons.
Groups of girls clustered together, chattering as they pointed at pretty dresses in display windows.
Young parents pushed strollers, the babies inside chewing on their fingers and staring wide-eyed at this glittering world.
And there was a pack of students in school uniforms, backpacks still on—clearly just out of class—not far from a milk-tea shop, all queued up for a cup of full-sugar happiness.
Laughter, conversation, and pop music spilling from stores wove together into a noisy, warm tide that kept the night's chill completely outside.
Kiana walked through the crowd, and a faint daze came over her.
Everyone here wore smiles without a shadow to them.
They were real smiles—no fear of death, no vigilance against Honkai beasts, none of that looming dread of today might be the end of the world.
They talked about what to eat tonight, complained about homework, argued over which milk-tea chain tasted better, planned where to go this weekend.
No one talked about the Honkai.
No one worried the sky might split open and a death omen star would appear.
No one even knew what a Herrscher was, what a Valkyrie was, what sacrifices had to be made.
Without realizing it, Kiana slowed.
She stared at the smiling faces, the eyes shining under the lights, and something hard to name welled up inside her.
Sourness. Envy. And also… a strange, aching relief.
"This is…" Her voice was so light it was almost immediately swallowed by the street's noise.
"A world… without the Honkai?"
Su Yu stopped and turned to her.
The night wind lifted the white hair at her forehead. Backlit by the huge neon signs behind her, her profile carried a faint glow that made her look unreal.
Her gaze seemed unfocused—like she was looking at what was in front of her…
…and like she was looking through it, at something distant and heavy.
"Yeah." Su Yu nodded, voice calm and firm. "This is a world without the Honkai."
He studied her profile and asked quietly, "How does it feel?"
Kiana didn't answer right away.
Her eyes drifted from a couple feeding each other to the students laughing even while waiting in line, then to a young mother carefully wiping drool from her child's mouth.
The scenes were so ordinary.
So ordinary that in her world, they would've been a luxury too extravagant to even hope for.
She thought of Nagazora City.
Streets collapsing into ruins the instant the Honkai erupted… civilians swallowed by dead ones before they could even run… children crying and searching for family in roaring flames.
If that world could be like this…
If Teacher Himeko could see a place like this…
Kiana closed her eyes and took a slow breath, forcing those surging images back down into the deepest part of her heart.
"Mm." She nodded, voice light—yet carrying a kind of release.
"…It's nice."
Su Yu watched her expression.
There wasn't much movement on her face, but he knew that beneath that calm surface, there had to be violent undertows.
He didn't press her, and he didn't throw cheap comfort at her.
Some wounds don't need words touching them.
The best healing was letting her see all this beauty with her own eyes—and letting her understand: she was part of it now, too.
"Let's go." Su Yu turned around and continued forward, his tone returning to its usual casual ease.
"We still need to buy you clothes. You can't wear my old stuff every day. I mean, sure—this whole 'boyfriend style' is honestly pretty cute on you, but those shorts are… kind of a test of my self-control."
Kiana blanked for a second, then realized what he meant.
The heavy mood shattered instantly.
"Pervert," she muttered under her breath, cheeks burning, and hurried after him.
Behind them, the shopping street's lights stretched their shadows long.
Those two shadows crossed and overlapped on the ground, close together—like in this noisy world, only each other was truly solid, truly dependable.
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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