Morning arrived, just as it always did.
It was a morning that continued to come, even after the original story of the Honkai had reached its conclusion.
If this were merely a story within a work of fiction, the moment the original plot ended, I could have just said, "And they lived happily ever after!" and been done with it.
But for me, this moment was reality, not a game.
And reality rarely allows one to indulge in sentimentality for long. Just like when the final chapter closed, it forced us to confront a new kind of existence immediately afterward.
We lived through the chaos following the Great War until the world finally quieted down. Before I knew it, I realized I had already surpassed the age I reached in my previous life.
Well, that wasn't the only thing that changed.
"Good morning..."
A voice heavy with sleep drifted from behind me. I turned to see my wife and daughter emerging, both with matching sleepy eyes, looking like two peas in a pod.
My wife covered her mouth with a delicate yawn. Beside her, our daughter held her mother's hand, rubbing one eye before spotting me and rushing over.
I caught her easily as she threw herself into my arms, patting her back as she nuzzled her face into my chest.
Every fiber of her being broadcasted that she wanted more sleep.
Seeing how adorable she was, I grinned foolishly and stroked her hair. My wife approached with a slight pout, then rested her head heavily against my shoulder.
"Are you jealous?" I teased.
She shot me a look that asked if I even needed to say it out loud, then promptly bit my shoulder.
"Ow, that hurts!"
"Hm-hm~"
At my groan, she finally let go and pulled back the shoulder of my pajamas slightly, admiring the faint tooth marks she'd left with a satisfied expression.
I wondered if she was some kind of animal marking her territory, but since she's done this every time we've been intimate, I've learned to just accept it.
"Anyway, shouldn't you go wash up? You said you had to head out early today."
"...Ah."
At my words, she lifted her head from my shoulder, checked the time, and immediately stood upright before scurrying toward the bathroom.
Watching her, I let out a soft chuckle. It was still hard to believe she was one of the central figures—the heroes—of this Honkai world.
More specifically, it was hard to reconcile her current self with the incredibly intense impression she made when we first met.
* * * * *
It was fourteen years after I was reincarnated that I realized this was the Honkai universe.
"You. Who are you?"
Had I not come face-to-face with a white-haired, blue-eyed girl pointing a pistol at the back of my head, I probably would have never guessed where I was.
In this life, my parents were the type who loved traveling abroad.
Naturally, I grew up traveling with them, and by the time I entered middle school, they even gave me permission to travel solo.
That was when I met Kiana Kaslana, who was also traveling alone.
Our fate began when she saved me after I got caught in the middle of a sudden Honkai outbreak. At the time, we didn't talk much; I just thanked her, and we went our separate ways.
I was in a state of total panic. The Honkai—something that had never appeared on the news or the internet in this world until then—had suddenly manifested right in front of me, and I had bumped into Kiana, one of the three main protagonists. I needed time to process my thoughts.
However, we kept running into each other by chance afterward. The true bond between us started when Kiana mistook me for a stalker and held me at gunpoint.
Of course, she doubted everything I did at first. Dealing with her was like trying to befriend a stray cat.
"I'm definitely winning this time!"
"If I win, you're getting ten flicks to the forehead."
"You're on!"
Slowly but surely, the misunderstandings cleared. Since our destinations often overlapped, we began to talk more, and eventually, we became best friends.
I also discovered something new. I expected her to be the tomboy she was in the early stages of the game, but during our travels, she mostly showed the mature, somber side of herself that I remembered from the later chapters.
Or maybe this was just who she really was?
Regardless, I ended up hanging out with her, which naturally led to meeting Mei, whom Kiana had brought along just like in the original story.
"Mei-senpai! Use that ball to grind his face into the dirt!"
"Eh?"
"Hold on, Kiana! It's not right to take your frustration out on someone else just because you lost the test!"
"Ah, I see. So that's why your forehead... Kiana-chan, violence isn't good, okay?"
"Mei-senpai, he said earlier that 'Mei somehow acts like a middle-aged lady sometimes'!"
"...I see. So I should use full power, right?"
"Yeah! It's okay, Mei-senpai. Just keep the hits to the face and we're good!"
"No, that is definitely not 'good'! And I never called you an old lady! I said you were like a mother!"
My physical abilities were perfectly ordinary.
So, if I took a direct hit from two future Valkyries, I'd be knocked out cold. Even Mei, who hadn't fully harnessed Honkai Energy yet, possessed physical stats far beyond a normal person thanks to her kendo training.
I once took a training ball to the face and stayed unconscious for three hours.
Kiana held her stomach and laughed, calling me a weakling, but who could actually tank a hit like that and walk it off?!
As we laughed and spent time together, getting swept up in the main story events became an inevitability.
It was then that I realized I could manipulate Honkai Energy.
I wondered if it was a reincarnation perk, but I was quickly told I wouldn't be able to achieve much in actual combat, so I gave up on being a front-line fighter pretty quickly.
In this world, combat efficiency is fundamentally tied to one's Honkai Adaptability reaching a certain threshold.
...Instead, for some reason, I could manipulate 'Qi.'
Ah, that reminds me. There was a scene in the original story where Kiana risked her life to save Mei. I ended up intervening and took the hit instead... Honestly, I thought I was dead.
The cut was so deep that the scar remains even today.
Ever since I woke up from that, those two became incredibly overprotective. The time we spent glued together increased exponentially.
Still, please stop trying to follow me into the bathroom and the showers.
And Major Himeko, please don't drink alcohol in front of the students.
Public displays of affection? No, it's just excessive overprotection.
I mean, it's obvious, right? Stop giving me that leering look and asking how far we've gone.
It's not like that.
I'm serious, it's not!
Sigh... I don't know why you think that way. This is why you get called an old la—eep?!
I'm sorry! That was a slip of the tongue! Please put the Greatsword down!
Hm? Bronya, are you trying to comfort me?
You're my only emotional support. Thank you.
Whenever things got hectic like that, I could regain my composure through some "Bronya Therapy."
Anyway, after that, we entered the main story chapters, and I became frantically involved in every incident.
Looking back, I find myself saying, "I can't believe I survived and actually started a family."
Of course, there were things I couldn't change.
Specifically, Major Himeko's death. No matter what I tried, I couldn't prevent that tragedy.
Because of that, I spent a long time locked in my room, sobbing my heart out.
But by inheriting the will she left behind even at the cost of her life, I managed to stand back up.
Enduring day by day, doing what I could, humanity finally achieved victory over the Honkai.
The original story had reached its end.
The biggest concern was Kiana, but fortunately, the story ended without her having to sacrifice herself.
With this, things should proceed more smoothly in the post-war era as well.
"By the way, now that the Honkai is gone, what are you going to do?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, which of the heroes are you planning to date?"
"Me? With one of them? You've got to be joking."
"Hmph, you know, excessive humility is just a form of arrogance."
"No, I'm serious. There are plenty of people more capable and wealthier than me. Why would they choose me?"
"Tsk, how dull. I'm telling you, you're definitely going to marry one of them."
"Haha, well, I won't get my hopes up."
There was no way those girls had romantic feelings for me.
I had brushed off those words at the time... I never expected it to actually happen.
"What are you thinking about so deeply?"
"Ah, I was just remembering something from the past."
Perhaps she was worried because I was staring blankly at her. My wife waved her hand in front of my face, and I snapped back to reality to answer her.
She spoke with a gentle, formal tone I never could have imagined in the past.
After we got married, she began using more polite speech to help with our daughter's emotional development.
"What kind of things?"
"The things that happened right as the Honkai era was ending."
"Ah, back then... It was quite a mess when the Will of Honkai tried to pull you away for some reason."
"When I finally woke up, everyone was crying. I was so surprised."
"We were just as shocked. It was a terrifying moment for us, too."
She let out a heavy sigh. As she squeezed my hand, I felt a slight tremor in her grip.
Feeling her deep concern for me, I smiled and held her hand back with gentle strength.
"You won't leave suddenly like you did back then, right?"
"Of course not. Not unless you want me to."
"That's a relief. Oh, look at the time..."
With a look of relief, my wife took our daughter's hand—our daughter, who had been watching us with wide, sparkling eyes—and headed toward the foyer.
"We're heading out now, dear."
"Take care, Bronya. You too, sweetie. Have a good day."
"I'll be back!"
My wife left with a smile on her lips, and our daughter waved energetically as they stepped out the front door.