Walking out of the phone store, Kiana now held a paper bag containing a new phone in her hand.
She looked down at the bag, then looked up at Su Yu walking ahead. Although the bag was light, it felt heavy in her heart.
"The phone... it isn't cheap, is it?" she asked in a low voice.
This wasn't about being stingy with money, but about confirming the rationality of this expense.
A life of wandering had taught her that every penny was hard-earned. She didn't want to take things from others for free like a parasite, even if that person was Su Yu.
Su Yu didn't stop walking, nor did he even turn his head. "Don't worry, it's not as expensive as you think. Consider it prepaid wages."
"Don't forget, you're my game's 'core asset' now. If you don't even have a communication tool, how can I, the boss, exploit you?"
"With this little amount of money, once you become my exclusive model later, you'll earn it back in minutes."
Kiana's furrowed brows visibly relaxed a little.
If it was "wages," if it was "prepaid," then it became an equal exchange. She provided labor, and he paid remuneration.
This wouldn't count as owing a favor.
"...Got it."
She hugged the paper bag a little tighter and quickened her pace to catch up with Su Yu.
Su Yu glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.
He had pretty much figured out this cat's temperament.
Giving gifts directly? No, that would be rejected by her sensitive pride. Lending money? Even worse; it would burden her psychologically, making her uncomfortable all over.
But as long as he changed the phrasing—"This is the compensation you deserve," or "This is for work"—she could accept it with peace of mind.
What an awkward yet cute fellow.
"Time for the next stop." Su Yu raised his hand and pointed ahead. "Let me show you Arc City's biggest commercial street."
He turned back and winked at Kiana.
"Follow close, don't get lost."
....
The commercial street was much livelier than the old alley where the restaurant was.
The wide pedestrian street was lined with all sorts of exquisitely decorated shops—clothing stores, bubble tea shops, bookstores, arcades... colorful neon signs flickered in the night.
A giant LED screen played an advertisement for the popular superstar Eden, illuminating the entire street as bright as day.
There were many people.
Young couples walked past them arm in arm, holding ice cream or balloons. Girls gathered in twos and threes, chattering while pointing at beautiful dresses in the shop windows.
There were young parents pushing strollers, the babies inside biting their fingers and looking curiously at this dazzling world.
There was also a group of students in uniforms, carrying schoolbags, evidently just out of school, gathering in a long line at the bubble tea shop entrance, waiting for that cup of full-sugar happiness.
Laughter, chatter, and pop music drifting from the shops intertwined, forming a noisy yet warm wave of sound that completely shut out the chill of the night.
Walking through the crowd, Kiana felt a bit dazed.
Everyone here had a smile on their face that held no haze of gloom.
Those smiles were real. There was no fear of death, no vigilance against Honkai Beasts, no shadow of "today might be the end of the world."
They were discussing what to eat today, complaining about too much homework, arguing about which bubble tea tasted better, or planning where to go for the weekend.
No one was talking about the Honkai.
No one was worrying about whether the sky above would crack open and reveal a Star of Death.
No one knew what a Herrscher was, what a Valkyrie was, or what sacrifices had to be made.
Kiana's pace slowed unconsciously.
She looked at those smiling faces, at those eyes sparkling under the lights, and an indescribable emotion welled up in her heart.
Bitterness, envy, and a kind of... relief.
"Is this..."
Her voice was very soft, so soft it was almost instantly drowned out by the clamor of the crowd.
"...a world without Honkai?"
Su Yu stopped and turned back to look at her.
The night breeze blew past, lifting the white hair at her forehead. Illuminated by the giant neon lights behind her, her profile glowed faintly, appearing somewhat unreal.
Her eyes were slightly glazed, as if looking at the scene before her, yet also as if looking through this prosperous facade at something very distant and very heavy.
"Mn." Su Yu nodded, his voice calm and firm. "This is a world without Honkai."
He looked at her profile and asked softly, "How does it feel?"
Kiana didn't answer immediately.
Her gaze moved away from the couple feeding each other, landed on the students laughing happily despite the line, and then shifted to the young mother carefully wiping drool from her child's mouth.
Those scenes were too ordinary.
So ordinary that in her original world, they were a luxury one dared not hope for.
She thought of Nagazora.
She thought of those streets that instantly turned to ruins during the Honkai eruption, those civilians swallowed by Zombies before they could even run, those children crying and searching for their families in the fire.
If that world could be like this too...
If Teacher Himeko could see this scene too...
She closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and forcibly suppressed those surging images back to the deepest part of her heart.
"Mn."
She nodded. Her voice was soft, but it carried a sense of release.
"...It's quite good."
Su Yu watched her expression.
That face didn't show much fluctuation, but he knew that beneath the calm surface, there must be turbulent undercurrents.
He didn't pry, nor did he say any comforting words.
Some pain didn't need to be touched with words. The best cure was to let her see all this beauty with her own eyes, and let her know—she was now a part of this beauty too.
"Let's go." Su Yu turned around and continued walking.
His tone returned to that casual tune.
"We still need to buy clothes. You can't wear my old clothes every day, right? Although I think this 'boyfriend style' really suits you, those shorts are really testing my self-control."
Kiana froze for a moment, then immediately realized what he was saying.
That heavy mood was instantly shattered.
"Pervert." She muttered softly with a blushing face, quickly chasing after him.
The lights of the commercial street cast long shadows behind the two of them.
Those two shadows crisscrossed and overlapped on the ground, close together, as if in this noisy world, only they were each other's true reliance.
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