"Haah~ Good morning, Mei, Kiana. You two are as cute as ever today." The next morning, Elias stretched lazily, loosening up his body after waking up.
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a warm glow on him. The faint outline of his body was visible beneath his white shirt.
On the sofa sat an adorable paramecium—Kiana—while beside her, Mei, exuding full-on wife energy, was mopping the living room floor.
"Morning? It's already past noon, Elias. But… since you just called me cute, I'll let it slide this time, hehe~"
"Haha, alright, alright. Thank you so much, our ultimate, invincible, super-duper cute Kiana."
"Eh?! W-What are you saying all of a sudden?!" Kiana's face turned red. For some reason, Elias seemed even more affectionate than he was yesterday.
Mei, on the other hand, was slightly dumbfounded. She thought, Kiana didn't try to attack me last night… could it be that she went after Elias instead? Otherwise, why has her affection level skyrocketed overnight?
"Ahem, Elias, you looked like you were sleeping so soundly that I didn't wake you. I left some lunch for you…"
"Hm? Oh, nice! Thanks, Mei. As expected, you're the best. It's been so long since I've had one of your meals—I've been craving it."
"Eh? So long?"
"Last night was also the first time in ages that I had such a restful sleep… though, it felt like I was missing something in my arms."
Elias sighed nostalgically. Back at Babylon Labs, he had managed to get a bed and blankets, but in that hellish environment, deep sleep was nearly impossible.
Sleeping in Mei's guest room last night was the most comfortable sleep he had had in months—though, he did wish he had a soft, fragrant little girl as a pillow.
"Mmm, as expected, Mei's cooking is the best. This is what true culinary bliss tastes like."
"I-It's not that amazing…"
"No, it really is. I've come to realize that being able to eat your food is an irreplaceable happiness for me." Elias spoke with absolute sincerity.
Only those who had experienced true hell could understand just how precious and beautiful the ordinary moments of daily life truly were.
"!!!"
Under Elias' heartfelt words, the mighty battleship Raiden Mei was on the verge of sinking.
She quickly grabbed onto a nearby chair to steady herself, but her face was already burning red. She felt like she could hardly handle Elias' intense gaze—her heart was pounding wildly.
Meanwhile, Elias still felt somewhat dazed.
To Kiana and Mei, only a single night had passed, but for him, it had been several months.
And in those months, he had experienced things far more intense and dangerous than anything in his past two lifetimes combined.
It had been a journey to change the past.
Yet what he had gained from that journey was not just strength—it was a newfound appreciation for the beauty of life.
(It's been so long since I last had Mei's cooking… Back in Babylon Labs, even food a hundred times worse than this felt like a luxurious delicacy.) As he thought about this, Elias found himself gazing at Mei.
"Staaare~~"
"Elias… is there something on my face?"
"No, I just want to look at you."
"Guh!"
"Mei, can I… hug you for a bit?"
Clang!!
Ignoring Mei's already steaming, embarrassed expression, Elias pushed his 'excessive' request even further, instantly making the cooking maiden's brain short-circuit.
She was so shocked that the ladle in her hand dropped to the floor.
Just yesterday, Mei had been thinking about taking things slowly, letting Elias gradually grow fond of her.
But now, Elias had just thrown a completely unfair direct strike, leaving her utterly lost on how to respond.
"E-Elias, what's gotten into you? I-I mean, it's not that I'm against it, but… you're being a bit too affectionate and straightforward today."
"Am I? I just really missed you two. Though, I suppose that's not something I can explain easily… Just think of it as me having a really, really long dream last night. I'm not even sure if I should call it a good dream or a nightmare, but… it felt endless, and it was exhausting." Elias took a deep breath and exhaled, his shoulders sinking slightly.
"..." x2
Mei and Kiana couldn't fully grasp his words, but both of them saw the exhaustion in his silver eyes—especially Kiana, who found that expression strikingly familiar.
It was the look of a traveler who had just returned from a long, arduous journey.
It was the same look she had when she first arrived in Nagazora.
"..."
Elias opened the window and gazed outside.
The weather wasn't exactly warm anymore, but compared to the extreme cold of Siberia, it felt comfortable and pleasant.
During the time-space simulation, he had lost count of how many times he had longed for Mei and Kiana—longed for Mei's delicious cooking, for Kiana's innocent laughter, for the warmth of resting his head on a girl's lap, for the simple joy of eating lunch together.
To him, this was a long-awaited reunion. The longing he had accumulated in that simulation unconsciously made him more affectionate and proactive now.
"Mei, is it not okay?"
"It's okay! Of course, it's okay!"
Mei took a deep breath. A hug, right? She didn't know what kind of dream had made Elias act this way, but she would never refuse it!
She just needed to mentally prepare herself—hugging the boy she secretly liked was a big challenge for a pure-hearted Yamato Nadeshiko like her.
But before she could finish preparing, Elias had already hugged her.
"…Mmm, hehe, Mei smells so nice."
"@#+!@#*%!"
"Elias, Elias! Look, Mei's about to pass out! Let go of her and let me take over!"
"K-Kiana, I'm fine! Don't worry about me, I can keep going!"
Mei instinctively swallowed hard. For some reason, the moment Elias hugged her, she felt an overwhelming sense of comfort, as if every cell in her body was cheering in delight.
"Uuu… so unfair! I want a hug too!"
"Hm? Kiana wants one too? Sure, come here."
Elias blinked before pulling the paramecium into a big hug, showing no favoritism.
Kiana instantly froze, completely caught off guard. This was the first time she had ever been hugged by a boy her age.
"Wait, no! I meant I wanted to hug Mei, not you, Elias! Hmph~ You're being way too bold today, but if you think you can take advantage of me, you've got another thing coming!"
"I'll give you a drumstick."
"Gulp! T-That's not the point! This is about a girl's dignity and purity!"
"Two drumsticks. No, three."
"..."
Half a minute later.
Kiana was happily munching on a drumstick.
She had been craving it for so long. If it weren't for Mei telling her that it was reserved for Elias' lunch and forbidding her from touching it, she would have devoured it long ago.
As Kiana happily munched on her drumstick, Elias was just as content—happily snuggling against this little Kiana-cat. Both sides got what they wanted, a true win-win situation.
"Sss~ Haaah~ so good!"
After getting his fill of Kiana-snuggling satisfaction, Elias finally picked up his chopsticks to enjoy his lunch. Mei's cooking was something he had to savor with his full attention. Because of that… he completely failed to notice the strange reactions of the two girls.
Mei: (What's going on? Why is Elias so incredibly attractive today? I can't help but want to get closer to him… I just… I just want to be near him…)
Kiana: (Calm down! What's wrong with me? Why does Elias look so pleasing to the eye right now? Did this guy secretly evolve into some kind of aphrodisiac spirit? No, no, I need to stay calm—he's Mei's boyfriend! …Wait, hold on, they're fake dating, right? Then… does that mean it's fine?)
Neither of them realized that their rapid heartbeats and the growing fondness they felt toward Elias had nothing to do with their emotions alone.
It was because of the Gem of Conquest and the Gem of Serenity.
These two Herrscher Cores, embedded within them, had suddenly sensed the presence of their original owner—Elias—after being separated for 15 years.
And so, instinctively, they longed to reunite with him.
Regardless of their compatibility, both Mei and Kiana were artificially implanted Herrscher vessels, whereas Elias had been personally chosen by the Will of Honkai during the Second Eruption 15 years ago—
He was the true master of these two cores!
Thus, the cores themselves were drawn to Elias, completely bypassing the girls' own wills.
Their very bodies instinctively longed to be close to him.
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