Honkai: You're telling me this difficulty is from Honkai Impact 3?!

"Hey, what exactly is this Honkai you're talking about?" Kiana sat cross-legged on the floor, rapidly shoveling the remains of the smashed mini cake into her mouth.

It was just smashed, not inedible. The packaging wasn't even open yet.

It was a shame about the cake's exquisite appearance, though. Such a pretty cake... it'd be one less to enjoy in the future.

Initially, she'd offered it out of guilt for hitting him, reluctantly sharing her favorite treat. But after he'd muttered some strange things and gone all stiff, she figured she might as well eat it herself.

Shu snapped back to reality. Looking at the seemingly carefree Kiana, he considered his words before giving a simplified explanation of the Honkai concept.

Kiana had only asked casually. Her next question was going to be whether he wanted the instant chicken drumstick.

Meat was precious, after all.

But after Shu spoke just a couple of sentences, he had her full attention. The cake-consuming pace slowed considerably.

"You..." As Shu finished his initial explanation, Kiana had completely stopped eating, staring at him in astonishment. "Are you serious? Is this 'Honkai' thing really that scary?

"Plagues, wars, even gods descending? All of this happens because human civilization develops too quickly?"

"Not because it develops too quickly, but because it reaches a certain point. At most, rapid development just makes the Honkai Eruption's scale larger." Shu corrected her, then continued with a puzzled tone.

"But normally, a Honkai Eruption would only cover, at most, half of Eurasia. You said this disaster is global? That would mean the Final Herrscher came down to wipe the slate clean. How is that possible?"

In Shu's memory, the Second Eruption, which had engulfed half of Eurasia, was an extremely special case, involving remnants of the Previous Era's civilization and their legacy. Otherwise, it was questionable whether it could have even covered all of Siberia.

If the Final Herrscher really had come to cleanse the world, then what was with these buildings still standing? What about this lively Kiana in front of him?

Could it be that this Final Herrscher only killed people and not destroyed things? But Kiana…

Shu's mind jolted, and he looked at the girl, who had recovered from her shock and resumed demolishing the cake.

Damn it! How could I forget that in Honkai Gakuen's storyline, Kiana was the Herrscher of the End's vessel?

Am I using the wrong script here?! Am I in Guns Girl Z instead?!

Having finished the last bite of cake, Kiana suddenly looked up, catching Shu's last movement as he turned his head away.

She sensed something was off, narrowing her eyes and staring intently at him.

Shu felt a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead under her sharp gaze.

I wonder if the Herrscher of the End can read minds? If so, wouldn't she already know I've figured out her identity?

Oh no, is she going to silence me?!

Surely, she wouldn't be so petty, would she?

Shu's brow furrowed, sweat pouring down his face, his breathing growing ragged.

Just as he was debating whether to beg for mercy or fight to the death, his stomach rumbled loudly.

"Growl…"

Shu: "..."

Kiana's expression cleared, and a wide, Anya-like grin spread across her face.

"So, you were just hungry! I thought you were suspecting me of being a bad guy or something." Kiana stood up confidently, uttering words that nearly made Shu's soul leave his body.

"A person's gotta eat, right? If you're hungry, just say so! I'm not the type to hog all the food." Kiana grabbed the other food she'd set aside, giving Shu a reassuring smile. Her next words, however, weren't as comforting.

"Say, were you just being shy?" Kiana's smile turned mischievous, and she nodded seriously. "Yeah, I get it, I get it. Sometimes I'm too embarrassed to say when I'm hungry."

You get nothing. Shu rolled his eyes internally, but could only tearfully accept her explanation.

When someone accepts an absurd answer, there's always an even more absurd reason behind it.

Mentioning food instantly made Kiana enthusiastic. She even helped Shu open the package of a slightly squished loaf of bread and offered it to him.

Shu just stared, frozen.

Kiana's expression turned puzzled, but before she could speak, Shu beat her to it.

"Perhaps you could untie me first? Let me eat it myself?"

Kiana then remembered he was still firmly bound by her "professional" knot-tying. Now that he'd pointed it out, she could only chuckle sheepishly and move forward to undo the ropes.

A professional binding required a professional untying. As he felt the restraints loosening, Shu couldn't help but feel surprised.

She was really just going to let him go? Just like that?

If it was this easy, why bother tying him up in the first place?

"Aren't you... afraid of what I might do once I'm free?" Shu asked, confused.

Kiana's movements faltered. Behind him, where he couldn't see, she gulped nervously, a flicker of panic crossing her face.

How could she forget about that?!

After a brief mental struggle, she continued untying him.

"I don't think you're a bad guy. You seem like a good person…" Kiana said, as if reassuring herself as much as answering his question.

Shu blinked, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards for a microsecond before falling back down.

Thanks a lot… Didn't expect my first post-traversal evaluation to be a "nice guy" label. Guess I'm destined to be forever alone.

With tears in his eyes, Shu accepted the bread, taking a large, resentful bite out of his "nice guy card."

Seeing him gobble down the food, Kiana felt relieved.

Looks like my gut feeling is still reliable!

Then, her gaze fixed on the instant chicken drumstick.

I want it…

After swallowing a couple of times, Kiana decided she couldn't resist any longer and left the room.

"Where are you going?" Shu asked instinctively.

"Ahem, to celebrate finding another survivor, we're having a feast!" Kiana declared grandly, turning around and wiping the drool from her mouth.

Shu followed her unwavering gaze, which landed squarely on the chicken drumstick.

Hey, do I look like the kind of guy who hogs food?!