The piled bonfire swayed in the twilight, crumbling the last vestiges of daylight into dancing gold leaf. The fragrance of burning pine resin mixed with the sizzling sound of dripping fat from roasting meat, weaving a warm net across the thickening night.
"Big bro, here."
"That... that was terrifying... Oh, thanks."
Fuli, having narrowly escaped a GANK attempt after a failed sneak-kiss, hurriedly took the towel Bronya handed him. After wiping away the saliva Elysia had left on his face, he sat down cross-legged, looking visibly shaken.
"Hmph! If you ask this young lady, Smelly Li got exactly what he deserved!"
The person who had rushed over to help first was Kiana, yet she was also the one currently mocking the boy with sharp words.
Crucially, Fuli couldn't even retort. He could only vent the gloomy frustration in his heart by viciously attacking the barbecue on his plate.
After devouring food like a madman for a while, he realized there was still more on his plate. He looked up, meeting Mei's cool, beautiful eyes.
"Is it enough? If not, I have more here."
The girl didn't seem to be holding a grudge over the earlier events. Seeing Fuli nod timidly, she used her chopsticks to transfer a piece of prepared fish sashimi to his plate.
"Mei~"
Moved to tears of gratitude, Fuli picked up the piece of fish and popped it into his mouth. Before he could even swallow, tears began to stream down his face.
Acidity strong enough to dissolve teeth, the vomit-inducing bitterness of fish gall, and a super-concentrated chili oil that had been boiled for god knows how long—all decolorized to look like ordinary oil. This complex mixture of monstrosities hit him the moment it entered his mouth, causing tears and snot to flow uncontrollably.
"Is it delicious?"
Mei observed his expression with a smile, her pale eyebrows raised slightly. She looked as harmless as a little white rabbit.
To put it bluntly, the sourness in the heart of the girl who had witnessed that earlier scene was absolutely a hundred times worse than this taste.
Fuli, his cheeks puffed out, seemed to realize this as well. Gritting his teeth and stomping his foot, he swallowed everything in his mouth right down into his stomach.
Wiping his mouth, he gave a thumbs-up without a second thought: "As long as Mei made it, everything is delicious to me!"
"You! You actually ate it?!"
The girl, who had expected him to spit it out, instantly panicked. Flustered, she grabbed the 2-liter jug of mineral water she had prepared beforehand and handed it over.
Fuli didn't refuse. He took it, unscrewed the cap, and downed it in one go.
He rubbed his belly. "So, is there any more? I'm still a bit hungry."
"Honestly... you're such an idiot!"
As they say regarding love: whoever falls in love first, loses.
Mei gave him a coquettish, reproachful tap, then turned around to bring out the sushi and fruit pizza she had actually prepared for him.
Taking the opportunity, the cat-form Kallen jumped back onto the boy's head, patted him with her little paws, and whispered in his ear, "High-level play, Little Brother."
"I call this: 'If a gentleman treats me with sincerity, I shall not fail him,'" Fuli whispered back.
"More like 'A gentleman can be trapped by his own code of honor,' right?"
Kallen wasn't buying his sophistry. "It's just the two of us right now. Give Big Sis the bottom line—between Mei and Durandal, who are you planning to choose?"
She naturally skipped over Kiana, and Fuli just as naturally replied, "We'll talk about it after I secure the Throne of the Sequence."
"That obsessed?"
"I feel like you, of all people, should understand better, Sis."
Kallen fell silent.
Indeed. In this god-forsaken world, if you truly wanted to master your own destiny, the Throne of the Sequence was indispensable.
Wasn't her original self the clearest example? So what if she was Schicksal's strongest S-rank Valkyrie? In the end, she still ended up dead, her soul extinguished.
[It's already become a Heart Demon for him.]
Observing the stubbornness lingering between her host's brows, Prometheus sighed deeply.
[It is logical.]
Dr. Mei crossed her arms, looking as if this were a matter of course. [If anyone had their mind filled with lewd thoughts of romance after being treated like that by the Herrscher of Dominance, one could only say that their Upper House has been completely usurped by their Lower House.]
If given the chance, this stunning genius residing on the moon would love to join forces with Prometheus to completely re-educate Fuli. She'd turn him into a Soulium-grade "Straight Man of Steel" who had zero interest in women and focused solely on leveling up.
Instead, they were stuck with this "Innate Asura Field Sacred Body"—someone who unintentionally flirted with everyone but stubbornly refused to give an answer, a walking disaster waiting to happen.
It would save them from constantly worrying about the chaos he caused.
As for being hunted down by the Herrscher girls once they learned the truth later... well, as long as the world was saved, if he died, he died. It wouldn't be the first time, anyway.
POP!
POP!
POP!
Several fireworks suddenly went off. The lunar duo, distracted by their thoughts, looked toward the sound to see Kiana and Bronya pushing a giant, multi-layered cake to the center of the clearing.
There were seventeen candles stuck into the cake. Written in English, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese was the phrase: "Mei! Happy Birthday!"
The handwriting varied, each retaining distinct characteristics. Obviously, everyone present had written a part of it.
For instance, next to the Russian text, there was a drawing of a lifelike wolf head. The Chinese text, however, had used simple stick-figure lines to add a body to it.
Bronya was furious. She immediately entered "Network Troll Mode," spraying verbal abuse at Fuli for twelve straight paragraphs for ruining the drawing. It wasn't until she snapped out of it that she realized she had accidentally scratched up the cute cat Kiana had drawn.
The two girls ended up wrestling with claws and teeth bared, causing Theresa and Himeko to shake their heads.
"...Hehe."
Watching this noisy, chaotic scene, Mei laughed softly.
"Make a wish, Mei~♪"
A dazzling smile, as brilliant as flying petals, appeared as the pink-haired Elf put her hands behind her back, beaming at her.
Mei's expression instantly shifted from sunny to partly cloudy. Just as she was about to unleash a verbal barrage, Fuli timely covered her mouth.
"Mmph mmph mmph (Why didn't you cover her mouth)!"
The boy sighed. "If I cover her mouth, she'll stick out her tongue and lick my palm."
"!"
A giant exclamation mark rose above Mei's head. She hadn't expected that was even an option.
I am too uncultured!
...
After blowing out the candles, it was time for the main event: cutting the cake!
Kiana and Bronya had planned to cause a ruckus, but a single, airy sentence from Mei—"No wasting food, okay?"—stopped them dead.
Suppressing them with the majesty of the Head Chef, the two little ones had to sit obediently, waiting for Fuli to cut the cake.
Of course, Bronya would never admit she was being obedient. In the little girl's view, she was merely giving Raiden Mei some face on her birthday. Usually, they still found each other annoying.
Yes! That's exactly it!
"Yes, yes, yes, Little Sister is the most amazing."
Fuli comforted her as he raised his hand. The Trailing Shadow Sword sliced the massive cake into even pieces.
Plates bearing fruit, snacks, and cake flew to their respective owners. Only Kallen was left stomping her feet in anger.
"Dammit! Why hasn't the Cat Cake evolved a tasting function yet?! I want to eat too!"
"Sis! Don't step on my head! Stop stepping!"
Fuli, acting as the base for Cat-Kallen, felt his scalp going numb.
"Ah! Sauce has that ability!"
Kiana raised her hand. "Does Sister Christina want to borrow Sauce's body? I'm sure he wouldn't refuse!"
Under the table, Sauce, currently stuffing his face, looked up. "Woof?"
No, Master! This dog wants to eat too!
"Project—ah, Project Bunny doesn't eat either, so it can't lend its body to Angela," Bronya said with regret.
"It's okay."
Lady Mei made her shining debut. "Before coming here, I specially installed a taste module on the robot cat the nun uses. Anything eaten can be directly converted into Honkai energy to sustain its movement via an internal conversion device. No need to worry about waste."
"Thoughtful! As expected of Mei!"
Kallen gave a thumbs-up, hopped down, and burrowed into Fuli's arms, opening her wide, anime-esque eyes to wait for her little brother to feed her.
"Hey, hey, hey! I have a suggestion over here!"
Elysia looked left and right, rolled her eyes playfully, and raised her hand high. "Don't you think just sitting around eating is a boring way for things to unfold?"
She puffed up her cheeks. "And Little Li, don't sit so far away from your Auntie!"
I'm just afraid you'll go berserk again and start gnawing on my head...
The boy awkwardly scooted one centimeter toward her.
Literally, one centimeter.
"Do you have any suggestions?"
Theresa asked with her mouth full. Himeko, sitting beside her, timely handed over a glass of liquid.
Theresa took a gulp and immediately sprayed it out.
"Holy crap! Why is it alcohol?!"
"Since when do you drink bitter melon juice at a time like this?" Himeko shrugged.
"I have a suggestion! A Story Club!"
Elysia remained in high spirits. "Look at this starry sky as the night deepens, look at the rising bonfire. A lonely island in the corner of the Pacific, lonely boys and girls... isn't this the perfect setting for a Story Club~♪"
"Why does that description sound so weird?" Bronya muttered.
"Just that? I thought it would be the King's Game or something."
Himeko yawned, her slanted gaze sweeping over everyone as if to say, In the end, you're just a bunch of brats who don't dare to play big.
King's Game?
Kiana and Mei's hearts skipped a beat. Their eyes simultaneously darted toward the only male present.
They found him happily feeding the meowing Cat-Kallen in his arms, occasionally wiping her mouth with a napkin.
"Cats are so cute~"
Seeing this, Mei recalled that when they were fleeing Cocolia's pursuit in Nagazora City, Fuli had mentioned he was a "Cat Person."
Specifically, he liked the white-haired, heterochromatic type—one gold eye, one blue eye.
The girl bit her lip, and in a voice she thought only she could hear, she quietly whispered:
"Meow~"
"Hmm?"
Fuli's ears twitched. Alert. Head up. Scanning the surroundings.
Where's my cat? Where did the cat go?
Little did he know, Mei had already turned her face away. Under the firelight, it was impossible to tell if her flushed, pretty face was due to shyness or the warmth of the flames.
"This young lady thinks Teacher Himeko is right!"
While Mei was secretly acting cute, Kiana loudly voiced her support for the King's Game.
Not to brag, but with Kiana's heaven-defying luck (that deserved to be struck by lightning), playing this game meant she'd be King eight times out of ten.
And the King could order others to do things.
When that time comes... Hehehe~
The white-haired Tuna couldn't help but hum to herself as her imagination ran wild.
"Bronya does not approve of the King's Game. It will only devolve into one person's joy and everyone else's suffering."
Bronya tapped the table, indicating that she could hear the abacus beads clicking in Idiot Kiana's brain all the way from Siberia.
"Indeed. Even if we don't want to admit it, God isn't fair."
Fuli hadn't forgotten the system's ten-pull draw involving the lucky Kiana. The exploding golden light had lasted for a full three minutes before fading, nearly blinding his 24k titanium alloy dog eyes.
"Then let's stick to the Story Club."
Elysia raised her index finger to propose the rules. "Everyone prepares some small slips of paper with [Keywords] written on them and mixes them together. We'll take turns drawing one."
"Uh-huh, and then?" Theresa listened intently.
"Then, the person who draws has to tell a short story that fits the [Keyword]. After finishing, they reveal the [Keyword] to everyone. The group will then vote on whether the story fits the theme."
Elysia magically produced a bottle of wine. "If they fail, the storyteller has to take a small sip of this first, and then perform a talent act after the Story Club ends~"
"Okay, okay! That sounds fun! I want to play!" Kiana clapped her hands.
Himeko, however, sharply spotted the bottle in the Elf's hand. "That label..."
The alcoholic's eyes lit up like focused searchlights switched on in the dead of night. "Ancient Beast Milk Wine?!"
"That's right!" Elysia beamed.
Ancient Beast Milk Wine—brewed from the milk of the Gluttonous Ancient Beast, an endangered interstellar species from the Quantum Sea, mixed with other ingredients and fermented. Rare, precious, unique in flavor, and very nourishing.
In exchange, the alcohol content and purity were extremely high. Even an A-rank Valkyrie might stumble after just a small sip.
"Elysia, my good Elysia."
Himeko, the older alcoholic, hurriedly leaned in to curry favor. "Tell teach, where on earth did you get this?"
"Hehe, that's a secret!"
Elysia proudly uncorked the bottle, and everyone quickly gathered around to look.
The milky-white liquid was incredibly fragrant. As it swirled, it shimmered with a pale golden light, like the setting sun casting ripples across a river.
"Alright, alright, stop looking."
Seeing everyone's intoxicated expressions, the Elf pretended to cork the bottle. "No going easy and losing on purpose just to get a drink during the stories! The Faerie has decided: the right to command this pot of fine wine will be given to the winner of this Story Club!"
"Wait! Don't cap it yet!"
Seeing the treasure about to be taken away, Himeko panicked and stopped her.
"Looking isn't enough, I need to inspect the goods!"
Saying so, Himeko impatiently reached out.
She wiped a tiny bit of the solidified milky-white powder from the rim of the bottle and brought it to the tip of her tongue.
"Ah!"
Instantly, a pure warmth spread from her tongue. Her body, exhausted from the day's trials, began to tremble as if a long drought had finally met rain.
Her face was full of pure enjoyment. "Elysia's stuff this time... it's too pure."
"I have to try harder."
Murmuring to herself, Himeko turned her head, only to find that at some point, everyone else had slipped away to the other side of the bonfire.
"Eh? What's with you guys?"
"Himeko, your expression just now was not right!"
"Mhmm!"
Fuli looked ready to call the police and place righteousness above family loyalty at any moment. The Cat-Kallen in his arms nodded gravely.
"Hello, hello? Is this the police? Yes, Crescent Island in the West Pacific. What, you haven't heard of Crescent Island? Fine, I'm sending you the GPS coordinates, hurry over!"
Kiana had already dialed the cops.
"Hey!"
Himeko protested, smoothly taking a blank slip of paper Mei handed her.
Thinking for a moment, she wrote a keyword, folded it, and handed it to Bronya, who was collecting them.
"Seven slips in total. Is Angela not participating?"
The little girl looked at Kallen with confusion. The Nun-Cat flicked her fluffy tail. "Count me and Little Brother together. I'm not exactly mobile."
Fuli sighed. "What a pity. The invincible Blank Siblings cannot be one in body and mind this time."
As he spoke, he shot side-glances at Bronya, winking and making faces until the girl's shoulders shook with suppressed laughter.
"Big Bro, be serious."
Bronya tried hard to keep a straight face as she mixed all the slips together in a makeshift lottery box.
"Who's first?"
"Me, me! The Faerie goes first!"
As the game's initiator, Elysia took the lead.
She reached into the box, rummaged around, and pulled out a slip, secretly opening it.
"Oh? It's this one?"
Covering her cherry lips with an open hand, Elysia rolled her eyes and instantly had an idea.
She pocketed the note and sat down on her knees.
The firelight illuminated the girl's flawless profile. In the surrounding darkness, she lowered her voice. "This Faerie has a friend who is currently reading a horror novel."
"The friend said it was the most terrifying book she had ever seen, so scary she didn't dare finish it."
"So, on a certain weekend, the friend threw the book into a bay near St. Freya."
"The friend thought she could rest easy, but who would have guessed... the next day!"
"The next day?!" Theresa gulped.
"The next day, that book actually appeared in her drawer again!!!"
"Waaah!"
Kiana panicked and hid behind Theresa, only to find that her aunt had already bolted to hide behind Himeko.
Subconsciously grabbing her cheap brother's sleeve, Bronya said solemnly, "Could it be a curse on the book? Did the book turn into a Honkai derivative?"
"Nope!"
Elysia smiled, eyes crinkling. "I went to the bookstore, bought a brand new copy, soaked it in water for a bit, and then secretly stuffed it into her drawer~"
I even wrote on the title page: 'Did you think you could get rid of me like this? (Laughs)'
"..."
"..."
"Little Auntie, bad!"
Fuli accused loudly.
"It wasn't right for me to do that!" The Elf said, looking aggrieved. "But Little Miyuki's expression at the time was just super interesting!"
As she spoke, she unfolded the paper in her hand. Written on it was the word: [Science].
Himeko sighed. "...No wonder that child Miyuki insisted on sleeping with me a week ago, even dragging me along when she needed the bathroom in the middle of the night. Turns out she was scared witless by you."
Theresa scratched her head, pretending she hadn't just hidden behind the busty woman. "By the way, does this have any connection to science?"
"Maybe it's telling us through a twist that everything in the world can be traced, and what can be traced is science?"
Fuli tried to help smooth things over, casually lifting Cat-Kallen to block a blown kiss from Elysia.
"Bronya thinks it's too forced. Bronya gives it 3 points."
Aside from the Duck, everyone else gave their scores.
Removing one highest score and one lowest score, they averaged it out and found it was exactly a passing grade of 6.
"Fufu, looks like I escaped disaster."
Elysia's tone of relief seemed to remind everyone of something. They suddenly realized—
Wait! Our goal is to get others drunk and watch them make fools of themselves!
If everyone kept getting high scores, wouldn't they lose one of life's greatest joys?
"My turn, my turn!"
Kiana skipped over to the lottery box, her dirty little hands covered in grease and cream digging in to rummage around.
Opening one, her eyebrows curved in joy. "Hmph! Probability is meaningless. As long as this young lady makes a move, everything is decided. This is Schicksal—Destiny!"
"Tsk!"
Fuli and Bronya exchanged a look. This dog-luck European clearly drew an easy TAG.
"The keyword I drew is the one I wrote myself! So, I'll tell everyone a story I heard from those white hats when I ran off to Central Asia to find my smelly dad!"
Kiana cleared her throat. "Everyone has heard of the Old Man of the Mountain, that long-extinct assassin organization, right?"
Several people nodded. Those assassins who were fearless of death—so much so that they became the root of the word ASSASSIN—were at least familiar to anyone with a slight understanding of Middle Eastern history.
"Then does everyone know how the historical Assassin sect trained those death-sworn killers in the past?"
This, they didn't know.
Theresa raised her hand. "Through faith?"
"No."
Kiana shook her head. "The sect would buy the future death-sworn from parents or human traffickers when they were very young. Then they would subject them to closed-off training and have them inhale a type of grass that produces hallucinations."
"When the death-sworn reached adulthood, those people would drug them and take them to a mountain cave."
She paused for a moment, then said softly, "That cave was filled with endless wine and food, and beautiful young women. The death-sworn could enjoy themselves there for a week, and then they would be drugged and brought out again."
"After waking up, the sect's higher-ups would tell them that the place they had just been was Paradise. And when they died completing a mission, they could return there once more to enjoy pleasure for eternity."
That was the reason the Hashshashin were unafraid of death.
"Isn't that just lying to people!"
Elysia was very dissatisfied. The girl, who loved all things beautiful in the world, instinctively rejected such false things.
"Religious faith is essentially spiritual opium."
Fuli shrugged. Having just experienced the virtual space, he immediately recalled those fanatical believers of the Cross who, at the call of Arch-Bishop Nicholas, didn't hesitate to offer up their lives.
But immediately after, he remembered that golden figure he would never see again, and his whole demeanor became somewhat downcast.
"What's wrong?"
Sitting beside the boy, Mei keenly sensed his low spirits.
"I miss my brother Otto."
Fuli smoothed the fur of the Cat-Kallen in his arms, who had also become depressed.
Kiana muttered, "Why are you missing a grown man? Did you awaken the gay attribute or something? Ow!"
She was immediately bonked on the head by Mei.
...