Outside the window, neon signs blinked through the night, painting the rented room's glass in a shifting wash of colors.
Once they got home, Su Yu dropped the bulging shopping bags by the entryway.
His phone kept vibrating in his pocket—Elysia's relentless催命符, a death warrant in message form.
"Time to work," Su Yu said, pointing at the computer desk. "Stream."
The idea of "rest" was almost a joke under this one-meter rule.
That soft bed in the bedroom might as well have been the far shore of paradise for Kiana—her allowed range was locked tight around Su Yu like a collar.
Su Yu rummaged through cabinets and boxes, dragged out a spare cotton quilt, and spread it on the floor beside the computer chair.
Then he shoved a pillow over.
"Not great, but make do for tonight," he said without looking back, already adjusting his equipment. "Tomorrow I'll get a folding bed. At least you won't have to sleep on the ground."
Kiana stared at the improvised bedding, then quietly sat down on it.
For someone who'd gotten used to sleeping in ruins and on rooftops, treating concrete as a mattress, this already counted as stable.
"Let's get your communications sorted first."
Su Yu opened the new phone box, slid in the SIM, powered it on with practiced ease.
The cool glow of the screen lit both their faces.
"The logic's basically the same as what you're used to," he said, swiping through icons and demonstrating the basics. "Swipe left to go back, tap to open the dialer. And this is my number—yeah, I'm literally within arm's reach right now, but saving it is still the right move."
Kiana took the phone and looked at the string of digits.
The contacts list had only one name.
Su Yu.
It was her first number in this world.
And the first… person she'd met in this world, too.
She shook her head, forcibly throwing off the extra emotions, and began clumsily exploring the colorful app icons.
Over on Su Yu's side, the battlefield was far more intense.
Pink Fairy Miss: Su Yu-chan!!!
Pink Fairy Miss: If you don't get online right now, I'm going to get mad!!
Pink Fairy Miss: Though Pink Fairy Miss is adorable even when she's angry—but making a lady wait isn't very gentlemanly, you know~♪
Staring at the pink, over-the-top text practically spilling off the screen, Su Yu sped up his hands.
Power on. Start the stream. Test the mic. Click Start Broadcast.
The black screen of his channel lit up instantly, and the audience—already camped out—surged in like sharks smelling blood.
[Holy—Su Bro finally logged in!!]
[Lazy dog finally decided to move!]
[Su Bro you lazy dog, do you only show up when Elysia calls you personally?]
[You don't get it—this is a pro's pride!!]
["Pro's pride" my ass—do you know how many people would kill to play with Elysia? Do you?]
[I don't even dare dream that big!]
[Turn on the camera! We want the face-cam streamer!]
Su Yu glanced at the scrolling chat and laughed. "Evening, everyone. The lazy dog is clocking in."
[He's live, he's live!]
[Where's Elysia?]
[Let me see Pink Fairy Miss!]
[Su Bro still no face-cam today??]
[That's Su Bro, the 'handsome streamer'—too shy.]
"Relax. I'm connecting her now."
He clicked the call-in invite like it was muscle memory.
The next second, a cute pink window popped up on the right side of the stream.
On screen was a girl with an almost fairy-like face, waving at the camera—her smile bright enough to melt polar ice.
"Su Yu-chaaan you finally logged in" Elysia's voice was pure sugar, with a soft echo that made it feel like it came wrapped in velvet. "Pink Fairy Miss missed you so much~♪"
[I'M LOSING MY MIND I'M SO JEALOUS!!]
[Su Bro, this woman's level is too high! You can't handle her—let me sub in!]
[If you can't handle her, hand her over to me! I can!]
[Every time I see this I want to crawl into the screen]
[Elysia is soooo cute AAAAA]
Su Yu smiled back. "Miss Elysia, you're putting a lot of pressure on me."
"Good pressure is good" Elysia blinked. "That way Su Yu-chan will work even harder to carry me up the ranks~"
[Is this woman a succubus?]
[Succubi aren't even this skilled]
[Su Bro I envy you so much you don't even know]
The chat was instantly flooded with variations of jealousy is tearing me apart at the molecular level.
"Miss Elysia, flattery that intense should be illegal." Su Yu clicked the game icon. "So what's the plan tonight? Hard carry, or—"
"Of course Pink Fairy Miss gets MVP~" Elysia said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Su Yu's mouth twitched.
With Elysia's skill level, the only way she was getting MVP was if the entire enemy team stood still like training dummies.
"…I'll do my best."
Star Counter-Terror's loading screen appeared.
Kiana had been bent over her phone, studying it, but the game sounds made her look up without thinking.
The interface on the monitor felt both familiar and unfamiliar.
Guns. Maps. Teammates…
None of that was new to her.
Back at St. Freya, when things were boring, she'd played games with Mei and Bronya too.
Bronya was the gamer. Mei wasn't great at this kind of thing. Kiana—stubborn as always—kept challenging Bronya again and again, refusing to learn, and losing most of the time.
But "livestreaming" was still a novelty to her.
She stared at the constantly rolling comment feed on the right side of the screen.
The text streamed by at an absurd speed—so fast it made her dizzy.
Soon, her attention was pulled away by Su Yu's hands.
This lazy, laid-back man—once his fingers touched the mouse, his whole presence changed.
His eyes sharpened with focus, and his fingers tapped out a crisp rhythm on the keyboard.
When the match began, Su Yu picked a sniper rifle and moved fast through the map.
His mouse control was smooth and precise—every aim, every scope-in, every shot happened in a blink.
Bang—
Headshot.
Bang—
Another headshot.
Bang, bang—
Two more—one bullet, two kills.
[Holy—this speed]
[Su Bro's sniper is still disgustingly cracked]
[Is this even human?]
[I could practice for a lifetime and still wouldn't have that hand]
[He's cheating. He HAS to be.]
[Shut up—look at the movement, the reads, the prediction. You can't "cheat" that.]
Elysia's voice came through his headset, filled with awe.
"Waaah Su Yu-chan, you're amazing"
As she said it, she ran around the map like a lost tourist—then immediately got shot and died.
"Aww why did I go down again"
[Elysia fed again]
[How many times is that now?]
[It's fine, it's fine—Su Bro's here. One man can fight five.]
[Su Bro: Not only do I have to win, I have to win while carrying this dead weight]
"It's fine. Just lie down and stay there," Su Yu said calmly, like a professional killer. "We can win this one."
....
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