The noisy day had finally drawn to a close.
Su Yu dragged his somewhat exhausted body back to his dorm at the Starfire Furnace.
Between the usual grueling training and a sports day that could only be called a "public execution across the entire internet," even a body used to dancing along the edge of life and death felt a long-forgotten weariness.
He sprawled spread-eagle on his single bed, summoned the System in his mind, and checked today's quest settlement.
[Ding—]
[High-tier Bond Ability 'A Day as Husband and Wife, a Hundred Days of Devotion' complete!]
[Congratulations, Host. With a rip-roaring livestream and a seemingly childish sports day, you flaunted your affection in broad daylight, right under the noses of the entire internet's players. This foster father is deeply gratified.]
[However, I must remind you that the 'colorful flags fluttering' outside haven't been dealt with yet.]
[Shall I replay, in a richly emotive voice, the 'late-night overtime' message your underground lover, that Rich Big Sister, sent you tonight? I must say, your love life is a mess. Tsk, tsk, tsk~~]
"Shut up, you mutt of a System."
Su Yu rolled his eyes.
"If I ever get stabbed to death someday, charging you as an accessory would be no problem at all."
The System ignored his attempt to shift the blame and kept popping up prompts:
[All right, let's see the reward this foster father prepared for you.]
[Griseo's 'Star' Bond has risen to RANK 7. You remember the base bonus increase, don't you? Griseo once said she'd paint a picture for you called 'Tomorrow'.]
[Host, what do you think death truly is? The heart ceasing to beat? Brain death?]
[No. It's the moment you are forgotten.]
Reading that line, Su Yu's expression turned a little more serious.
[Main Quest 'Fated Death' updated.]
[Raise your existing card Bond levels as high as possible and complete the key Bond quests to unlock the ultimate trump card: the 'Soul Anchor'.]
[Your current tarot lineup is below. Please review it carefully, and be prepared to crash and burn in a love-triangle bloodbath at any moment:]
[0. The Fool] — Kiana Kaslana
Position: CTO / Chief Motion Capture / Starfire's Poster Girl / Number One Freeloader at Mealtimes
Bond Level: Rank ??? (Locked. Don't even think about unbinding this lifetime.)
Bond Quest: Project Meteoric Salvation (Incomplete)
Foster Father's Commentary:
[Deep down, you know perfectly well that your current life is, in a sense, all thanks to Kiana. Do you ever think back to that rainy evening? Do you regret the decision you made then?]
[No. I think even if time ran backward, you'd make the same choice, like a river that always ends up in the sea. But have you ever considered this: if saving Kiana was something [destined] to happen, then who exactly is steering your fate?]
[Of course, you don't really care about that. Just as the Fool card stands for starting from zero and infinite possibility, what you want to give her is a future full of infinite possibilities.]
[XVII. The Star] — Griseo
Position: Guest Art Consultant / Soul Painter / Starfire's Darling
Bond Level: Rank 7 (Her Highness the Princess and Her Full-Time Sucker of a Knight)
Bond Quests: 'The Painted World's Dream' (Complete), 'A Day as Husband and Wife, a Hundred Days of Devotion' (Overachieved. The whole world knows.)
Foster Father's Commentary:
[I have to say, your talent for being a nanny-dad is even higher than your talent for making games.]
[I know you're prepared to guard a child's fairy-tale dreams, but this foster father must warn you: the standard fairy-tale princess comes with a prince, yet our Griseo seems far more eager to draw doujinshi of a princess and a knight in black on her sketchpad.]
[On the bright side, thanks to your recent efforts, you're finally not the bottom in Teacher Painted World's new BL release. Congratulations, Host!]
[II. The High Priestess] — Himeko
Position: Rent-Collecting Landlady / Unofficial Life Advisor / Secret Late-Night Drinking Buddy
Bond Level: Rank 6 (A reliable drunk who might devour you whole at any moment)
Bond Quest: 'The Old Father-in-Law Comes Knocking' (Complete)
Foster Father's Commentary:
[You don't seriously think the way this landlady big sister looks at you is innocent, do you?]
[She just sees you first as a junior who needs looking after, and incidentally uses it to suppress her ravenous single-woman resentment.]
[But she's more devoted and holds more grudges than you imagine. Scrub your neck and wait, Host. The next time the old father-in-law pushes her to marry, you'll have to keep filling in as her temporary boyfriend, and next time a drink won't settle it.]
[III. The Empress] — Eden
Position: Angel Investor / Music Director / Your Rich Big Sister
Bond Level: Rank 8 (Confidante / Patron / Underground Lover Ready to Keep You at Any Moment)
Status: Tarot Reversed Position Awakened (Inactive)
Bond Quest: 'Rich Big Sister's Late-Night Invitation' (Complete)
Foster Father's Commentary:
[The whole internet is playing the 'rich lady, I'm hungry, feed me' meme, while you, my Host, are being force-fed the soft rice of a kept man by a beautiful, wealthy Rich Big Sister in real life!]
[She's the most indispensable link in your line of defense, and also the deadliest time bomb in your bloodbath.]
[She's still waiting for your reply. Have you figured out your own heart? Or does the great producer still plan to play dead to avoid the word 'love'?]
[VI. The Lovers] — Elysia
Position: Official Spokesperson / Chief Beta Tester / The Pink Elf Who Wants the World in Chaos
Bond Level: Rank 6 (???)
Bond Quest: 'Sunshine, Heartbeats, Island!' (Complete)
Foster Father's Commentary:
[Miss Pink Elf always hopes everyone gets to be happy, but have you ever considered that she pushes everyone toward you and leaves only herself in the stands, fooling herself with a line like 'honestly, this is fine too'?]
[Seeing through without saying a word is her gentleness, but playing deaf and dumb is definitely not your style. Are you ready to lay out your plan to go to your death for her, in full?]
[Oh, right. Do keep your little secrets with Eden well hidden, or Miss Pink Elf's arrow will pierce your heart.]
[VIII. Justice] — Fu Hua (Fenghuang)
Position: Starfire's Number One Workhorse
Bond Level: Rank 7
Bond Quest: 'Tai Xu Revival' (In Progress)
Foster Father's Commentary:
[With the title of Little Grandmaster, you dangled a pie-in-the-sky Eldest Senior Brother post and got the whole Inch Heart Dojo, a lineage going back years, to lay down their heads and spill their blood for you! Even capitalists would weep in shame at your methods!]
[Still, considering the old Squad Monitor who used to eat nothing but plain boiled noodles has finally learned to put a fried egg in them... fine, you did one decent thing. At least Eldest Senior Sister Lin Zhaoyu doesn't have to apply phone screen protectors under the overpass to make ends meet anymore.]
[XII. The Hanged Man] — Rita
Position: All-Purpose Maid / Tactical Instructor / Personal Secretary
Bond Level: Rank 7 (Knight's Oath) -> [Reversed Position Awakened]
Bond Quest: 'Tonight Is Still Long' (Complete)
Foster Father's Commentary:
[She swings her scythe for you and brews tea for you. But you know full well that when the passage between the two worlds opens, whether this elegant maid will leave or stay is still unknown.]
[She always uses the gentlest tone to pierce your most awkward disguises: "Precisely because humans are so small before fate, feelings are all the more precious."]
[Listen to that. She's diagnosed even the late-stage symptoms of your tsundere condition, and you're still putting on airs?]
[XVI. The Tower] — Sparxie
Position: Calamity Diversion Officer / Drama-Loving Streamer / Mental State Far Ahead of the Rest
Bond Level: Rank 5 (?)
Bond Quest: Advance 'Honkai: Ordinal Scale' to unlock
Foster Father's Commentary:
[Do you really think this is just coincidence? That's obviously a nuke named Fun that old rascal Aha dropped into your world!]
[Keep connecting the dots, Host. Your head full of schemes already proves you're a born follower of Elation. If you ever set foot in the sea of stars, there'll definitely be a VIP card at the tavern with your name on it.]
[Stop pretending. You were clearly enjoying yourself when you traded acting skills with her!]
[XIV. Temperance] — Nuwa
Position: Art Director / Figurine Fanatic
Bond Level: Rank 4
Foster Father's Commentary:
[When exactly do you plan to tell her that the Teacher Painted World she worships is the Griseo who eats ice cream in the studio every day?]
[On a more serious note, you haven't had a long heart-to-heart with your lead artist about the [Absolute Territory] of pretty girls in ages.]
[Don't deny it. Now and then you miss the sleepy look on her face after a night of drawing, and those black-stockinged legs propped up on her office chair, don't you? Feelings are simple: do something you love with someone you don't dislike, then slowly fall in. Get it?]
[XVIII. The Moon] — Bronie (Haxxor Bunny)
Position: CISO / Intelligence Officer / Cyber Ancestor
Bond Level: Rank 6
Foster Father's Commentary:
[You pulled her out of boredom and into your heart-pounding world, and now she's grinding in the server room until her hair falls out for your studio, yet you're stingy even with everyday concern?]
[The sensible ones are the ones who break your heart, Host! Getting an untamed cyber rabbit to work herself to the bone for you is your talent, but don't forget: cornered rabbits bite, and lonely ones need their fur stroked!]
[XIX. The Sun] — Susannah Manatt
Position: Starfire Corps Private / Starfire Furnace's Little Sun / Your Number One Mindless Fan
Bond Level: Rank 4 (Potential Awakened) -> [Reversed Position Awakened]
Foster Father's Commentary:
[Admit it, you actually enjoy her blind worship of 'Supreme Commander Su Yu is number one in the world.' It satisfies your vanity, which has nowhere else to go.]
[Since you've become her guidepost, don't quit halfway. What she's most captivated by is that stubborn-mule streak of yours, the one that won't turn back until it hits the wall, all to save the world.]
[VII. The Chariot] — Kevin Kaslana
Position: CEO / Chief Administrator / Expressionless Mascot / Noodle-Eating Buddy
Bond Level: Rank MAX (Sworn Comrades Through Life and Death) -> [Reversed Position Awakened]
Bond Quest: 'Rainy Night, Overpass, Maybach' (Complete)
Foster Father's Commentary:
[Now this is true love, Host! Rank MAX isn't the end. It's the start of him getting ready to go to hell for you. When you handed over the Hypervariant Factor and the surgical plan, didn't you curse yourself for being despicable?]
[You know exactly what choice he'll make. So you won't walk the road to ruin alone, this expressionless man will turn himself into a monster without hesitation. That's the damnable romance and Bond of men!]
[XXI. The World] — Welt Yang
Position: Lead Programming Architect / Head of Anti-Entropy Outsourcing / Closet Mech Otaku
Bond Level: Rank 6 (Reliable Elder / True Hero)
Foster Father's Commentary:
[A hero who crossed world lines, lying low for over a decade in this peaceful era for the sake of a doomsday prophecy that sounds like late-stage chuunibyou.]
[And you have become the new hope of the whole of Anti-Entropy. For this fatherly elder, and for a man's mech dream, live with everything you've got, great producer!]
[System Patch: Other Bonds]
[IX. The Hermit] Mei: Rank 4. The genius who watches you with absolute reason.
[V. The Hierophant] Su: Rank MAX. The good friend who can see through you, right down to your underwear, with her eyes closed.
[XV. The Devil]
Mobius: Rank 3 (Dangerous trading partner / the snake who wants to slice you up for research at any moment).
Foster Father's Hint: [Playing with snakes is risky. Invest with caution.]
[XX. Judgement]
Aponia: Rank 6.
Foster Father's Hint: [She foresaw your death, and you insist on defying heaven to change her fate. Don't die, Lord Hero, or the Precepts will collapse.]
[XIII. Death]
Sirin: Rank 9.
Bond Quest: 'The Next Life' (Complete).
Foster Father's Hint:
[You know she's the Herrscher of the Void. She carries sins, and she has to atone for what she's done.]
[Dancing with a Herrscher is never easy. You know deep down that your feelings for her can't be described as simple love or hate, but at least in the moment she leaned against you and called your name, you felt your heart really was beating.]
[And now? Now, at the very least, she won't become an obstacle to Kiana's return to that world.]
Just then, the System interface suddenly turned a glaring blood red.
The countdown to the final ending slammed mercilessly onto his retinas.
[Fated Death]
["Host, if one day you knew for certain that you had only a little over two months of life left."]
["What would you do?"]
["Indulge to your heart's content, and commit every misdeed you've never done in your life?"]
["Or fight with everything you have, and refuse to give up searching for that one-in-ten-thousand hope of life until the very moment this body shuts down for good?"]
[Quest Description: Cross the death that is bound to come, and become a man who transcends life and death.]
[Friendly Reminder: Saving the world and saving a life often work the same way. For the sake of this world and your own survival, push forward every means of salvation you can, including but not limited to harvesting players' emotion points, reinforcing Arc City's defenses, and raising your tarot levels—]
[NEW!!]
[Based on the struggles and efforts you've made over your not-so-long life, this foster father sincerely offers a few hints.]
[1. Death is the forced settlement this game must come to. The stilling of the heartbeat is not the end, but the only password to your next evolution.]
[2. The deadliest poison is the finest cure. When the [Third Cup of Poison Wine] pierces the heart, a [Crimson Lotus] that burns away all things will ignite from the embers of the old bones.]
[3. But remember, the Abyss of Nihility has no road home. When consciousness falls into dead silence, only the threads you've wound with your own hands around the mortal world can become the unbreakable [Soul Anchor] to drag your dissipating soul back from the underworld by force!]
[Prerequisites to Unlock Hidden Path 'Calamity of Reshaping']:
Third Cup of Poison Wine: (Third-Stage Genetic Breakthrough Serum) [Acquired]
Crimson Lotus: [???]
Soul Anchor: The Fool, Death, The Chariot, The Hermit, The Star, The Empress... [Continuously Active]
Su Yu stared at the tarot lineup and the Fated Death quest in front of him.
"So this means that for the days ahead, I follow whatever hints this shameless old System hands out and keep raising my tarot Bond levels as high as I can?"
[Yes, exactly.]
[Especially those harem candidates of yours. After all, the deeper the love, the sharper the scolding, and the deeper the feelings, the more unbreakable an Anchor they make for you in this world~~]
[Ah, for the sake of saving the world and your own little life, go ahead and dive right in and howl your heart out, Host! May you find your ray of hope in the bloodbath.]
Watching the System roast him with its usual shameless-old-man attitude, Su Yu couldn't help cursing:
"You'd better really be connected to Aha, or I'll nominate you to be an Emanator of Elation, no matter what."
After closing the System interface, Su Yu lay on his bed, his eyes glinting in the dark.
Either way, the conditions for crossing Fated Death had become a lot clearer, and that was undeniably good news.
The "Third Cup of Poison Wine" was already in his hands, while the true face of the "Crimson Lotus" still had to be uncovered.
He rolled over, but his mind turned to something else entirely.
Su Yu counted the dates. Today was December 7th.
Today was Kiana's birthday, and the first one that idiot Paramecium would have since arriving in this world.
"She looked so preoccupied before, but her expression's much better today."
That was the message Elysia had sent a moment ago.
"Mm-hm, from the look of Kiana's state now, she should be fine attending a birthday party. Leave the decorations to me! After all, what's that saying again? What matters most to a girl is a sense of occasion~"
On his last birthday, Kiana had given him a graphics card, bought with the hard-earned money from her work as a Vigilante catching wanted criminals.
But that gift hadn't been handed over by Kiana herself. Sirin had passed it on to him instead.
Kiana had been very sorry about that.
Still, Kiana should be fine now.
The group chat kept pinging away, Elysia chirping on without pause as everyone planned how to throw Kiana's birthday party.
Besides himself, Eden, Elysia, Griseo, Kevin, Mobius... everyone had carefully picked out gifts for her.
On his last birthday, Kiana had given him a graphics card, bought with the hard-earned money from her work as a Vigilante catching wanted criminals.
But that gift hadn't been handed over by Kiana herself. Sirin had passed it on to him instead.
Kiana had been very sorry about that.
Still, this time, at least, he could hand over her first birthday gift in this world himself.
Su Yu's consciousness slowly blurred. He was half-asleep, just about to wander off to meet the Duke of Zhou in his dreams, when:
Knock, knock, knock—
The knocking snapped him wide awake.
The clock hands had crept to two in the morning. Even through the door, Su Yu's mental power could clearly sense the aura of the person outside.
"Kiana?"
Speak of the devil.
"Who is it?"
Asking was a bit pointless, since Su Yu knew exactly who it was, but he couldn't resist teasing her.
The hallway outside went quiet for two seconds, then came Kiana's mildly exasperated voice: "If I said I was Elysia, would you open the door?"
"Then I'd have to call the cops first," Su Yu said. "Pink serial killer shows up at midnight, assassinates a famous game producer with an inflatable hammer. I'm scared that's what tomorrow's headline will say."
"So you do know how to be scared? Who told you to keep acting like such a jerk? Who knows, someday you might get a sack thrown over your head on a night walk and get the beating of your life."
Su Yu bit back a laugh and pulled the door open a crack.
In the hallway, Kiana wore fuzzy winter pajamas, a little damp, as if she'd just gotten out of the shower.
"What's this? Miss White Elf pays a late-night visit. Did you get hungry and come looking for snacks?"
Su Yu's teasing turned Kiana's face faintly red. She shot him a glare. "Can't I come see you unless I'm hungry? You make it sound like I'm that cat you keep."
"Aren't you?"
"Not bothering with you."
Knowing she couldn't out-banter the man in front of her, Kiana simply walked right in without ceremony.
"I'm coming in."
"Please."
Su Yu closed the door and looked at Kiana, curious what this girl was up to, showing up in the middle of the night.
Kiana glanced around the room, then finally turned back to look at him.
"Um..."
"What is it?"
"Aren't you sleepy?"
"..."
The white-haired girl's out-of-nowhere question slowly typed a question mark in Su Yu's head.
"I was about to fall asleep."
"I can't sleep."
"Why not?"
"Well, there are lots of reasons, but none of them matter."
Kiana scratched at her cheek with a finger, looked at Su Yu, and finally seemed to make up her mind.
"I just feel like it's been a really long time since we went to sleep together."
"Ah, uh, you, don't get the wrong idea! I'm not saying we absolutely have to sleep in the same room or anything! It's just, just, um..."
Clearly, the tsundere's core logic code had just been triggered.
Su Yu sat down on the bed and patted the empty spot beside him.
He looked at the white-haired girl, her eyes darting everywhere, even the ahoge on top of her head radiating guilt, and a flicker of helpless amusement crossed his eyes.
"All right, no need to force a reading comprehension exercise here." Su Yu shifted toward the inside of the bed. "There's still half a blanket. If you can't sleep, come lie down."
Hearing that crisp clearance permit, Kiana's face flushed even redder with a "whoosh."
"Wh-who's doing reading comprehension! Don't flatter yourself!"
Kiana crossed her arms, lifted her chin slightly, and put on a full twelve-out-of-ten tsundere air to save face.
"This young lady just worried that after being besieged by so many people today, you'd be hiding alone under the covers having nightmares and crying in secret, so I reluctantly came to inspect your mental state! Don't get any funny ideas!"
"Yes, yes, yes. Thank you for your kind consideration, Miss Kaslana."
Su Yu played along, his lips harder to keep down than an AK's recoil.
Her mouth said the harshest things, but her body was outrageously honest.
The moment the words left her, she deftly kicked off her fluffy slippers, slipped into Su Yu's bed with a swish, and quite naturally rolled away most of the blanket, wrapping herself into a snug cocoon with only a white head poking out.
Feeling the familiar warmth beside him, the nerves that had been strung tight by the countdown unexpectedly, almost miraculously, eased.
The two of them lay side by side on the not-so-spacious single bed, so quiet they could hear only each other's breathing.
Just as Su Yu figured the dummy was already brewing sleep and he was about to close his eyes, the "cocoon" beside him suddenly wriggled.
Kiana quietly scooted closer, her cheek almost touching Su Yu's shoulder.
In the hush of the night, the girl's warm breath brushed softly against his ear.
Then a faint voice slipped into it:
"...I won't lose to her."
Su Yu's body went rigid.
In that instant, his heart skipped a beat, helplessly.
Countless response plans raced through his mind. He had already worked out several ways to handle this kitten who might puff up her fur at any moment.
He drew a deep breath, turned his head, and was about to speak: "Kiana, you..."
"Zzz... zzz..."
The reply was a bout of snoring.
Su Yu froze.
He stared in disbelief at the girl inches away.
Kiana's eyes were already closed, her face wholly relaxed, a contented smile even lingering at the corner of her mouth. She had clearly drifted fully into dreamland.
Asleep in a second.
The Kaslana family's traditional specialty was on full display.
"...Are all Kaslanas idiots?"
Looking at that sleeping face, Su Yu gently flicked her nose with a finger.
"Never mind. Good night, Kiana. Sweet dreams."
The corners of Kiana's lips curved up slightly.
Strangely enough.
That night, she wasn't haunted by the dream that had been troubling her so badly. She slept straight through until morning.
____
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