The Infinite Journey of a Certain Flame

"To celebrate this reunion, I've specially cooked a delicious meal for you. Please have a taste."

"Oh? That's so nice!"

"Okay, come on!"

Ying rarely showed a slight smile, then extended her hand, gesturing for Kiana to give her her hand.

She was greeted with a delicious meal as soon as she arrived home, and as the homeowner, she couldn't refuse, so she followed Ying to the dining table.

As a result, he was half-coaxed and half-forced into sitting in a chair for a short while.

Ying then slowly placed bowls of dishes emitting thick black smoke onto the table with a 'kind' smile on her face.

Only at this moment did Kiana finally realize...

The strange smell and unusual odor I detected at the door were from the food...

The one who made them was none other than the visitor from Teyvat, the Shadow of Thor.

"Ahem! No need to be so polite. You are my dear friend. This delicious food is a token of my appreciation. Please accept it."

"Oh, this..."

Even Kiana, starving, was overwhelmed by the dark power emanating from the table before her.

I only felt a dryness in my throat, and hesitated to put my mouth down.

After thinking it over, she felt...

There are many more important things to talk about than eating right now.

For example, what happened to Inazuma afterward? What is Hikari's current situation? And... how did Kage get here?

"I'm not very hungry right now, so how about we talk about something else? First of all... Shadow, how did you find this place?"

"Hmm?" Seeing that Kiana seemed to have other concerns, the naive Shadow didn't realize the root of the problem. Instead, she sneered inwardly, "Does she think my feelings are too heavy, so she's embarrassed to accept them? Heh, how cute."

The more she thought about it, the more she felt that this was the case, so she generously picked up the spoon.

"Don't worry, just eat it!"

"Hey! No need, really no need!"

"Don't talk, just eat!"

"Ugh... I'm going to die, my gut tells me I really am going to die!"

"What exactly do you mean?" Ying's face instantly darkened, and countless lightning elements surged around her. "Could it be that you're dissatisfied with the dish I personally cooked?"

"No, no, no! Cough cough, I mean... a dessert before a meal! Yes, I think eating a little something sweet before a main meal can help increase your appetite!"

"...Is the meaning unclear, or is that really the case?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Kiana directly redeemed a large number of sweets from the system's shop, including not only cakes and cookies, but also Inazuma's local sweet dumplings.

The appearance of these desserts instantly dispelled Ying's anger, replaced by an irresistible desire for sweets.

"I'm starting!"

Without much small talk, the deity who had been busy in the kitchen for a long time plunged headfirst into the pile of desserts and began to feast.

While she was eating, Kiana collected all those absolutely culinary disasters into her system inventory.

When she looked at the brief description of this type of item in the inventory, she was dumbfounded.

[Food cooked by an unknown deity: This is a forbidden product. Consuming it will cause uncontrollable and dangerous consequences. Host is advised to consume it with caution!]

[Special Explanation: This is a deity's dish prepared for a beloved, but the person in question is advised not to touch it, or they will experience unprecedented suffering.]

"Uh... is it really that serious? I was thinking of trying a bite, but now it seems like if I did... I'd probably lose half my life?"

Seeing Ying's mind filled with desserts, Kiana was truly at a loss for words, both amused and exasperated.

She looks so cute when she eats, completely oblivious even when cream gets on her lips.

But...who would have thought that this god would cook himself?

Then you can make culinary disasters that are rated as taboo by the system...

The Troubles of a New Student Council Member (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War): Chapter Twelve Shadow: Kiana, so cute, I want to take her home!

Kiana always believed that cooking should bring people hope and satisfaction.

No matter how arduous the battle, as long as one can enjoy a delicious meal, all the fatigue and pain will vanish.

Everything should have been this way...

But that is, until a dish that was rated as forbidden by the system was successfully cooked!

Kiana felt that sometimes food is not necessarily something that can bring joy and happiness.

It could also be a deadly weapon...

"Luckily, the system's inventory is all-encompassing; I guess the Holy Grail can be safely stored inside, right?"

Because of this illogical system, the 'taboo' that Shadow cooks is isolated from the world.

This avoids the need to choose between not wanting to hurt Ying and taking the drug.

Overall, the result was good.

"Phew... Um, Shadow? Is it tasty?"

"Hehe, ah! Cough cough," Shadow, who was happily enjoying her dessert, was suddenly called out by Kiana. Realizing she had been a bit out of line, she put down her cake and feigned arrogance. "I didn't expect you to be so good at making people happy. I'm very satisfied with these offerings. Are they repayment for your help last time?"

Clearly, the "last time" that the shadow was referring to was the final battle with Gilgamesh.

The Wheel of a Hundred Wishes and the Eye of Evil Radiance are the most representative powers of the Shadow.

It is also a symbol of her supporting herself.

It's hard to imagine what kind of danger Ilya would have faced if it weren't for the final, decisive blow.

However, it was precisely because of her assistance that Ilya was able to hold on until the very end and fight alongside her against the sword that tore apart the world.

ea.

Therefore, Kiana is indeed very grateful to the Shadow.

"How could that be? Ying, you helped me a lot last time, these are just a small token of our friendship. If you need any help, just let me know! Hehe~~~"

She sat casually beside the purple-haired deity, then put her arm around her shoulder and asked softly.

"Huh? Hmm... not at the moment."

"No? That's a good thing too. After all, I'm happy as long as you're happy."

"This... thank you, Kiana."

"whee."

Kiana rested her head on Ying's fragrant shoulder, and she actually looked a little bit like a little bird clinging to someone.

so cute!

Seeing this, Ying couldn't help but clench her right hand, and a sudden feeling welled up inside her.

I want to take it home!

"Ahem... I think there might be a need. Why don't you come back to Inazuma with me? I have a lot of things there that need your help."

Kage spoke these words with righteous indignation, which can be said to be completely devoid of any 'selfish motives' and was entirely for the purpose of better governing Inazuma, which is why he resorted to this desperate measure.

Kiana hesitated slightly before realizing something was amiss with this request.

"Uh...like what?"

"Well, the defenses of the castle tower, the garrisoning of the border regions, the security of Inazuma Castle, and so on."

Ah, these are all just trivial matters, aren't they?

This kind of thing, wouldn't it be easy for someone like Ying to casually handle it, as if they were following the will of Heaven?

Only then did Kiana realize that the Shadow might have ulterior motives, and so she raised her head:

"But these things don't necessarily require my intervention, do they? Ying, I hope it's something that can truly help you, something you need my help to solve, rather than a task that can be easily delegated to someone else."

"You! Hmph..."

Despite knowing she was wrong for her selfish request being rejected, Ying didn't follow Kiana's lead and instead turned her head away in a huff.

Honestly, it was a pretty cute gesture.

It's hard to imagine that she's a deity who has lived for over a thousand years, just like Wendy and Zhongli...

"Well, if you really want to say something, there's no rule that says gods have to be imposing and awe-inspiring. After all, Wendy is pretty easygoing..."

Perhaps, once the halos of being the Thunder General and the God of Thunder are removed, Shadow is nothing more than a highly skilled young girl.

Thinking of this, Kiana suppressed her surprise and began to ask some questions that had been bothering her.

"Shadow, how did you find me?"

"Oh? You want to know?"

"Of course! It's been so long since we last met. There's still so much I want to know about you. Oh, and about Ying too!"

Upon hearing Kiana's words, a blush inevitably appeared on Ying's pretty face.

Feeling the warmth of the girl's embrace on her right arm, she suddenly felt a surge of emotion, a warm sensation spreading from her heart throughout her body...

"Want to understand me? Hmm, okay. Actually..."

Since this information wasn't something he needed to keep secret, Ying coughed and then explained why he was there.

In short, she was so troubled by things at the castle tower that she couldn't eat or sleep, so Ying went back to Liyue to celebrate the Luna Festival.

Feeling incredibly bored, she left the general to continue guarding Inazuma, while she entrusted Kujo Sara to take her to Liyue to experience the Liyue people's festival.

Halfway there, she suddenly sensed that she was being spied on by an unknown force.

Immediately afterwards, a strange voice claiming to be the system rang out.

Kiana, whom you know well, has encountered danger during her travels! Please share some of your power, or she will be in grave danger!

"How strange... This guy who calls himself a system, could he be one of your familiars? Hmm... I thought the technique of entrusting consciousness to an object that Yae taught me was already quite novel. I never expected... that your familiar would actually possess a technology that surpasses that. Do you also know this technique of separating consciousness, forming an ethereal concept, and transmitting will across the barriers of time and space?"