Honkai Impact 3rd experience, starting with a thousand Herrschers

Kiana came out of the bathroom after changing into those clothes, which were carefully selected to ensure they completely covered her body.

"You shouldn't have helped me. Getting too involved with me will only endanger your life."

Cheng Xing didn't turn around. He simply opened the pressure cooker, stirred the broth with a ladle, and after making sure it smelled fragrant, he replied.

"Then I shouldn't have helped you in the first place, but since we've already started, what's the point of saying all this now?"

"...Thank you, my name is Kiana Kaslana."

"Yes, my name is Cheng Xing."

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Lustful Man

The rain outside was still pouring down, and the clothes that had been taken off needed time to be washed. Kiana stayed there, but Cheng Xing gave her his room while he simply moved into the living room.

"Won't this cause you trouble?"

Kiana felt that she had already caused too much trouble for others, and now even their resting place had been taken up by her. She was really causing them too much trouble.

“It’s okay. If you feel guilty, you can tell me more about what happened in the past. I’m quite curious why you’re always covered in injuries and look so bitter and resentful.”

Cheng Xing didn't know why he took Kiana in, even though he knew it was a very dangerous move, putting an ordinary person like himself into the sights of World Serpent and Destiny.

If he spends too much time with her, the Second Herrscher's consciousness will become a huge threat, and his life will be easily blown away like ashes.

You don't even need terrifying monsters or powerful weapons; all you need is to be caught in the Honkai impact and become a zombie without self-awareness.

Although he was questioning himself like this, Cheng Xing also knew the answer. He kept asking himself because he just wanted to find out the answer.

"Perhaps it's because death no longer matters to them."

"In this strange world, I have no relatives, nothing I've known since childhood, and not even the country I live in has a familiar name. Every day I live in constant fear that an unknown collapse could take my life. What's the point of living such a difficult life?"

"And entertainment and games are very scarce here. The most popular game is actually Otto's Kallen Fantasy, which is full of his own ideas. The most popular comics and anime is Houmu."

"Sigh, in a world where life is uncertain and death could come at any moment, why can't I indulge myself a little?"

"At least, at least I can do what a time traveler should do, and change something."

Cheng Xing said this, but he also knew that he couldn't actually change anything. What right did an ordinary person have to change the world?

However, knowing it's impossible and not doing it is one thing, and knowing it's impossible but still trying it is another.

At least when I'm dying and looking back, I'll have a few more stories to recount.

Kiana hesitated for a long time before finally opening her mouth and telling some stories from the past.

She was simply recounting some unremarkable anecdotes from her past, but as she spoke, she became immersed in her memories of the past, recalling the wonderful times she spent with everyone at the academy.

She remembered the taste of the meals Mei had cooked for her, and she remembered Bronya always pretending to be a teacher to tutor her. She remembered how her aunt always worried about her studies.

She recalled the scene of Ms. Himeko giving her a lesson.

She remembered the last lesson Himeko had taught her.

As she spoke, the already exhausted girl shed tears. The reason she was holding on to life and not committing suicide was because this life had been given to her by Teacher Himeko, and she couldn't just die so easily. But after doing so much, she really couldn't think of any way to atone for her sins except by dying.

Perhaps she should just end it all and escape this cruel reality by dying.

Cheng Xing remained a dutiful listener, offering no opinions or questions until the girl finally choked up and shed tears, at which point he picked up a tissue from the table and handed it to her.

"A lot has indeed happened, and you have indeed committed unforgivable crimes, haven't you?"

"So you understand now, Mr. Cheng Xing? Taking in someone like me is extremely dangerous. I could lose control of the..."

Cheng Xing waved his hand, stopping Kiana from continuing. He said, "Alright, I already know how painful your past was, and how dangerous your past was. But it doesn't matter. As long as you're beautiful now, that's enough for me."

"what?"

Kiana tilted her head in confusion.

"As the saying goes, to die beneath a peony is to die romantically, even as a ghost. Now is the time when a beautiful girl like you, full of stories, is at her most vulnerable. If I can take advantage of this, it will be my only chance in this life."

"You really don't try to hide anything at all."

"Yes, that's right. The reason I'm willing to risk danger to help you is, of course, out of my male instincts and lust!"

Kiana's initial sadness and pain were somewhat alleviated by these words. She said, with a wry smile, "You're being too blunt. No one will like that."

"But it seems you can only rely on me now, Miss Kiana. So now you understand, right? I'm not helping you out of pity. I'm not a good person; I'm only helping you because I'm lusting after your body. Don't worry about harming any good people; even if something happens, it'll just be the loss of one lecherous guy."

Cheng Xing's smile was extremely lewd.

Kiana looked at his slightly lewd smile and for some reason, she also laughed. That smile reminded her of the smile she used to give Mei.

So this is how my smile looked to others?

Kiana returned to her room exhausted, without even locking the door.

It seems they were completely unprepared for this guy who claimed to be utterly audacious.

Cheng Xing turned off the TV, picked up a blanket from the side, covered himself with it, and then lay down on the sofa.

Although he spoke so openly before, Cheng Xing was actually joking more. He knew himself and knew he couldn't possibly straighten a gay girl in just a few days.

This was just an excuse to keep Kiana here.

At the same time, it's just giving myself an excuse.

Kiana lay on the bed but didn't fall asleep immediately. Instead, she focused on sensing the presence of the person outside. Before long, she realized that the person outside had fallen into a deep sleep.

She glanced at the unlocked door again, then closed her eyes.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Cohabitation

Kiana settled down there after that. During the day, Cheng Xing went to work at the company, while Kiana found a part-time job at an amusement park nearby.

She occasionally transforms into Catman, a champion of justice, to punish evil and eliminate wickedness in the city, while also resolving localized outbreaks of collapse.

Since the Queen's Descent incident, small-scale Honkai energy has been erupting in various parts of the world. Honkai is no longer a hidden truth known only to a few, but a terrifying natural disaster known to people all over the world.

Cheng Xing is always the first one to come back, because she always goes to help others or resolve the collapse at this time. Sometimes she doesn't come back even in the middle of the night.

Kiana was also very busy today. During the day at the amusement park, she helped several children find their parents and also helped others find their lost items.

At first, Kiana simply wanted to find a job so she wouldn't be eating and drinking for free at someone else's house. Later, after arriving at this amusement park, she found a temporary job.

This amusement park sees a lot of visitors every day, so incidents often occur that require the help of staff.

Kiana helped others here, and after satisfying a certain sense of atonement in her heart, she decided to continue doing this.

Then at night, go into the city to deal with the Honkai Beasts and zombies that appear there, and help the people in the streets and alleys who need help.

After all, it's impossible for such a large city to be completely free of dirt in its darkest corners.

Tonight, I dealt with three tank-class Honkai Beasts and over twenty scythe-type zombies, rescued a woman who was being robbed, and helped a girl who was being trafficked.

Kiana tried to take the key out of her pocket to open the door, but found nothing; she probably lost it in the previous battle.

Kiana sighed, then rang the doorbell. The door opened shortly afterward.

The lights in the living room and kitchen were on, and there was even a fruit cake on the dining table.

"Why are you waiting for me again? I already told you, you don't need to wait for me."

Kiana said somewhat shyly.

"It's okay, I usually go to bed late, it's only 10:30 pm now. Oh, I passed a cake shop on my way home from get off work today, and their new fruit cake looked pretty good, do you want some?"

"want!"

Kiana smiled and replied, then took off her shoes, put on slippers, and went into the room.

As soon as she entered, she went straight to the dining table, looked at the fruit cake on the table and smiled happily. Then she picked up the knife and fork that had been placed aside, forked a piece and stuffed it into her mouth.

"Mmm! It's delicious! Cheng Xing, this is the cake you bought, come and have some too!"

Cheng Xing shook her head and said with a smile, "Forget it, I don't like sweet things anyway. I bought it especially for you. How about it? Does my impression of you improve a bit?"

"Yes, although I've emphasized this many times, I'll say it again. Your place in my heart will never surpass Mei's. I already have someone I like."

Cheng Xing looked at Kiana, who was speaking with righteous indignation, nodded nonchalantly, and then said, "It's okay. I believe that the power of time is enough to heal all wounds. When the time I spend with you is ten or a hundred times longer than the time Mei spent with you, I think I will have already won."

"...You're really persistent. With that kind of willpower and methods, I'm sure you have a lot of girls who like you."

Kiana cut off a small piece of cake and put it in her mouth as she spoke, then carefully observed Cheng Xing's expression.

"No, in fact, from the time I became aware of myself until now, you are the girl I have been in the closest contact with, without exception."

Cheng Xing met his gaze without flinching, his eyes fixed on him as he said, "Don't even mention a girlfriend, I don't even have a single female friend."

"Isn't that what I am now?"

"No, you're not just a female friend, you're someone I'm pursuing."

"Here we go again. Your words are so blunt, it's really hard to win a girl's heart. You should learn to speak more tactfully. After all, most girls can't accept being so direct."

"Why should I consider others? As long as you can accept it, that's fine."

Kiana slumped onto the table like a deflated balloon, completely unable to argue with this guy.

When Kiana finished eating her cake and was about to take a shower and go to bed, Cheng Xing suddenly called out to her.

"Kiana, we've been living together for half a month now. You've been working from dawn till dusk every day for the past two weeks. I know you want to help others and alleviate your guilt, but if you keep your mind on edge like this, your body won't be able to take it."

"So take a good rest tomorrow. The world isn't at the point where it will end without you."

"But……"

Kiana wanted to refute Cheng Xing's words, but the latter immediately interrupted her.

"Kiana, you yourself said that your life was given to you by your teacher. Do you want to squander the life that someone else gave you? What you bear is not only the sins and pain, but also the most precious blessing given to you by your mentor. Even for her sake, you shouldn't be forcing yourself like this."

Kiana was speechless after Cheng Xing's words. She remained silent for a long time before finally giving in.

At six o'clock the next morning, Kiana opened her eyes. Just as she was about to get up and go out, she suddenly remembered that she had promised Cheng Xing that she would rest today.

But even if that's what you say, what am I supposed to do today since I'm taking a break?

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Kiana, I've made breakfast. I know you might be a little confused about this sudden vacation, so I took the day off too, so you can have a good rest and relax. Of course, my real purpose is to use this as an excuse to take you on a date. Would you do me the honor?"

Kiana laughed and then shouted loudly.