Honkai Impact 3rd experience, starting with a thousand Herrschers

Chapter 90: Oblivion 2.0

That evening, Cheng Xing was pondering whether to cheat at Honkai Impact 2 for the next simulation when his phone rang. He answered it and saw that it was Bronya calling.

“Cheng Xing, people from the Destiny Headquarters came to the school this afternoon. The woman acted very strangely as soon as she arrived, and it seems she wanted to get information about you from Kiana.”

"What's that person's name?"

“Rita Losweiser, according to her own account, is an ordinary maid who came here on the orders of the bishop to come and see Principal Theresa.”

Let's go back in time...

"Mei!"

As soon as get out of class ended, Kiana, who had been dazed during class, suddenly perked up. She excitedly hugged the purple-haired beauty next to her and said happily, "I got 61 points on this test! As expected, there's nothing I can't do if I want to!"

"Kiana! If it weren't for Himeko-sensei giving you extra lessons before the exam, do you think you could have gotten such a good score? You should thank Himeko-sensei."

Raiden Mei was also somewhat helpless about her paramecium. When they first met, its intelligence was within the normal range, so why has it become so... lively and cute now?

"Ah, I know, but there's no class with Himeko-sensei today. I think if I go there now, I'll definitely find her drunk. Let's wait until tomorrow."

Just as the two were leaving the classroom chatting and laughing, they suddenly saw a very charming woman dressed as a maid standing in the corridor, smiling at them.

"Hello, Ms. Kiana and Ms. Raiden Mei. I am Rita Rossweisse, and I came from the Schicksal headquarters. It's a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to working with you in the future."

Both of them were a little confused for a moment. Mei asked with some doubt, "Um, Miss Rita, is this outfit because of your personal preference?"

"Yes, my personal hobby is being a maid. I came to St. Freya Academy this time on the behalf of His Holiness the Bishop, to take special care of Lady Theresa. His Holiness the Bishop heard that Lady Theresa seemed to have encountered some obstacles in a previous operation, so he specially sent me to see if there was anything I could do to help."

[Although my real intention was to investigate the person who had contact with Cheng Xing, and a Far Eastern woman with pink fox ears who had suddenly appeared.]

Rita thought to herself, though she didn't know why the bishop's expression seemed a little stiff when he assigned her this task just before departure.

But as the perfect maid, I will definitely do my best to complete the task.

"Wow! Is Aunt Flo crying and calling her parents because she embarrassed herself?"

Kiana also knew that Theresa had been humiliated in Changkong City and then brought back a beautiful woman with cherry blossom hair. She couldn't help but maliciously speculate that perhaps it was because her aunt had cried and begged her grandfather the night she returned.

"Oh, when St. Freya Academy submitted its incident report on Changkong City, I noticed that in the incident records, there seemed to be a male named Cheng Xing who also survived the Honkai ravages... As far as I know, it is very rare for a male to have Honkai energy resistance. Is he in this school?"

Raiden Mei's feelings towards Cheng Xing were somewhat complicated. First, she was afraid, and second, she felt a strange sense of gratitude, since it was he who helped her get out of that state.

Raiden Mei wasn't sure how to judge that guy, so she looked at Kiana beside her and decided to let her speak. Kiana scratched her head in confusion, then looked at Mei and asked, "Mei, how come I didn't know that we met a man named Cheng Xing in Changkong City? I remember there were only three of us!"

"You, me, and Bronya, I didn't see any men at all. If I had, I definitely wouldn't have forgotten it. After all, it's not easy to forget when a man suddenly appears in our group of beautiful girls. But I really don't remember anything about it."

Raiden Mei stared at Kiana in utter shock. Just before, Kiana had completely trusted that monstrous man! Why did she have absolutely no recollection of him now?!

What on earth is going on?!

Rita was also somewhat surprised, but she didn't show it on her face. Instead, she quietly watched the two of them. She had a premonition that she could get very important information as long as she didn't say anything.

"Kiana! Have you forgotten? That's the person who brought you to me! And that person even saved us! You trusted him completely back then, why have you forgotten?"

"Oh! How could I possibly trust a stranger?"

Kiana's expression became even more puzzled.

"Mei, there's no way I could trust a strange man. Besides, I know the way back to Chiba Academy, so why would I need someone to lead the way?!"

"That's not true! You clearly said he was your friend back then!"

"Mei! I can't possibly have a male friend! How could I possibly be friends with a jerk like that! You're the most important person to me!"

Raiden Mei's lips trembled slightly as she looked at her friend beside her in disbelief. Why? Why did Kiana have no memory of what happened back then?

Bronya, sitting at the corner of the corridor, listened quietly to their conversation and recorded all the lines without any expression.

"Mei, you have to believe me!"

Kiana also seemed a little anxious.

"If I really met such a person, I could never forget them; there must have been some misunderstanding or mistake in the process."

"...I...I don't know."

Raiden Mei was speechless at this moment. She didn't know why, but when she learned that Kiana had so easily forgotten someone she once considered a very important friend, she inexplicably recalled her own past.

"If I had abandoned him back then, that guy would have been so pitiful."

Kiana had told herself this before.

"I'm just a monster."

Cheng Xing's voice seemed to echo in my ears.

The voice sounded incredibly lonely, as if there was no place for it in the world, as if no one in the world could accept it.

How similar! How similar to my former self!

Raiden Mei was somewhat confused.

"Cheng Xing, so pitiful."

"Achoo!"

Cheng Xing sneezed, touched his nose, and wondered if someone was talking about him. He then stopped paying attention and continued to look at the braised pork in the pot, which was already caramelized, drooling.

"As expected, my skills in the simulation are much better than my real-life skills. Oh my, this caramel color looks so tempting!"

Chapter 91: The Taste of Home

The braised pork belly was ready. It looked reddish, glistening, and trembling. Cheng Xing knew that it should be eaten while it was hot, so he couldn't resist the temptation of the aroma. He picked up his chopsticks and took a bite. The first bite touched the skin, and he gently cut it vertically with his teeth. The next layer was fat, which was absolutely fatty but not greasy. The next layer was lean meat, which melted in his mouth. Then there was another layer of fat, followed by another layer of lean meat. The layers were distinct, yet there were no sharp edges.

Braised pork is a common home-cooked dish that every household makes. The methods for making it vary from place to place and even from family to family, so it is the dish that best reflects the taste of home.

The braised pork belly has a distinctive "rich, dark sauce" appearance.

If you add potatoes to braised pork, the potatoes will absorb some of the broth, resulting in a rich flavor that's perfect with rice.

Cheng Xing placed a piece of potato that had been cooked along with the braised pork into his bowl. He watched as the sauce gradually seeped into the fragrant white rice, and then took a bite. The sensation of the sauce and rice grains highlighting each other made him want to immerse himself in the aroma of the meat.

When Cheng Xing came to his senses and was about to continue enjoying his braised pork, he suddenly noticed that there seemed to be two or three pieces of potato missing from the plate, as well as a large plate of braised pork!

"Holy crap! Who dares to steal food from a crow's mouth?!"

Cheng Xing immediately became angry and almost picked up his sickle to find the thief and kill him with one blow. But then he saw Kiana coming out of the kitchen with a bowl of rice and quietly sitting down in her seat.

"Is this what eating feels like? Hmm, the food is really delicious and very satisfying. Thank you."

She nodded politely to Cheng Xing, then continued eating the braised pork.

Cheng Xing coughed a few times, looking slightly embarrassed, then sat back down. He decisively admitted defeat and reached for the shredded potatoes on the side with his chopsticks.

As she ate the dishes on the table and enjoyed the full bowl of rice, a sweet feeling inexplicably arose in her heart. Moreover, having someone by her side to eat with her brought a sense of psychological satisfaction.

She closed her eyes, using her abilities to analyze the various tactile sensations of the food and to feel the memories it contained. Then she opened her eyes, looked at Cheng Xing who was silently eating, and said, "You miss home, don't you?"

"……Yes."

Cheng Xing knew that lying would be pointless in front of this being, especially since she knew all his memories and personality, so there was no way to fool her.

She nodded, then picked up the scarf that was placed aside, tied it around her neck, and went into the kitchen.

"As a reward for this meal, I will cook you something that tastes like home."

"Oh no..."

Cheng Xing wanted to stop her from going into the kitchen. For some reason, he felt that the food would taste terrible since she looked like Kiana.

After waiting anxiously for quite some time, Cheng Xing secretly resolved that if the food was really bad, he wouldn't force himself to eat it like those overly docile male protagonists; he would definitely point out the mistake.

He would never lie to his own taste buds! If it tastes bad, it tastes bad. Back in the day, when his mother's cooking was the worst, he would point it out in detail! Then he would get a good scolding from his parents.

Then, Kiana returned with the exact same dishes as the ones on the table before and gestured for Cheng Xing to eat.

Cheng Xing picked up a piece of braised pork that looked exactly like the one he made, hesitated for a moment, and then put it in his mouth.

It smells so good! This is the familiar taste of braised pork from my memory, the taste of my family, the taste of what my family used to make for me! It's the taste my mother made to comfort me after my father scolded me; it's the taste my mother made to celebrate me getting a good job after get off work; it's the taste my mother made to encourage me when I faced setbacks in my studies…

A drop of clear liquid slowly slid down from the corner of her eye.

For some reason, Cheng Xing felt a lump in his throat. Counting the time in the simulation, it seemed like many years had passed since he left home. Even though he knew that the time difference between the two sides was huge, it still felt like a long time had passed in his own time.

It's been so long... and now I'm here. My memories of them are starting to fade.

"Mom...I miss you."

As Cheng Xing felt that incredibly familiar scent, he finally couldn't bear the stinging sensation in his nose any longer, and tears were about to stream down his face. However, he quickly wiped them away, smiled, and said, "Thank you."

Kiana didn't say much, but quietly walked over, took out a white handkerchief from somewhere and wiped away the tears that had seeped out, then buried Cheng Xing's head in her arms and said, "Cry, lost wanderer, let your longing for your hometown and your thoughts of your loved ones turn into tears and cry them out."

"........."

"It's better to let emotions out, isn't it?"

"........."

"Star, Mommy loves you too."

The voice was familiar; it was her mother's voice, a voice she would never forget in her entire life…

"Cheng Xing, it's enough for Dad to know you're doing well."

That was his father's voice.

Cheng Xing finally couldn't hold back her tears and burst into tears.

"Cry, cry."

Her face was kind, like a mother comforting her child, stroking his back.

Cheng Xing fell asleep.

She removed Cheng Xing's clothes, carried him to the bed, covered him with a blanket, and then went to the balcony alone to look at the full moon in the sky, muttering to herself, "Is this the love a mother has for her child that I remember? I understand the longing for family. Human emotions were meaningless to me before I experienced them, but after experiencing them firsthand, I can feel their charm."

"...Humans are truly complex and colorful creatures."

Her pristine white dress now features patterns of other colors, and a slight smile appears on her face as she looks at the splashes of color.

The moonlight shone on that exquisite face, like the finishing touch, adding the final strokes and embellishments to the picture of a beautiful woman's smile. It was neither as colorful as an oil painting, nor as pure as an ink painting.

Instead, it is a colored ink painting, which uses ink painting as its base and has the freehand style of ink painting. Colors are applied and dots are added on top of it. The painting is richer, brighter and more vivid in color than ink painting, just like a vivid world in one's consciousness.