An hour later, Xin Yu knocked on the door again. Only after hearing a response from inside did he open the door and walk in. He saw the empty tea bowl placed on the bedside table and Kiana, whose expression seemed largely unchanged.
"Feeling better after a bowl of hot tea? Have an appetite? There are still some noodles in the pot, part of tonight's leftover dinner. I was originally planning to have them for breakfast tomorrow, but if you don't mind, you can have them as a late-night snack."
"...Thank you."
Kiana had originally wanted to ask how he had managed to dry her clothes, and why the tea he made allowed her to taste flavors.
However, Xin Yu immediately took control of the conversation, leaving her no chance to ask directly. She could only note it down for now.
While Xin Yu went to the kitchen to get the noodles, Kiana asked the Class President.
"Class President, you could sense the outside world when I was unconscious before, right? He... he shouldn't be an ordinary person, right?"
"I can't be certain either, Kiana. Although I currently reside within your body in a spiritual form, most of my power is used to suppress the Herrscher of the Void, making my perception of the outside world very weak. I can't determine this young man's exact situation either."
"However, I can at least sense that he currently bears no ill will. For now, it seems just as he said – he was drawn by your beauty, Kiana, and that's why he helped you."
"Is that so... But I'm really not in the mood for that right now."
"Kiana, the Honkai phenomena we discovered in Tianqiong City these past few days indeed don't seem to have occurred naturally. There are likely traces of artificial manipulation. If you want to investigate the conspiracy behind this, you will indeed need help from locals. This young man certainly has some extraordinary aspects; perhaps he might know some inside information."
"Whether to involve him or not is up to you to decide, Kiana."
Kiana didn't answer immediately.
Soon after, Xin Yu came over carrying the bowl of noodles. He also brought a small table that could be placed over the bed.
"My cooking skills are average, so there's nothing to be done even if it doesn't taste good."
Xin Yu set up the table and placed the bowl of noodles on it.
Kiana had actually already prepared excuses for potential questions – why she had collapsed in the rainy night, and a series of other possible inquiries. Yet, he didn't ask anything at all?
"Don't you have anything you want to ask?"
Seeing Xin Yu put down the noodles and prepare to leave, Kiana couldn't help but ask.
"If I asked, would you tell me the truth?"
"...No."
"Then isn't that settled? Rather than having you rack your brains to concoct a flawless lie to hide the truth, it's better not to ask at all. It saves both of us some effort."
"...Aren't you afraid I might bring some kind of trouble?"
"What trouble could there be? Even if someone is chasing you from behind, worst case scenario, I'll just stand aside and declare this has nothing to do with me, that I was coerced by you. Wouldn't that work?"
After saying this, Xin Yu pointed towards the side of the bed. Only then did Kiana notice that her two guns were placed beside her bed.
"Those words of yours won't earn you any favorability points."
"Is that so? Well, nothing can be done about that."
Kiana watched Xin Yu leave directly. She really couldn't figure out why he was helping her. Was it truly just because he wanted her favor, purely because of her beauty? But he acted completely indifferent.
Moreover, when she was soaked through, he could have openly used the opportunity to change her clothes, even give her a bath, or do something more excessive. But he did none of that. The Class President had also told her that although her perception of the outside was vague then, she could confirm that the young man hadn't even taken off Kiana's clothes.
Kiana picked up the chopsticks on the table. She was indeed a bit hungry.
She picked up some vegetables from the noodles and put them in her mouth. Kiana's lips trembled slightly. Yes, it was flavor. She could really taste it.
Due to the excessive erosion from the Honkai energy in her body, she had truly lost her sense of taste. But now, after drinking that bowl of hot tea where she could taste sweetness, she could actually taste flavors again.
It was truly... incredible.
...
After the meal, Kiana lay flat on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling above. Although it was already early morning, she just couldn't fall asleep, perhaps because she had been unconscious for a while before. Now, Kiana didn't feel the slightest bit sleepy.
And it's always in the dead of night that people can't help but let their minds wander, can't help but become sentimental, recalling many things from the past.
Those beautiful past moments, those sorrowful pasts, that inseparable yesterday.
Scene after scene from the past flashed rapidly before Kiana's eyes like a movie reel. Whenever that fiery red figure appeared in her past memories, another wave of sorrow washed over Kiana's heart.
She... no longer had the face to go back and see everyone, nor the qualification to return to her past life.
Perhaps the most fitting end for her was to die in battle against the Honkai.
Xin Yu, lying in the other room, could already guess that Kiana probably wasn't asleep yet. After all, she had been unconscious for a period, and her past memories had been awakened by his cup of hot tea. He figured she was probably feeling a bit emo right now.
"This calls for a lullaby. Hmm, I feel like I've used this method to put many people to sleep before... In the future, if everything ends and I'm still alive, maybe I could professionally record some songs to help insomniacs?"
Xin Yu thought to himself, then began to hum softly.
As the familiar melody of "Insects Fly" sounded once again, the gentle singing voice reached her ears. Kiana suddenly felt her entire being relax more and more, as if returning to a mother's embrace. Even though she had never experienced that feeling, that warmth, that extreme relaxation and sense of security, truly felt like a mother's embrace.
This feeling was truly captivating.
As Kiana drifted into a long sleep, Fu Hua, who was suppressing the Herrscher of the Void's consciousness, was shocked to discover that the highly aggressive and offensive consciousness of the Herrscher of the Void had, at this moment, also abandoned all attacks due to the song and fallen into a peaceful sleep.
She listened carefully to the singing coming from outside, a trace of reminiscence appearing even in her eyes.
She... seemed to recall the past, that extremely distant past.
It felt like when she was very young, held in her mother's arms, being lulled to sleep by the gentle singing of a long-forgotten lullaby.
Even though Fu Hua could easily break free from this feeling, the warmth, like being enveloped in a mother's embrace, rendered any attempt to struggle or resist futile.
Within one body, all three consciousnesses fell into slumber.