Nightfall arrived early, with the sun already set, causing the temperature to drop quickly. Both Jiuxiao and Kiana returned to the cabin quite early.
Dinner was simple and unpretentious—just eating Honkai beasts. Since they had taken down two today, each had one to themselves, avoiding the awkwardness of sharing a beast like they did at noon.
This afternoon's battle with the Honkai beasts made Jiuxiao realize that he needed to start learning how to fight. He began seeking Kiana's guidance. The result was an entire afternoon of being beaten, which made Jiuxiao clearly aware that he was still a novice.
Possessing strength without the skill to use it, he couldn't land a single hit on Kiana during their sparring. Every time he attacked, she would dodge and counter with three strikes. Although both held back, being continuously hit was still quite painful.
The small wooden cabin, where Kiana and Siegfried had lived for many years, had most of its equipment powered by Honkai energy, driven by Siegfried. With his disappearance, two-thirds of the devices in the cabin ceased to function.
For instance, the oil lamp—why was it lit using Heavenly Fire? Damn it.
On the sofa, Jiuxiao and Kiana sat facing each other, staring at one another. In the pitch-black room, the moonlight illuminated them, casting a unique glow through their respective red and ice-blue pupils, making them appear exceptionally cute as they blinked.
Jiuxiao, not one to be shy, continued gazing at Kiana. She was truly adorable; no matter how much he looked, it never felt enough.
Kiana, unsure why Jiuxiao was staring at her, decided to return the gaze, thinking, "If he's looking at me, I should look back at him."
Eventually, Kiana couldn't hold out any longer; she felt a bit cold.
"I'm going back to my room. It's warmer under the covers."
With that, Kiana stood up and returned to her room, leaving Jiuxiao with a clear view of her back.
Jiuxiao thought for a moment and then entered Kiana's room. After all, the wooden cabin had only two rooms: one was Kiana's bedroom, and the other was a storage room filled with various items. He wasn't sure where Siegfried slept.
Siegfried: "Thank you for remembering me; I sleep on the sofa with Heavenly Fire, so it's not cold."
"Pervert, what are you doing here?"
"I'm going to sleep. There's no bed anywhere else. Besides, didn't we sleep together yesterday?"
Jiuxiao intended to climb into bed, but Kiana had already curled herself up in the blanket, not allowing him to join.
"That was an accident yesterday! You're not a girl; how can you sleep with me? Go sleep on the sofa; that's where my dad used to sleep."
After lying on the side for a while, Jiuxiao said, "From what you've said before, your dad must have that Heavenly Fire, so he wasn't afraid of the cold and could sleep on the sofa. If I sleep on the sofa, I'd probably freeze to death just like when we first met. Hehe, so let go of the blanket and let me in."
"But my dad said I've grown up and can't sleep with men, and I shouldn't let men touch me casually. He told me to stay far away from perverts. You, you pervert, my dad's rules, you've broken them all! I haven't beaten you yet; consider yourself lucky."
"Your dad's right. If any man tries to touch you inappropriately, I'll take care of him first. As for sleeping outside, I really might freeze to death. Can you bear to let your little knight perish? Don't worry, I'm a gentleman; I won't do anything improper."
Jiuxiao spoke righteously while gently pulling at the blanket on Kiana. Feeling her loosen her grip, he pulled half the blanket over and climbed inside.
"Pervert, just this once."
"Yes, yes."
After a while.
"Pervert, what is your hand doing?" Kiana said angrily, slapping away the hand that had been resting on her waist, but Jiuxiao appeared to be sound asleep with his eyes closed.
"Hmph, since I see you're asleep, I'll let it slide this time."
A moment later, Jiuxiao secretly opened one eye to observe, and after confirming that Kiana was truly asleep, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Hehe, my plan to cuddle with my wife has failed."
A while later, Kiana turned over and slapped Jiuxiao's face with her hand.
Jiuxiao.exe stopped functioning.
Kiana's Past
Kiana woke up and the first thing she saw was Siegfried shattering the glass in front of her, lifting her out of the nutrient solution, and then bringing her here.
Kiana was a person who lacked a sense of security. As a child with no memories, she was confused by the world around her, and everything seemed new. Perhaps it's a natural instinct for young birds to see the first person they meet as their closest one, and Kiana was no different. She regarded Siegfried as the most important person in her life. However, Siegfried spent his days drinking, drinking, hunting Honkai beasts, returning home covered in wounds, and drinking some more.
Siegfried treated Kiana well, giving her anything she wanted. But Kiana was always unhappy because if she didn't speak up first, Siegfried wouldn't talk to her. He had never smiled at her or celebrated her birthday. Every birthday, Siegfried would only get drunk, shouting both Kiana's and Cecilia's names over and over.
Many times, when Siegfried was drunk, he would lie on the floor, and Kiana would silently cover him with a blanket, curling up next to him. Being next to Siegfried made Kiana feel safe, but every time she woke up, she would find herself still on the floor, while Siegfried was already gone.
She was a well-behaved child, unsure of what she had done wrong to make Siegfried so indifferent to her. But she still took care of him every day.
What an irresponsible old man, but Kiana also knew that this Siegfried was the great hero who protected the world. Even after leaving the organization, he remained alone, continuing to use his strength to fight the Honkai.
Until one day, Kiana was bandaging Siegfried's wounds. Looking at the increasing number of injuries on Siegfried's body, Kiana asked him with concern.
"Why, after all this, do you still protect the people?"
Siegfried smiled and paused for a moment before proudly saying,
"Maybe it's because when I see people hurt by the Honkai, the blood of the Kaslana family inside me begins to boil."
That was the first time Kiana had seen Siegfried smile, and the first time she understood the meaning of the Kaslana name. Siegfried's words were deeply engraved in Kiana's mind, and at that moment, she made up her mind. She too would become a warrior of the Kaslana family—someone willing to protect others at any cost.
Kiana asked Siegfried to teach her the art of combat, and Siegfried began to teach her the Kaslana gun-fighting techniques. However, Siegfried was only half-skilled himself and could only teach Kiana a half-baked version of the technique. Both father and daughter would shout about gun-fighting techniques, but most of the time, they relied on their battle instincts to fight.