While C.C. was flipping through the chat group manual, Nagami had already finished lunch.
The three of them were now lying side by side under the shade of a tree.
To prevent another clash between Kiana and Nagami, Mei had decisively wedged herself between the two like a human buffer.
"Nagami-san, who do you think framed my father?"
Mei, unfazed by the white-haired girl clinging to her arm and snuggling up to her, turned slightly to glance at Nagami, who had his eyes closed beside her.
His jet-black hair shimmered softly in the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves, swaying slightly with the breeze.
The skin of his neck was smooth like porcelain, and the sunlight lit up his handsome features with a gentle glow.
For a moment, Mei found herself a little mesmerized.
She didn't expect Nagami's eyes to snap open the second she finished her question.
He looked at her.
Instinctively flustered, Mei averted her gaze but then, thinking her reaction might seem too abrupt and suspicious, she forced herself to look back at him.
Nagami, puzzled, looked at her shifting eyes and the faint blush on her pale, delicate face.
What's going on with her?
Still, since most of his attention was focused on C.C. through their mental link, he didn't give it much thought.
Normally, he'd have easily picked up on the oddity in her expression.
"I've already started investigating," Nagami said calmly. "I've got a few leads. Believe me, it won't be long before I find the one responsible for framing your father."
And when the time comes, 'I'll use that as an excuse for us to leave Nagazora City... and stop the Honkai eruption.'
He left that last part unspoken, but smiled confidently at Mei, his expression warm and bright.
"Trust me. Everything's going to be fine."
"Mm~" Mei nodded vigorously, staring a little dazedly at the boy's clean-cut, handsome face, that dazzling smile brighter than the sun itself.
"I really don't know how to thank you, Nagami-san…"
Before she could finish, she felt a warm touch on her head.
Nagami had raised his hand to gently pat her head, careful not to mess up her smooth, silky hair.
"We're friends, right? No need to be so formal," he said with a friendly smile.
His fingers slid gently through her hair, the softness lingering between them. Nagami's face wore a calm, approachable expression.
He might joke about wanting "all of them," but truthfully, Nagami wasn't that different from the Honkai-verse's Kiana in that sense.
"Mm~" Mei smiled softly, her gaze warm as water as she looked at the boy beside her.
Her voice was gentle, melting like a warm breeze through the heart.
Nagami's kindness came not in her darkest hour, but before the storm even hit.
That kind of support wasn't something you could measure—his help had already gone far beyond what most would offer.
Suddenly, Nagami felt a piercing gaze from the other side.
His body tensed slightly.
Turning his head, he found himself facing a furious Kiana, teeth clenched in silent outrage.
'You jerk! You're not just bullying me, now you're trying to steal my Mei?! Have you no shame?!'
Nagami could read all of that in her eyes—those same "brilliant with wisdom" eyes reminiscent of a certain Aqua.
He raised an eyebrow and met her glare head-on, a teasing smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.
'You spend all your time at school glued to Mei, and when you're not there, you're stuck to C.C. back home. You really think you're in a position to judge me?'
Kiana's jaw tightened even more.
She didn't know why, but the closer she got to C.C., the more in sync she felt with this infuriating boy.
It was maddening.
She used to think Nagami was a decent guy.
But the more time she spent with him, the more she realized his cool and serious first impression was just his "public face."
The real him? Totally infuriating.
Sure, he was generous during games, shared food with her, and had a pretty chill bro attitude… but the moment he made a move on Mei?
Kiana Instantly labelled him: BAD GUY.
Maybe not irredeemably bad… but still bad.
As she stared at his smug grin, an emotion she couldn't quite put her finger on bubbled up inside her.
Something hot and unfamiliar.
But Kiana—being Kiana—wasn't about to admit defeat.
With a huff, she hugged Mei tightly from the side and shot Nagami a provocative look.
'I don't care. Mei is mine!'
Completely oblivious to the silent, intense "conversation" happening over her head, Mei simply basked in the gentle breeze, enjoying her peaceful afternoon with her two "close" friends.
--------------
As the sun dipped below the horizon and school was finally over for the day, the trio returned home.
"We're back!" Kiana called out the moment she opened the door.
What greeted her was the sight of C.C., curled up like a lazy cat on the sofa.
Dressed in a light, casual outfit, the girl's stunning figure was impossible to ignore—long, pale legs pressed together, slender arms wrapped around her knees, accentuating the elegant lines of her body.
Her porcelain-white face had a soft, almost translucent glow under the setting sun, and her long green hair flowed down like a waterfall catching the last golden light.
It would've been a picture of ethereal beauty… if not for the overwhelming aura of salted fish* laziness radiating from her whole being.
(*T/N: "Salted fish" = slang for someone totally lazy or unmotivated)
"C.C.!" Kiana rushed over and crouched beside her, concern etched on her face. "Are you okay? What's wrong? You look totally out of it. Are you sick?"
Worried, Kiana leaned closer and pressed her smooth, round forehead to C.C.'s. "No fever…"
"I'm fine, Kiana. Just used up a lot of mental energy thinking earlier," C.C. replied.
With Kiana so close, C.C. could smell her faint floral scent, feel her warm breath against her skin, and—wait, was that her cheek?
And what was this soft pressure on her chest…?!
Naturally, our ever-pure Miss C.C. immediately pushed Kiana away, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
"Heh, as long as you're okay…" Kiana sighed in relief, turning her head to glance smugly at Nagami standing behind her.
She raised an elegant brow and gave him a triumphant smile—before snuggling right up against C.C.'s shoulder and nuzzling her affectionately.
Nagami eyebrow twitch, staring wide-eyed.
'What… what is she doing? Is this revenge for what happened earlier with Mei?'
"Hehe~"
Letting out a low chuckle full of mockery, Nagami didn't take the bait.
He walked over, plopped down beside C.C., picked up a game controller, and seamlessly continued her save file.
Snuggle all you want. If I even twitch, I lose.
Kiana, seeing him act all nonchalant and even use gaming to distract himself, was convinced: 'He's totally jealous!'
A smug grin lit up her delicate features.
Puffed up with mysterious pride, Kiana stuck out her tongue and made a silly face at Nagami's back.
C.C., who caught the childish act out of the corner of her eye, let out a helpless sigh.
'This one's a total loss on both fronts… Lost the game and the girl.'
"Let's just order takeout tonight," C.C. said, finally sitting up and stretching her stiff limbs.
She grabbed her phone from the sofa, opened the food delivery app, and began scrolling like a pro.
While having two bodies gave a massive boost to her mental capacity, even she wasn't immune to exhaustion after processing such a huge volume of data.
It was the kind of high-density information that would normally require fully-activated Alpha Stigma focus to decipher.
This was the first time since her split-body experiment that C.C. actually felt mentally worn out.
Naturally, cooking was off the table.
Still, it had been worth it.
She'd gained valuable knowledge about countless universes and timelines.
Broadening her perspective would pay dividends in the long run.
…Choosing takeout, however, remained a daily struggle.
After a few minutes of indecision, she tossed her phone to Kiana.
"Dinner's on me tonight. Pick whatever you like."
With that, the green-haired girl flopped back onto the couch like a lazy cat once more, silently regretting not asking Mei to prep a bento for dinner too.
'The Herrscher of Rice really is in a league of her own when it comes to cooking…'