Honkai: Strijder (Honkai Impact 3 Male MC)

Just as Sigurd planned, resolving various matters in the Far East region took him three days.

During this time, Kiana remained unusually well-behaved. Other than sticking to Sigurd whenever he was free, her usual clingy antics seemed to have lessened—perhaps due to her anticipation of their trip to Mond Town, mixed with a shy sense of excitement.

Raiden Mei temporarily replaced Bronya as Sigurd's assistant. This was part of her treatment to overcome her deep-seated fear of Sigurd. Whether it was effective or not remained unclear, but by the end of each workday, her pace of "escaping" was visibly improving.

Bronya, meanwhile, focused more on looking after Seele and had stopped strictly restricting Sin Mal.

After all, Sin Mal's patience had its limits. If Bronya kept holding her back for several days, her longing would accumulate to the point where it might be impossible to restrain her once Sigurd and Kiana left. By allowing Sin Mal to "absorb" enough of Sigurd's presence now, Bronya could ensure that Sin Mal's dependency would be manageable when the time came and keep her from disrupting Sigurd and Kiana's time together.

In short, Bronya was genuinely brilliant, in every sense of the word.

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Three days later, at the break of dawn, Sigurd and Kiana left the base and boarded a prepared yacht.

"Woohoo! We're off! Hahaha!"

Kiana's voice was full of vitality, radiating carefree joy. Yet, there was an unmistakable trace of silliness in her tone.

She looked stunning—a youthful figure in a white string bikini, her flawless, snow-white skin glowing under the sunlight, and her silver hair dancing gracefully in the wind—a picture of elegance and beauty. Unfortunately… She was as smart as that of a tuna.

Sigurd set the table with breakfast, pulled out a chair, and glanced at her silhouette against the rising sun, sighing inwardly. Everything about her was wonderful—except for the fact that she was as smart as that of a tuna.

"Breakfast is ready."

"Coming, coming!"

Kiana turned around, her back to the morning sunlight. Her perfect figure momentarily made Sigurd's heart skip a beat. But then, as she broke into her goofy grin and trotted over cheerfully, the illusion shattered.

"Nom nom~~"

"This is delicious!ヾ(❀╹◡╹)ﾉ!"

Holding a piece of toasted bread, Kiana chomped down on it as she sat.

Sigurd shook his head, sighed, and reached out to brush a few strands of her hair behind her ear. In the process, he pinched her soft, pink ear lightly.

The affectionate gesture, combined with the doting smile in Sigurd's eyes, made Kiana's cheeks flush.

"W-What are you doing?"

"You're cute."

Sigurd was rarely one to lie; he said what he thought with straightforward honesty. Kiana's silliness didn't diminish her cuteness in the least.

And it was precisely because of his honesty that his words carried so much weight.

Kiana scratched her cheek, fidgeting shyly before breaking into a silly grin.

"Eh heh heh~~"

"Shame you're such a dummy."

"Hey!"

Kiana pouted and playfully smacked Sigurd's hand. While munching on her breakfast, she muttered under her breath:

"Dummy? Where? I've learned so much already! I'd totally ace any test if I went back to school…"

"Learning a lot but not applying it is no different from not learning at all. You need to put that smart brain of yours to use," Sigurd said, tapping her forehead with a sigh, his tone filled with gentle exasperation.

Kiana puffed out her cheeks, her soft face becoming round and irresistibly adorable. She thought she looked intimidating, but to Sigurd, it only made him want to poke her cheeks and watch her amusingly annoyed reactions.

With no one else around, Sigurd did just that.

"Pfft!"

Unable to hold back, Kiana burst out laughing.

"Hahaha!"

Her bright laughter, free from the shadows of her past, was like the sun slowly rising on the horizon—full of hope and vitality.

This wasn't the reaction Sigurd had expected, but it made him smile nonetheless.

There was nothing wrong with laughter. If possible, he hoped Kiana could laugh like this every day. All his efforts, stripped of any extraneous reasons, ultimately came down to one simple hope: her happiness.

It only took Kiana about ten minutes to devour all the food Sigurd had carefully prepared. Satisfied, she patted her slightly rounded belly and flashed a silly smile.

"Burp!"

"Drink some water, take a deep breath."

Sigurd handed her a glass of water and guided her on how to ease her hiccups.

Kiana gulped down the water, then held the glass with a sheepish look in her bright eyes.

"Uh, I think I ate too fast… didn't leave much for you, Sig."

"I don't rely on food for energy anymore, so it doesn't matter. As long as you're full, that's enough."

"That's good then… But why did we leave so early? We didn't even say goodbye to everyone!"

"To avoid Sin Mal or Rozaliya following us. Besides, it's a rare trip—don't you want to start early?"

While clearing the dishes, Sigurd responded in a calm tone.

Kiana nodded in agreement.

"You're right! If those guys found out… Especially Sin Mal, she wouldn't be easy to handle! Good thing we left early. Sig, you're so smart!"

She patted her chest in relief.

The white ripples of motion momentarily caught Sigurd's eye, prompting him to glance sideways. Quickly, he averted his gaze, pretending not to notice.

But with the two of them so close, and Kiana's attention entirely on him, there was no way she missed it.

Kiana gave Sigurd a sidelong glance, a playful smile gracing her lips as she puffed out her chest proudly.

"Like what you see? It's all yours! Feel free to touch it anytime you want!"

Thwack!

Abandoning his cleanup efforts, Sigurd summoned a few worker drones to take care of the table. He followed up with a not-too-light, not-too-heavy chop to Kiana's head.

Kiana stuck out her tongue mischievously, then boldly wrapped herself around Sigurd's arm, pressing herself close enough for him to feel everything. With a cheeky grin, she declared,

"We're already at this stage in our relationship, so stop being so reserved!"

"…Do you know what it means to play with fire and get burned?" Sigurd asked dryly.

"Heh! There's nothing on this lady's body that's worth being ashamed of!"

"Stop quoting lines from games, especially when they don't even fit the context."

Rubbing Kiana's head affectionately, Sigurd couldn't maintain his usual stoic demeanor.

The sapphire depths of his eyes softened, radiating warmth.

Kiana felt like she was floating, as if her whole being—body and soul—was soaking in a hot spring. Every worry and sadness seemed to vanish, leaving only bliss.

At this moment, her gaze and heart were entirely devoted to Sigurd, the person who made her world infinitely brighter.

"The yacht isn't traveling very fast, so we still have a few days of this trip, right? What's next on the agenda, Sig?"

Her voice was soft, and the affection in her gaze had lost some of its usual playful silliness, replaced with genuine tenderness.

Sigurd's heart skipped a beat.

Without a word, he tapped a spot on the table, activating a virtual control platform.

"The yacht's features are quite comprehensive... How about a swim? It has a pool function."

"Yes!"

Sigurd toggled an option.

The deck began to shift and expand outward to the sides and front, transforming into a large, transparent pool. The pool connected to the ocean, drawing in purified, crystal-clear seawater.

Already dressed in her white bikini, Kiana cheered before diving in without hesitation.

Her long, shapely legs and graceful figure moved fluidly as she swam, her alabaster limbs cutting through the water. She looked like an enchanting mermaid, blissfully unaware of her own allure.

Sitting at the edge of the pool, Sigurd watched her with a smile. He no longer noticed the beauty of the ocean or the rising sun—his eyes were fixed solely on Kiana.

Time felt beautiful, just like Kiana.

That was all Sigurd could think of in that moment.

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