With Kiana Around, It's Like Having the Strength of a Hundred People / Lunchtime with Baige, Kiana, and Raiden Mei

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With Kiana around, it was like having the strength of a hundred people (Please bookmark)

After learning that Mei had a boyfriend named Bai Ge, the grass slipper looked extremely disappointed.

However, the naturally lively white-haired girl quickly perked up again.

Kiana stood before Bai Ge with her hands on her hips, eyeing him critically as she spoke.

"I never thought Mei already had a boyfriend. Sigh~ Fine, then. But you're Bai Ge, right? Since you're Mei's boyfriend, why didn't you protect her properly?"

Letting his girlfriend suffer campus bullying—Kiana felt he was failing as a boyfriend.

"Kiana, it's not like that. Bai Ge has been protecting me. It's just that we, um..."

Mei wanted to explain to Kiana that she and Bai Ge were only pretending to be a couple, and that she had actually already received much help and comfort from him.

But she had no idea how to put it into words. After all, their fake relationship was supposed to be a secret.

Although Mei was deeply grateful to Kiana for stepping up to help her today, Bai Ge still had an overwhelming lead in her favorability.

This girl, who had suffered betrayal, had yet to fully trust anyone other than Bai Ge.

(Bai Ge: "Buggy, you came too late. Mei is already mine~")

Bai Ge really had gotten there first. According to the original plot, after the despairing Raiden Mei was saved by Kiana, her affection for the grass slipper soared so wildly that even her orientation got bent out of shape.

But now, Bai Ge had become the person she trusted most. Mei herself was a devotedly loyal good girl, and with the environment of campus bullying on top of everything else...

All those factors combined made Mei drastically more guarded around everyone except Bai Ge. Not even the grass slipper was an exception.

Though she hesitated, unsure how to explain herself...

Bai Ge spoke frankly and decisively.

"Alright, alright. Mei and I are actually only pretending to be a couple. Unfortunately, I transferred here too late. Mei had it even worse back then than she does now. But to protect her as much as possible, we became what we are now."

"Huh? I-Is that so?" Kiana blinked blankly and tilted her head.

"Yep, that's exactly how it is." Bai Ge nodded firmly with one hand on his hip.

"Uh, alright then. Looks like I misunderstood. So you're a good person, Bai Ge. From now on, I'll protect Mei too! Heh heh, with me around, nobody will dare come looking for trouble again."

"That'd be great. With Kiana around, it's like having the strength of a hundred people."

"That's right! Hehe, Bai Ge, you really get it~"

After being praised, Kiana immediately looked smug. Bai's favorability with her had conservatively increased by ten percentage points.

Bai Ge: Easy to handle~ She's just an early-stage Kiana. She hasn't turned into Firefly or the Herrscher of the End yet, so as long as you pet her fur the right way, she's no challenge at all.

As for why he had told Kiana about the fake relationship so readily, it was naturally because he knew this girl definitely would not spread it around.

Bai Ge might have concealed it from someone else, but there was no need to hide it from the grass slipper.

This silly, foolish yet kind and brave girl was someone he could treat with complete openness.

"But is this really okay, Kiana? If you stay too close to us—no, too close to me—everyone will ostracize you too." Mei worried.

She longed for more warmth and wanted to become good friends with Kiana, but kind-hearted Mei did not want anyone else to be excluded because of her.

Kiana casually said it did not matter.

"It's fine. Besides, I don't want to be friends with people who enjoy bullying others anyway. In the end, the reason I came to school was only to—cough cough, nothing, nothing."

"..."

Bai Ge was a little worried that his judgment might have been wrong. Would this girl really not accidentally let something slip?

As for Kiana's reason for coming to school, Bai Ge naturally knew it very well. Wasn't it to investigate Honkai Energy and look for her father, Siegfried Kaslana?

Anyway, two of The Trio had gathered now. All that remained was that duck.

Bai Ge was looking forward to Bronya's appearance. He could not wait to see what a living duck looked like!

After that.

Once the three of them had smoothly become close friends, Mei's situation improved greatly with Bai Ge and Kiana by her side.

Basically, no one dared to openly cause trouble anymore.

Naturally, all three of them were ostracized, but to Bai Ge and Kiana, that was just a trivial matter. Neither of them cared at all.

Perhaps thanks to that environment, the three of them grew close very quickly.

The rooftop of Senba Academy had practically become the trio's little base. Every noon, Kiana would run over from the first-year area to eat with them.

Bai Ge casually glanced around, thinking that a wormhole would appear here in the future.

"Kiana, you eat so fast."

"Can't help it, I'm hungry."

In just a few bites, Kiana had finished the bread she bought. Bai Ge and Mei had not even opened their lunchboxes before this grass slipper had already finished her own lunch.

Yet she still looked starving, lying there and staring expectantly at Bai Ge and Mei.

Recently, the Honkai Energy concentration in Changkong City had been rising higher and higher. She often went out at night to hunt Honkai Beasts and zombies. Although the Kaslana family had superhuman constitutions, they also consumed far more energy than ordinary people.

And on the way to Changkong City, Kiana had lost Siegfried's black card, so she was severely short on food money. With only two or three pieces of bread, they were probably digested the instant they went down her throat.

"Alright, alright. Stop looking at me so pitifully. Here, have it. Eat."

"Hehehe, Bai Ge, you're so nice!"

Excitedly taking Bai Ge's lunchbox, the girl instantly revived and transformed into a food-devouring machine, stuffing her mouth with rice.

"Ahh~ I really can't do anything about you."

Bai Ge laughed helplessly as he ruffled Kiana's head. That white hair felt absolutely amazing, perfectly hitting his weak spot.

It could not be helped. White hair was especially effective against Chinese people.

"..."

Mei's expression turned a little strange. Kiana was clearly a girl, but watching those two... she felt as if her fake boyfriend was petting a cat.

Bai Ge first used his lunch to draw Kiana Cat's attention, then, while she was absorbed in eating, immediately started happily petting her all over!

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Bai Ge, Kiana, and Raiden Mei's lunchtime (New book, please bookmark)

"No one's taking it from you, Kiana. Slow down."

Watching Kiana grab his lunchbox and start wolfing it down, the food inside had already been reduced by half in just seconds, while the white-haired girl's cheeks puffed up round like a hamster's.

So cute, I'm sold!

"Gulp! Mmph! Mmph! Water, water!"

"I told you to eat slower."

Was this what one should expect from a grass slipper?

Bai Ge watched Kiana's face turn red as she desperately pounded her own chest, laughing helplessly as he hurried over to pat her back.

He also handed her his cup of water.

Kiana took it and immediately chugged it down.

"Gulp gulp gulp! Hah~ I-I'm alive! I thought I was going to choke to death."

"Haha, congratulations then. You've unlocked one of the most careless ways to die in the world."

"Hmph, I was only saying it! I'm a great warrior of the Kaslana family. I won't fall so easily over something this minor!"

Kiana held Bai Ge's cup up in one hand and struck a cool shooting pose with the other.

She had thought her dashing appearance would earn the admiration of the two of them, but instead...

"Alright, alright. Then Miss Kiana of the great Kaslana family, wipe your mouth first. You're a girl, so pay a little attention to your appearance. Also, what dangerous thing did you do after school yesterday? You got yourself bruised all over again. Be a little more careful."

"Hey, hey, hey~ Bai Ge, why are you acting like my lousy dad? No, wait, you worry even more than my lousy dad does. Ah, don't touch there, it hurts!"

With a mischievous grin, Bai Ge poked the girl's arm, and Kiana could no longer maintain that cool pose.

She had been careless while fighting zombies and Honkai Beasts yesterday and nearly got herself killed.

Fortunately, the Kaslana family bloodline was truly tough. She had recovered for the most part in half a night, otherwise Kiana would probably have needed to take the day off today.

"Here's some ointment. It works very well for bruises and sprains. I don't know what you've been doing, Kiana, but whatever it is, put your safety first. Got it?"

"Got it, got it. Like I said, Bai Ge, you worry even more than my lousy dad. Ugh~ This ointment smells awful!"

Effective medicine was always like that. "Hey, hey, don't move. I should do it instead. You're actually pretty clumsy too."

"Who are you calling clumsy, Bai Ge?!"

"Whoever gets worked up is..."