Happy Birthday, Kiana

It seemed that no matter how much she ate in her dreams, her stomach in reality would still be unsatisfied.

"Eh? That smells so good. What is that?"

Kiana rubbed her eyes. Her mind had not fully woken up yet, but as a foodie, she quickly noticed the aroma of food drifting through the air.

She jumped out of bed, followed the scent out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, where she saw Ishiu busy at the counter.

"...Dad?"

Kiana stared blankly at that figure from behind. Once upon a time, her always unserious old man had been like this too. Even though he was terrible at cooking, he had learned to cook for her every day. Whenever she woke up, she would always see that busy figure in the kitchen.

At that moment, Ishiu's actions inadvertently stirred up her nostalgia for the past.

"Kiana, you're awake." Hearing the movement, Ishiu turned around and saw Kiana standing at the kitchen door. He smiled in greeting before saying, "Go wash up first. The food will be ready soon."

"Okay..." Kiana did not know why she obediently listened to Ishiu, but by the time she came back to herself, she had already washed up and quickly fixed her hair.

By the time she returned to the living room, Ishiu had already brought the prepared dishes to the table and even served her rice.

"You... made all of this?" Kiana asked in disbelief as she looked at the steaming dishes on the table.

"Of course. Who else would it be, you?" Ishiu scooped himself a bowl of rice as well. Although he had already eaten at Miss Mei's place, he could not exactly let Kiana eat alone, could he? Otherwise, she might suspect he had drugged the food. Besides, he was still growing. Eating more was no problem.

Kiana sat blankly in her chair. Then, all of a sudden, her eyes reddened, and huge tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Kiana? W-Why are you crying? Damn, no way. I know my cooking is nothing special, but you don't have to cry before even trying it, right? It's not that bad."

Kiana's sudden tears startled Ishiu so badly that he nearly dropped his chopsticks.

"N-No, it has nothing to do with you." Kiana bit her lower lip and hurriedly wiped away her tears.

She was simply too embarrassed to admit that she had cried because Ishiu had moved her.

Ever since she had set out on the path of searching for Siegfried while fighting the Honkai and saving the world, Kiana had rarely eaten a meal like this.

After more than a year of loneliness, even a lively and cheerful girl like her would sometimes feel, in the dead of night, as though she were the only person left in the entire world.

But now, beneath this equally dark night sky, she was no longer alone.

Someone had made fragrant food for her and served her rice. On this special day, Kiana was finally no longer lonely.

Although Ishiu had no idea why this white-haired fluffball was crying, he did not ask. He merely silently handed her a tissue.

After wiping away her tears, Kiana held her bowl like an ostrich and began eating without a word.

Her cheeks were flushed, as though she was still embarrassed about crying earlier. Ishiu was not much of a talker during meals either, so the entire dinner passed in silence.

Yet this silence was not awkward in the slightest. Instead, it carried a faint warmth.

As Kiana shoveled rice into her mouth, she occasionally glanced at Ishiu from the corner of her eye. But whenever he looked over, she would quickly turn away like a timid stray cat.

By the time dinner was over, every plate on the table had been picked clean. Other than grease and broth, not even a single vegetable leaf remained. Everything had gone into Kiana's stomach.

If Ishiu had not been there, she probably would have hugged the plates and licked them a few more times. There would have been no need to wash them at all.

"Thank you. Your cooking was delicious." Kiana set down her bowl and chopsticks, finally speaking her first words.

"Mm. Remember, we split the food costs." Ishiu nodded as he began clearing the dishes.

"I know! Hmph, cheapskate!" Kiana's cheeks puffed up like a pufferfish. She glared at Ishiu unhappily. It was not like she planned to freeload, yet this guy had to say something like that at a time like this. He was totally ruining the mood!

"Hey, hey, stay there. I'll clean up." Seeing Ishiu start to gather the dishes, Kiana blinked and hurriedly snatched the work from him. "Hmph~ I'm not the kind of woman who only eats and does nothing. From now on, you cook and I'll wash the dishes. That's fair for everyone."

"That works... Wait, does that mean you want me to cook from now on?" Ishiu had just nodded, thinking this girl had some conscience, but the more he listened, the more something felt off.

"Yep." Kiana gave him a huge smile. Her already beautiful face bloomed with a radiant expression, and her azure eyes were as pure and clear as the sky itself, making Ishiu lose focus for a moment.

Oh no, this was what a heart attack felt like!

Shaking his head, Ishiu quickly came back to his senses. Looking at that brilliant smile, he found himself unable to say the words of refusal.

So in the end, he nodded. "Then... fine. I'll put in the work. But we split the food costs three to seven. You pay seven, I pay three."

"Huh? Why?!"

"You still have the nerve to ask why? You ate the entire pot of rice. Don't you have any self-awareness?" Ishiu snapped. "If we split it fifty-fifty, I'd be losing big time."

"Ugh... Fine, fine." Kiana knew she was in the wrong and did not dare argue further. Dejected, she carried the dishes into the kitchen.

Hope the cover is okay. 🙏.jpg

A separate note.

I saw a lot of people asking whether there was a reader group. Honestly, I had not planned on making one because I made one before, but there were too few people and it turned into a dead group. It was pretty awkward.

So I'll ask here: if you want to join, type 1. If enough people are interested, I'll make one. We can post pictures and stuff in the group, so you won't have to screenshot and save them anymore. (laugh)

Kiana, Happy Birthday

After Kiana finished washing the dishes and came out of the kitchen, Ishiu was nowhere to be seen in the living room.

She looked around for a while before finally spotting him on the balcony.

"What are you doing out here?" Kiana walked over curiously and followed Ishiu's gaze outside. She had expected to see stars in the night sky, but the tall buildings across from them blocked her entire view.

Their apartment was only on the third floor, with skyscrapers all around. Seeing the night sky from the balcony was quite difficult.

"Nothing. Just wanted some fresh air." Ishiu smiled at her, then continued looking outside.

He was feeling a little homesick.

He had left the Orphanage several months ago. Although less than a month had passed for him, he could not help missing life at the Orphanage.

He thought of the obedient Seele, Bronya's beet soup, Liliya and Rosaliya's clumsy but hilarious stage plays, and... Mom.

This was the longest he had been away from the Orphanage since being reborn. He wanted to see everyone again, pat Seele on the head, and bicker with Bronya...

But there was no way to go back now. He could only take things one step at a time.

"What are you thinking about?" Perhaps Ishiu's lonely aura had affected Kiana, because her mood sank as well. She asked softly.

"Nothing much. Just..." Ishiu pursed his lips and hesitated before saying, "I was thinking about the children at the Orphanage. I wonder how they're doing now."

"I see..." Kiana fell silent for a moment. She stepped forward, folded her arms over the balcony railing, and looked up at a streak of silvery light slanting down from beside the tall buildings. Her voice was subdued.

"Ishiu, do you know what day it is today?"

"What day?" Ishiu asked in confusion.

"Today... is actually my birthday." Kiana had not wanted to say it, but for some reason, she still did. Perhaps even she had not realized that she was expecting something.

"Your birthday?" Ishiu froze. He really had not expected that. If he had known, he would have bought this girl a cake at the supermarket earlier.

"Yeah, but even if it is my birthday, there's not really much to say about it."

A beam of silver moonlight slanted down, landing right on the girl. Her long silver-white hair seemed to be coated in a faint glow beneath the moonlight, making her look like a fairy descended into the mortal world.

Kiana propped up her chin, her voice carrying complicated emotions.

"Ishiu, you know, whenever it was my birthday, my old man would act like a completely different person. He would not say a word all day. I never received any birthday presents from him, not even a simple blessing.

"Then, when I was eleven, he gave me the most important birthday present of my life. After that, he treated me better and better each day. I thought that happiness would continue forever, but when I was twelve, he left me. He left on my birthday, and I never saw him again."

"After that, I spent every birthday alone. No cake, no presents, not even a single birthday wish. There wasn't even anyone I could talk to."

She paused there, her gaze slowly shifting from the sky to Ishiu's face. Her lips curved up slightly. Silver moonlight illuminated her fair cheeks, while those azure eyes seemed to reflect mountains and rivers beyond count, carrying an indescribable charm.

"So, Ishiu, thank you for making dinner for me. It was delicious."

"Uh... Why are you suddenly saying that? Are you trying to flirt with me?" Ishiu scratched his cheek and quickly looked away, his voice slightly flustered.

Damn, why did he suddenly think Kiana was so pretty?

No, she had always been pretty. Her usual personality just canceled it out. But when this girl was not acting silly, her serious expression was genuinely captivating.

"Hmph, brat, you're overthinking it. I like cute girls, preferably ones like Mei. I have no interest in boys like you~" Kiana snorted, but for some reason, Ishiu's appearance in women's clothing that afternoon flashed through her mind.

Her pretty face suddenly reddened. She hurriedly slapped her cheeks hard, trying to use the pain to stop herself from thinking nonsense.

Although he did look good in women's clothes, and he was her type...

But he was a boy!

No, no, Kiana, you have to hold firm! How could boys possibly smell better than girls!

"That's great. I'm not interested in you either." Ishiu curled his lip. He liked cute, obedient little-sister types like Seele. Girls like Kiana, who were careless and ate a ton, were better suited to being bros.

"Oh, right." Ishiu slapped his forehead as though he had remembered something. He pulled out the toy ring he had won in the supermarket raffle. "Well, didn't you say you'd never received a birthday present? I don't have anything else to give you right now, so there's only this. Do you want it?"

"...A-Are you giving me a birthday present?" Kiana blinked, looking at the blue ring in Ishiu's hand with disbelief.

"I guess. If you don't like it, forget it. I'll buy you another present tomorrow."

Ishiu also felt that giving someone a toy ring was a bit embarrassing. But other than this, all he had on him was Wolf Fang. He could not exactly give her a pack of tissues, could he?

"No, I want this one." Hearing Ishiu's words, Kiana hurriedly shook her head hard and swiftly snatched the toy ring from his hand. "Thank you. I really like it."

She carefully held the toy ring up in front of her to inspect it. Honestly, it was truly just a child's toy. Not only was it made of plastic, its craftsmanship was poor as well. There was not much to look at.

But Kiana looked at it happily, a brilliant smile spreading across her face. This was the first birthday present she had ever truly received. Siegfried had given her a name, but no actual object. Now, that regret had finally been filled.

She examined the ring again and again, then raised it toward the sky and carefully studied it in the moonlight, utterly delighted.

"Ishiu, thank you for the birthday present!"

Ishiu froze for a moment, then a gentle smile appeared on his face. He said softly,

"Kiana, happy birthday."

P.S.: Recommending a book.

"My Identity Is a Little Too Numerous."

The strongest newcomer king among familiar faces. I don't need to say much more, right? (smirk)

Cocolia's Move

A month passed without Ishiu noticing during his life in Changkong City.

During that month, his life had been very peaceful. Every morning, he went to work at McDonald's with Kiana. They ate lunch at noon, wandered around in the afternoon, or went with Kiana to look for Honkai Sources. At night, he worked at the convenience store. After work came his chat time with Miss Mei.

But the damn thing was that he had no idea how Kiana had learned where he met Miss Mei. Every few days, she would show up there, shamelessly insert herself between them, and even fight him over the bento Miss Mei had made herself.

Over that month, his relationship with Kiana and Mei had also grown better and better. The three of them could now be considered close friends who could talk about anything.

But the one thing that made Ishiu uncomfortable was that whenever he was with Miss Mei, he would occasionally feel as though someone was watching him.

Having trained in the Seven Nights Assassination Technique, his perception and sensitivity surpassed those of ordinary people. That was why he could sense those prying eyes.

Although he had tried to find the source of that feeling, he always came up empty-handed. The other side's methods were extremely sophisticated. Even he could find no clues.

Fortunately, the other party did not seem hostile. At least, he could not sense any malice. Moreover, their target appeared to be Raiden Mei.

To ensure her safety, Ishiu had once followed... no, secretly protected Raiden Mei for a while. But nothing unexpected ever happened, leaving him unable to figure out who was monitoring Raiden Mei or what their purpose was.

Still, nothing had happened so far, and Ishiu gradually relaxed. Though he remained wary, there was nothing he could do if he could not find the person.

Today was the weekend. Neither Ishiu nor Kiana went to work because Raiden Mei had invited them to go camping a few days ago. Ishiu had not even agreed yet when Kiana accepted on their behalf.

Thus, Ishiu woke up early that morning. He first went out for a ten-kilometer run, then washed up and made breakfast while he was at it.

By the time he had finished all of that, Kiana was still not out of bed.

Ishiu had discovered that this girl had a bad habit: she loved sleeping in. Whenever she did not have work, she basically slept until the sun was high in the sky or until hunger finally forced her up.

But they had plans with Miss Mei today, and Ishiu did not want to be late. So he entered the bedroom and mercilessly pulled off Kiana's blanket.

What? You say men and women should keep their distance?

Come on, did anyone seriously see Kiana as the opposite sex? No way, right?

Besides, this girl was not sleeping naked. She had her pajamas on properly.

"Kiana, get up already. It's almost eight. Hurry up and eat."

"Mmph... You're so annoying. Don't take my blanket. It's cold..."

It was already January, and winter mornings were naturally freezing. Kiana wore only pajamas, so the moment Ishiu took away her blanket, she began shivering from the cold.

"Stop sleeping in. Did you forget what we're doing today? If you want to keep sleeping, fine, but I'm leaving first. If Mei ends up disliking you because you're late, that won't be my problem." Ishiu tossed the blanket back to her and stood beside the bed with his arms crossed, speaking leisurely.