A Sweet Dream

"Thanks, Wang."

"...Mei?"

Kevin turned around and looked at the girl standing behind him, carefully protecting the cake in her hands.

"Happy birthday, Kevin."

Mei adjusted the glasses that had shifted slightly while she was protecting the cake, tilted her head, and gave Kevin a gentle smile.

Elysia draped a warm blanket over her shoulders... This place did not just have Kevin, the human air conditioner, but also Xi Wang, the super humidifier. One careless mistake, and Mei, such a delicate woman, might come down with something.

The others in the room gradually gathered around as well, surrounding the guest of honor and leading him toward the center of the room.

"..."

Kevin blinked as he looked at every familiar face before him. He knew them so well, yet at this moment, they felt somewhat unfamiliar.

The first person he noticed was Sakura. Her unusual "ears" always made her stand out. Today, she had changed into a simple formal dress and was standing beside the dining table with her younger sister, arranging sakura-shaped pastries. Then, a familiar figure approached the two of them.

It was naturally Xi Wang. Sakura and Ling were delighted to see him. Ling excitedly pointed at one of the sakura pastries on the table, eagerly awaiting his praise. Xi Wang smiled and nodded, generously complimenting her. Then he looked at Sakura. Sakura immediately understood, retrieved a pale pink bottle of Cherry Blossom Brew from nearby, and placed it on the table, adding another distinctive touch to the spread.

After finishing all that, Sakura and Xi Wang exchanged a smile. Their long "ears" twitched happily a few times.

Kevin swore he had never seen smiles like those on Xi Wang and Sakura before... But then again, how could he possibly have seen them?

Nearby, Dottore used telekinesis as usual, placing the cake and eleven gifts onto the table one by one. Among the gifts were a bizarre green box and a dark-colored box that looked as though it had gotten damp. Those two especially distinctive gifts were enough for Kevin to know who had sent them. There was also a lavishly wrapped gift with a card bearing Eden's blessings, and finally, an obviously hand-drawn gift wrapped with "Happy Birthday" written across it in all kinds of colors. That one was clearly from Griseo.

A beautiful melody drifted over. Cosmo was earnestly playing the harmonica. After Eden's professional guidance, his performance had gradually gotten on track. A few notes still went off-key now and then, but at least he no longer lost the rhythm.

Soon, accompanied by the melodious tune, a long and sacred hymn passed beyond Kevin's eardrums and rang directly within his mind. Kevin quickly realized who it was—Aponia. With her powerful mind and unique ability, she had crossed a vast distance and projected her voice directly into his thoughts.

He had not expected her to attend as well, in such an unexpected way.

Finally, there was Hen. The man who was decisive on the battlefield, who never hesitated, who could laugh and joke even when faced with certain death—he was staring at the birthday cake with a deep frown, seemingly dissatisfied with the placement of one particular candle.

It was truly unbelievable. Moth to Fire's strongest fighters, along with the super geniuses guiding so many of its scientific research directions, had actually gathered together for the simple reason of "celebrating someone's birthday."

"Then I'm turning off the lights~"

Elysia's cheerful voice rang out, and the lights went out. In the darkness, only the candle flames continued to flicker and dance.

"Hey, Wang, don't stand so far away~"

"If I get too close, the candles will go out."

"It'll be fine for just a little while~ Come on, come on!"

After dragging back someone who had sneaked off into the distance on his own, Elysia looked at the candlelight, which had dimmed somewhat from the moisture, and hurriedly spoke.

"Ahem... then it's time to blow out the candles, Kevin! Don't forget to make a wish! No matter what your wish is, it'll definitely come tr—mmph?!"

Xi Wang hurried forward and covered Elysia's mouth before she could finish the line, reminding her at the same time.

"Elysia, you stole someone else's line."

"Huh?"

"That line was supposed to be Dr. Mei's."

"Mmh? Huh? Wait, really? Was that how I wrote it in the script I gave you?"

Elysia symbolically struggled a little, and Xi Wang naturally let go of her. Elysia then asked with a face full of confusion.

"That's right, Elysia."

Ling blinked and said innocently.

"Hahahaha... Elysia, don't tell me you never even read the script you wrote yourself?"

"I... Of course I memorized what I wrote! I... I was just so happy that I said it without thinking! And I didn't even finish it, did I? See, Wang reminded me!"

Hearing Hen tease her, Elysia hurriedly made excuses for herself. Then, seeing the candle flames growing weaker and weaker, she quickly grabbed Mei's arm and shook it anxiously.

"Mei, hurry up and say it! The candles are going out!"

"Ha..."

Mei chuckled and shook her head. Elysia looked more anxious than anyone else, which was rather amusing, but... it also made Mei feel how much Elysia cared about everyone.

"Kevin, make a wish."

Mei raised her head and met her lover's eyes. Smiling, she spoke softly.

"No matter what your wish is, it will definitely come true... I'll make it come true."

"...Thank you."

Kevin looked at Mei, then swept his gaze around the room. Looking at the expectant expressions on his companions' faces, he spoke from the bottom of his heart.

Then, rather solemnly, he closed his eyes and clasped his hands before him, silently making his wish. Afterward, smiling beneath everyone's gaze, he bent down and blew out the candles just before their flames died.

"Happy birthday, Kevin!!!"

Everyone laughed and offered him their blessings.

Sweet Dreams

Happy times were always brief. It was already rare enough for you Fusion Warriors to gather and celebrate Kevin's birthday. No one knew when you would next be able to get together again.

After Kevin's birthday party, you all returned to your respective posts and continued working to resist Honkai. Before more Fusion Warriors emerged, you veteran Fusion Warriors would have to shoulder more of the burden.

Honkai affected an increasingly wider area, and more and more people died. Many cities had been destroyed by Honkai outbreaks, and reconstruction could barely keep up. Fortunately, Moth to Fire's technology was also advancing rapidly, at least giving the survivors somewhere to live.

More and more people tried to fish in troubled waters. Under the massive disaster known as Honkai, every sort of demon and monster emerged. Some even regarded Honkai as "divine grace," deliberately infecting themselves with Honkai before transforming into true "monsters" in crowded places, allowing more people to experience this "blessing" bestowed by the gods.

Although most incidents of this kind were discovered by Moth to Fire, which dispatched you, the person specifically responsible for handling such matters, to deal with these "traitors," these acts of terror still left the public deeply unsettled. An inexplicable panic permeated the entire world.

Fortunately, under Moth to Fire's tireless propaganda and information control, overall order still gradually stabilized.

Then, a kind of "Sleep Sickness," unlike ordinary Honkai Sickness, began spreading among the public.

And it was rapidly "slaughtering" people in an extremely unusual manner.

■■/16, twenty-eight people. More people made the news today after dying in their sleep... There have been a few too many people dying in dreams lately. There was that "mission" before, too. When I arrived, everyone inside was lying dead in bed. There were no wounds on their bodies either. At the time, I even wondered if Poison Chrysalis had made a mistake. Now that I think about it, this really was Honkai, wasn't it?

Xi Wang wrote on the paper while sucking on a piece of candy.

Judging from the Research Department's current studies, it seemed as though every problem could be blamed on "Honkai." Whenever something happened, they only needed to pin it on Honkai. After all, as long as they investigated the scene, they could always find traces of Honkai. Even in supposedly man-made disasters, Honkai could be detected in people with extreme emotions, as though Honkai Energy's influence was what drove their emotions to such extremes...

If that was the case, then wasn't the "Honkai Energy" that gave birth to Honkai a little too versatile? It could be used as an energy source, form strange creatures like Honkai Beasts, and even affect people's minds. He had heard that someone in the Research Department had proposed a theory about converting Honkai Energy into ordinary energy, or transforming it into some kind of physical creation. That would not only solve the energy problem, but also greatly liberate productivity... At this rate, "Honkai Energy" would become capable of anything.

Too bad Honkai was a disaster. Otherwise, the scientists in the Research Department would definitely love it.

Xi Wang paused slightly, then continued writing.

Come to think of it, this outbreak of Sleep Sickness was probably another Honkai eruption. But Honkai had never seemed to show signs like this before. This unusual "Honkai" outbreak... Could another "Herrscher" have appeared? After all, the affected area this time was simply too large.

...Forget it. Moth to Fire had definitely considered questions like this before I did. Dr. Mei even specifically went to see the people from the Fifth Science Department earlier. They should already have a way to fight it.

I only need to prepare for battle... Yeah.

After writing that, Xi Wang set down his pen. Out of habit, he tore off the two sheets of paper, burned them, then swallowed the ashes with water before preparing to rest.

Although Sleep Sickness was spreading, he could not become so nervous over it that he refused to sleep... Besides, according to Moth to Fire's estimates, this "illness" required some sort of trigger. As long as one did not come into contact with that trigger, one would not fall into a coma.

"..."

Lying in bed, Xi Wang looked at the Candy box in his hand. After a long while, he still did not open it. He simply hid it away, intending to take it out again the next morning and carry it with him.

He did not need it.

At least tonight, he would not crave that sweetness.

Xi Wang slowly closed his eyes.

In his haze, he seemed to hear the base alarm sounding. But when he listened carefully, he could no longer hear it, as though it had merely been an illusion... Perhaps he was simply too tense?

"Phew..."

Xi Wang lay quietly in bed, breathing steadily—he had fallen asleep.

"..."

Morning came. Prompted by his biological clock, Xi Wang woke up. He lazily sat up in bed, frowning as he rubbed his eyes and head, looking as though he had not slept well.

"...Was my room always this bright?"

He opened his still-hazy eyes and looked at the sunlight streaming directly in through the window, muttering to himself in confusion.

And also...

"A double bed?"

He touched the space beside him and could still feel the softness of the mattress. Turning his head, he discovered that it was a double bed. The blanket was wide, and there were two pillows. Judging from the impressions left on the bed, someone had originally been sleeping beside him.

The sudden change made Xi Wang's body tense instinctively, as though something deep within him was warning that none of this was normal, but...

"...What am I even thinking?"

Xi Wang knocked on his aching head, as though checking whether water had gotten into his brain.

"Isn't it perfectly normal to sleep beside my wife?"

As Xi Wang said that, the pain in his head began to fade, and the memories that should have been there began surfacing—he was already married.

"Maybe I'm just not used to being out of single life yet... After all, I wasn't exactly popular before."

He told himself that, as though trying to convince himself.

As usual, he got up, changed his clothes, took a deep breath of the sunlight outside the window, and smiled.

"Today is a good day."

A good day to take Ling out for fun... Honestly, his sister-in-law Ling was really easy to win over. He only had to promise to take her out often. He had thought she might give him a hard time back then, since only the two sisters remained in their family. Now, though, it seemed those ridiculous relatives from the news were still far away from him!

He left the room and headed down to the first floor. He could already hear activity in the kitchen from the stairwell. A few more steps, and he saw the busy figure inside.

Her sakura-colored long hair was pinned up. She wore simple house clothes with an apron tied around her waist, her hands constantly moving between the chopping board and stove. She seemed busy, yet everything beneath her hands was perfectly orderly. Plates of mouthwatering breakfast were set out one after another. Her practiced movements highlighted her domestic grace, and she softly hummed an unfamiliar tune, seeming very relaxed.

Suddenly, the pair of slender ears atop her head twitched slightly. Then she turned around with a smile and met the eyes of Xi Wang, who was approaching.