I Said This Isn't a Life Simulator! Section 42

"Thanks, Wang."

"...Mei?"

Kevin turned around, looking at the girl standing behind him, carefully holding the cake in her hands.

"Happy birthday, Kevin."

Mei adjusted her glasses, which had shifted slightly to protect the cake, tilted her head, and smiled gently at Kevin as she spoke softly.

Elysia then draped a warm blanket over her... It wasn't just Kevin, the walking air conditioner, here, but also Xi Wang, the super humidifier. A slight misstep could easily cause Mei, a delicate woman, to fall ill.

The others in the room also gradually gathered around, surrounding the day's protagonist and leading him to the center of the room.

"..."

Kevin blinked, looking at everyone familiar before him. He knew them all so well, yet at this moment, they felt somewhat strange.

The first person he saw was Sakura. With her distinctive "ears," she was always eye-catching. Today, she wore a simple formal dress and stood by the dining table with her sister, arranging small, cherry blossom-shaped pastries. Then, a familiar figure approached them.

It was naturally Xi Wang. Sakura and Ling looked very happy to see him. Ling excitedly pointed to a cherry blossom pastry on the table, anticipating his praise. Xi Wang, of course, smiled and nodded, praising it generously. Then, Xi Wang looked at Sakura, who understood immediately. She found a bottle of pale pink cherry blossom wine from the side and placed it on the table, adding a unique touch of elegance.

After doing all this, Sakura and Xi Wang exchanged smiles, their long "ears" twitching with joy.

Kevin swore he had never seen Xi Wang and Sakura smile like that before... And of course, how could he have?

Beside them, Dottore, as usual, used her telekinesis to place the cake and eleven gifts onto the table one by one. Among the gifts were a peculiar green box and a dark-colored box that looked damp. The two most distinctive gifts immediately told Kevin who they were from. Next to them was a gorgeously wrapped gift with a card from Eden attached, offering blessings. Finally, there was an obviously hand-drawn gift, with "Happy Birthday" written in various colors on the wrapping paper, clearly a gift from Griseo.

A beautiful sound drifted over. Cosmo was earnestly playing his harmonica. After receiving professional guidance from Eden, his playing was gradually getting on track. Although a few notes occasionally went off-key, at least the rhythm was stable.

Soon, accompanied by the melodious harmonica music, a long and sacred hymn bypassed his eardrums and resonated directly in Kevin's mind. Kevin quickly realized whose voice it was—Aponia. Relying on her powerful spirit and special abilities, she had crossed a great distance to project her voice directly into his mind.

He hadn't expected her to be there, and in such an unexpected way.

Lastly, there was Hen. The man who was decisive on the battlefield, never hesitant, and could joke and play even when facing certain death—he was frowning at the birthday cake, seemingly displeased with the placement of a certain candle.

It was truly unbelievable that the strongest combatants of Moth to Fire, along with the super geniuses who led many of Moth to Fire's research directions, had gathered together for the reason of "celebrating someone's birthday."

"Alright, I'm turning off the lights~"

Elysia's cheerful voice rang out, and the lights went out, leaving only the flickering, dancing flames of the candles in the darkness.

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

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

"It'll be fine for a little while! Come here, come here!"

After pulling back someone who had voluntarily retreated to a distance, Elysia looked at the slightly dimmed flames due to dampness and quickly said.

"Ahem... It's time to blow out the candles, Kevin! Don't forget to make a wish! No matter what wish it is, it will surely come true... Mmph?!"

Xi Wang quickly stepped forward and covered Elysia's mouth to prevent her from finishing her lines, reminding her.

"Elysia, you're stealing lines."

"Huh?"

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

"Mmh? Ah? Eh? Really? Is that what it says in the script I gave you?"

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

"That's right, Sister Elysia."

Ling blinked, saying with pure innocence.

"Hahahaha... Elysia, you haven't even read the script you wrote yourself, have you?"

"I... I've memorized the script I wrote myself! I... I was just too happy and said it naturally! And I haven't said it yet, have I? Look, Wang even reminded me!"

Hearing Hen's comment, Elysia quickly made excuses for her actions. At the same time, seeing the increasingly weak candlelight, she quickly grabbed Mei's arm and shook it anxiously.

"Mei, hurry, hurry, the candles are going out!"

"Haha..."

Mei chuckled and shook her head. Elysia's eagerness, more than anyone else's, was amusing, but... he could also feel her concern for everyone.

"Kevin, make your wish."

Mei looked up, met her lover's gaze, and said softly with a smile.

"No matter what wish it is, it will come true... I will make it come true."

"...Thank you."

Kevin looked at Mei, then scanned the surroundings. Seeing the expectant expressions on his companions' faces, Kevin said sincerely.

Then, he closed his eyes formally, clasped his hands together in front of him, and silently made his wish in his heart. Afterward, he smiled and, under everyone's gaze, leaned down and blew out the candles before they could extinguish.

"Happy birthday, Kevin!!!"

Everyone cheered and sent him their blessings.

Chapter 31: Sweet Dreams

[Happy times are always fleeting. It's rare for you Fusion Warriors to gather together to celebrate Kevin's birthday. Who knows when you'll all be able to get together again.]

After Kevin's birthday party, you all returned to your respective posts, continuing to fight against the Honkai. Before more Fusion Warriors appear, you few senior Fusion Warriors will have to shoulder more responsibility.

The scope of the Honkai's influence is expanding, and the number of casualties is steadily increasing. Many cities have been destroyed by Honkai outbreaks, and the pace of reconstruction cannot keep up. Fortunately, Moth to Fire's technology is also rapidly developing, at least providing a place to live for survivors.

More and more people are trying to take advantage of the chaos. Under the guise of the large-scale disaster known as the Honkai, all sorts of demons and monsters have emerged. Some even view the Honkai as a "divine blessing," deliberately infecting themselves with it, and then transforming into true "monsters" in crowded areas to allow more people to experience this "grace" bestowed by the gods.

Although most similar incidents are discovered by Moth to Fire, who then dispatches you, specifically tasked with handling such matters, to deal with these "traitors," these horrific events still cause widespread panic among the populace, filling the entire world with an inexplicable sense of dread.

Fortunately, thanks to Moth to Fire's relentless propaganda and information control, general order remains largely stable.

Then, a "Sleep Sickness," distinct from the usual "Honkai sickness," began to spread among the populace.

And it was "slaughtering" people in a very unique way.

"■■ Month 16th, 28 people. Today, someone made the news again for dying in their sleep... It seems like too many people have been dying in their dreams lately. It was the same during a previous 'mission.' When we arrived, everyone inside was lying dead on their beds with no apparent wounds. I suspected then that the Poison Chrysalis might have made a mistake, but now it seems this is indeed the Honkai, right?"

Xi Wang wrote on paper while sucking on a candy.

"According to the Research Department's current studies, it seems like they can attribute any problem to the 'Honkai.' As long as an incident occurs, they just need to blame the Honkai. After all, as long as they investigate the scene, they can always find traces of the Honkai. Even in so-called 'man-made disasters,' extreme individuals can be detected with Honkai, as if their emotions became extreme due to the influence of Honkai Energy...

If that's the case, isn't 'Honkai Energy,' which gives rise to the Honkai, a bit too versatile? It can be used as an energy source, form strange creatures like 'Honkai Beasts,' and even influence people's minds. I heard that some people in the Research Department have even proposed theoretical research like 'converting Honkai Energy into ordinary energy, or into some kind of physical construct.' This would not only solve energy problems but also greatly liberate productivity... If it continues like this, 'Honkai Energy' will become omnipotent.

It's a shame the Honkai is a disaster, otherwise the scientists in the Research Department would surely love it."

Xi Wang paused slightly before continuing to write.

"Speaking of which, the widespread outbreak of this 'Sleep Sickness' is probably another 'Honkai' outbreak. However, the Honkai didn't seem to exhibit this kind of symptom before. This unusual 'Honkai'... could it be that another 'Herrscher' has appeared? After all, the scope of influence this time is truly too vast.

...Never mind, Moth to Fire has surely thought of this problem before me. Dr. Mei even specifically sought out people from the Fifth Science Department earlier, so there should be a way to counter it.

I just need to prepare for battle... Hmm."

At this point, Xi Wang stopped writing, habitually tore off the two sheets of paper, burned them, and then swallowed them with water, preparing to rest.

Although the [Sleep Sickness] was rampant, he couldn't be so nervous that he refused to "sleep"... Moreover, according to Moth to Fire's speculation, this "sickness" requires a trigger medium. As long as one does not come into contact with that medium, they will not fall into a coma.

"..."

Lying on the bed, Xi Wang looked at the candy box in his hand. After a long time, he still didn't open it. He just hid it away, planning to take it out and carry it with him in the morning.

He didn't need it.

At least for tonight, he wouldn't crave that sweetness.

Xi Wang slowly closed his eyes.

In a daze, he seemed to hear the base alarm sounding, but when he listened closely, he couldn't hear it, as if it were just a hallucination... Perhaps he was too nervous?

"Hoo..."

Xi Wang lay quietly on the bed, his breathing steady—he had fallen asleep.

"..."

Dawn broke, and alerted by his biological clock, Xi Wang woke up. He sat up from the bed with a stretch, rubbing his eyes and head with a frown, looking like he hadn't slept well.

"...Is my room this bright?"

Opening his still-hazy eyes, Xi Wang mumbled in confusion as he looked at the sunlight streaming directly into the room from outside the window.

And...

"A double bed?"

He touched the side of his body, still feeling the softness of the mattress. He turned his head to look, only to find it was a double bed with a large duvet and two pillows. Judging by the indentations on the bed, someone else had been sleeping next to him.

The sudden change caused Xi Wang's body to instinctively tense up, as if his instincts were warning him that something was not right, but...

"...What am I thinking?"

Xi Wang then tapped his slightly aching head, as if to confirm he wasn't going crazy.

"Isn't it normal to sleep with your wife?"

Xi Wang said, and the pain in his head began to subside. The corresponding [memories] began to surface—he was already married.

"Maybe I'm just not used to life after escaping singlehood... I wasn't very likable before."

He told himself, trying to convince himself.

Getting up as usual, he changed his clothes, took a deep breath of the sunlight outside the window, and then smiled.

"Today is a good day."

It's a good day to take Ling out to play... I have to say, my sister-in-law Ling is really easy to please. All I have to do is promise to take her out often. I thought she would make things difficult for me back then, especially since they only had each other left. But it seems the ridiculous relatives in the news are far from me!

He walked out of the room and downstairs. From the stairwell, he could already hear activity in the kitchen. A few more steps, and he could see the figure busy in the kitchen.

Her cherry-blossom-colored long hair was tied up, and she wore simple home clothes with an apron tied around her waist. Her hands moved back and forth between the cutting board and the stove. Although she seemed busy, everything under her hands appeared orderly. The breakfast, which looked mouth-watering, was being plated one by one. Her skilled movements highlighted her domesticity, and she hummed an unknown song, appearing very relaxed.

Suddenly, the delicate, long ears on her head twitched slightly. She then turned around with a smile and met Xi Wang's gaze as he approached.