Kiana Isn't an Idiot

St. Freya Academy.

This coffee shop is the building closest to the coastline.

The reason for building it in such a remote location is simple.

It was Su Qing'an who made the request to Himeko: firstly, to make it easier for him to go see the sea, and secondly, because he didn't like too many guests.

You can tell from the opening hours of his coffee shop that he was, in a sense, rather lazy and reclusive.

I don't like crowded places, nor do I like to add any extra workload to myself.

A sea breeze blows, and the wind chimes sway gently.

Su Qing'an opened the door with his key. Looking inside, he noticed that even after five days, a light dust had accumulated on the table and bar counter.

The aroma of coffee still lingers, just as it did when I left, as if time had never passed.

Fu Hua's gaze lingered on the boy's profile, which revealed a hint of unintentional pleasure. She thought to herself that he wasn't lying; this was indeed a place where he could relax a bit.

For Su Qing'an, simply standing behind the bar and looking out at the sea and sky might be enough to make her happy.

Occasionally, students from the St. Freya Academy would come over and order a few cups of coffee. As he listened to their casual chatter and the sound of waves crashing in the distance, his usually indifferent expression would unconsciously melt away, revealing a gentle look.

Compared to his smiling face, his natural, unguarded, and aloof expression was more gentle and more popular with the students of St. Freya.

Even Fu Hua, who doesn't usually gossip, has seen a few candid photos of the boy.

For example, he stood behind the bar, head bowed, carefully wiping the side of the cup.

For example, the boy gazing intently at the scenery outside.

Those were all natural reactions. Su Qing'an, who didn't chant the Sword Heart Technique for a long time, wasn't actually that aloof.

Recently, he has gradually stopped habitually Sword Heart Technique. Besides the fact that it had little effect, he also disliked the forced calm and self-control required for that purpose.

The deeper reason is that even without silently reciting the Sword Heart Technique, the Mind Lake will gradually accumulate towards the next stage.

No one knows whether the [Stigmata] will be fully revealed after entering the next stage.

Assuming the [Stigmata] still doesn't appear the moment you step into the Clear Mirror Realm, Su Qing'an can't be sure whether the increased Honkai Energy resistance from the Artificial Stigmata will be enough to withstand the pressure brought by the further increase in the Honkai Energy cycle.

He had previously thought that the improvement of one's realm was something he could completely control, but after discovering that the Mind Lake would accumulate on its own...

Su Qing'an then chose to give up his daily practice of the Sword Heart Technique.

He doesn't intend to accelerate his path toward ruin anytime soon.

The gods have prepared a scythe of death behind him; whatever his choice, that scythe will take his life sooner or later.

Artificial Stigmata and the Void Sword Qi are the reasons he has survived until now.

It is also the demon destined to devour him.

But at this moment, the boy's expression was lighthearted, and he turned to Fu Hua and said:

"Huh, I'll go wipe the table. Since we've been closed for a while, there probably won't be many customers. I'll send Kiana an email and ask her to come over. It's been quite a while since I've seen her."

"You and Kiana have always had a good relationship. Even though she's usually like that, she seems a little different around you," Fu Hua said with a smile.

She wasn't surprised by their relationship. They were both survivors who had barely made it through that Honkai. If they had known each other before, it would be perfectly normal for them to be on better terms now.

"Yes, we became quite close back in Changkong City. She's one of my few close friends."

After giving this answer, Su Qing'an continued:

"She is a very kind and brave person, and she has had a tough time all along. Don't be fooled by her seemingly carefree appearance now; she used to dislike interacting with people and was rather aloof."

"Kiana's aloof demeanor? That's a bit hard to imagine," the girl said thoughtfully, jokingly.

Su Qing'an had mixed feelings. Knowing some of the girl's past and future, his views on Kiana differed from others, and perhaps he was the one who understood Kiana the most thoroughly.

He said:

"Because she's been wandering around, she doesn't stay in one place for long. Over time, she becomes unwilling to connect with people, and the easiest way she can think of to avoid contact is to put on a cold expression, act indifferent, and refuse others' approach."

"I can understand that feeling to some extent."

When he first came into this world, he actually wanted to choose this path, but before he could escape, he had already established an unbreakable Karma.

So even now, after experiencing countless moments of despair and fear, he still insists on wanting to do something, to change something.

Use this to save lives where the embers still burn.

"In short, I feel more at ease with her current appearance."

"I see. So this is Kiana's evaluation of you?" Fu Hua murmured softly, her feelings complicated now that she knew the other party's true identity.

More than her relationship with Su Qing'an, it was Su Qing'an's evaluation of her that caused Fu Hua to fluctuate.

K423.

Kiana Kaslana.

Can we believe in such a future?

The time when I have to make a choice is still far off.

Don't think about these things now. Instead of racking your brains, let's witness it with our own eyes later.

So the girl said:

"Okay, then you can call Kiana over first. I'll go to the kitchen to see what ingredients we have to make some snacks; she shouldn't dislike eating."

He figured it was almost lunchtime, and Mei was probably already cooking for them. However, given Kiana's appetite, eating more snacks would only make her happy, not bother her about not being able to finish Mei's cooking.

So Su Qing'an nodded and agreed, not rejecting Fu Hua's suggestion.

As the girl walked into the kitchen.

The email was sent successfully on my phone.

[I'm at the coffee shop, wanna come?]

[Come! o(≧v≦)o]

Almost without a pause, the other party responded, adding a cute emoticon.

[Little Dot and Yuno are right next to me, I thought I'd bring them along, since you're definitely going to be alone, Su Qing'an. |･ω･`)]

An email followed immediately. After reading it, Su Qing'an couldn't help but laugh, and he typed a reply.

Fu Hua is next to me.

The other party sent a question mark indicating their confusion.

[And you're bringing people along, but not Mei?] Su Qing'an pressed her advantage, delivering the finishing blow.

[...] Kiana sent a string of ellipses.

[... Mei ... Mei is going to cook!]

[I just asked her, and she said she'd cook dinner and wait for me to come back.]

Having seemingly asked Mei, Kiana's answer, after a moment of guilt, sounded a little more confident.

She had clearly forgotten about Mei before.

Su Qing'an couldn't help but smile; Kiana had really been getting sillier lately.

[Okay, Fu Hua and I will wait for you to arrive.]

[So why are you hanging out with the Class President?! (ノ=Д=)ノ┻━┻] The other person sent a table-flipping emoji, seemingly a little frustrated.

Ah, Kiana seems surprisingly bad with Hua's personality. Is this a compatibility issue?

After realizing this, Su Qing'an suddenly found it even more interesting.

However, if it's Hua, taking down Kiana should be quite easy.

[We'll come over after the little one finishes packing the flowers Yuno gave her.]

Flowers? It was probably Yuno used to cheat with her powers, like magic, to trick Bronya into creating. Su Qing'an guessed the answer accurately.

"[Why do you always call Bronya 'little one'?]" he asked, puzzled.

[Hmph.] Kiana then simply responded with a haughty interjection.

Actually, these two people have a surprisingly good relationship.

However, this awkwardness seems to have become their way of getting along and a habit.

[I'll be there in five minutes.]

Five minutes? That was surprisingly fast.

After calculating the considerable distance, he envisioned a scene in his mind of a motorcycle carrying the two of them on a wild race.

For a moment, the imagery was so vivid that Su Qing'an couldn't forget the scene.

"[So fast?]" he asked.

[Don't underestimate me! I've ridden tanks, flown helicopters, fought lions and tigers in the jungle, and left my legend on Mount Akina! |•-•)و✧]

This statement contains a lot of information, Su Qing'an has ample evidence that she was exaggerating and making a joke.

If any part of that is true, then what strange things did she experience during her wanderings?

That's a bit too much of a variety.

Su Qing'an put down her phone and silently complained to herself.

Dust particles danced in the sunlight.

The boy cleaned the bar counter with a rag while waiting for the others to arrive.