Illusory Things

"When will the shop owner be back? Is he really just playing around with this coffee shop?" Kiana Kaslana couldn't help but complain as she looked at the empty shop and the 'Closed' sign on the door. Little did she know, she had inadvertently voiced Su Qing'an's true thoughts.

At this moment, the girl wore an apron over a white hooded sweatshirt, and a pink plaid pleated skirt that reached mid-thigh.

Kiana sat ungracefully on a metal-carved coffee table, a rag for wiping glass and tables placed beside her. With nothing to do, the girl dangled her slender legs, wrapped in 60D stockings. The bare skin between the stockings and the pleated skirt was eye-catching. The afternoon sun shone on her, making her charmingly naive appearance even more alluring.

For the past two weeks, Su Qing'an had been very busy, like an office worker who left early and returned late, and he hadn't even returned for a whole week during that time.

Was it really okay to leave a stranger he'd only known for a few days in charge of your shop? Even Kiana, who was somewhat clueless and carefree, found it incredibly bizarre. The young man had even handed her the shop keys without hesitation.

It was as if... as if they had met before, talked, and even become friends, so he could trust her without question.

But how could that be possible? He was such a strange person.

"Kiana, I've ordered ten different food deliveries for your meals over the next few days. They'll be delivered to the shop entrance around 8 AM, 12 PM, and 6 PM. I might not be back during these days, so close the shop when I'm not here.

"Mm, please clean up the shop for me. If you're bored, you can go to the room next to yours. It has a computer, TV, and PS4. The game discs are on the second shelf to the left of the TV cabinet. Don't worry about the game saves; I've already quit playing.

"Cough, cough, I might be rambling a bit. Anyway, the shop will reopen after some time, and I'll teach you how to make coffee then."

Recalling Su Qing'an's rambling, Kiana suddenly remembered her dad lecturing her. They were two completely different people saying completely different things, but the warmth that welled up in her heart was equally comforting.

Even if she couldn't understand the young man's kindness, the fact that she was being cared for was undeniably conveyed to the girl's heart.

It was a different kind of care than Siegfried Kaslana's, a more tangible and reassuring one.

Siegfried Kaslana's love for Kiana Kaslana was real.

Whether it was his original daughter or this current copy, K-423, he held genuine affection for her.

But the girl, unaware of the truth, sensed it with her innate intuition and the delicate, sensitive heart hidden beneath her cheerful exterior.

Memories that didn't exist before the age of eight.

Her father's self-destructive alcoholism in her childhood.

The grief that occasionally flickered across his face when he looked at her.

That gaze was as if he were reminiscing about another girl, someone unknown to her.

Kiana thought that if such a person existed, she must have resembled her greatly. Otherwise, why would her father have that expression?

But sometimes Kiana would tell herself that it must have been her mother, that her father truly loved her mother.

So she tried very hard. She would diligently bandage Siegfried's wounds when he returned from battles, try her best to do chores, be obedient, and be a good child.

Because her father was already sad. A cold winter could be endured with thick cotton clothes, and high-proof vodka could warm the body. But how could a frozen heart beat again?

Neither cotton clothes nor vodka could do that.

The girl couldn't either, but she still tried her best. Until one day, that day, the girl, for the first time, selfishly disobeyed her father's wishes and went to fight the Honkai beasts he faced every day.

She wanted to understand, to comprehend what her father was dealing with, whether it was the alcohol he liked to drink or the Honkai.

But she was still too useless. If her father hadn't arrived in time, she would have died.

It was the first time she saw her father's panicked expression, and she felt a little happy because it proved he cared about her. But the girl also felt a bit guilty; how could she be happy when she had made her father worry?

"Today is your birthday, isn't it? I've never properly celebrated it for you. I'm such an incompetent father. Let's go buy a big cake and celebrate! Come on..." The man held the girl in the snow-covered winter and said, "Kiana... my most proud daughter, Kiana Kaslana."

On that day, she received the best birthday gift she had ever had from her father.

Her name – Kiana Kaslana.

From then on, her life seemed to truly begin.

She became more cheerful and carefree than when she was little, and she was certain of her father's genuine love for her.

But... but, for some reason, whenever she recalled her father's expression that day, as she murmured her name, Kiana Kaslana, there were moments when everything felt illusory, like stepping on air.

It was as if she weren't Siegfried Kaslana's daughter, nor was her name Kiana Kaslana. She was just a helpless, superfluous passerby who shouldn't exist in this world.

Kiana hated that feeling, hated it immensely. That's why every time she faced Honkai beasts, she liked to shout her name, "This young lady is Kiana Kaslana."

Yes, she was Kiana Kaslana.

She confirmed it again and again because, after her father left, it was the only thing she could hold onto.

The girl faced the Honkai with all her might because her father must also be facing the Honkai somewhere in the world. By doing so, she felt as if she were fighting alongside her father, as if she were a little closer to that man.

And now, this battle-hardened girl, who was only fifteen years old, had finally drifted to Changkong City, a place with little war and Honkai. Following in her father's footsteps, she had a rare moment to pause in this city.

Faced with the young man's approach and concern, which were unrelated to his name or even his appearance, she was at a loss and fell silent. Yet, she had indeed gained a sense of presence from the young man, as if a fulcrum had suddenly been used to pry her up.

She wasn't sure how long she would stay here.

But considering that Su Qing'an had paid his protection fees quite thoroughly, she'd stay a little longer.

The girl thought with a touch of tsundere pride. She'd stay until the day she left this city. Hmph, she'd eat him out of house and home sooner or later.

"Ding-a-ling~." The wind chime jingled crisply. The newcomer placed a musical instrument case, filled with something unknown, on the table and asked, "Kiana, what are you spacing out about here?"

"I-I-I'm wiping the table!" Startled, the girl's face flushed pink. She quickly suppressed the look of someone whose thoughts had been exposed and then continued assertively.

"Alright, alright. Are you done wiping now? Want to play a game? Let's team up for Honkai Impact 3rd."

"Okay! I'm really strong, you know. I've broken all of Su Qing'an's records these past few days. By the way, don't you have any friends? You don't even have a record in the team-up mode." Proudly showing off her achievements, Kiana began to complain about the young man's narrow social circle.

"Yeah, I'm bad at games and have no friends. After we finish this team-up, we can play the versus mode." I'm sorry I have no friends, idiot.

"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you." Kiana flashed a conceited, innocent smile.

"Then thank you in advance, Miss Kiana."

Su Qing'an's smile was gentle on the surface, but inwardly he was thinking about how to use the State of Still Water to make Kiana doubt her entire existence. Fundamentally, he was just as stubborn and a little childish as Kiana.