Honkai Double Transmigration, Taking Xilian to Honkai Impact 3rd

"Of course I'd be shy doing something like that, but kissing definitely doesn't happen that way. The normal process should be me inviting Cheng-kun to the fireworks festival during the holiday, wearing a kimono, pretending to sprain my ankle so he has to carry me up the mountain, and then I'd press tightly against his back, feeling his body heat."

"Then, when the fireworks festival ends, Cheng-kun would watch the fireworks while I sneak glances at him under their light, watching his pupils reflect their brilliance. When he realizes I'm looking and turns around, we'd lock eyes unexpectedly. He'd see himself in my eyes and the shyness on my face, and I'd see the trance in his eyes, seeing him so radiant beneath the fireworks."

As she spoke, Raiden Mei seemed to be drawn into the scene herself. Her deep purple eyes grew hazy, like a pool of spring water stirred up, brimming with warmth and charm. It was enough to make one intoxicated by the romance in her words, a captivating fireworks festival that seemed to appear right before one's eyes.

"At that moment, there should be a 'pop' as the grand finale fireworks are launched, lighting up the entire sky. It would look like flowers from the earth had been hidden away by the stars, only to come tumbling down in a flurry. Right at the climax of the festival, I would gently stand on my tiptoes toward the stunned him, and then..."

[Then you wouldn't even get to eat the exhaust fumes.]

The voice in her mind offered a sharp critique without hesitation.

[You shouldn't have forgotten so quickly just how deep the feelings between Xilian and Jiang Cheng are, right?]

Raiden Mei was instantly choked up.

The words stuck in her throat, unable to be uttered, and even that gaze that seemed lost in intoxication was shattered, like a stone thrown into clear spring water by a mischievous child.

"That still isn't a reason for you to take Cheng-kun's first time."

[I am also Raiden Mei.]

PS: Please give me some votes~

42. Thunder Queen: That's Not How You Date

"----!!!"

In those shonen manga, the most common dilemma for a protagonist facing their own runaway power is the other party despising the "nice guy" protagonist, refusing to acknowledge them as the lead.

Raiden Mei had originally worried about what she would do if she encountered such a scenario.

--She wasn't worried anymore.

What kind of shonen protagonist's runaway state competes with the male lead for the heroine? And uses the excuse that they are also the male lead? If a story like that were written, wouldn't the author get scolded?

"Ahhhhh--!"

"Kill me! You mad... you lunatic!"

--The unpleasant exchange was interrupted by a scream.

Raiden Mei's gaze turned sharp instantly. She took a few deep breaths, barely suppressing the urge to unleash ten thousand bolts of lightning to turn Cocolia into ashes.

Killing her just like that would actually be a relief for Cocolia.

By comparison.

Keeping Cocolia imprisoned in a state between life and death, and the pain she displayed after being doused in molten iron—Raiden Mei felt like she could eat three extra bowls of rice just watching it.

Especially when combined with her authority, she could occasionally call down a bolt of lightning to "reward" Cocolia.

However.

The joy lasted only a moment.

Because the "idiot" Kiana was muttering in her ear was too clear, without the slightest intention of holding back.

Raiden Mei could easily catch the two of them calling each other big idiots, just like a pair of lovebirds in the honeymoon phase.

"I'm sorry, you were right."

She apologized to her inner self without hesitation.

[...]

[...How are you so fast too?!]

[That is clearly not how you date. Shouldn't you chat more first, then raise Jiang Cheng's favorability? Occasionally give Jiang Cheng gifts, and then have a special interaction on that special holiday... at the very least, there should be a relationship of mutual salvation. An irreplaceable prince and a delicate princess...]

Black lines appeared on Raiden Mei's face, and she couldn't help but slap her forehead.

She kind of wanted to take back her apology.

How should she put it?

--As expected of something that emerged from her, it's essentially a paper tiger... Could it be that even this decisive, lightning-fast personality is actually just recklessness?

The more she thought about it, the sadder she became. Better not to think about it.

At least let me believe I'm a shonen manga protagonist, hey!

To be honest, Jiang Cheng really wanted to just lie there.

Lie there until the dusk of twilight swallowed the bright sky, and then repeat the cycle of the night swallowing the dusk.

Perhaps this meaningless waste of time was a kind of beauty; perhaps lying here with Kiana watching the clouds wasn't a waste of time at all.

But unfortunately, he still had things to do. On the other side, the pitch-black sky already showed signs of spreading. If he lay here for a few more minutes, there probably wouldn't be any clouds or twilight left to see, only silver-white dragon-snakes winding through the heavens and earth—even if they wouldn't strike him, they would still scare a person into a nervous breakdown.

Time to go.

Jiang Cheng sat up from where he was, said goodbye to Kiana, and turned to leave.

In an instant, he crossed a distance of a thousand meters, not even kicking up any dust when he landed.

"Eh... eh...?"

"It's me, your best, best, best partner."

Turning around, he faced the familiar girl head-on.

His brand-new vision seemed to perceive even more perfect, more exquisite details in the posture he had already looked at countless times.

There were no flaws; it was the kind of perfection belonging to a god—a level of absolute, impeccable perfection on every scale that Jiang Cheng, having only just seen an Aeon, felt could only be displayed by those towering, radiant deities.

Even though her purple coat was covered in dust and her white camisole dress had turned gray, the beauty that made his heart race could not be concealed by the filth smeared upon skin that seemed cast from snow.

Xilian's gaze was fixed on him as well.

The left hand, which had made her heart ache every time she looked at it—as if it were being rudely squeezed by a fist—was now different.

At this moment, not only was there no sense of rot or decay, but the purple hue that had once caused involuntary heart-wrenching pain had been replaced by dazzling, brilliant, burning golden patterns that flowed like liquid gold.

"A-Cheng, what is this...?"

"In a way, I have become a Golden Descendant."

"Eh—!"

For the first instant, perhaps because it was too shocking, Xilian didn't realize what had happened.

It wasn't until he took the initiative to extend his left hand, showing off the dazzling patterns coiled around his arm, that the blankness on her face instantly blossomed into joy like a flower.

"That's... that's great! A-Cheng, you don't have to worry about Honkai Energy Erosion anymore. Later, we can go to Janusapolis together to study and become priests of Oronis."

"..."

The excitement in Jiang Cheng's heart suddenly dimmed a little.

When it came down to it, even with this power, it wasn't enough to go back and defeat Laigushi; the shadows behind the scenes still existed.

There was no need to think about such distant things.

Jiang Cheng clenched his left hand, as if he could grasp the scorching, magnificent sun in the sky within his palm.

"Anyway, let's enjoy the fruits of our victory first, test our combat strength, and then—let's become stronger in this world!"

"By the way, Xilian, it didn't hurt you, did it?"

"Not at all. Besides, I beat them to a pulp. Even if you hadn't appeared, A-Cheng, I would have won soon anyway."

"But, A-Cheng, you were really cool when you took out that tin man with one arrow." Xilian clenched her small fists, her pink-blue eyes blinking. "Is this what they call a hero saving the beauty in stories? It really makes my heart race~"

"I wouldn't say that. Actually, Xilian, you could have handled Grey Snake all by yourself, and actually, they were running away with their tails betw—"

"Forget it, that suits you better."

Watching the cute posture of the girl before him, Jiang Cheng abandoned the thought of correcting her word usage without hesitation.

"So, those crystals are your power?"

"A-Cheng is still so smart~"

"Should I praise you?"

Xilian clapped her hands together in front of her, tilted her small head to one side, and her brows and eyes curved into gentle crescents.

"...Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I don't have a—single problem at all~ Whether it's my body or my soul, I'm super~ super healthy."

Xilian rushed over, her fingertips, smoother than the finest silk, gently hooking around his arm.

Her voice was like melted strawberry candy, sweet enough to stretch into threads. She tilted her head slightly, her hair brushing against Jiang Cheng's arm as she moved, bringing a faint, ticklish sensation.

This intimacy—natural and expected—fell into the eyes of others as well.

"That's good."

Jiang Cheng believed her without hesitation.

The thought that Xilian might be hiding something so as not to worry him appeared for only a fleeting moment before being dismissed.

She wouldn't be that foolish.

She should know better than anyone—the importance of Xilian to him, Jiang Cheng.

It was a level that surpassed even his own parents.

43. Winner Takes All? Cocolia, Are You Worthy?

In daily life, Xilian acted like a mother, a younger sister, and even a daughter.

She would wear a gentle smile like a mother, taking care of him and allowing him to survive when he had first arrived;

She would also blink playfully like a younger sister, dragging him to various places to play, their feet measuring the entirety of the Aili Secret Pavilion;

Sometimes, she would even sit on his lap, held in his arms like a daughter, listening to the stories he told, or turning pages under the sunset, calling out to him with feigned innocence, yet every time, she would cause his gaze to collide perfectly and squarely with the girl who had quietly turned her head to look at him in the sunset.

Even though her pink bangs rippled gently in the wind, there appeared a translucent, ethereal quality that only existed in manga, revealing those pure, beautiful eyes.

If Xilian died, he didn't know what would become of him.

Even if it were to protect his heart, Xilian would never self-righteously conceal her own problems.

Sigh, this kind of unreserved concern for one another...

If only it were truly possible to take Xilian and run away together, to embark on a grand escape toward the sunlight; if only Xilian weren't so altruistic, if only she didn't care so much about the world.

Unfortunately, such thoughts could only ever be a luxury.

He shook his head.

There was no need to fantasize about the impossible; at the very least, there was no need to dwell on it before hitting a bottleneck. For now, he only needed to keep moving forward and strive to strengthen himself.

--Now, only Mei is left.

She had not touched the ground for a long time, remaining high up in the heavens; only the thunder constantly flashing within the endless, blackened sky betrayed her mood.

"Mei?" Jiang Cheng asked toward the sky, testing the waters.

"...I'm here."

Though she responded immediately, Raiden Mei did not descend, remaining hidden within the thunderclouds.

Although Kiana hadn't heard clearly due to being a bit further away, the moment she realized it was his voice, she immediately jumped up on the spot and waved from afar in response.

"I'm here, Jiang Cheng~!"