The Second Trip, the Goal is the Same, Is It Just Family?

Airi's satellite, which Velvie had made, was soon finished.

The satellite, capable of monitoring global Honkai Energy fluctuations, was now complete.

But Chang Yuan knew it was time for him to get busy.

"Mhm~, it's like when we were kids again."

Airi looked at the mobile software Velvie had personally created and smiled.

This software could track Honkai Energy changes worldwide.

And whenever it showed an upward trend somewhere, Airi would head there in Flame-Chasing Moth's specialized aircraft.

"Yeah, but this time the goal isn't to find that paradise, it's to eliminate the Honkai and ensure humanity's eternal survival."

Two journeys, yet their meanings were different, but they ultimately led to the same destination.

After all, to create an eternal paradise, a flawless utopia, one must defeat the Honkai, and the purpose of this journey was to hunt down the Honkai.

"The days ahead will be very tiring, A'Yuan. Are you sure you want to come with me? This is just my own little whim, after all."

At this moment, Airi looked at Chang Yuan with eyes as gentle as flowing water.

If Chang Yuan refused, she wouldn't say anything.

Chang Yuan didn't have the inhuman stamina and spirit that she did, and of course, the most important thing was his own dream.

She did all this for her dream, so it could serve as her spiritual pillar to persevere.

But Chang Yuan was different; his dream had never been this.

"Of course. After all, I played a part in agreeing to this. If I let you bear all the burden alone, I'd feel rather guilty."

Reaching up to pinch his brow, Chang Yuan gave a helpless smile.

"Really? Is it not for some other reason?"

Airi, who had been standing beside Chang Yuan, moved in front of him, placing her hands behind her back, bending slightly to bring her face close to his as she looked up at him with a smile.

Chang Yuan, feeling a bit embarrassed by Airi's intimate gesture, instinctively took a step back.

The distance between them had been incredibly close just moments ago, so close he could see every one of her eyelashes, so close he could smell her fragrance.

With a slight blush, he looked away, then guiltily replied, "Of course, it's real."

Could he just say he was going along to keep Airi from getting too tired?

Definitely not. Their relationship hadn't reached that point yet, or rather, he hadn't been able to transform this familial affection into love.

Saying it so abruptly might make it difficult for Airi to face him for a while.

So, to avoid making things awkward for both of them, he couldn't reveal the real reason.

"I see. Since A'Yuan said so, I'll reluctantly believe you."

With a light laugh, Airi straightened up again and turned her back to Chang Yuan.

On the side facing away from Chang Yuan, Airi puffed out one side of her cheeks.

What's with him? He clearly has another reason but won't say it. Why keep it bottled up? Isn't it better to just say it?

How could Airi not tell that Chang Yuan was lying to her?

But what could she do? She couldn't possibly press him for details.

"Alright, the first location is quite close to us. Let's go."

Taking out her phone, Airi stopped dwelling on the previous matter.

Instead, she headed towards the nearest city where Honkai Energy was showing an upward trend.

Chang Yuan followed behind her like a little follower.

n months later...

"Ugh, I really have to thank you for accompanying me, Chang Yuan. Otherwise, I feel like I'd be losing my hair."

After investigating another city with rising Honkai Energy, Airi and Chang Yuan arrived at a double room in a high-end hotel.

After showering, Airi emerged wearing a white bathrobe, gently stroking her pink hair with one hand while drying it with a hairdryer.

She occasionally grumbled about the frequent Honkai Energy surges lately.

"What can we do? You're the one who insisted on doing this in the first place. And I'm here accompanying you, so what else is there to complain about?"

On the other bed, Chang Yuan lay sprawled out like a dead dog in the character "wood" position.

He was utterly exhausted. Day and night, regardless of time zones, they rushed to wherever Honkai Energy was trending upwards.

He and Airi hadn't had a good night's sleep in days.

Airi, on the other hand, was fine. With her non-human constitution, she could go a week without sleep and be perfectly alright.

But he couldn't. He felt like his sanity was about to break.

"So, thank you, A'Yuan, for being willing to come with my capricious self on my little whim."

Once her hair was completely dry, Airi propped herself up on her bed, resting her chin on her hands, and looked cheerfully towards Chang Yuan's side.

With just a slight turn of his head, Chang Yuan could see a splendor that belonged only to him.

After all, the yukata was quite loose. Although Airi had tried her best to cover herself, a shallow cleavage was still visible.

However, he only glanced once before Chang Yuan immediately averted his eyes.

Looking any longer would be impolite.

But as an non-human, Airi's senses were extremely sharp.

So she had noticed the glance Chang Yuan had just sent her way.

As a girl, Airi's face also flushed slightly.

She immediately sat up.

Hugging her knees, she rested her head on them and looked at Chang Yuan.

"It can't be helped. After all, I promised Uncle Tok I'd look after you, even when you grew up."

To prevent himself from recalling the scene just now, Chang Yuan tried hard to divert his attention.

"Is it really just because of Uncle Tok's words?"

"...Of course. We're each other's most important family, aren't we?"

"Just family?"

Upon hearing this, Airi murmured softly, her voice so low that only she could hear it.

To the point that Chang Yuan only saw her pink lips move slightly, but heard no sound.

"Airy, what were you just saying?"

"Nothing, just talking to myself. You're right, we're each other's most important family."

When asked, Airi felt too embarrassed to voice her thoughts.

So she could only brush it off like this.

Both of them were new to matters of the heart, with too many reservations and concerns for each other's feelings, making it difficult to be open about many things.

Upon hearing Airi's answer, a hint of disappointment flickered in Chang Yuan's eyes.

As he expected, Airi truly saw him only as family.

Airi was indeed not easy to win over. She possessed a great capacity for love, making it difficult for her to fall for just one person.

Beep beep beep—!

"It's so late, whose call is this?"

Picking up his phone, Chang Yuan took a look and saw the name "Big V Teacher" in his contacts.