"Ryn, do you know when you first walked into my heart?"
"Hmm... let me think..." Ryn scratched his head, looking troubled, and asked uncertainly, "During the Third Honkai War, when we were standing guard outside together?"
"Nope... even earlier... much earlier..."
Kika sat on the chair, her legs swinging casually. She looked at the deep, dark lake in front of her, her thoughts drifting back to the past.
The bodies of Honkai Beasts were piled up by the lakeside, adding a unique flavor to the shimmering, purple-glowing surface of the water.
Just like the dessert she had made back then...
"Hahaha... how should I put this? If I really talk about it, I feel like I was so ridiculous back then..."
As Kika thought about it, she started laughing at her own past foolishness before she could even get the words out.
"It's okay, Kika, go ahead and say it! You've always been ridiculous, so no matter how much more ridiculous it is, we'll understand," Rita interjected mischievously.
Kika closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then snapped them open to look at Rita.
"External armor Sabayon! Annihilation mode, activate!"
Then, Kika, who was about to tell her story, brandished Sabayon and chased after Rita to give her a good whack on the head.
Leaving Ryn and Durandal to stare at each other in bewilderment.
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_A few minutes later, Kika returned, panting, using Sabayon as a crutch._
Rita, on the other hand, was smiling and following behind Kika at a safe distance, maintaining a constant relative position so that Kika couldn't do anything to her.
"Ryn! I can't hit her!!"
Kika threw Sabayon aside, shouted in frustration, and then launched herself at Ryn.
"You have to slow Rita down so I can give her a good whack on the head with Sabayon."
"If you can't hit her, then just shoot her with the cannon. I've got your back. As long as you don't blow her to bits, I can save her," Ryn said with a nonchalant smile, stroking Kika's head.
"Uhh... I think this is because Lady Kika has been slacking on her training and has poor physical fitness. I don't think Rita deserves to die for it, right?"
Rita explained with a forced smile, her body involuntarily taking a few steps back.
Kika blinked in disbelief and asked in surprise, "Ryn, are you serious? We're comrades! How could I really fire the cannon!"
"You know you can't fire the cannon, so wouldn't it be against the rules for me to intervene?" Ryn poked the foolish Kika with his finger and asked helplessly.
"If you can't hit her, then let's just not fight. We can find another opportunity on another occasion to get back at her.
Besides... Kika, you used to expose Rita's secrets all the time, embarrassing her in front of everyone. She put up with it and didn't string you up and beat you, or secretly plot against you.
This is just a little joke now, just some friendly roughhousing. There's no need to actually get angry and hit her to save face or anything."
After speaking, Ryn scratched his head in embarrassment and turned to look at Rita.
"So, Rita, what are you thinking?"
Ryn's red eyes stared straight into Rita's. His imposing presence made Rita feel like a little white mouse that had stumbled into the territory of an apex predator, being watched and unable to move a muscle.
By the time Rita came to her senses, she realized she had broken out in a cold sweat.
She truly couldn't figure out what Ryn was thinking, so she didn't know if he would actually attack her to make Kika happy, or if he would just laugh off their little squabble.
But, watching Kika, who wanted to kill her but couldn't do anything about it, jumping around in frustration, crying and screaming, was really fun!
And, betting her life on whether Ryn would make a move, testing the limits on the edge of life and death, the psychological and physical stimulation it brought was truly addictive!
"Hehe... Rita, was just simply courting death."
Hearing Rita's answer, Ryn and Kika both opened their mouths in unison, letting out a bewildered question.
"Huh?"
Durandal stood up, walked over to Rita, and placed the back of her hand on her forehead to check if Rita had a fever or was confused.
"Rita, are you okay? Have you been under a lot of stress lately?"
Rita shook her head, using her specially trained breathing technique to hide her emotions, and then answered Durandal softly.
"I'm fine, thank you for your concern, Lady Durandal. It's just... Rita seems to have awakened some special hobbies~
"Are you sick? Do you need to see a doctor?" Durandal said as she was already taking out her phone to call Otto to arrange for leave to take Rita to see a doctor.
"..."
Rita broke out in a few drops of awkward sweat and then stopped Durandal, who was already starting to make an appointment for her.
"Lady Durandal, this isn't an illness... it should be considered a way to relieve my stress?"
"Relieve stress? Then come train with me tomorrow?"
"Um... Lady Durandal, I recommend this doctor. Let's make an appointment with her!"
Ryn, Kika, Durandal: "..."
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_After some roughhousing, the group settled down again to listen to Kika tell her little secret._
"First, promise me you won't laugh!
Hehe... As the young lady of the family, I was forced to learn many things from a young age, and one of them was cooking...
The housekeeper who taught me various things was very kind to me and would make all sorts of delicious food. When I was little, I dreamed of becoming a good wife who could cook delicious food just like her.
But... I'm really not good at cooking... It's like I've been cursed. Even though I follow the steps perfectly, without a single mistake, the things I make always turn out strange and utterly absurd.
Back then, the housekeeper jokingly told me that if I didn't know how to find a husband who loved me in the future, I should definitely find a man who could eat the food I made...
Because if he could even eat something so toxic, then he would surely be able to tolerate all my other flaws..."
Kika wrapped her arm around Ryn's, her body swaying gently with the breeze.
Her red eyes sparkled with a bright light, and a gentle smile played on her lips. The wind flushed her cheeks, revealing the stunning beauty of a fair maiden under the moonlight. Against the backdrop of the moon, she looked like a fairy descended to the mortal world.
"Ryn... now that I've said all this, do you know when you walked into my heart?"