Bianka had no idea what Himeko and Otto were discussing.
While the two were talking inside the Titan mech, Bianka stood to the side with her head bowed, like a quail that had done something wrong.
By now, the mech squad and Bianka had already returned to shore. After a while, the fiery red Titan mech opened its cockpit, and Himeko jumped out. She reached out and patted Bianka on the shoulder.
"We haven't seen each other in a long time, have we?" Himeko gave Bianka a gentle smile, greeting her like two old friends who hadn't seen each in a while.
"What, you didn't even come to see me now that you're in Sapphire City?" Himeko leaned against her mech, tapping on a section of its armor, revealing...
A small refrigerator?
Bianka looked at the small refrigerator in surprise. Himeko, meanwhile, rummaged through a fridge full of beer and found a bottle of fruit-flavored soda.
"I was wondering when those little ones would find these sodas," Himeko said, tossing the soda to Bianka, who quickly caught it with both hands.
In just that short moment, condensation had already formed on the bottle. Himeko, for her part, took a can of beer.
Tsk—
A short hiss from the soda can broke the main melody of the waves. Bianka turned her head and saw the other members of the Titan squad quietly leaving the port.
Only she and Himeko were left, along with the incessant sea breeze and the sound of the waves that always lingered in her ears.
Bianka looked down at the soda in her hand. A familiar yellow rabbit logo made her pause.
"This is Kiana's favorite soda. She still has some time before she's of legal age. According to Nagazora's laws, minors can't drink alcohol," Himeko said, shaking the beer can in her hand at Bianka.
"I've also stayed in Shenzhou for a long time. Some things have become a habit."
A habit... did she mean keeping soda for minors in her small refrigerator?
Perhaps Bianka's confusion was written all over her face. This familiar gesture made Himeko chuckle.
"These sodas were originally for Kiana and the others. Of course, they're also for those other little ones.
"Back when I was teaching in Nagazora City... Kiana would often raid my fridge in the middle of the night. But my fridge was full of alcohol... After I found out, I started habitually leaving some of their favorite food and drinks in the fridge."
"Senior Himeko... you're a very gentle person..." Bianka murmured softly, then raised her hand and opened the soda.
POP!
The soda immediately gushed out of the can's opening. Although it didn't spray far, it still got on Bianka's hand.
This was the first time Bianka had ever had soda. Just like the first time she had eaten candy, this "sudden" situation left her at a loss.
Both of them had opened a can, and both had gas spray out of the opening. In Bianka's eyes, she had done the same thing as Himeko. Why did she...
What had she done wrong?
A look of bewilderment appeared on Bianka's face. She looked up and saw a slightly wicked smile on the "gentle" Senior Himeko's face.
She was the one who had tossed the soda to her. How could she not know if it would spray?
This first reaction of reflecting on what she had done wrong after an accident... was very similar to Kiana's.
Speaking of which, among the founding members of Fire Moth, the relationship between Himeko and Bianka was the most distant.
After Shu and the others had left, Himeko had been stationed in Sapphire City, serving as its stabilizing force.
Other teams had rotations, but only Himeko's team had to protect the frontline base, clear out all enemies approaching it, support the front lines, and fight against those overpowered Honkai Beasts.
Leisure was a rare commodity for Himeko and her team. It could be said that in the days when Shu was not at the base, Himeko was the person with the most pressure besides Otto.
The only time she and Bianka had met was when Theresa had brought Bianka to Sapphire City for an internship. And even then, there hadn't been much interaction between them.
There was no time for small talk during meetings. After the meeting, Himeko had stayed in her mech the entire time and had not left.
Thinking about it... it had been a long time since she had left her mech like this, enjoying a drink and the sea breeze...
Himeko tilted her head back and took a small sip of beer. After tasting the faint flavor in her mouth, she suddenly let out a helpless laugh, then took a large gulp.
Before, she hadn't dared to drink in large gulps because she had to stay alert at all times. She could only take small sips to satisfy her craving.
Now that Shu was back, and not only back, but back in Sapphire City, what did she have to worry about with him around?
Cheers!
Bianka was stunned. She watched Himeko take a hearty gulp, then lowered her head in thought for a moment. She raised her hand, tilted her head back, and took a large gulp just like Himeko.
A large gulp of soda... that was a more intense sensation than beer.
Gulp, gulp, gulp—ah!
They both lowered their cans at almost the same time. Two satisfied sighs overlapped. The moonlight fell from the sky, illuminating their slightly flushed faces.
Bianka shivered. Gulping down an ice-cold soda was a very novel and stimulating experience. As the bubbles popped in her mouth, the sweetness of the soda kept welling up.
The tingling sensation of the bubbles was only temporary. After it faded, all that was left was an endless, sweet aftertaste.
No wonder... Kiana liked this kind of drink...
"Haha, that girl Kiana loves to drink like this too," a large hand suddenly came at her. In Bianka's dazed eyes, Himeko pulled her into an embrace.
Unlike the low temperature she had when she hadn't yet mastered her abilities, Himeko's body was fiery hot. In the slightly cool night, this warmth was like a burning flame.
But it wasn't that fiery. It was surprisingly soft, as if it wanted to envelop her...
Mmm... so close...
Bianka was held tightly by Himeko like a kitten being played with. The faint smell of alcohol wafted into her nose.
"But compared to that little girl Kiana, you're still very different, Bianka," Himeko said, leaning close to Bianka with a "I'm about to spill the tea" expression.
Bianka was stunned for a moment, then dutifully perked up her ears.
"That girl Kiana is not as well-behaved as you. She's always causing some kind of trouble. Although she's never made any major mistakes, she has caused a lot of trouble."