Back in the present, after Kallen moved the strangely familiar man onto the bed, the two of them stood side-by-side at the bedside like a pair of naughty children.
One was worried if her punch had caused any permanent damage, while the other was worried that the punch had caused permanent damage.
The tall one and the short one stood together awkwardly, neither daring to speak first.
Kallen knew she was in the wrong and had already braced herself to "take her lumps." As for Yae Rin... she yawned.
The fright she'd just had was more exhausting than reading a hundred books. On top of that, she hadn't slept much tonight, and at this moment, she was reaching her absolute limit.
Kallen sensed this and looked down at Yae Rin, who looked like she was about to make a "thud" sound of death and collapse on the spot. Her heart tightened.
"Are you... alright?" Yae Rin's yawn had broken the silence. Kallen seized the opportunity, bending down to ask with concern.
Yae Rin was already swaying on her feet, but when Kallen leaned in, she still tried her best to stand up straight.
"Mmm... I'm fine!" Yae Rin spoke for the first time in front of Kallen. Her voice was soft, with a distinct Far East accent Kallen couldn't quite place, which only made it sound incredibly cute.
Coupled with the way she was secretly sizing Kallen up, Kallen's heart softened.
"He should be fine." Kallen had already checked on Joachim while moving him. Although her reflexive attack had been sharp, it was ultimately for self-defense. She had perfect control over such non-hostile attacks.
If it were Kiana, who still couldn't control her own... er, let's pick another example. That one's a pure talent monster, a min-maxed stat freak.
The Schariac family is just too powerful.
If it were a young Siegfried, that punch wouldn't have just knocked someone out. It would've been a critical hit, probably sending the person flying ten thousand miles away.
Joachim wasn't seriously injured, let alone "beaten to death." He probably wouldn't even remember being hit when he woke up, just feeling a slight pain in his jaw.
Kallen had tried this move on Otto before. Every time, it would give him amnesia. He'd rub his chin and look at her in a daze, as if he had no idea what had just happened. It worked every time.
Yae Rin nodded at Kallen's reassurance, then let out another exhausted yawn. She looked at the occupied bed with longing.
She didn't care anymore if the pretty big sister was a Magical Homu Girl or not. She wanted to sleep, but the bed was taken.
I guess it's back to sleeping on the floor. I just need to find a corner and curl up.
Yae Rin thought with extreme humility. All she wanted was to sleep.
Just then, Joachim, who had eaten a physical version of Kallen's "Memory Erasure Fist," woke up. His first reaction upon opening his eyes was a sharp pain in his jaw. Then, the memory of being punched came flooding back, completely intact.
The amnesia punch was a lie. The Oscars owed Otto a little golden statue.
"Ahem... you're awake?" Seeing Joachim turn his head to stare at her, Kallen began to fidget nervously.
She tried to lie, but couldn't, so she could only turn her words into an expression of concern.
Joachim didn't respond. Instead, he thought back on the Kaslanas he had encountered and decisively gave up on asking about the punch.
He even began to wonder if he had done something wrong. Otherwise, how could he have been hit by a Kaslana's attack?
These creatures, whose subjective sense of guilt could affect their objective performance, had a natural combat power of zero when they were in the wrong. It was as if all their stats were instantly deducted and poured into the "self-preservation" category.
So why had he been hit? The victim, Joachim, began to engage in some against the heavens-level self-reflection.
Until his peripheral vision caught Yae Rin, who was already dozing off while standing.
Forget it. Who hasn't done something a little shady? Even a Kaslana has been guilty of stealing snacks.
Joachim quickly got off the bed, picked up Yae Rin, and placed her on it.
This time, Yae Rin fell asleep the moment she touched the bed, making no sound other than her breathing.
Kallen also fell silent. Joachim gestured to Kallen, and the two of them quietly left the room, stepping outside the door.