Under Bronya's precise and efficient navigation, Fuli quickly arrived at Kiana's room.
Of course, given his familiarity with this white-haired dumpling, he probably could have found his way here blindfolded just by following her scent, even without a guide.
Looking inside, the girl curled up in the thick bedding showed none of her usual boundless energy. Her small face was flushed red like a ripe apple, a single ahoge (idiot hair) was stuck to her sweaty temple, and a cold pack the size of a pencil case was pressed against her forehead.
"Nii..," Bronya suddenly called out from the side.
"What's up?" Fuli asked casually, withdrawing his gaze from Kiana's face.
"You are not allowed to take advantage of Idiot Kiana's illness to do lewd things to her."
Her silver-grey eyes were as sharp as knives.
"In your heart, is your brother just a desperate lecher who wouldn't even spare a sick patient?"
A vein popped on Fuli's forehead as he turned to look at her, his expression utterly speechless.
"With anyone else, I would always trust Bro's self-control," Bronya said, crossing her arms and leaning against the doorframe. Her gaze swept over the quietly sleeping Kiana on the bed as she added coolly, "But that is Kiana Kaslana."
The reason a certain someone came to the Far East in the first place wasn't exactly a secret on the Hyperion.
Fuli shrugged. "Then why don't you stay and monitor the whole process?"
"Until nii came back, Bronya was watching over this place. Bronya is very sleepy now and wants to go back to her room to sleep."
Only then did the big boy, whose heart had been entirely focused on Kiana, notice the faint dark circles under Bronya's eyes and the lethargy she couldn't quite hide between her brows. His voice softened unconsciously. "Thanks for your hard work, baby. Go get some sleep."
"Also, the room I'm resting in is right next door," Bronya paused at the doorway, turning her profile to add, "If any abnormal energy fluctuations or suspicious noises are detected, Heavy Project Bunny will arrive immediately to execute justice."
"I told you nothing's going to happen!"
After coaxing the constantly yawning little sister away, Fuli gently closed the door and tiptoed to the bedside.
He pulled up a chair, straddling it backward with his chin resting on the backrest. His scarlet eyes gazed at the peaceful sleeping face on the bed, and he reached out a finger to poke the girl's soft cheek.
"She really is sick..."
Fuli's tone was dazed, his memories involuntarily pulled back to the Previous Loop—that afternoon when he was patrolling the Mediterranean coastline and picked up a comatose white-haired Tuna from the salty sea breeze, and the subsequent half-month they spent living together in a love hotel.
She was just as defenseless then, just as resigned to his care.
Even beneath those currently closed eyelashes—which occasionally fluttered in her dreams—hid the same heterochromatic gold and blue eyes.
But this time, the silly girl definitely wouldn't leave a note full of "I'm sorry" and "It wasn't me" and sneak away like in the previous loop.
After all, now, the Hyperion was her home.
Thinking of this, Fuli's eyes curved into a smile. He couldn't resist poking the girl's hot little face again, feeling a sense of accomplishment.
"Usually she's jumping around and chattering like a little monkey, but when she's quiet, she's so pretty."
He didn't hide his inner thoughts. After examining her carefully for a moment, his expression gradually became a bit strange.
In her deep sleep, Kiana shed her unique aura of stupidity. The contours of her profile faintly overlapped with the memories of that holy, noble Saint, Cecilia.
There was certainly no problem with a daughter resembling her mother. The problem was that he knew Cecilia far better than he knew her daughter.
If in the future...
Fuli shook his head vigorously, suppressing the subtle sense of immorality that had descended upon him once again after toying with the master-disciple duo of Theresa and Wendy.
Because of this momentary distraction, the large hand playing on the white-haired dumpling's face failed to control its strength properly.
The eyelashes, dense as stars, trembled lightly. Misty, heterochromatic eyes opened slowly, filled with the confusion of waking up.
"Mmh... Ah-Li?"
Her voice was thick with nasal congestion, soft and cottony.
"Ah? Did I poke too hard? Sorry, sorry."
Quickly retracting the tool of the crime, Fuli hurriedly apologized.
The sickly white-haired dumpling didn't get angry. Instead, like a big white cat that had been petted comfortably, she revealed a soft smile and nuzzled her small cheek against his fingertips before he could fully pull away. "Hehe, Ah-Li... Good morning..."
It's already afternoon, you little dummy.
Fuli thought.
"Mhm, good morning."
But he responded softly to the girl's call anyway, his every gesture filled with spoiling affection.
If a third person were present, they might have mistaken them not for a couple in passionate love, but for a father and daughter with a small age gap.
After greeting her, Fuli stood up to fetch the room-temperature boiled water from the table, fed it to Kiana, and then picked up a towel to carefully wipe the corners of her slightly dry lips.
Only after doing all this did he ask, "Why did you suddenly fall ill? Is something weighing on your mind?"
"N-No!"
Her eyes dodged, and her stuttering tone highlighted her insincerity.
"Oh-ho?" The boy wasn't annoyed. Instead, he started speculating on his own. "Since it's not something on your mind, then it must be a new type of unknown virus from Imaginary Space or the Sea of Quanta."
"Damn it! To think it could break through the multiple filtration devices set up by the Abyss and spread inside the Hyperion, making even a powerhouse close to Critical Grade critically ill!"
He stood up abruptly with a whoosh, acting as if he were about to run out the door. "This is no small matter! I'm going to find Theresa right now to order an emergency quarantine for everyone at St. Freya, and then have Kallen start a maximum-level protective scan. We'll dig three feet into the ground if we have to, just to root out the source of this virus!"
"Don't! Don't go!"
In her urgency, Kiana reached out with her still-weak hand and grabbed his arm.
Just as she wanted to explain, she crashed right into the boy's eyes, which were brimming with teasing laughter. She immediately puffed up her cheeks, angrily pounding his chest with her small fists. "Bad Ah-Li! Stinky Ah-Li! Lying again! This Miss is gonna bite you, awoo!"
"Yes, yes, yes, I'm stinky and bad."
Fuli let her vent and act spoiled with those weak little fists. Taking advantage of the moment, he tucked the girl—who quickly tired herself out—back under the covers and adjusted the corners. Only then did he say, "I rushed back in such a hurry I really haven't showered. Mind if I borrow your bathroom for a quick wash?"
"It's not that you can't, but there aren't any clothes in the bathroom for you to change into! Ah-Li, how about you wear mine first?"
Baby Kiana's eyes lit up, displaying her world-shocking wisdom.
The reason it was "world-shocking" was that if she had simply nodded in agreement, Fuli, finding himself without clothes after a shower, might have actually reluctantly agreed.
But since she said it out loud...
"Then wait for me a bit, I'll go back to my room."
Fuli stood up, straightened the small cold pack that was sliding off her head, turned around, and vanished from the spot with a Void Flash.
"Mhm."
Kiana watched the spot where he disappeared, and the soft smile from moments ago receded like the tide.
She curled into a ball on the bed, the back of her head pressed against the pillow. Her clear eyes gradually lost focus, staring blankly at some point in the void, as if crushed by some invisible burden.
However, barely half a minute later, the door was pushed open again.
A rich meaty aroma mixed with spices and the scent of charcoal fire filled the room. Fuli walked in carrying a huge porcelain platter piled high with meat, placing it on the bedside table with a heavy thud.
Kiana blinked blankly.
"It's just being sick, eating something will fix it!" The boy said with overflowing confidence. "These cows just chased Theresa for dozens of kilometers. They've just exercised and sweated, so the meat is at its absolute peak tastiness!"
"Come on, come on!"
He picked up a piece of beef stewed until it was soft and flavorful, bringing it to the girl's mouth with eager anticipation.
At that moment, looking into those eyes filled with pure expectation and shining brightly at her, snap—the corridor of corpses extending coldly to the end of the universe, which had lingered in Kiana's mind for days, shattered silently.
"Mhm!"
If Ah-Li is here, I have the strength of a hundred... no, no, no, a thousand people!
No matter what difficulties lie ahead, we can definitely get through them hand in hand! Even those futures I saw!
So—
"Awooo, awooo!"
Foodie Mode: Activated!
Facts proved that the Kaslana clan possessed unique advantages in the field of food therapy.
Of course, it might also be because Chef Fuli precisely nailed the patient's tastes. After one meal, the sickly flush on Kiana's face receded visibly, and her eyes brightened again.
Sated with food and drink, the girl opened her small mouth, allowing a certain someone to skillfully move the MEI-brand electric toothbrush in and out.
"Gurgle gurgle gurgle—Pfft!"
Spitting out the last mouthful of rinse water mixed with foam and clearing away the salty aftertaste in her mouth, Kiana collapsed on the bed, patting her slightly bulging tummy with satisfaction.
"Huhu! I'm full, I'm full!"
"If you're full, how about getting out of bed and moving around?"
"Ah! My head suddenly hurts again!"
"You're just lazy."
Fuli covered the big white cat with the quilt again, sat by the bed, and casually picked up an apple to peel.
He peeled one for Wendy a few days ago, and now he was doing it for Kiana. The frequency was so high it made the previous time feel like a dress rehearsal.
"Just lazy, just lazy, hehe."
Baby Kiana had no idea that this "Shrimp-Head Man" (scumbag) serving her was actually thinking about another beautiful woman in his head. Her Highness the Princess grabbed the edge of the bed, her eyes shining as she made a request: "This Miss is so bored! Ah-Li, hurry up and construct some History for me to listen to!"
"Shoo shoo, you think everyone is as naturally gifted in the field of History Fictionologists as you are?"
"That's right! Guess why Newton and Gauss were born before this Miss? The answer is: the former was a dumb bird flying early, and the latter was actively avoiding my brilliance!"
"Ah, yes yes yes, our Kiana is the most amazing. The Genius Club isn't even fit to carry your shoes."
Fuli reached out and stuffed a small piece of apple on a toothpick into her non-stop chattering little mouth.
The girl chewed and swallowed, her eyes rolling around mischievously, before saying sweetly, "Ah-Li..."
"If you have something to say, say it. Don't be fake."
"Awoo." Kiana switched back to a serious face and asked excitedly, "So Ah-Li, do you know about VTubers?"
"What's that? An abbreviation for some new high-tech weapon made by Mei at Massive Electric?"
"It means taking a character design created by an artist, making it into a virtual avatar, and then using that avatar to do various activities on video sites as a streamer!"
Baby Kiana gave a garbled introduction.
Hearing this, Fuli frowned, a deep incomprehension appearing on his clean face, as if he were looking at an alien.
"Isn't that just the equivalent of a kindergarten teacher using a hand puppet to fool a 3-year-old? And a bunch of adults watch it with great relish? To be honest, I feel like I'm seeing a group of twenty or thirty-year-olds sitting in rows, happily clapping their hands while staring at the changing hand puppet in the kindergarten auntie's hand."
It was a good thing he didn't know that the current V-tuber circle was rife with toxic fandom culture and "filial piety" cultivation, where fans would explode in rage or even doxx people if their favorite V was criticized. Otherwise, he would definitely make the classic "Subway Old Man Phone" face on the spot and lament that he understood this world less and less.
"It... it's not as bad as you say!" Kiana protested tentatively. "And actually, Ah-Li, you've watched this VTuber too."
"Impossible!" Fuli said decisively. "I have absolutely no memory of such a thing!"
"Just listen to me!" The girl cleared her throat. "I'm telling you, there are these two people. One uses a Shota (little boy) skin, and one uses a Loli (little girl) skin. The male debuted earlier."
"The Shota's Nakanohito—that is, the actor—has a girlfriend, but the girlfriend is outside the circle and doesn't understand his profession, forcing him to hide his identity."
"The Loli's Nakanohito comes from a highly intellectual family, but her fate wasn't good. Physically, her family register only has one page left (she's the only survivor), and she has a few distant relatives she doesn't contact anymore."
"These two collaborate often, usually in group collabs, rarely just the two of them."
"Once, during a duo collab, they did something rather overboard. Because of that incident, some viewers flamed the management for a long time, but many CP (shipping) fans felt they should just be together."
"Their identity confidentiality work is actually quite good. Only a few head fans and people in their contacts list know who they really are."
Kiana finished her long-winded speech and looked at Fuli with anticipation. "Well! Does it sound familiar?!"
The latter frowned and thought for a long while, but finally shook his head in confusion. "What are the names of this VTuber pair?"
"Edogawa Conan and Haibara Ai!"
"Grass! (Damn it!)"
The boy suddenly felt the powerless sensation of stepping on shit while walking down the street, only to discover it was the shit he took the night before.
He narrowed his eyes alertly, clearly sensing something. "You took such a huge detour... what exactly do you want?"
"Hehe, it's just like you think, Ah-Li."
Kiana scratched her hair embarrassedly. "Didn't Sister Kallen edit the video of the three of us dancing wildly (going crazy) in the car when we left Shenzhou and post it online? The views broke several million! This Miss thought we shouldn't waste such high popularity, so I personally designed a skin to debut as a VTuber, streaming occasionally to earn some snack money."
As she spoke, she opened her laptop and skillfully clicked on a virtual avatar design software.
On the screen immediately appeared the image of a lively, pretty 2D girl with twin tails, wearing a hat with the Qian and Kun trigrams.
Fuli leaned over to take a look. " The 77th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, who walks the boundary between Yin and Yang and manages funeral affairs... Hu Tao, Director Hu? Uh, this is the persona for your skin?"
"Yes, yes!"
The girl nodded like a pestle pounding garlic, sounding quite proud of this persona.
"You're pretty good at writing backstories," Fuli mumbled. "So, the favor you want to ask is for me to be your substitute streamer for a few days while you're sick?"
"Not really."
Tapping lightly on the trackpad with her slender fingers, Kiana switched the screen. A purple-haired idol with a completely different temperament appeared.
Pointing at this VTuber file named "Inazuma Makoto" (Raiden Makoto), the girl's small face took on a rare solemnity:
"I want to ask you to help me go to the city where the real person behind this avatar lives. Go and see why, even though she was followed by Director Hu Tao over ten days ago, she hasn't had any accidents yet!"
Fuli: ???
What do you mean "why hasn't she had an accident after you followed her"?
So once followed by you, the Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, the victim either gets covered in wounds or loses their life? What kind of toxic logic is this? Are you literally letting fantasy bleed into reality?