"Theresa, I really think you're overthinking this."
Himeko said with a helpless smile.
She didn't believe for a second that Elias would have any interest in her. With her sharp intuition, Himeko could already tell—all four of the girls in the house clearly had feelings for the boy.
Young, pretty, and full of energy—what man wouldn't prefer that? Why would he choose an alcoholic aunt like her?
Not to mention, Himeko had no future.
Even now, Schicksal's artificial Stigmata technology was far from mature. Himeko had received her Stigmata implant relatively late, and surviving this long was already a miracle.
Her fiery, curvy body had been heavily eroded by Honkai energy.
She only had about three to four years left to live.
"Alright then, Elias and Mei, right? Come on in and check out your new home. We've already tidied up your bedrooms over the past two days. If there's any furniture you need, feel free to order—just don't go overboard with the price, and we'll cover it."
"Thank you, Miss Himeko."
"Thank you, Miss Himeko."
After expressing their thanks, Elias and Mei stepped into the villa.
Originally, this villa was Himeko's private residence as a teacher, so the entire place had a cozy, lived-in vibe. It didn't feel like a dorm—it felt like a real home.
Elias' room was on the first floor, with Himeko's room to the left and Seele's room to the right.
Bronya, Mei, and Kiana's rooms were all on the third floor—the "Main Trio" grouped together.
"...Why am I the farthest from Elias?"
Mei glanced at the room placements, lips twitching slightly. Was no one else seeing this? She was the girlfriend here, yet she was the one furthest from Elias?
This had to be intentional, right?
"The placements were drawn fairly by lottery."
"Yeah yeah, totally not on purpose."
"Don't sweat the details. It's just a dorm layout—nothing more."
"..."
On her very first day in the Valkyrie dorms, Mei felt like she was being targeted by everyone.
But after glancing at the two rooms next to Elias', she didn't feel particularly threatened.
Seele was clearly a sweet, well-behaved little angel—definitely not the type to sneak into someone's room at night.
And as for Miss Himeko, such a mature and reliable adult surely already had a boyfriend. No way she'd make a move on her Elias.
(With those two next to him, I'm safe. In fact, being placed between Kiana and Bronya is actually strategic. If either of them tries to sneak off at night, I'll catch them instantly. Perfect!)
Mei clenched her fist.
It looked like a disadvantage at first glance—but in reality, this layout gave her the upper hand!
Too bad her information wasn't exactly accurate.
What she didn't know was that while Seele wouldn't do anything... her second personality, with yandere tendencies, just might.
And as for the dependable adult Himeko—she was actually a lifelong single woman who could barely take care of herself.
This seemingly neat and tidy villa had, just two days earlier, been a complete disaster zone—beer bottles, underwear, takeout boxes everywhere—until Kiana and Bronya moved in.
"It's about lunchtime. Miss Himeko, can you cook?"
"...Nope. How about ramen with canned beef and eggs?"
"Nooo! I don't want more instant noodles! I want Mei's cooking!"
"Bronya would also prefer Elias' food."
Having sampled both the cafeteria and Himeko's cooking over the past two days, Kiana and Bronya had come to the same conclusion—nothing beat their personal chef/girlfriend/father figure's meals.
Seeing the eager looks in their eyes, Elias and Mei exchanged a glance and couldn't help but smile wryly.
"Alright, since you helped prep our rooms, and to celebrate Seele's return and your move into this new place, I'll cook something special for everyone today."
"Then I'll help too. Hehe, I'm also curious to see how your cooking stacks up, Elias. I used to be the one making lunch for you every day, remember?"
"Then Seele will assist you both as sous-chef."
As the three entered the kitchen, this space—which had barely been used since renovations—finally welcomed two true culinary masters.
Mei's skills needed no explanation—she was practically the Herrscher of Cooking.
And Elias had risen to her level. Back at the House of the Hearth, he had spent a long time refining his cooking abilities.
What made his food truly unique was how he incorporated Herrscher powers into his culinary process. In fact, the time he put the most heart into using his powers was when cooking for the girls he cared about.
"As expected, controlling flame with Herrscher of Fire powers is way more precise than using a stovetop. Herrscher of Death helps sterilize and enhance the ingredients. Herrscher of Void lets me multitask easily... Honestly, I kinda want Herrscher of Ice and Reason powers too—they'd probably be super useful for cooking..."
Elias skillfully worked through the ingredients while thinking. Anyone familiar with the destructive nature of Honkai powers would've been dumbfounded by his train of thought—but he was completely serious.
And proud of it.
(Power isn't inherently evil. It all depends on the will of the one using it. Even power born to destroy the world can be turned into a delicious meal that brings joy to the people I care about.)
Outside the kitchen, Himeko, Kiana, and Bronya stood in stunned silence, watching the scene unfold.
All eyes were glued to Elias.
Mei was cooking with ordinary tools, but Elias... his process looked like a full-blown magic show!
Ingredients danced in mid-air, spinning in golden-red flames, suspended by invisible gusts of wind. Black mist swirled around them, removing all impurities in an instant.
"Wh-What kind of power is that?"
"Bronya remembers Elias once said... it's a special application of Honkai energy."
"Ooooh~ so amazing! Honkai really can do anything!"
All three of them wanted to clap. It was so flashy, so mesmerizing. Watching Elias cook was like watching a fairy tale magician at work.
And it wasn't just them.
Even Mei was stunned. She never imagined cooking could reach this level.
This is too good... too advanced... she thought. I, the supposed cooking queen, admit defeat. From now on, the title of Honkai's Top Chef belongs to you, Elias.
Just one hour later, the table was filled with vibrant, aromatic dishes that looked and smelled divine—enough to make Kevin, slurping unseasoned noodles in the Sea of Quanta, cry tears of envy.
Kiana, Himeko, and the others didn't hesitate—they dug in.
"Uuuu! This is too good!"
"The heat control is perfect!"
"Bronya, I called dibs on that drumstick!"
"Too slow, Kiana."
(Seele! Seele! Leave me some—I want a turn too!)
"Sorry, Other Me... I can't stop now!"
The five of them enjoyed a heavenly lunch.
When it was all over, Elias and Mei looked at the completely spotless plates—shiny enough to see their reflections in—and exchanged satisfied smiles.
Himeko, who'd originally been a bit bitter about having to look after five people—considering she could barely take care of herself—felt all her resentment melt away.
She even felt like bowing to Theresa in thanks.
(Satisfied~ I can't believe the principal gifted me two culinary gods like this. Am I supposed to be looking after them, or are they the ones taking care of me?)
"I'm so full~ I can't move another inch."
Kiana flopped lazily onto the couch, utterly content. At this point, the paramecium felt like her life was complete. Siegfried who? Never heard of him~ not looking anymore~ don't need him~
At the table earlier, she truly lived up to the Kaslana glutton reputation—eating a third of the total food and finishing six bowls of rice by herself.
But the second biggest eater came as a surprise.
"Seele, have some apple juice. It helps with digestion."
"Thank you, Papa Elias. Ahhh~"
"It's alright, no rush. But I'm surprised, Seele. After just one year, your appetite's really grown."
"Uuuu, please forget you saw that..."
Seele covered her flushed cheeks in embarrassment. That's right—the second-biggest eater today was her.
Her belly had a noticeable bulge now. While not quite on Kiana's level, she had gone back for rice three times.
But neither Elias nor Bronya blamed her.
The girl had spent over a year drifting through the Sea of Quanta—she hadn't had a proper meal in ages.
While Seele could travel through world bubbles, food in destroyed bubbles was inedible, and food in functioning ones required money.
And Seele Vollerei was no thief. This sweet, gentle girl would rather starve than steal.
So today's lunch had genuinely brought her to tears—she hadn't tasted food this good in so long.
"So, are you guys planning to attend afternoon classes? St. Freya does academics in the morning and combat training in the afternoon."
"Nope, not today. I'm stuffed and not moving. Tomorrow's a better time to start—haaah~"
Full and content, Elias yawned, declaring his intention to laze around for the rest of the day.
"Himeko, get me a sick note too. I don't wanna move either. Elias, scoot over—I'm sleeping right here."
"Nope, too comfy to move. Do whatever."
"Then don't blame me for lying on you! Hehe, I'll show you my new gear tomorrow—it's super cool!"
"You mean your Valkyrie battlesuit? I'll be looking forward to it~"
Images of Kiana in her signature white armor floated through Elias' mind, and he genuinely looked forward to seeing her in it.
He reached up and gently ruffled the head of the paramecium resting on his stomach. Kiana squinted in bliss.
At that moment, Elias had a strange hallucination. It felt like Kiana had sprouted cat ears and a tail—truly living up to her title as the ultimate, unbelievably adorable Kiana-kitty.
Instinctively, he unleashed the advanced cat-petting techniques he learned from his past life's visits to cat cafés, expertly targeting her chin, ears, and more all at once.
"Yosh yosh yosh~ good girl, good girl."
"Mmm! That feels so good... don't stop... that's cheating... my chin, a little lower... ahh!"
"Kiana, have you ever thought about wearing cat ears?"
"What's that? Nooope~"
"Aww, that's a shame."
"..." ×N
The rest of the living room stared in speechless disbelief.
Seele blinked in awe—just a little jealous.
Bronya maintained a blank expression but was already searching online for cat ear and tail cosplay accessories.
Himeko just sighed, thinking, Young people these days really know how to play... And what about the official girlfriend over there? Doesn't she feel anything? She's literally being NTR'd by her best friend right now.
"Mei, aren't you jealous?"
"...Bronya, why should I be jealous?"
"Eh? But Kiana just..."
"From what I can see, Elias is just playing with a pet. Do any of you really think they're doing... that kind of thing?"
"...Not really!" ×N
Everyone looked again.
And suddenly, Mei's logic made perfect sense.
They could clearly see Elias playing with what looked like an adorable white cat with blue eyes. The scene had absolutely no indecent vibes—on the contrary, it was cute and heartwarming.
In that moment, Kiana's role in the house became crystal clear: she was the pet girl of the Valkyrie dorm!
Unfortunately, this pet girl couldn't draw. All she could do was devour rice like no tomorrow.
"Ah~ my soul feels healed."
Elias squinted his eyes, enjoying the softness of the Kiana-kitty on his stomach, slowly drifting toward sleep.
He had truly been through a lot lately—two consecutive time-travel adventures, the Third Honkai Eruption, and a rescue trip to the Sea of Quanta to retrieve Seele.
Changing every tragedy into a happy ending wasn't easy. He'd gone on adventure after adventure, each more thrilling than anything from his past life combined.
But the fatigue had built up.
Even if he could cleanse physical exhaustion with the Herrscher of Death's powers, a constantly tense heartstring would eventually snap unless it got time to rest. And now, he was finally taking a moment for himself.
This adorable girl in his arms was healing not just his body—but his spirit.
...
...The next day…
"Elias! I'm gonna teach you a lesson today! After school—training ground! Don't you dare run!"
"Alright, alright, I'm sorry, Kiana. I'll make fried chicken for dinner—will you forgive me?"
"Slurp... I won't!"
Kiana swallowed hard, struggling to resist the temptation to forgive him on the spot.
Her cheeks were flushed as she covered her neck, shooting Elias a glare that was somehow both fierce and adorable. Anyone watching might've thought he'd done something truly scandalous.
And to be fair... Elias wasn't exactly innocent.
If Kiana moved her hand away, everyone would clearly see a row of bite marks on her neck—courtesy of Elias.
"Bronya didn't expect Elias to do something like that... it's honestly a little envi— I mean, disappointing."
"Looks like we'll have to keep a closer eye next time. That kind of reward—ahem—never mind."
Bronya and Mei both cast a weary glance at Elias, thinking: just because she's a pet doesn't mean we can let our guard down.
"Kiana-sis, does it hurt?"
Seele looked at Kiana's neck with concern.
"Uh, it's not too bad. It only hurt a little when he bit me. Hmph! Elias, I'm gonna teach you a lesson! Even a Herrscher won't save you!"
Kiana raised her fists in protest.
She felt like she'd fallen for a trap yesterday. First, Elias used his elite-level cat-petting skills to lull her into submission—and then, out of nowhere, he sneak-attacked her.
Fortunately, she had new strength now—her Valkyrie battlesuit: White Comet. (Though... practice makes white comet useless?)
While it was obvious to anyone with eyes that the power gap between her and Elias was still huge, Kiana was as confident as ever.
"So... Elias, why did you suddenly do that yesterday?"
"Uh, Little Duck... let's just say it was an unconscious, instinctive slip. Totally accidental."
Elias scratched his head awkwardly. He'd just gotten way too into petting Kiana, and then a memory surfaced—from an old youtube video in his past life.
In that video, a female cat-owner hugged her kitten tightly, sniffed it over and over, and said something like, "A kitten this cute was clearly born to be eaten by Mommy!"
And right there in his arms was the ultimate, overwhelmingly adorable Kiana-kitty.
So... instinct took over.
(Sigh~ I admit, I got a little carried away. But even if I'm 99% in the wrong... Kiana, can you really say you weren't at least 1% at fault? You're just too cute!)
From that day forward, Elias no longer dared to call himself a gentleman—but he proudly adopted a new title: a true man of honor.
After all, a true man only bites—never grabs.
Elias: "Not gonna lie, Kiana actually tasted pretty good~ What should I do? I kinda want another bite."
Kiana: "?!!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven