(Volume V: This Isn't My Kind of Kingdom)
Snow had begun to pile up in Siberia. Though there hadn't been any blizzards, several days of light snowfall had blanketed the world in white.
"Huff..." Kiana exhaled, a plume of white vapor briefly visible in the cold. She sat on the roof of the slowly advancing train, having changed into a down jacket. Hugging her knees, she faced into the wind.
Her fair cheeks were flushed red by the wind, tiny snowflakes clinging to her long eyelashes. The two pompoms on her fluffy hat danced in the breeze.
Yet, as she watched the snowy plains recede around them, her expression was heavy with worry.
A blanket settled silently over Kiana's shoulders, making her look up in surprise.
"Mei..."
Mei smiled at Kiana and helped her pull the blanket tighter. "Shu said you were on the roof. And here you are, just like he guessed."
Kiana nodded, looking a little downcast, before her gaze drifted back to the distant horizon.
"What's wrong? You look like you have something on your mind," Mei said with a gentle smile, sitting down beside Kiana.
"It-It's nothing..." Kiana replied automatically, but she couldn't help but gulp when she saw Mei clenching her fist in her peripheral vision.
Ever since their late-night chat back in the city, Mei seemed to have mastered the art of getting Kiana to spill the beans. Unless it was something truly serious that had to be kept secret, Mei could usually coax the truth out of her.
"Well, it's just..." Kiana scratched her head, giving Mei an sheepish grin before finally starting to speak, albeit hesitantly.
"Mei, don't you think... Shu seems really worn out?" Kiana finally managed, finding a slightly better way to phrase her concern.
Mei paused. "Worn out...?"
It was true... Ever since Nagazora City, Shu had been constantly pushing himself. Aside from the time spent traveling on the train, he'd barely taken a moment's rest.
You didn't even need to think back that far. The difference between how Shu looked now and how he looked when they first met was night and day.
Extreme exhaustion really could kill a person.
"Kiana, Shu is exhausted. We've known that for a while," Mei sighed, patting Kiana's shoulder gently. "But all we can do is our best to help him."
"I know..." Kiana mumbled. "I know no one can really afford to rest right now, but... I just wish I could do more..."
She could have, but... Shu confiscated the Genesis Key (I change the name). Suddenly, she was back to being just a regular person who happened to have a battlesuit...
Okay, maybe a little bit stronger than a regular person.
But compared to the Herrschers? That meant practically nothing, right? She was still just cannon fodder.
That's why Kiana was so bummed out! She'd finally felt like she could contribute something significant, and now Shu had basically slapped the equivalent of parental controls on her, treating her like a kid! The little bit of usefulness she'd finally gained vanished instantly!
And the worst part was, she felt too awkward to ask Shu to give it back...
Mei sighed. She couldn't do anything about it either. Otto had been right; Shu would never let them handle the Genesis Key unsupervised. They knew when they took it that it might be a one-time deal.
But who could have guessed Shu had a nose like a bloodhound? He found where they'd hidden the Genesis Key almost immediately.
And he didn't just guess; he marched right over, opened Kiana's personal wardrobe, and pulled it out, leaving no room for argument.
"Let's not worry about that right now. It's time for dinner," Mei said, unable to offer a better solution and deciding to change the subject.
Kiana tucked her disappointment away behind her eyes and flashed Mei a brilliant smile despite the snowy wind. "Okay! My stomach has been dreaming about your cooking, Mei!"
It was as if the cheerful Kiana standing there was a completely different person from the gloomy girl just moments before.
Mei pressed her lips together, but could only follow Kiana back inside the train car.
As soon as they entered the dining car, they spotted two figures slumped in chairs, fast asleep with dark circles under their eyes, looking completely out of it.
Those two must have pulled another all-nighter gaming.
Bronya Zaychik looked relatively okay, her dark circles not too severe. Shu, however... just one late night seemed to have aged him visibly, making him look even more haggard.
"You two..." Mei sighed helplessly as her footsteps startled them awake. "Even when you're gaming, you need to know your limits."
Shu pulled whatever he'd used to cover his face away, looking listlessly at Mei. "But... I went to bed before one last night..."
Bronya, looking considerably more rested beside him, nodded. "Bronya can confirm. Shu returned to his room to sleep around 12:30 AM last night."
He looks like this after going to bed before one?
Mei and Kiana couldn't help but stare at Shu's condition. Their sharp eyes could clearly see his eyelids drooping, practically fighting to stay open.
"Shu, maybe you should go lie down for a bit?" Mei couldn't help asking, concerned.
Shu seemed to assess how he felt, then sighed and nodded.
Just as Otto had said, his physical constitution had declined once more.
He hadn't paid much attention to these changes before, but now, after Otto's warning, they were glaringly obvious.
First, he'd already needed a new pair of glasses. Then, his physical stamina had plummeted, making him prone to backaches and general soreness much more easily.
And now, this.
He used to be a total night owl, but now, going to bed even at midnight left him feeling exhausted and drowsy the next day. How could the change not be obvious?
Watching Shu's retreating figure, a flicker of sadness crossed Kiana's eyes. She only snapped out of it and picked up her chopsticks when Mei gently reminded her to eat.
Back in his room, Shu practically face-planted onto his bed. The moment he hit the mattress, an irresistible wave of drowsiness washed over him.
He slept straight through until evening.
Alright, now he had an even more awkward problem.
Having slept soundly all day, how was he supposed to sleep tonight?
The problem hit him right after he finished the dinner Mei had left for him.
Night had fallen, but he wasn't the least bit sleepy. Resigned, he wandered over to the large screen in the common area, planning to kill some time.
Mei had strictly ordered Bronya to go to bed, so it looked like the screen was all his tonight.
He booted up "Homu: Shadows Die Twice" [Parody of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice]. After saving Bronya's progress, he started a new game file for himself. However, after playing for only a little while, Shu put the controller down, feeling frustrated.
This feeling—his mind knowing what to do but his hands failing to keep up—was incredibly frustrating. It felt like his own hands were working against each other, a maddening lack of coordination.
He had a feeling that if he kept playing like this, he might get tilted enough to use his [Wish] power just to get through the game.
If this happened a couple more times, his gaming skills would probably end up on the same level as Kiana's!.