Kiana lost. Cleanly and utterly, she surrendered all three lives to the Homu Shadow character controlled by Mei.
As the last sliver of health on her final life was about to be depleted, she had no choice but to throw herself into Mei's arms, nuzzling against her while pleading in a high-pitched voice, "Mei~ You're so good! Can't you let me win?"
Mei merely offered an apologetic smile before ruthlessly pressing the attack button, shattering Kiana's #1 dream.
Her meticulously planned strategy collapsed in an instant. For Kiana's dating career, this failure was tantamount to taking a date to the movies only to fall asleep, going to the arcade but ignoring the claw machines to play fighting games instead, or buying a box of takoyaki right before trying on clothes, like burying her head in the sand... [Idiom: Engaging in self-deception]
She felt utterly defeated, envisioning a future filled with passive experiences.
...Actually, that didn't sound too bad?
Immediately following this, Bronya Zaychik, fueled by immense fury, swept through everyone repeatedly, dismantling them so thoroughly that they threw down their controllers in defeat, complaining about having zero fun.
Amidst this one-sided slaughter, time finally reached dinner. The three instantly disengaged to prepare the evening meal, only for Kiana to be held back by Mei and Shu with the excuse, "Your cooking is inedible."
"No! Mei, Shu! Don't leave me alone!" Kiana collapsed dramatically onto the floor, reaching out desperately, hoping they would turn back and pull her up.
"How are you alone? Isn't Bronya here to keep you company?" Mei called back. Shu had already reached the door of the car, ready to make his escape.
"But..." Kiana tried to struggle, but Bronya had already materialized behind her like a phantom.
"Kiana, are you prepared for the three hundred and thirty-sixth duel with Bronya?" The emotionless voice sent a shiver down Kiana's spine.
"Um... Bronya, right now... uh... I'm a little hungry, hehe. Could you maybe let me eat first before we play?" Kiana forced a smile, turning back awkwardly.
Bronya didn't speak, merely picking up a controller silently.
"Phew..." Leaving the main car, Shu let out a long breath, rubbing his temples which were starting to throb.
Ultimately, he hadn't gotten enough sleep last night. Now that evening had arrived, drowsiness was creeping back in.
Fortunately, the sleepiness wasn't overwhelming this time. Shu managed to suppress it with just a yawn.
He'd agreed to help cook, and he couldn't go back on his word. Heading to the kitchen, he prepared to dust off the culinary skills he hadn't used in nearly three months.
Boiling plain noodles didn't count; anyone with hands could do that. Even Kiana had mastered the knack after a few practice runs.
The train's supplies were abundant. The freezer held plenty of vegetables and frozen meat. Although slightly less fresh due to the time passed, they still looked to be in good condition.
What kind of freezer is this? Capable of storing fresh food for over three months with only minor degradation?
Shu glanced at the label.
Impressive. Future City's freezer technology was also a hundred years ahead of the world, huh?
He took out some familiar ingredients, planning a simple four-dishes-and-a-soup meal.
Mei would handle Kiana's portion.
Just as he got the ingredients out, Mei arrived in the kitchen, expertly gathering a large pile of ingredients to start cooking.
"Shu... how has your health been lately?" Mei asked as she brought her vegetables to the sink and began washing them.
"Why the sudden question?" Shu looked at Mei, surprised.
Mei kept her head down, concentrating on the vegetable leaves in her hands. "Because your physical condition has declined significantly... We noticed it three months ago, after the battle with the Herrscher of Evolution in ARC City..."
"And this time, after encountering the Herrscher of Memory, your condition seems to have worsened again..."
Mei looked up, meeting Shu's eyes. "Shu, can you tell me... does using [Wish] have side effects?"
Through three months of living together, they had learned more than just Shu's habits and mannerisms. They had also clearly witnessed the deterioration of his physical state.
Back then, however, Shu was still considered "recovering from serious injuries," so everyone had assumed the decline in physical function was due to his wounds or lingering after-effects.
That's why, during those three months, everyone trained so hard, not wanting Shu to suffer through such a慘状 (miserable state) again. Even Kiana voluntarily started waking up at 8 AM instead of her usual 10 AM.
Those three months of training did yield results. The Fire Moth organization [Assuming '逐火之蛾' refers to their group name] now possessed the capability to handle any disaster below the level of an Emperor-class Honkai Beast.
There was Fu Hua with the Xuanyuan Sword, the others each leading elite squads, Himeko commanding the Titan mechs, and the Key of Evolution.
At that point, everyone had relaxed a bit. Shu's physical condition hadn't shown any obvious worsening signs, so they hadn't paid much more attention to his health changes.
But after encountering another Herrscher, it was clear from various aspects that Shu's physical fitness had taken another significant hit.
It couldn't be that Shu just got sick whenever he saw a Herrscher, his body weakening due to some kind of congenital Herrscher allergy holy physique, right?
Thus, another possibility emerged.
Large-scale use of [Hope] to fuel [Wish] severely damaged Shu's body.
Wasn't it mentioned in the original story? During the Second Honkai War, Welt Yang, despite being a Herrscher, suffered severe physical erosion after mobilizing a colossal amount of Honkai energy.
His image—fierce and powerful on the battlefield, yet unsteady and barely able to care for himself off it—bore a striking resemblance to Shu now!
That's why Mei asked now, when no one else was around.
Just as Shu restricted their use of the Genesis Key, they too would try to limit his use of [Wish] (and by extension, [Hope]) for the sake of his health.
For some reason, the flicker of anticipation Shu had felt vanished, but the lingering gratitude made him sigh and answer evasively.
"Maybe... I'm not really sure myself."
This was basically an affirmation. His ambiguous attitude also indicated his reluctance to discuss the topic, so Mei decided not to press further.
Working together, they quickly prepared dinner. Then they went to rescue Kiana, whose loss count had now reached three hundred and seventy-one, from the clutches of the great demon lord Bronya.
It felt as though Kiana's very soul had been won by the evil demon lord Bronya through game victories; she only snapped back to reality upon seeing the food Mei had cooked.
After dinner, Shu lay down on his bed.
Today... I can finally get a proper night's sleep...
He thought this just before closing his eyes.