Honkai Impact: My Power Grows When Valkyries Fall For Me — Chapter 107

Chapter 107: What Did You All Do Last Night?

She opened her mouth, wanting to retort, but found that Bronya had sealed every logical loophole in her argument.

“But… but…” Kiana stammered, her mind racing to find a comeback, but she couldn’t string together a single coherent sentence.

Bronya had already floated past her to the front seat of the small boat, settling down with practiced stability and smoothing the fabric of her skirt with an expressionless face.

“Idiot Kiana, it’s time to get on board.”

Kiana remained frozen on the dock, her gaze darting from Bronya to Mei, before finally landing on Lucian’s face. Those brilliant azure eyes of hers were now brimming with a sense of deep grievance, as if she’d been utterly betrayed.

Lucian met her pleading look, and his Adam’s apple bobbed nervously. He felt a pang of guilt and subconsciously opened his mouth to say something, anything to placate her, but a gentle hand suddenly closed around his wrist.

He turned his head. Mei was smiling at him, but her violet eyes held a blatant, unmistakable threat.

Lucian’s Adam’s apple bobbed again as he silently swallowed the words that had been on the tip of his tongue.

The boat pushed off from the dock, moving slowly forward and leaving a thin, V-shaped trail in its wake. Sunlight spilled across the surface of the water, making it sparkle like a field of scattered diamonds. In the distance, a flock of swans swam with leisurely grace, their occasional cries echoing softly across the lake.

Everything was picturesque; a scene of perfect tranquility.

Everything, that is, except for Kiana, who was now sitting in the front row, her head turned around to stare intently at Mei and Lucian in the back.

“Mei…” Kiana dragged out the last syllable, her eyes narrowed with suspicion as she watched the two of them whispering. “What secrets are you two talking about? I want to hear, too!”

Mei looked up, her gaze meeting Kiana’s. That same gentle, disarming smile was still gracing her lips.

“We were just saying that Kiana is looking especially cute today.”

Kiana froze for a moment, her brain processing the unexpected compliment. Then, at a speed visible to the naked eye, her cheeks flushed a brilliant shade of crimson.

“R-Really?”

“Mhm, really,” Mei nodded, her purple eyes crinkling with sincere, good-natured laughter.

Kiana immediately whipped her head back around, covering her burning cheeks with both hands. She looked for all the world like a freshly steamed crawfish.

From her seat, Bronya glanced at her and shook her head with a faint sigh.

“Idiot Kiana, so easily dismissed with a single sentence.”

“Shut up!” Kiana shot back, glaring at her, but the blush staining her face refused to fade.

In the back row, Lucian watched the exchange, the corners of his lips curling into a fond smile.

“Lucian.”

He turned at the sound of his name and was met once again by Mei’s gentle expression.

“If I find out,” she began, her voice a soft, melodic whisper that was for his ears alone, “that you’ve had any kind of… inappropriate relationship with the underage Bronya, I will kill you.”

Lucian’s smile froze on his lips, shattering like thin ice. The air seemed to vanish from his lungs, as if someone had suddenly wrapped a hand around his throat. He was stunned for a half-second before his survival instincts kicked in, and he immediately shot both hands up, palms facing outward, in a posture as standard as a suspect surrendering for interrogation.

“I swear,” he blurted out, his voice tight, “I haven’t done anything too out of line with Bronya yet.”

Seeing his panicked reaction, Mei let out a soft, airy laugh.

“Too out of line?” she repeated, her head tilting with dangerous curiosity. “Then what, exactly, did you all do last night?”

Her voice was incredibly soft, as if she were just asking about the weather. But her eyes, those beautiful violet pools, were locked onto Lucian, unblinking and intense.

Sunlight shimmered on the water, and several swans glided leisurely past the boat, but Lucian couldn’t spare a single thought for the scenery.

He opened his mouth, but his throat felt impossibly dry.

Mei’s head tilted a fraction more, that gentle smile never leaving her lips. “What’s wrong? Is it a difficult question to answer?”

Her voice was still a silken whisper, but it sent a distinct chill crawling down Lucian’s spine.

“Then tonight,” she continued, her tone turning into a sweet, dreadful promise, “don’t lock your door. I’ll come and ask you in person what you did.”

He opened his mouth again, desperate to say something, anything, but Mei gently interrupted him. She raised a slender finger and pressed it lightly against her own lips in a ‘shushing’ gesture.

“Let’s not talk about this now.”

She paused, her gaze flicking toward the front of the boat.

“We’ll talk when we get back.”

Lucian followed her line of sight. Bronya was looking back at them. She had clearly noticed the tense atmosphere radiating from the back seat, but she said nothing. Her gray, analytical eyes simply lingered on Lucian’s face for a moment before she shifted her gaze away with deliberate nonchalance, turning back to watch the distant shore of the lake.

Lucian’s Adam’s apple bobbed again. He pulled his gaze away from Bronya and looked back at Mei.

She had already lowered her finger from her lips and was now quietly helping to row the boat, that same serene smile fixed on her face. It was as if their entire terrifying exchange had never happened.

But Lucian knew it wasn’t an illusion. He looked down at his hand gripping the tiller; a thin, cold layer of sweat had already broken out on his palm.

“What are you so nervous about?” Mei asked, a hint of playful amusement coloring her voice. “It’s not like I would actually kill you.”

Lucian’s lips twitched. “…Your tone just now was very convincing.”

“How could I ever kill you?” she mused, her smile widening slightly. “At most, I’d just… lock you up somewhere safe?”

“Stop, stop, let’s not talk about this topic anymore,” Lucian said quickly, his lips twitching again as his survival instinct screamed at him to change the subject. “Look! There are swans over there.”

He pointed toward a spot on the lake, his tone intentionally high-pitched and enthusiastic. Several majestic white swans were swimming gracefully by, their feathers exceptionally dazzling in the bright sunlight.

Mei followed his finger and nodded, her expression softening. “Mhm, they’re very beautiful.”

She didn’t press the previous topic, simply rowing the boat in a comfortable silence. Sunlight spilled over the lake, making it sparkle. A few of the swans swam closer, and one of them even tilted its long neck, looking over at them with what seemed like genuine curiosity.

“Look at that one,” Lucian said, pointing at the nearest swan. “It seems to be glaring at us.”

Mei followed his finger and gave a soft laugh. “Mhm, perhaps it’s warning us not to get too close.”

“After all,” she added, “swans are quite territorial.”

Lucian nodded and agreed with feigned seriousness. “Then we’d better keep our distance.”

The two of them chatted idly, their conversation drifting from the swans to the lake, and then to the pleasant weather. Neither of them brought up that dangerous topic again.

But Lucian knew this was only a temporary reprieve. He probably wouldn’t escape being thoroughly ‘interrogated’ tonight.

In the front row, Kiana finally sensed that something was amiss. Looking back at Lucian’s obviously strained expression, she raised an eyebrow.

“Bronya.”

“Why do you think Lucian looks so nervous?”

Bronya followed her gaze, taking in the subtle interaction between Lucian and Mei, before stating helplessly, “The Bronya believes he is being threatened.”

“Threatened? By Mei?” Kiana asked, bewildered.

Bronya nodded, her gaze fixed on Mei. “Sister Mei is smiling, but that smile is different from her usual one.”

Kiana squinted, studying Mei’s expression more closely. It really was different. Usually, when Mei smiled, her eyes would curve into happy crescents, and her entire being would radiate a gentle, comforting aura. But now, although her lips were smiling, her eyes held a stillness that felt inexplicably creepy.

Kiana’s spine involuntarily straightened.

“Bronya, you’re right…” she whispered, her voice tinged with a hint of awe and fear. “Mei is so scary right now.”

Bronya didn’t speak, just gave another slight nod. A subtle, knowing light flickered in the depths of her gray eyes. She looked from Mei’s serene, dangerous smile to Lucian’s tense face, and the corners of her lips curled into an almost imperceptible arc.

“The Bronya thinks Lucian might have a very difficult time tonight.”

Kiana blinked. “A difficult time? Why?”

Bronya offered no explanation.

‘Because,’she thought to herself, a spark of mischief in her mind,’the Bronya will definitely be going to join in on the fun tonight. There’s no need to tell Kiana just yet.’