Honkai Impact: My Power Grows When Valkyries Fall For Me — Chapter 89

Chapter 89: The Valkyrie and the Kitten

The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the streets of London. Before them, the British Museum stood like a titan of history, its massive grey stone walls and towering columns exuding an aura of solemn, ancient majesty.

Lucian and Durandal stood before the grand entrance, but they made no move to go inside. A neatly printed sign, and a polite but firm security guard, had informed them just a minute ago that the museum was closed for the day.

“Well, talk about bad timing,” Lucian said with a helpless sigh.

He had a strong suspicion he knew the reason. Rita was scheduled to be here today to investigate certain cultural relics on behalf of Schicksal. He just hadn’t anticipated that her investigation would warrant closing down the entire museum to the public.

He turned his head, his gaze falling on Durandal. She was staring at the tightly shut doors, her expression unreadable, her silence deep.

Watching her, Lucian felt a strange sense of dissonance. Logically, given Durandal’s status as Schicksal’s strongest Valkyrie, gaining entry to a museum—even a closed one—should be a trivial matter. A single call could likely part the sea of bureaucracy.

Yet she just stood there, showing no intention of making that call, nor any sign of wanting to leave. She was simply… waiting.

“What’s wrong?” Lucian asked, his voice gentle.

Durandal turned her head, her deep blue eyes meeting his. “I’m thinking,” she said, her voice even. “Where should we go now?”

“Shouldn’t you be very familiar with this place?” Lucian countered, a hint of curiosity in his tone. “You still need to think about it?”

Durandal shook her head, a flicker of something almost wistful in her eyes. “Usually, I’m here on missions. I don’t spend my time thinking about which places are fun to visit.”

As she said this, her expression underwent a subtle, almost imperceptible shift. It was as if she wanted to say more, but the words caught in her throat. After a moment of quiet hesitation, she finally continued, “And…”

“And what?” Lucian prompted softly.

“And today, I am accompanying you,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I am not just strolling by myself.”

The words were spoken so softly, yet they landed with a surprising weight, causing Lucian to pause. In her gaze, he saw a depth and a nuance that he couldn’t quite decipher, a vulnerability she rarely, if ever, showed.

“Then…” he began, testing the waters. “Shall we just walk around aimlessly?”

Durandal’s lips curved into the faintest hint of a smile as she nodded.

“Okay.”

——

The two of them walked slowly along the street, a comfortable silence settling between them. The afternoon sunlight filtered through the leafy branches of the roadside trees, casting a dappled, shifting mosaic of light and shadow on the pavement.

Lucian deliberately kept his pace slow, his gaze wandering over the unfamiliar scenery. The streets of London were a world away from the Far East. The architecture was a mix of history, the buildings older, imbued with a classical, almost timeless atmosphere. Occasionally, they passed small shops that looked as if they had stood in the same spot for a century, their windows displaying a charming assortment of goods.

Durandal walked by his side, her steps perfectly in sync with his. She didn’t speak, content to simply follow his lead, her presence a quiet and steady warmth beside him.

They ambled through several streets and crossed a few intersections, the sounds of the city gradually softening around them. The crowds of pedestrians thinned, and the towering buildings gave way to quieter, more residential structures.

Before they knew it, their aimless wandering had led them into a park.

It wasn’t a large park, but it was beautifully serene. A small, winding path beckoned them deeper, flanked by neatly trimmed lawns and several tall, venerable oak trees. In the distance, a small lake shimmered, its surface a perfect mirror reflecting the brilliant blue sky and the lush greenery along its shore.

Lucian stopped, taking in the tranquil scene before him.

“It’s… quite peaceful here.”

Durandal stood beside him, her gaze also fixed on the placid surface of the lake.

“Mm,” she hummed in soft agreement.

The two of them stood by the water’s edge like that, wrapped in a comfortable quiet. The afternoon sun spilled onto the lake, its reflection a little dazzling. A gentle breeze whispered past, stirring faint ripples across the water.

Looking at the lake, Lucian suddenly felt that this—this simple act of doing nothing, of just standing there and letting his mind go blank—was a rare and precious luxury. Even during his free time at St. Freya, his mind was always buzzing with thoughts, plans, and worries.

But now, with only one person beside him, standing in quiet companionship without the need for words or thoughts… it was a deep and welcome stillness.

“Meow…”

A soft, tentative cry, thin as a thread, suddenly broke the silence.

Startled, Lucian turned his head toward the sound. There, beside a nearby wooden bench, a small grey kitten was crouched, tilting its head as it looked up at them. Its golden eyes were wide and round, glinting like polished amber in the sunlight.

“A cat?” Lucian murmured, a little surprised. He hadn’t expected to encounter wildlife, however small, in a place like this.

The kitten seemed pleased by his reaction and let out another, slightly more confident meow.

“Meow~”

The sound was delicate and sweet, laced with an unmistakable hint of wanting to be spoiled.

At his side, Lucian felt Durandal’s body go completely rigid. Her gaze was locked onto the tiny creature, and her entire being seemed to have frozen in place.

Lucian noticed her reaction immediately. Those eyes, usually so calm and resolute, were now slightly wide, shimmering with a strange, brilliant light he had never seen before.

“…Durandal?” he called out tentatively.

She didn’t respond. She just stared at the cat, utterly motionless.

The kitten, seeming to sense her intense focus, tilted its head the other way and meowed softly again.

“Meow~”

That tiny sound seemed to flip a switch.

Durandal moved. She began to walk slowly toward the cat, her steps far lighter and more deliberate than usual, as if she were afraid the slightest sound might startle it away.

Watching her cautious, almost reverent approach, Lucian had to suppress a smile. He had known, in an abstract way, that Durandal was a cat lover, but seeing it firsthand was something else entirely. The strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal, a living legend on the battlefield, was currently stalking a kitten with the utmost care and concentration.

Durandal crouched down gracefully by the bench. She reached out a hand, her movements slow and fluid, her fingertips hovering a few inches away from the kitten, an unspoken invitation.

The kitten regarded her hand with wide, curious eyes. Then, it leaned forward and gently rubbed its small, fluffy head against her fingertips.

Durandal’s body went stiff once more. Lucian could see her fingertips tremble almost imperceptibly at the contact.

The kitten, apparently satisfied with this development, rubbed against her again before looking up into her face.

“Meow~”

The meow was soft and faint, carrying a clear note of contentment.

Durandal remained crouched there, as if a spell had turned her to stone. Her gaze was fixed on the kitten, her eyes shining with that same brilliant, unreadable light.

Standing a few steps away, Lucian watched her and felt a genuine laugh bubble up inside him. He managed to hold it in, but it was a near thing. He walked over slowly and crouched down beside her.

Durandal seemed completely oblivious to his approach. All of her attention, her entire world, had narrowed to the tiny ball of fur before her.

The kitten looked at Lucian, then back at Durandal. Then, with a little hop, it trotted on its short legs and flopped directly into Durandal’s open palm, curling up as if it belonged there.

“!”

Durandal’s eyes lit up, widening in pure, unadulterated delight. She remained in her crouching position, one hand suspended in mid-air and the other now occupied by the kitten, her body still seemingly paralyzed by the sheer cuteness of the situation.

The kitten kneaded her palm for a moment, found a comfortable position, then closed its eyes and began to purr, a tiny motor rumbling in its chest.

Lucian watched the scene unfold and finally let a helpless, fond smile break across his face.

“You know, that expression is a little unbecoming of your station.”

His light chuckle was exceptionally clear in the quiet of the park.

Durandal’s body stiffened for a third time. She slowly turned her head to look at Lucian, a clear hint of embarrassment coloring her gaze.

“What… are you laughing at?” Her voice was even softer than usual, laced with a subtle tension.

Lucian looked at her, taking in the rare sight of her awkwardness, and the corners of his mouth curled up a little more.

“Nothing,” he said, shaking his head. His gaze fell back to the kitten nestled in her hand. “It seems to like you very much.”

Durandal lowered her head, her attention returning to the dusty little furball in her palm. The kitten’s eyes were closed in blissful sleep, its purr a steady, comforting vibration. The tip of its tail twitched back and forth, a tiny flag of contentment.

Her expression remained carefully neutral, but Lucian didn’t miss the faint shade of pink that quietly bloomed on the tips of her ears.

“It… doesn’t seem afraid of people,” she said softly.

Lucian nodded. “Yeah. That’s pretty rare for a stray.”

Durandal’s fingertips moved slightly, her touch infinitely cautious as she began to gently, almost reverently, stroke the kitten’s soft fur.