Honkai Impact: My Power Grows When Valkyries Fall For Me — Chapter 101

Chapter 101: English Delicacies

The elevator began its smooth descent.

Kiana had her left arm linked firmly with Lucian’s, her right hand tugging Mei along. She bounced on the balls of her feet like an excited rabbit, already chattering about their dinner plans.

“Lucian, Lucian! What’s good to eat in England?”

“Fish and chips.”

“What else?”

“…Fish and chips.”

Kiana blinked, the eager anticipation on her face freezing for a fraction of a second. “That’s… that’s it? Just the one thing?”

Lucian gave it a moment of serious thought before nodding gravely. “Strictly speaking, there’s also Stargazy Pie.”

Kiana’s eyes lit up again. “Ooh, that sounds impressive!”

“It’s a pie with fish heads and tails poking out of the crust,” Lucian explained, his expression unchanging. “So they can ‘gaze at the stars’.”

Kiana’s expression underwent a rapid transformation, shifting from bright-eyed hope to a subtle, creeping horror. She slowly turned her head to look at Mei.

“Mei… let’s eat something else, okay?”

Mei covered her mouth, a light, musical chuckle escaping as she nodded in agreement.

The elevator doors slid open, and the four of them stepped out of the hotel into the cool evening air. London had shed the frantic bustle of the day, and the crowds on the streets had thinned considerably. One by one, the ornate streetlights flickered to life, casting a warm, honey-gold glow over the entire city.

Kiana let go of their hands and darted ahead, her head swiveling from side to side like a child visiting the big city for the very first time.

“It’s so beautiful over there!” she exclaimed, pointing toward the distant silhouette of Tower Bridge, its structure glowing a magnificent red in the fading sunset. Her eyes sparkled with wonder. “Can we go see it after we eat?”

“Mm,” Lucian hummed in soft agreement, his gaze lingering on her face, so full of pure, unadulterated excitement.

Mei walked beside him, her pace graceful and unhurried. At some point, her finger had found his, gently hooking around his pinky. She didn’t grip it, merely maintained the light, deliberate contact.

Lucian’s own finger twitched. For a moment, he hesitated, then he naturally closed his hand, enveloping hers within his palm.

Mei said nothing, but the corners of her lips curled into a faint, almost imperceptible arc of satisfaction. Seeing her reaction, Lucian could only sigh inaudibly. Just a month ago, Mei was still the kind of girl who would blush beet-red from simply holding hands. Now… now she was becoming a succubus who, having had a taste, was developing an insatiable appetite.

Bronya, walking a few paces behind them, watched the quiet intimacy of their interlaced hands. Her gaze remained fixed for several seconds before she silently moved up to Lucian’s other side and decisively took his free hand.

Feeling a sudden, cool touch on his fingertips, Lucian froze and glanced down at his left hand. Bronya was holding it, her placid gray eyes carrying a distinct glimmer of smug challenge.

Lucian was speechless.

He instinctively shot a look at Mei. She was watching the development as well, a curious light flashing in her violet eyes. She remained silent, but her lips curled up a little more, and her grip on Lucian’s right hand tightened just enough to be felt.

Lucian then looked toward Kiana, who was still walking ahead of them. She was completely captivated by the sunset over Tower Bridge, utterly oblivious to the silent drama unfolding behind her.

He let out a quiet sigh of relief before looking down at Bronya again. She was looking up at him, her expression practically screaming the words, ‘Is there a problem?’

Lucian was silent for a long second. Then, as if resigning himself to his fate, he heaved another internal sigh and allowed her to hold his hand.

And so, the three of them continued down the streets of London in this delicate, unspoken arrangement. Lucian was in the middle, his left hand held by Bronya and his right by Mei, with Kiana having been the one to link arms with him just moments before.

A few passersby shot them curious looks, only to quickly avert their gazes. This was London, after all; a young man with a beautiful girl on each arm was hardly the strangest sight the city had to offer.

“Lucian,” Mei said suddenly, her voice a soft murmur.

“Your palms are sweaty.”

Lucian’s mouth twitched. What was he supposed to say to that? Was it really so strange for his palms to sweat while being led down the streets of a foreign country by two girls, one on each side?

“The Bronya thinks Lucian is nervous,” Bronya added calmly, her words a perfectly aimed verbal jab.

Lucian took a deep breath, trying to force a composed expression onto his face. “I’m not nervous.”

“You are.”

“I’m not.”

Mei let out another soft chuckle and said nothing more. Bronya, too, fell silent, content to simply hold his hand as they walked.

Kiana skipped along ahead for a while longer before she finally sensed that something was amiss. She turned around, a bright smile on her face as she prepared to tell Lucian to hurry up, only to see it.

Lucian, holding Bronya’s hand on his left and Mei’s on his right, the three of them walking side-by-side down the street.

Kiana’s footsteps faltered, and she stopped dead in her tracks.

She blinked. Then she blinked again.

She froze on the spot, her body going rigid as if she’d been struck by lightning.

“You… you guys…” She pointed a trembling finger at Lucian, then at Mei, and finally at Bronya. “You guys…!”

Her finger quivered in the air, her mouth opening and closing as she struggled, and failed, to form a single coherent sentence.

A dull throb started behind Lucian’s eyes. He instinctively tried to pull his hands away, but Bronya’s grip on his left was like a vise, and Mei’s on his right was just as firm. Neither of them let go.

In a few quick steps, Kiana circled behind him and, without any warning, leaped directly onto his back.

“Oof—” Lucian stumbled forward under the sudden weight, his arms instinctively moving to support her legs. But with both hands held captive by Mei and Bronya, he couldn’t free them.

“Kiana, get down first…”

“No! You carry me!” Kiana declared, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. Her legs dangled in the air as she clung to his back like a determined koala.

“Kiana, get down,” Lucian repeated, his voice laced with helplessness.

Kiana turned a deaf ear to his plea. She rested her chin on his shoulder, leaned in close to his ear, and spoke with a voice thick with accusation. “Who told you to hold their hands and not mine?”

Lucian was at a loss for words. He looked down at his hands, still imprisoned by Mei and Bronya, and felt the weight of Kiana on his back. For a brief, dizzying moment, he felt like he was being drawn and quartered.

Mei finally let out a soft, melodic laugh and released his hand. Her purple eyes held a smile of pure indulgence, and her voice was as gentle as if she were coaxing a child. “Kiana, stop messing around. Lucian will get tired.”

“I don’t wanna~” Kiana drew out the words in a singsong voice, snuggling deeper onto Lucian’s back and tightening her embrace.

Bronya also let go and floated to the side, a flicker of exasperation in her gray eyes. “Idiot Kiana.” Her tone was as flat as ever, yet it carried an unmistakable trace of disdain.

Kiana paid her no mind whatsoever, remaining happily attached to Lucian’s back with her legs swinging freely. “Lucian, let’s go! Let’s walk all the way to Tower Bridge just like this!”

Lucian was silent for a second. Then, with a sigh of utter defeat, he finally managed to get his arms under her legs, adjusting his posture to support her weight properly.

Feeling Lucian’s hands securely holding her up, Kiana beamed with satisfaction. She rested her chin back on his shoulder, her warm breath brushing against his ear.

“That’s more like it,” she said, her voice dripping with undisguised smugness.

Lucian moved forward, his steps a little heavier than before, but still steady. Mei walked beside him, her gaze falling on Kiana’s triumphant face. A soft, knowing smile touched her lips.

She didn’t mind. After all, what kind of adult would get worked up over a child’s antics?

‘Besides,’she thought to herself,’perhaps I’ll have Lucian carry me later tonight as well… though certainly not on his back.’