Honkai Impact: My Power Grows When Valkyries Fall For Me — Chapter 29

Chapter 29: I Might Have Come at the Wrong Time

The afternoon sun was just right, spilling its warmth across the rooftop and making the concrete underfoot feel faintly hot to the touch. Lucian and Kiana sat side-by-side on a metal bench, each working through their respective lunches.

The young girl glanced at the calm profile of the boy beside her, a strange flicker of irritation stirring within her. In her mind, their relationship should have already undergone a fundamental transformation, shifting from ordinary friends to a proper couple. It wasn’t that she expected them to be exchanging flirtatious glances every second, but Lucian’s attitude… it felt no different from usual.

‘Why?’she wondered, the food in her bento suddenly losing its appeal.’We should be in the honeymoon phase right now!’

Kiana’s chopsticks stilled as she continued to stare at his side profile, her thoughts a tangled mess.

Lucian, of course, had noticed that something was off with the white-haired girl. He’d seen it moments ago; she wasn’t eating properly, and her gaze kept drifting to him, sharp and questioning. Recalling her request from that morning—the one he had gently turned down—he had a pretty good idea of what was going through her mind.

Kiana was likely feeling a sense of dissonance because of how calm he was acting today. To put it simply, she was sulking.

A helpless smile touched Lucian’s lips. Kiana was a girl whose emotions were as straightforward as her actions, her thoughts always racing ahead. It seemed he hadn’t provided the feedback she was expecting, which had caused her to start overthinking things.

Lucian set down his own chopsticks and turned his head, his gaze meeting Kiana’s. Her eyes, which had been fixed on him, were filled with a clear hint of dissatisfaction.

“Kiana, are you finished eating?”

Lucian’s sudden question made Kiana pause. She glanced down at her half-eaten lunch, then at Lucian’s already empty bento box, and pouted.

“Not yet. Why did you eat so fast…”

Seeing her childish reaction, the smile in Lucian’s eyes deepened. “Finish up first. I have something to tell you in a bit.”

“…Fine.”

Kiana responded with a touch of reluctance, picking up her chopsticks again. She began to eat with renewed, almost frantic speed, determined to finish. Lucian didn’t say anything more, simply sitting quietly beside her, his gaze wandering over the distant silhouettes of the city’s skyscrapers.

A rather mischievous idea had taken root in his mind.

A few minutes later, Kiana finished the rest of her lunch as if caught in a whirlwind. She set down her bento box with a clatter, let out a long, satisfied breath, and immediately turned to Lucian, her eyes shimmering with expectation.

“I’m finished. Can you tell me now?”

“Yeah. Let’s go over there. It’s cooler.” Lucian pointed toward the sliver of shadow cast by the rooftop stairwell. It was indeed a more comfortable spot than the bench, which was bathed in direct sunlight.

Kiana nodded, hopping to her feet and following Lucian over.

The two of them stood in the shade. The space was relatively narrow, forcing them much closer to each other than before.

“Alright, can you tell me now?” Kiana looked up, her azure eyes fixed on Lucian, unblinking.

But Lucian didn’t speak. He simply looked back at her, gazing into those brilliant eyes that held a perfect reflection of his own image.

A gust of wind swept across the rooftop, stirring a few strands of Kiana’s silver hair. Without a second thought, Lucian reached out, his fingers gently tucking the errant lock behind her ear.

The movement was entirely natural, yet Kiana’s body went visibly rigid for a moment. A blush, as red as a ripe beet, instantly bloomed on the tips of her ears.

“W-What are you doing…” Her voice was much quieter than usual, laced with a nervous flutter.

Lucian withdrew his hand, the gentle smile never leaving his face. “Kiana, are you wondering why I’m acting so cold today?”

The question caught Kiana completely off guard. She was, in fact, thinking exactly that, but having Lucian point it out so directly left her at a loss for words.

“I… I’m not…” she began, instinctively trying to deny it, but the words died on her lips.

‘Wait, I’m the one who’s supposed to be angry,’she thought.’So why am I the one getting all shy after just a few words from him?’

She pouted, deliberately putting on a stern expression. “So what if I am? We only confirmed our relationship yesterday, and you’re already acting this distant today. Anyone would start to overthink it…”

“Then what kind of ‘not distant’ do you want?” Lucian asked, taking a small step forward.

Kiana instinctively took a step back, her shoulders pressing lightly against the cool concrete wall. Only then did she realize his intention in bringing her to this secluded corner. It was quiet, hidden, with no one else around.

“Lucian, you…”

A flush crept up Kiana’s neck, but in the next second, Lucian reached out, planting his hand on the wall right beside her ear.

“!!!”

A jolt went through Kiana’s entire body. Suddenly trapped by Lucian in a classic kabedon, the words she was about to say became lodged in her throat.

“I…” Kiana opened her mouth, but her voice came out as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, her earlier momentum completely gone. “I didn’t say… I wanted this…”

Lucian lowered his head slightly, the distance between them shrinking until they could feel the warmth of each other’s breath.

“I wasn’t intentionally acting cold toward you, Kiana.” His voice was low and soft. “I just feel that even if we’re together, we don’t have to deliberately change the way we interact.”

“I might not suddenly become exceptionally romantic or start spouting sweet nothings just to prove a point.”

“But if you want me to,” he continued, “I can be like this.”

Lucian leaned down again, his forehead coming to rest gently against hers.

It wasn’t a kiss. It was a warm, dry, and incredibly intimate touch that sent sparks through her entire nervous system.

Kiana squeezed her eyes shut, then hurriedly opened them again. She couldn’t see his expression clearly from this close, but she could see his eyes.

‘His eyes are so beautiful…’ she couldn’t help but think.

“Do you understand now, Kiana? I wasn’t being distant on purpose.”

“…Sly,” Kiana finally found her voice, her own accusation sounding more like a breathless whisper.

“So, Miss Kiana,” he murmured, a hint of amusement in his tone, “can you rest easy now?”

He slowly pulled back, taking in Kiana’s shy, flustered appearance. She was still too easy to coax; even a slightly intimate gesture was enough to completely disarm her.

“Not yet…”

Lucian was startled. Before he could react, he felt a forceful tug on his arm. A dull thud echoed in the small space as his back hit the wall, his surprised gasp sounding at the same time.

Their positions had been instantly reversed.

Now, it was Kiana pinning Lucian against the wall. One hand was braced against the concrete next to his head, the other gripping his wrist in a surprisingly tight hold. Her face was still burning hot, but her eyes flickered with a familiar, fiery dissatisfaction.

“The kiss I wanted this morning,” she declared, her voice regaining its strength. “You still haven’t given it to me…”

The moment the words left her mouth, she gave him no time to react. She surged forward, her lips crashing against his.

The sensation was warm and soft, carrying Kiana’s unique, sun-drenched scent. It was a completely uncoordinated kiss, even appearing a bit reckless in its force. Their teeth clinked together, sending a faint, stinging sensation through their lips.

“Mmph…”

Lucian was stunned for a half-second before a soft smile formed on his lips, and he began to gently cooperate with her clumsy, demanding kiss.

Just a few steps away, sunlight flowed like liquid gold across the concrete, yet it couldn’t reach this hidden, shadowed corner.

At that very same moment, however, the door to the other stairwell slid open and closed with a near-silent click.

A figure walked silently onto the rooftop, but the two people lost in their own world noticed nothing.

Mei stood just a few paces away, a lunchbox held delicately in her hands, her deep purple hair swaying gently in the rooftop breeze. The expression on her face, which had carried a hint of afternoon languor, froze solid the instant her gaze fell upon the pair of figures pressed together in the corner.