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ArabicHonkai Impact: My Power Grows When Valkyries Fall For Me — Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Rooftop, Bento
Time seemed to melt away, and before long, the morning classes concluded with the chime of the dismissal bell.
The classroom buzzed with a new energy as students retrieved bento boxes from their bags, signaling the start of lunch. Some devoured their meals with single-minded focus, eager to rush out to the playground for a game of ball. Others gathered in small, animated clusters, their chatter and laughter filling the air.
Kiana, however, had been in such a rush after waking up late that preparing a bento had been the last thing on her mind. If it weren’t for the sandwich Lucian had given her, she might have gone without breakfast entirely.
She stirred from a light doze, a groggy awareness dawning as she realized it was already noon.
“Mmm…~”
A ferocious stretch cracked through the stiffness in her shoulders, the movement bringing a welcome moisture to her dry eyes. On pure instinct, her hand dove into her school bag, fumbling for a lunch that wasn’t there.
The reality of her situation hit her a second later. Because of the morning’s chaos, she hadn’t brought a bento at all.
“Sigh… I wonder if the supermarket has any half-priced ones left,” she muttered to herself with a heavy sigh, pushing her chair back and standing.
Her gaze drifted to the empty desk beside her, and a thought from the morning suddenly resurfaced. Her new deskmate…
‘Come to think of it… I didn’t really question it at the time. Where did he even get that sandwich…?’
Lost in thought, Kiana wandered out of the classroom. Through the large windows lining the corridor, she glanced down toward the school gate.
The entrance was bathed in the bright, warm light of noon. Students flowed in and out in a bustling stream, a picture of vibrant, everyday life.
‘A sandwich wrapped in plastic, pulled from a school bag…’
The more she mulled it over, the more something felt wrong. The final piece of the puzzle clicked into place when her eyes unintentionally followed a group of students heading toward the convenience store just outside the school grounds.
“…Did he give me his own lunch?!”
A sudden heat bloomed on her cheeks. The realization that the sandwich she’d eaten might have been Lucian’s entire lunch made that strange, fluttering feeling in her chest return with a vengeance.
“That guy… he gave me his own bento… What an idiot…”
Reaching the stairwell, Kiana descended the steps, her muttering about a certain idiot punctuated by the soft thud of her shoes. She was so preoccupied that she failed to notice the deep blush that had crept up her neck and painted her cheeks crimson.
—
“Kiana is a child who grew up starved for affection. She has no defense against this kind of simple care.”
Standing on the rooftop of Senba Academy, just behind the safety railing, Lucian surveyed the sprawling campus below. He watched the students moving to and fro near the school gate, a helpless sigh escaping his lips.
‘How pitiful.’He knew that in the not-too-distant future, a great calamity would descend upon this very place. If these students didn’t leave, the best-case scenario was a swift death when the Honkai Eruption began. The alternatives were far worse. Perhaps they would be “lucky” enough to be rescued, only to endure the bone-scorching, soul-searing agony of Honkai corruption, forever living with the guilt of being a survivor. Or, they could become Valkyries, warriors destined to fight against the Honkai, struggling for a good death in a world with no future for them.’But there’s nothing I can do about it,’he thought, his jaw tightening slightly.’I can only save who I can save.’
Shaking his head to clear the grim thoughts, Lucian took off his sunglasses. The sudden, unfiltered sunlight made him squint, a sharp sting forcing his eyelids shut. It took a full minute for his vision to adjust enough to barely crack them open again.
He hadn’t lied to Kiana. His pupils were naturally larger than normal, making his eyes far more sensitive to light. That was the truth, just not the whole truth.
His right eye was already blind, a casualty of Honkai Energy corrosion. Yet, aside from its inability to perceive light or form, every other function remained unnervingly normal. It still felt discomfort when an eyelash got in, and it still watered under the glare of the sun.
It simply couldn’t see anymore.
As Lucian silently watched the school gate, his phone buzzed in his pocket.
“Hm?”
He let out a small, questioning sound as he pulled it out. A small, white-haired chibi avatar was flashing on the screen, the contact name displayed simply as “Teriri.”
‘Theresa? Why would she be calling me?’
Lucian raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t particularly close with the Principal of St. Freya. They had exchanged contact information after a mission once, but it had been a long time since they’d last spoken. For her to call him now, out of the blue…
After a moment’s hesitation, he answered.
“Principal Theresa, what can I do for you?”
“…I heard you went to the Far East?” Theresa’s voice came through the speaker, laced with a questioning tone and an undercurrent of inexplicable concern.
“Yes, I’m here on a mission. I trust you’re still holding down the fort at St. Freya, Principal?”
A faint smile touched Lucian’s lips. He leaned his arms against the cool metal of the rooftop railing, his gaze sweeping over the grounds of Senba Academy.
“I’m the Academy Director of St. Freya! It’s very tiring, you know!” Theresa’s voice held a hint of playful dissatisfaction; she could clearly tell he was teasing her.
“Alright, alright, jokes aside,” Lucian said, shifting into a more comfortable stance. “Principal, you’re a busy woman. For you to suddenly contact me… is there something I should know?” His gaze was still scanning the flow of people at the gate, as if searching for someone.
Theresa’s tone grew serious. “…Anti-Entropy has been unusually active in Changkong City recently. It seems like they’re plotting something. Be careful.”
“Thanks for the warning, Principal. I’ll be cautious.”
Lucian’s reply sounded almost dismissive, but his eyes sharpened. A flash of white hair darted into his field of vision.
Kiana. She had appeared at the school gate, now rushing hurriedly back into the main teaching building.
“Mm, stay in touch. If there’s an emergency, contact me directly.” Theresa paused on the other end, her voice lowering slightly. “Also, your eyes…”
“Don’t worry, they won’t go completely blind just yet,” Lucian quipped, a lame attempt at a joke. He watched Kiana disappear into the building. “My mission target has appeared. Let’s talk later, Principal.”
Hanging up, Lucian put his sunglasses back on, slid the phone into his pocket, and stretched his arms toward the sky.
‘Theresa being so concerned about me… that really is strange.’
He was about to turn and leave the rooftop when he heard the sound of hurried footsteps pounding up the stairwell.
“Lucian! Are you up there?”
It was Kiana’s voice, slightly breathless.
Lucian froze, taken aback. He walked toward the rooftop entrance just as the heavy iron door was shoved open. Kiana rushed through, her cheeks flushed from the run, a few strands of silver hair clinging to her damp forehead. When her brilliant blue eyes landed on him, they visibly brightened.
“I… I went to the supermarket and bought two bentos,” she announced, holding up a plastic bag that contained two neatly packed lunch boxes. “…One is for you.”
“Why would you go out of your way to buy me a bento?” Lucian asked, momentarily stunned.
“Because I ate your sandwich this morning!” Kiana declared, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. She pulled one of the boxes from the bag and thrust it toward him. “This young lady hates owing people favors! So, this is me paying you back!”
Lucian took the bento box. It was still warm. He lifted the lid and found carefully arranged food inside, including a fried egg with a smiley face drawn on it in ketchup.
“Thank you, Kiana,” he said softly.
“L-Less talking! Hurry up and eat!”
They settled down in a shaded corner of the rooftop. A gentle breeze drifted past, carrying the first hints of early summer warmth. Kiana watched Lucian eat for a long moment, hesitating before she finally spoke again.
“Um… that sandwich this morning… it was your lunch, wasn’t it?”
Lucian’s hand, holding his chopsticks, paused for a fraction of a second before he resumed eating. “Yes.”
“And you still gave it to me? You just went hungry yourself?”
“I wasn’t hungry,” Lucian replied calmly. He took a bite of rice before adding, “Besides, you’re cute. It would be a shame to let you go hungry.”
“Ew, that’s so corny…”
Kiana ducked her head, shoveling a large mouthful of rice into her mouth to hide her expression.
Lucian didn’t respond, just quietly continued eating his lunch. A silence fell between them, but it wasn’t awkward. On the contrary, it felt strangely comfortable.
“How did you know I was on the rooftop?” Lucian asked after a while.
Kiana nibbled on the tip of her chopstick, her gaze drifting toward the distant playground. As she ate, she mumbled, “…I guessed.”
“Lucky guess.”