Honkai Impact: My Power Grows When Valkyries Fall For Me — Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Riverside Confession

After leaving the dessert shop, Kiana’s spirits remained impossibly high. She eagerly pulled Lucian and Mei along, insisting they continue their stroll through the commercial district.

She seemed determined to chase away the lingering gloom that clung to Mei, constantly chattering and pointing things out, doing her best to draw a genuine smile from the older girl.

Mei did smile in response, but it was a fragile thing that never quite reached her eyes, her gaze often drifting into some unseen distance.

“Mei, look at this! It’s so cute!” Kiana chirped, holding up a handful of cat-shaped keychains and bouncing over to her.

Mei’s gaze fell upon the trinkets, and she offered a gentle nod. “…Mhm, very cute.”

Lucian, standing just beside Kiana, also glanced at the keychains. He remained silent for a moment before turning to the vendor. “Sir, we’ll take these three.”

Kiana turned her head, her expression one of pure surprise. “Huh? Lucian, don’t you usually hate these little things…?”

“Well, this is the first time Senior Mei has come shopping with us,” Lucian said, taking the keychains from Kiana’s hand. He carefully selected a purple one and held it out to Mei. “Think of it as a little souvenir. What do you think?”

Mei blinked, slightly taken aback as she looked at the purple cat keychain suspended before her. The cat’s tiny eyes were a crystal-clear lavender, refracting the afternoon light in a soft, gentle way.

She raised her hand, hesitated for a fraction of a second, and then slowly accepted it from him.

“…Thank you.” Mei nodded, saying nothing more.

For some reason, the moment Lucian handed her the keychain, the inexplicable vexation that had been churning in her mind seemed to quiet down considerably. She didn’t understand why, but since it made her feel so much better, Mei saw no reason to refuse the simple gift.

“It suits you, Mei,” Kiana said with a carefree grin. She then plucked the white cat keychain from Lucian’s palm and clipped it onto her backpack. The remaining dark blue one was casually stuffed into Lucian’s pocket.

“Alright, let’s keep shopping!” Kiana declared, her energy fully restored as she once again took hold of both Mei’s and Lucian’s hands.

The trio wandered slowly along the bustling commercial street until the sky slowly bled from orange to deep indigo, and the streetlights flickered on one by one.

Finally, Kiana showed a hint of fatigue. She rubbed her eyes and let out a small, delicate yawn. “Ah… I guess it’s getting late…” she murmured, though her grip on their arms remained stubbornly tight.

Lucian pulled out his phone to check the time, the corner of his mouth twitching. “We’ve been shopping for three hours.”

“Has it been that long already?” Kiana looked genuinely surprised, then a little crestfallen. “It feels like we haven’t shopped nearly enough…”

Seeing Kiana’s pout, the faint trace of a genuine smile finally touched Mei’s lips. These three hours had been a rare moment of peace for her this week, a blissful escape from the strange looks of others and the cacophony of voices in her own mind.

She didn’t speak. Instead, she gently withdrew her arm from Kiana’s grasp, only to take the initiative and thread her fingers through Kiana’s.

“Let’s shop again next time,” Mei offered, her own voice sounding lighter than she had anticipated.

Kiana’s eyes widened, a blush rising to her cheeks as if she’d been granted an unexpected favor. She had thought Mei would remain as aloof as ever, never expecting her to be the one to reach out.

“Mhm! Let’s make it a promise!” she chirped, immediately squeezing Mei’s hand tightly within her own and nodding vigorously.

“Shall we go, then?” Lucian tilted his head, watching the intimate scene unfold. He couldn’t help but feel that the Kiana he had so painstakingly won over was on the verge of being stolen away by Mei.

“Lucian, are you coming?” Kiana suddenly turned her head. Her free hand reached out towards him, an open invitation.

Lucian glanced at her outstretched, somewhat presumptuous hand, then at her other hand, which was still tightly clasped with Mei’s. For a moment, he was utterly speechless.

‘You little devil,’he thought, a wry smile playing on his lips.’Are you really trying to hold both our hands at once?’

“We’re just going home,” he said, his tone teasing. “Is this really necessary?”

Despite his words, he took her hand.

——————

The three of them shared most of the same route home, with Kiana’s apartment being the closest. When they arrived at the entrance to her building, they reached their first parting point.

“I’ll head up first, then!” Kiana announced, reluctantly letting go of their hands. She waved brightly. “Mei, Lucian, be careful on your way home!”

“Mhm, see you tomorrow,” Mei nodded.

“Don’t stay up all night playing games,” Lucian reminded her.

“Got it, got it!” Kiana made a face at him, then turned and hopped into the apartment building with a final, cheerful wave.

Watching her decisive departure, Lucian felt a strange pang of disappointment. Normally, their goodbyes involved a few minutes of sweet, lingering kisses before she would finally go home. Why had she run off today without a second glance?

‘Was it because Mei was here?’ he wondered.

He turned, and his thoughts came to a dead halt. He found himself meeting Mei’s thoughtful, intense gaze.

She was frowning, staring at him, and for some reason, Lucian saw a flicker of resistance in the depths of her violet eyes.

“Senior Mei? What’s wrong?”

The air between them seemed to solidify, stretching the silence for several long seconds. The halo from a nearby streetlight cast long shadows across Mei’s face, making her deep purple eyes appear especially deep in the dim light. Lucian could clearly see the complex storm of emotions churning within them: confusion, struggle, and even a faint trace of hostility.

“Lucian,” Mei began, her voice quiet. She turned her head slightly, avoiding his gaze to look at the streams of headlights flowing in the distance.

“Can we… talk?”

A jolt went through Lucian’s heart. He nodded. “Of course.”

Mei gave a small nod of her own but didn’t speak immediately. She turned and began walking in the opposite direction of the apartment building, with Lucian falling into step just half a pace behind her.

They walked in silence for a while, the only sounds being their own footsteps on the pavement and the distant, muffled hum of traffic.

Finally, Mei stopped before a guardrail along a dark riverbank. She rested both hands on the cool metal railing, her gaze fixed on the shimmering lights from the opposite shore as they danced on the water’s surface.

Then, she spoke.

“I had a dream.”

The river breeze, damp and cool, brushed past their cheeks, lifting a few strands of Mei’s long, dark hair.

Lucian’s heart sank. He had a sinking feeling he knew what she was about to say—it had to be fragments of the future. This was probably the real reason she had been avoiding him and Kiana for the past few days.

“A… strange dream,” Mei continued, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the faint texture of rust on the railing. “There were many fragments in the dream: ruins, a sky full of stars, and… a funeral.”

“In the dream, I was wearing an outfit I’d never seen before, standing on top of a pile of rubble.”

“In my arms, I was holding someone. Someone who was already cold.”

She turned her head, looking directly into Lucian’s eyes. The night wind seemed to freeze in that instant.

Mei’s gaze was locked on his face, a universe of complex emotions swirling deep within her eyes.

“I couldn’t see that person’s face clearly…”

“But the me in the dream said… that person was you, Lucian.”

Lucian’s brow furrowed. Although he had anticipated something like this, hearing Mei say the words herself still sent a heavy weight settling in his chest. At the same time, however, the pieces began to click into place. He was starting to get a rough picture of the original future, the one that existed before the Kiana from the end of the world had intervened.

‘So, after the Herrscher descended, she killed the ordinary human me first. Then Mei found my body and transformed into the Herrscher of Thunder to fight…?’

“And then?” he asked, keeping his voice preternaturally calm.

“Then…” Mei’s voice grew heavy, laced with a deep-seated dread. “The me in the dream… she became someone I didn’t recognize.”

“She said you were her most important person. Her everything.”

“That’s absurd, isn’t it?” Mei shook her head, the motion causing her deep purple hair to slip over her shoulder.

Lucian was silent for a moment, processing her words. “So,” he said slowly, “that’s why you’ve been avoiding me and Kiana these past few days?”

Mei nodded, then shook her head again. “Not just that.”

“Every time I see you with Kiana, those chaotic voices appear in my mind.”

“She tells me I have to snatch you away from her. She tells me that you can only belong to me…”

She paused, letting out a soft, self-deprecating laugh that was utterly devoid of humor.

“It’s ridiculous, isn’t it? We’ve only just met.”