Honkai Impact: My Power Grows When Valkyries Fall For Me — Chapter 54

Chapter 54: No Need for You to Tell Me, I’ll Verify It Myself

The meal concluded in a warm, lively atmosphere that lingered long after the last bite. By the time everyone had pitched in to clear the dining table and restore the kitchen to its pristine state, the clock on the wall was already ticking close to nine in the evening.

“Ugh… it’s getting late,” Theresa murmured, sinking deeper into the plush sofa. She rubbed her eyes and let out a delicate yawn, her voice laced with a drowsy softness. “Time to head back.”

Hearing this, Himeko stood up and arched her back in a luxurious stretch, her sharp gaze sweeping over Kiana, Mei, and Bronya.

“Alright, young ladies, that’s our cue. Everyone back to the dorms with me. You need to get some proper rest.”

“Eh? But I want to stay a little longer…” Kiana whined, her protest cut short by Himeko’s firm, unyielding tone.

“It’s late. Go to bed. You can be all lovey-dovey tomorrow.”

Before Kiana could argue further, Himeko’s hand shot out and snagged the back of her collar, lifting her off the sofa with the same ease one might use on a scruffy kitten.

“Hey! I can walk by myself!”

Kiana’s legs kicked in a token struggle, but Himeko remained entirely unmoved. She strode toward the door, Kiana dangling from her grip, and pushed it open.

“It’s just a few steps. We’ll be there before you know it.”

Mei rose gracefully from her seat, offering Lucian a gentle, apologetic smile. “See you tomorrow, Lucian,” she said softly.

Bronya had intended to follow Mei out in her usual silent manner, but the distinct whirring and clicking of her exoskeleton’s leg joints echoed with surprising clarity in the now-quieter living room. The sound made her pause. An excuse to linger a little longer began to form in her mind.

She remained silent for a moment, her gaze shifting from Lucian to the others preparing to leave.

“The Bronya needs to perform a diagnostic on her exoskeleton,” she stated, her voice as flat as ever. “You may all go first.”

Himeko glanced back at Bronya, her eyes then flicking toward Lucian. A knowing, mischievous smile played on her lips. “Oh? Could it be you’re just looking for an excuse to stay a little longer?”

Bronya shook her head, her expression unchanging. “The Bronya simply needs to check the exoskeleton.”

Her tone was so placid it was like she was stating an objective, unassailable fact. Himeko looked as if she wanted to press the issue, but a groggy Theresa had already shuffled to the entryway and was waving a dismissive hand.

“Alright, alright… Bronya, just watch the time. Don’t stay up too late…”

“Hey, Theresa, you’re way too lenient with her…” Himeko sighed.

“Mm. The Bronya will manage her time,” Bronya confirmed with a nod. She immediately floated back to the sofa, sat down, and lowered her head, beginning to fiddle with the mechanical joints on her legs with an air of complete and utter absorption.

Theresa, Himeko, Kiana, and Mei disappeared one by one through the doorway. The door clicked softly shut, and the living room was suddenly enveloped in a deep silence. The only sound that remained was the faint, rhythmic clicking of Bronya adjusting her leg braces, each tiny noise sharp and clear in the quiet space.

Lucian walked over and sat down beside her on the sofa. He didn’t speak, content to just quietly watch her work, her head bowed in concentration. The warm, yellow light from the lamp overhead spilled onto the tips of her silver-gray hair, creating a soft, ethereal halo around her.

If he hadn’t known with absolute certainty that she had stayed behind to talk to him, he might have been completely captivated by the serene picture she made.

After a minute or two, Bronya’s hands stilled.

She looked up, her crystalline eyes locking directly onto his. “Actually,” she said calmly, “the exoskeleton is fine.”

“I know,” Lucian replied with a soft chuckle, his tone full of understanding.

“Then the Bronya hopes Lucian is ready.”

“Hmm…?”

Before he could even begin to ask what she meant, Bronya moved. With a speed that defied her calm demeanor, she pressed her hands onto his shoulders and shoved. Caught completely off guard, Lucian fell back against the soft cushions of the sofa. In the next instant, she was straddling his waist, her body pinning him down with surprising weight.

Her spiraling, silver-gray pigtails scattered with the sudden movement, a few loose strands falling to hang just above his face, almost brushing against his cheek.

“So,” she began, her expression still as placid as ever, “is the Bronya considered an important person?”

“Eh?” Lucian blinked, startled. It took him a second to connect her words to the conversation from that afternoon—the one Theresa had so abruptly interrupted. It seemed that while she had appeared completely unfazed on the surface, the topic had been bothering her a great deal.

‘She’s been thinking about it this whole time…?’

“Bronya, of course you are…” he started to say, but was immediately cut off as she shook her head.

She leaned down, lowering her body until her face was just inches from his, so close he could feel the ghost of her breath against his skin.

“There is no need for you to tell the Bronya,” she whispered, her voice a low, steady murmur. “The Bronya will verify it herself.”

Before the last word had fully left her lips, she closed the remaining distance and kissed him.

Her lips were soft but demanding. She swiftly parted his teeth and began to invade the warm space of his mouth, her hands simultaneously pressing down on his arms, pinning them firmly to the sofa.

“??!”

Lucian’s mind went completely blank. His eyes widened in bewilderment, and it was only then that he saw it—Project Bunny 19C, which had floated silently into the air at some unknown point.

It was holding a camera. The cold, impartial lens was aimed directly at the two of them, calmly adjusting its focus.

“Mmm… Bronya…” Lucian tried to protest, the sound muffled against her mouth, but he was immediately silenced as her kiss deepened, a possessive entanglement that stole his breath.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Project Bunny’s lens slowly zooming in, then rotating slightly, capturing the scene from multiple angles.

Bronya finally pulled back, just enough to breathe. Her own breath was a little ragged as she looked down at him, her gaze intense. “Do not speak,” she commanded in a low voice. “The Bronya is verifying.”

She gave him no chance to respond. As soon as the words were out, she leaned down and captured his lips again.

This time, he saw Project Bunny’s lens slowly pan downwards, capturing the image of his wrists pinned to the sofa and the way her hips were settled firmly over his.

Lucian’s lips were growing numb from her relentless assault. For a long moment, he was simply frozen, his mind reeling, completely at a loss for what to do.

Time seemed to stretch on in silence. After what felt like an eternity but was probably closer to ten minutes, Bronya suddenly lifted her head, ending the prolonged kiss.

“Alright. The Bronya is leaving now.”

Her movements were swift and decisive. She slid off of him, sat primly to the side, and began to tidy her slightly disheveled hair and clothes. The entire process was so matter-of-fact, so clinical, it was as if the person who had just pinned him down and thoroughly kissed him for ten straight minutes was someone else entirely.

She looked at Lucian, who was still half-lying on the sofa with a deeply complicated expression, and said softly, “Good night, Lucian.”

With that, she turned, activated her exoskeleton, and walked out the door.

“…Good night.”

It wasn’t until the door clicked gently shut that Lucian slowly pushed himself into a sitting position. He raised a hand, his fingertips brushing against his still-damp and slightly swollen lips. His eyes were filled with utter confusion.

The faint, sweet scent of the girl seemed to linger in the air around him.

He still couldn’t fathom what had possessed Bronya to even like him in the first place, let alone why her offensive was so incredibly fierce.

‘It’s only been one day since her confession, and she’s already this aggressive,’ he thought, his mind spinning. ‘What’s going to happen in another two days…?’

“Bronya, huh…” he muttered to himself, the name feeling foreign on his tongue.

He thought back carefully, realizing that the development of their relationship felt unnaturally fast, almost as if some unseen expert was guiding things from behind the scenes. The foundation of their bond was, at its core, a sense of kinship—they were the same kind of people. She wanted to rely on him more, and she wanted him to rely on her in turn.

‘So… did I not pay enough attention to her feelings today? Is that what made her upset?’

The conjecture flashed through his mind, only to be immediately dismissed. Given Bronya’s personality, her reaction would likely be far more direct. She would probably just state her dissatisfaction in her usual calm, monotone voice.

Lucian pondered this, not yet realizing that the very possibility he had just discarded was, in fact, the truth.

Bronya was indeed a little upset about the day’s events. That was precisely why she had pinned him down, kissed him, and recorded the entire affair.

At that very moment, in the privacy of her own room, Bronya was watching Lucian’s deeply thoughtful expression on a monitor. A faint, almost imperceptible curve touched the corner of her mouth.

“Idiot Lucian,” she murmured to the screen.

Bronya had known for a long time that Lucian was a fool.

He held no guard against her whatsoever, allowing her to monitor him at will. Even after being forcefully kissed and recorded, he just sat there on the sofa in a daze instead of demanding to know why she had filmed it.

This kind of unreserved, absolute trust was a strange feeling for Bronya, but… it was not one she disliked.