Honkai Impact: My Power Grows When Valkyries Fall For Me — Chapter 69

Chapter 69: Night Thoughts

Night had fallen over St. Freya, blanketing the academy in an exceptional quiet.

Lucian stood on the steps of his dormitory, letting the cool night breeze clear his head. The birthday party had long since wound down, its warmth and laughter now just a pleasant memory. He had already returned to his dorm.

He hadn’t even drunk much—just two cans of beer. He’d politely declined the third one Himeko had offered him with a knowing grin. Still, the mild buzz was enough to loosen the tightly-guarded gates of his mind, allowing thoughts he usually kept buried to surface.

Behind him, the warm yellow light of his dorm room spilled from the windows, but he made no move to go inside. The images from the party were still spinning through his thoughts, a vivid kaleidoscope of moments.

Kiana, smearing a dollop of cream on his cheek while cutting the cake, her laughter echoing with the pure, unadulterated joy of a successful prank.

Mei, ever the gentle caretaker, silently handing him a tissue to wipe it away, her unspoken affection a comforting presence.

Bronya, holding Project Bunny aloft to record the entire celebration, her gaze steady and unblinking behind the lens, capturing every moment for posterity.

Theresa, her tiny frame swaying with exhaustion as she insisted on seeing him to the door, her short legs nearly tangling on the threshold.

Himeko, leaning against a window frame, raising her bottle to him with a smile that promised a rematch.

And Fu Hua.

She had been the first to leave, citing the need to rest for morning practice.

“…”

Lucian blinked, realizing he’d been lost in thought, standing motionless on the steps for who knew how long. A bitter, self-deprecating laugh almost escaped him.

Once, he had truly believed he was just a transient passerby in this world. He’d constantly schemed and planned, thinking of ways to change the tragic future he knew was coming. Yet, when the moment of truth arrived, he always found himself hesitating.

It had been that way during Bronya’s assassination attempt. It had been that way during the Third Honkai Eruption. And it was that way now.

He was always one step behind, only realizing in hindsight what he should have done. Ah, I could have done more.

Standing on the steps, he looked out at the scattered lights of the St. Freya dormitory area. From here, those warm pinpricks of light felt impossibly distant. Not a physical distance, but a self-imposed one. He had chosen to stand at the very edge of their warmth, never daring to step fully into the glow.

He used to tell himself it was because he lacked power. He’d lacked it when he first arrived in this world, and he’d certainly lacked it during those years of struggling to survive within Schicksal.

Then, Kiana had given him power. But even then, he still felt it wasn’t enough.

He lacked martial skill. He lacked honed reflexes. He lacked real combat experience. He lacked a deeper, more intuitive control over Honkai Energy.

He lacked time, he lacked opportunities, he lacked a foolproof plan.

Now, standing in the cool night air, the alcohol from two simple beers had finally allowed the thoughts he so diligently suppressed to float to the surface.

He finally admitted it to the quiet night.

He was just a hypocrite, a fraud. The only reason he was still alive was sheer, dumb luck.

He was lucky Otto had assigned him a simple surveillance mission. He was lucky he’d spun a web of words to win Kiana’s affection.

He was lucky that when Siegfried had pointed a gun at his head, he’d only escaped death because Siegfried wasn’t the kind of man to kill without cause.

He was lucky that when Bronya had tried to assassinate him, he was saved by the miraculous intervention of a Kiana from another timeline.

He was lucky that after being shot through the heart in Changkong City, bleeding out as the Herrscher of Thunder awakened before his very eyes—a scenario from which no one should have walked away—that same Kiana had gifted him this power.

And so, he had survived. Again.

“It’s all just… good luck…”

The sound of footsteps, accompanied by a faint mechanical whir, broke the silence behind him. He didn’t need to look back. He knew who it was.

Silver-gray drill curls shimmered under the moonlight as a slender figure came to a halt at the bottom of the steps. She had stopped precisely three paces away—a calculated distance. Far enough that he wouldn’t have noticed her approach immediately, yet close enough for her to observe every flicker of emotion on his face.

“…The Bronya is not here to offer you comfort.”

The girl’s voice, softer than usual in the night air, carried its typical, unwavering steadiness, as if stating a long-established fact.

Lucian didn’t turn, a low chuckle rumbling in his chest. “I know. I’m just a fraud, after all.”

Bronya didn’t respond. She simply stood there, three paces behind him, a silent sentinel waiting for him to continue.

“…Do you know, Bronya,” Lucian’s voice was barely a whisper, as if he were talking only to himself. “During those years in Schicksal, there was one thing I thought about every single night before I went to sleep.”

“Will I die tomorrow?”

He paused, the silence stretching.

“Not a heroic death, sacrificing myself for a mission,” he clarified. “But being… disposed of. Thrown away by Otto once I was no longer useful.”

“I have no natural Honkai resistance, no combat ability. My only value was that I ‘came from another world.’ And even that value was quickly exhausted.”

He lowered his gaze, finally looking at Bronya standing below him on the path. “So when I was sent to monitor Kiana, I was actually relieved. Not because it was an easy task, but because it meant I was still useful. It meant I could live for a little while longer.”

Bronya remained silent, but she took a single step forward. Then another.

She stopped just half a step from his side, not crowding him, but positioning herself so she was perfectly in his line of sight.

“…Aren’t you curious what the ‘me’ from that world actually gave me?”

Bronya’s voice was incredibly soft, yet it made Lucian start. He turned his head, his eyes meeting hers. He noticed it then—she hadn’t referred to herself by name. She had used “me.”

“The Bronya from that other world… she gave all of her memories to me.”

“…All of them?” Lucian repeated, his voice raspy in a way he hadn’t realized.

“Everything. From the moment she met you, all the way to the Final Battle.”

The night breeze seemed to die in that instant.

Lucian stared at Bronya. Under the moonlight, her gray eyes were as calm as ever, but something deep had shifted within them.

“So, I discovered that the person who was a hero in those memories… is still a coward now.”

“Then why did you…” Lucian started, but the words died in his throat.

Because Bronya was floating upwards, rising until her gaze was level with his. She looked at him with an expression of deep helplessness, as if she were looking at a complete idiot.

“Because… aren’t you terrified, deep down in your heart?”

The night breeze truly stopped. All of it.

Lucian stared at Bronya, who hovered in the air before him. In her eyes, there was only a placid, knowing calm. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something—anything.

To say he wasn’t afraid.

To say he had long since grown used to this life.

But the words were caught in his throat, a leaden weight he couldn’t dislodge. It would all be a lie. He was scared to death.

“Of all the words you have ever spoken,” she asked softly, “how many were truly from your heart?”

“And of the truths you did tell, how much conviction was actually behind them?”

Lucian was silent for a very long time. Long enough to hear the slow, heavy thud of his own heart.

“…Sorry,” he finally whispered, his eyes falling to the hand hanging limply at his side.

How could someone like him ever be worthy of their gifts, their trusting gazes, their sincere feelings?

The breeze began to stir again, rustling the long hair he kept tied back. He suddenly felt the hair tie was a leaden weight, so heavy he could barely stand straight.

“Alright, stop being so melancholy out here. It’s cold.”

Bronya’s voice suddenly rang out from behind him. Lucian snapped out of his stupor to see that she had already opened the door to his dormitory. At the same moment, one of Project Bunny’s large, mechanical hands wrapped firmly around his waist.

Before Lucian could even react, he was lifted and shifted neatly into the entryway.

Bronya floated in after him, closing the door with a quiet finality.

Click.

The sound of the lock engaging was unnervingly loud in the sudden silence.

Lucian found himself deposited unceremoniously onto the sofa. Project Bunny’s mechanical arm hovered over him for a second, and after confirming he was seated securely, it silently faded from view.

The living room lights were off. Only the pale moonlight filtering through the gaps in the curtains painted blurry spots of light on the floor.

Bronya didn’t turn on the lights.

Instead, she calmly produced a length of rope from the folds of her dress and, without a word, deftly tied Lucian’s hands together.

“Bronya…?” Lucian finally found his voice, but she didn’t speak. Instead, she looped the other end of the rope and secured it to the leg of the sofa.

“…?”

Lucian looked down at his bound wrists, then at the sturdy hemp rope tied firmly to the furniture. He gave it a test tug.

He couldn’t move.

“…Bronya.”

“Yes.”

“What is this for?”

Bronya didn’t answer immediately. She stood in the dim light, her gray eyes watching him quietly, as if confirming something.

“Um… did you take a shower today?”

“I did… huh?” Lucian answered on instinct, then blinked, wondering if he’d misheard. He looked down at his bound hands again and gave another experimental tug. Still couldn’t move.

“…Bronya.”

“Yes.”

“What on earth are you trying to do?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m going to do something adults do.”

“…?”

Lucian’s brain completely short-circuited.

Meanwhile, Bronya had taken half a step forward. Her knee pressed against the edge of the sofa cushion as she leaned in, her body tilting over his. In the dim light, her eyes looked exceptionally deep, reflecting his own somewhat rigid expression.

“You just said you showered today, right?”

Lucian: “…”

“Bronya, is this really the time for jokes?” Lucian managed, assuming this was some elaborate, bizarre attempt to snap him out of his funk.

But she wasn’t looking at him at all. Her eyes were lowered as she methodically began to unbutton her dress.

Click. Click.

In the deep silence of the room, the sound of the metal buttons being released was deafening.

Lucian’s pupils contracted. In a flash of panic, his thumb jabbed the bracelet she had given him that very afternoon.

Bronya froze on the spot, her hands stilled. Her body was motionless, but her face could still move. She looked up at Lucian, her expression a mask of pure disdain.

“Scared?”

“…Yes.”

“Actually,” she said, her voice flat, “according to the memories, tonight was supposed to be the night Raiden Mei came to find you.”

“?” A sudden, horrifying realization dawned on him.

“So you, today…”

“The Bronya intercepted her. Unfortunately,” she added, a flicker of annoyance in her otherwise placid expression, “I forgot about the bracelet I gave you.”

——————

“So, you’ve finally made up your mind to change?”

Sitting on the sofa, Bronya watched Lucian calmly. He had untied his restraints, and her tone was devoid of any discernible emotion.

Lucian rubbed his slightly reddened wrists, silent for a few seconds.

“…Yes.”

He didn’t deny it. The single syllable, exceptionally clear in the quiet living room, carried a hint of awkwardness he hadn’t noticed himself.

Bronya didn’t speak, just continued to watch him with those placid gray eyes.

Lucian glanced down at the faint red marks on his skin. Bronya had already put the rope away, explaining that she’d scavenged it from some abandoned safe house and kept it as a backup. A backup for what, she didn’t say, and Lucian didn’t dare ask.

“…So this bracelet,” Lucian’s voice broke the brief silence. He looked up at Bronya. “Besides being a way for me to stop you, its other function is to let you know where I am at all times, right?”

Bronya’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, but she didn’t deny it.

“…It also tracks my heart rate, body temperature, and respiration,” she added.

“And the concentration of adrenaline and dopamine in your blood,” Lucian finished, the realization dawning on him.

Lucian: “…”

He stared down at the silver-gray bracelet on his wrist. The metal gave off a soft, cool glow in the darkness. Just moments ago, he had used this very device to pause her.

“So, you don’t just know where I am at all times, you also know if I’m…” He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

“Yes.” Bronya nodded calmly. “Whether you’re lying, whether you’re nervous, whether your heart is fluttering—I know it all.”

Lucian was silent for a few seconds. “Does this count as surveillance?”

“Yes,” Bronya answered bluntly.

He looked at her, and she looked right back at him.

“…Are you not angry?” Bronya asked.

He considered it for a few seconds. “If this were the old me, I probably would be.”

“And now?”

“Now…” Lucian lowered his head, his gaze falling upon the quiet bracelet on his wrist. The silver-gray metal rested against his skin, already warmed by his body temperature. “Now, I feel like being watched by you like this… might not be so bad.”

“…Then why did you refuse the Bronya just now?”

Lucian’s fingertips stilled at the edge of the bracelet. He was quiet for a long moment.

“…Because not now. I need to wait a little longer,” he said softly.

“Wait how long?”

“Until you’re an adult, you silly girl.” As he spoke, Lucian reached out and gave Bronya a light, gentle chop on the top of her head.

“…Ouch.” Bronya rubbed the spot on her forehead, though her eyes showed little emotion. It was as if she had expected this answer all along.

“You could just say it if you’re impotent.”

“…”

Lucian stared at Bronya, his lips pursed. He wanted to refute her, but he didn’t know where to even begin. Claim he had principles? The bracelet had already told her his heart rate had spiked to nearly 120 when he realized her true intentions. Claim he wanted to but couldn’t? That was just absurd.

“…I haven’t reached that point yet,” he finally squeezed out, a defense that only earned him a look of disdain.

“So it’s an ‘adults-only’ restriction?” Bronya’s tone was still calm, but her gray eyes held a clear glint of inquiry, as if she were testing a boundary.

Being stared at so bluntly by her, Lucian found it hard to maintain his composure. “Actually, I’ve never quite understood why you like me, Bronya.”

Bronya tilted her head, a hint of genuine confusion flashing in her gray eyes. “Does there have to be a reason?”

“Give me at least one.”

“…Mm.” Bronya lowered her eyelids, silent for a few seconds. “It’s because of the memories from the other world, isn’t it?”

“…Yes, but not entirely,” she clarified. “Those memories… they are like watching a very long film. The Bronya in that film and the Bronya standing here are two different people.”

“She had her Seele, her Lucian, her Mei and Kiana. The Bronya was merely a spectator.”

“But as I watched, I began to think… it would be nice to meet someone like that, too.”

“…” Lucian did not speak, letting her continue.

“Later, the Bronya discovered that you also seemed to know about that world. So, I began to verify if the feelings in those memories were real, or just phantoms from another time.”

She raised her head, her gray eyes locking onto his.

“Then, the Bronya discovered that you are even more real than the man in the memories.” Her gaze was unwavering. “A fraud who is full of lies and drowns in his own thoughts. This version of you… compared to the calm, reliable ‘hero’ from that other world… makes me want to get closer.”