Kiana: This... This Isn't Right?

Shu looked at Kiana, who was grinning foolishly, trying to bluff her way through. His eyes twitched repeatedly for a long time before he finally sighed helplessly.

Since he had already made a promise to Kiana, he had to do his best to fulfill it.

This wasn't because Shu was someone who strictly kept promises, but because Kiana definitely had more tricks up her sleeve than just this.

Shu had no doubt that if he dared to go back on his word or turn around and leave now, Kiana wouldn't hesitate to pounce again. Shu was in no mood for another round of wrestling with Kiana.

In short, Shu compromised.

"Fine... I'll help you as much as I can with the cooking..." Shu resignedly walked back to the cart and picked up some ingredients.

"There's frozen meat here... These vegetables aren't very fresh either..." Shu had already sorted through most of the ingredients. He casually picked up two heads of cabbage and turned to set up the portable kitchen.

"Your movements aren't restricted now, right?" Shu asked while fiddling with the cooking utensils.

He felt Kiana was probably fine now.

"Moving around isn't a problem anymore, but I'm just deliberately holding back my strength right now," Kiana assessed herself and honestly reported her condition to Shu.

Saying this, she handed the cabbage in her hands back to Shu.

Shu saw there were still some marks on the cabbage from being squeezed too hard.

"Have some water first," Shu observed the cabbage Kiana returned, then casually handed her a bottle of water.

"Uh..." Kiana hesitated for a moment, then formally accepted the water bottle with both hands.

The gesture of holding it upwards resembled an ancient Shenzhou official receiving an imperial edict.

"Just drink normally," Shu roughly understood why Kiana was acting so humble but reminded her anyway. "This water bottle itself is a test of how well you've mastered your strength."

"Is that so?" Kiana paused, then sighed in relief, and gripped the plastic bottle with one hand...

"Crack—!"

Unsurprisingly, the moment Kiana's fingers closed around the bottle, the plastic water bottle endured pressure it had likely never imagined bearing in its entire existence.

It cracked open.

Water spurted from the cracks like a high-pressure water gun, then abruptly stopped mid-air. Shu waved his hand helplessly. The water, seemingly weightless, obediently followed the direction of Shu's finger and flowed into an empty kettle nearby.

Kiana's eyes sparkled as she watched the water calmly enter the kettle, then saw the lid beside the kettle fly up on its own, spin onto the opening, and seal itself shut.

And Shu, who orchestrated all this, was frowning, taking the broken bottle from her with one hand while casually extending a finger from the other, conducting everything like a maestro leading an orchestra.

This effortless display of the incredible, this elegance seemingly etched into his very bones, this air of nonchalance permeating everything...

Kiana now believed Shu was truly better suited to the art of "posing coolly" than she was!

"Hey, Shu..." After a difficult hesitation lasting zero point zero one seconds, Kiana, whose eyes were practically sparkling, finally made up her mind. "Teach me how to strike cool poses."

"What?" Shu's expression instantly twisted. "What crazy idea are you up to now? Is this another new trick you thought up?!"

He was genuinely scared now! Why was Kiana's brain so sharp at times like these?!

Your intelligence didn't drop to zero because of your external brains; it was all allocated to outsmarting said external brains!

Seeing Shu's wary gaze, Kiana cried foul.

How could you accuse me like that!!

"No, I really want to learn!" Kiana puffed out her cheeks, defending herself.

"Really?" Shu widened his eyes, waved his hand, and the cooking utensils on the ground began arranging themselves automatically. "I don't believe you."

He had just figured out how these utensils should be placed. Now, riding the momentum of the [Wish] he used for water control, he might as well set these up too.

Yes, yes, that's exactly what I want to learn!

Kiana's eyes shone with a light that Shu found hard to ignore, even hard to look at directly.

"Really!" Kiana nodded heavily, affirming her request. "Help me figure it out, how can I look cool?"

Kiana specifically spun around in front of Shu, then turned her expectant gaze towards him.

Shu: "…"

She was serious this time; Shu could tell.

But he'd rather this be another one of Kiana's schemes...

"You want to learn... how to pose coolly?" Shu scratched his head, asking Kiana with a troubled expression.

"Yes, yes! Help me think! In the future, if I need to make a heroic entrance, what's the coolest way to appear? And the finishing move against an opponent, how should I act after defeating them to highlight my strength..."

Kiana rattled off a long list of scenario examples for Shu.

Shu was both amazed by Kiana's imagination in this area and surprised at why her brain worked exceptionally well specifically at times like these.

"Well... can you?" After finishing, Kiana clenched her fists again, about to bring them to her face and use the blinking eye trick on Shu.

Shu's gaze instantly sharpened. "Yes, but only after helping you get familiarized first. Also, if you try whining again, I'll refuse."

Kiana snapped to attention. "Yes! I will firmly adhere to Captain Shu's leadership and execute Captain Shu's orders!"

"Tsk..." Shu shook his head, feeling a headache coming on. He felt that the idealized image he had of Kiana had been thoroughly shattered by Kiana herself over the past three months.

What main character group? What original protagonist?

This is just a white-haired furball who'll die if she misses a meal, can eat and sleep well, loves to slack off, never thinks, and is usually the least reliable... Who on earth would like someone like this?

...

Besides Mei, Himeko, Theresa, Bronya, Fu Hua... besides them, who else would like someone like this!

Fueled by dual motivations, Kiana was no longer the listless figure from before. Instead, she energetically sidled up to Shu. "So what do we do first?"

"Is it Boiled Chinese Cabbage in Supreme Soup or Buddha Jumps Over the Wall?" [Both are complex, high-end Chinese dishes]

"It's stir-fried Chinese cabbage... if you can manage to light the fire," Shu shot Kiana a sideways glance.

Thinking about exploring the galaxy before you've even learned how to make fire by rubbing sticks together?

Keep dreaming!

"Oh!" Kiana wasn't discouraged at all. After all, just lighting a fire! As if anyone would blow up the kitchen just by lighting a fire! She turned and squatted beside the portable induction cooker, confidently reaching out to turn the switch.

Shu: "…"

Kiana: "This... This isn't right..."