Chapter 74 - Craving for Peking Duck

"Mmm~"

A soft, sleepy noise escaped her lips as she slowly opened her eyes, her long, curled lashes fluttering slightly.

Like a delicate doll, the adorable girl blinked herself awake.

Surprisingly, her body, which should have been battered and bruised, didn't feel any pain at all. In fact, she felt strangely light.

"Oh, you're finally awake~"

Nagami's lazy, carefree voice rang out, his tone relaxed and playful. "How are you feeling?"

Like a startled rabbit, she instantly flipped herself upright and scrambled backward until she was several meters away from him.

Her light gray eyes gleamed with wariness, and she held her small, flat chest protectively with both hands.

In that brief moment, a string of search terms flashed through Bronya's mind: outdoors, exposure, a pervert…

"Stroller flying at top speed~"

"Nagami, stop scaring her already," Mei's gentle voice cut in.

One of her long, slender legs was clad only in a torn stocking—the other had been destroyed by the Third Herrscher.

She walked gracefully to Bronya's side, her alluring figure moving with calm assurance.

Knowing a bit of the girl's past and identity from Nagami's words, Mei's kind heart was instantly moved with pity.

Seeing the serene and gentle girl, Bronya visibly relaxed.

Thanks to Nagami's earlier jokes, she'd woken up terrified that he might really be after her body.

But with Mei by her side, she figured this mysterious Nagami wouldn't dare do anything so depraved.

Bronya lowered her head, silent for a long moment.

Her brows furrowed as she stared coldly at Nagami's amused smile.

Then, her soft, childlike voice spoke up.

"What must I do to rescue Seele?"

"I do intend to help save Seele," Nagami replied with an easy smile. "But that doesn't mean I'll just hand over the information for free."

Of course he'd refuse.

Bronya cast a fleeting glance at the warm, gentle Mei, then back to the boy's careless demeanor.

Her lips curved into a subtle, almost imperceptible smirk.

"Bronya… agrees to exchange her body for the information."

Her unwavering, piercing gaze shot straight into him.

Nagami's smile froze immediately.

"Nagami-kun,"

Mei's sunny smile remained fixed on her face as she walked up and wrapped her pale, delicate arms around Nagami's arm.

Her tone was gentle as ever, but her eyes had never looked so deadly calm.

"Would you mind explaining what's going on?"

Oh, what a fierce girl!

Tonight, I'm definitely in the mood for some Peking duck!

Nagami leaned his head back slightly, forcing a wry smile as he raised his voice a bit.

"Calm down, Mei. Just… calm down a second. I can explain!"

"Please do," Mei said sweetly, her voice light as spring air.

But her smile felt sharper than a blade's edge.

A shiver ran down Nagami's spine under her sudden, oppressive aura—like standing in a winter gale, every word cutting him to the bone.

But before Mei could maintain her intimidating stance, Nagami moved first—he wrapped her in a sudden embrace.

She stiffened in his arms, lifting her gaze to meet those inky black eyes—soft and gentle as water.

"N-Nagami…"

Her slender hands pressed against his warm chest as Mei's calm blue eyes flickered in panic.

A faint blush spread across her cheeks.

"Don't pull away, Mei," Nagami murmured softly. "I'm explaining myself to you."

He leaned closer, his hand lifting the silky hair from her ear, his fingers brushing lightly over her smooth cheek.

"This… this is…"

She tried to duck her head, embarrassed beyond words, but he gently cupped her face, forcing her to look at him—right into his calm, handsome face.

Her breathing quickened, heart hammering like a drum, her gaze shrinking and fluttering away as she tried not to melt under his intense eyes.

Her fingers gripped his shirt desperately, her long lashes trembling as she closed her eyes tight.

Her breath was hot, ragged, as if a fire had been lit in her chest.

Time seemed to stand still, every sound vanishing.

All that remained was the frantic pounding of Mei's heart, loud as thunder.

Nagami's gaze fell to her gently pressed lips, that faint fragrance unique to girls filling his senses.

The corner of his mouth lifted into a small, teasing smile.

Slowly, he lowered his head towards her…

However, despite waiting for what felt like an eternity, Mei didn't feel the soft touch of lips on hers.

Instead, she felt a gentle warmth on her cheek.

Momentarily stunned, Mei slowly opened her eyes and found herself face-to-face with a calm, sincere smile.

Nagami raised a finger and lightly pressed it against her lips.

"Does that explanation satisfy you, Mei?" he asked playfully.

Looking down at the girl, whose expression was still frozen in surprise, Nagami gave her soft, flushed cheek a gentle pinch.

Mei, still blushing adorably, nodded with a shy little "mm-hmm."

Truthfully, Nagami had been sorely tempted to steal a kiss — who could resist when a beautiful girl was practically offering one?

But considering the current situation and atmosphere, he decided it was best to hold back.

After all, this would be Mei's first kiss, and he wanted it to happen under far more romantic circumstances.

Ahem…

Meanwhile, Bronya, her expression outwardly calm, was anything but composed on the inside.

Her slightly trembling hands gave her away.

She watched the scene of Mei and Nagami's "flirtatious display" with a complex, faintly resentful look in her eyes.

She had intended to cause Nagami some trouble, but instead found herself force-fed a mouthful of dog food!

Could things get any worse?

When Nagami raised an eyebrow at her, almost challengingly, Bronya couldn't help but feel a rare pang of frustration.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, as if he'd noticed something, Nagami let go of Mei's soft, warm figure and lifted his head to gaze into the distant sky.

"What's wrong, Nagami?" Mei asked, her cheeks still tinted pink as she tilted her head curiously.

"They're finally here… They really took their sweet time," he murmured softly to himself, shaking his head and smiling wryly.

He took Mei's delicate hand in his, his tone turning playful again. "It's nothing serious. Remember what I said before about Schicksal's Far East Branch? They've arrived."

"Come on, let's find C.C. — I have a feeling we're about to run into… well, not exactly trouble, but close enough."

Pulling Mei along by the hand, he stopped in front of Bronya and gave her spiraling ponytail a teasing tug.

"You've probably already noticed the anomaly in your biochip," he said. "I've already taken care of Cocolia's remote control program."

Ignoring the complicated emotions flickering in Bronya's pale gray eyes, Nagami met her gaze squarely and continued.

"As for rescuing Seele, I wasn't lying — I really do have a plan. But to be honest, there's not much you can do to help with that."

"You're welcome to come along if you want, though."

Having said his piece, Nagami didn't bother waiting for Bronya's response.

He simply turned and walked off, still holding Mei's hand.

For a moment, Bronya stood there like a statue, watching his retreating figure.

She pursed her lips in silence — and then, without a word, stepped forward to follow.

———————————————————————

On the other side…

A slender hand pointed toward the distant sky, where a massive warship was cutting through the clouds.

C.C. gave the small, pale hand she was holding a gentle squeeze.

"Sirin, you know what that is, don't you?" she asked with a hint of amusement.

"The Hyperion…" Sirin/The heiress Kiana answered almost immediately, her knowledge of Honkai Impact 3rd lore paying off.

"And what do you think of the Theresa of this world?"

"C.C., C.C.!" Kiana interjected with a pout, hugging C.C.'s slender arm and nuzzling against her shoulder like a spoiled cat.

"Who's this Theresa you keep talking about?"

She'd only meant to interrupt their serious conversation, but the answer she got was completely unexpected.

"Theresa Apocalypse. She's technically your great-aunt," C.C. replied casually.

After all, Siegfried had admitted that K423 was his daughter — so that relationship was as good as confirmed.

"…Huh?"

The calm tone of C.C.'s explanation left Kiana momentarily speechless, her mind completely blank.