Honkai Impact: Become Their Hero

"Elias, are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, really. Don't worry, Kiana, Mei—I'm completely healed."

"Well… alright. But if you need anything, just say so. Don't try to tough it out alone."

At Raiden Mei's house—

Not long after Kiana carried Elias back, he woke up on his own and immediately stopped the two girls from rushing him to the hospital, declaring himself fully recovered.

After everything that had happened, the three of them had grown even closer. Kiana no longer hid the truth about Honkai from Elias and told him everything about herself.

Meanwhile, Mei received the video message left behind by Raiden Ryoma, finally understanding her own situation. The overwhelming influx of information took her a while to process.

"D-Did I… kill someone…?"

Upon learning about what she had done during her Herrscher transformation, Mei's face turned pale. For a seventeen-year-old high school girl, the concept of taking a life was far too heavy to bear.

Fortunately, Elias and Kiana were by her side.

"That wasn't your fault! It was all that evil woman, Cocolia's, doing!"

"Yeah, Mei, it was self-defense. Don't dwell on it too much."

"…Mm."

Perhaps it was the series of recent events that had tempered her spirit, but with their reassurance, Mei managed to calm herself down relatively quickly.

Truthfully, her greatest fear wasn't the act of killing itself—it was the possibility that Elias and Kiana would now see her as a murderer and reject her.

Seeing that they still treated her the same way, she felt relieved.

To lighten the mood, Mei decided to celebrate their victory in stopping the Great Honkai Eruption—and to thank Elias and Kiana for coming to her aid—by cooking a feast.

...

The Raiden household had never been this lively.

The three of them sat around a small round table, their shared ordeal forging an unbreakable bond. The atmosphere was warm and heartwarming.

"Huh? These are all Shenzhou dishes? Mei, you really practiced?" Elias looked at the spread before him, his appetite instantly ignited.

"Because you mentioned wanting to try them before, I've been practicing lately. Could you try them and tell me what you think?" Mei asked shyly, her cheeks tinged red.

"Of course! Mm! As expected, Mei's cooking is amazing. It tastes so authentic! If I could marry someone like Mei, my life would be perfect~" Elias sighed in genuine admiration.

Anyone who could marry a girl like Mei would have to be the luckiest man alive. Hopefully, she wouldn't fall into the hands of some cunning wolf in the future.

Huh? The most likely candidate is me? Well, I suppose that wouldn't be so bad…

"M-M-Marry…? Cough, cough… If you like it, Elias, eat as much as you want. There's plenty more in the pot."

"Ahh! Mei, Mei! I had my eyes on that drumstick for so long!"

"Be good, Kiana~ Elias is still recovering. Let him have it to regain his strength."

"Uh, really, I'm fine…"

Elias chuckled wryly but didn't refuse Mei's kindness. He took a bite of the drumstick, much to Kiana's dismay.

However, this gluttonous paramecium ate way too fast. In the blink of an eye, the dishes were almost gone, leading to yet another fierce chopstick battle between the two.

"Hehe."

Mei watched them fondly, saying nothing. If only this moment could last forever.

Half an hour later, the three of them—well, to be precise, Kiana—had finally licked the pot clean, ensuring that not a single bit of Mei's cooking went to waste.

Elias glanced at Kiana's slim waist and slightly bulging stomach, wondering how on earth a Kaslana's body was structured. How did she fit all that food inside her? Any normal person's stomach would have burst by now.

"Alright, don't just lie there after eating. Come help me wash the dishes."

"Ehhh~~ Nooo, I don't wanna wash the dishes."

"Kiana, if you don't help, I won't share Mei's bento with you next time."

"Wha—?! Elias, you're so mean!"

In the end, Kiana begrudgingly got up and cleaned the dishes. Afterward, the three of them sat on the couch, unsure of what to do next.

Eventually, Mei turned on the TV to watch a cooking show featuring a Shenzhou cuisine special.

Elias and Kiana, of course, had no interest in that. Instead, they picked up their phones and started gaming.

It was as if nothing had ever happened.

"Hey, hey! Elias, stop that! Let me win for once!"

"Esports is all about skill. If you're bad, you lose."

"Ugh! Watch this! Eh—?!"

"Wow. That was impressive. I've never seen anyone combo themselves to death so smoothly."

Clearly, whatever superior gaming genes Cecilia had, they hadn't been passed down to Kiana. Elias recalled how, in the original story, Cecilia had demolished Siegfried the first time she played a video game.

Bullying a noob wasn't exactly satisfying, so Elias switched to Kallen Fantasy IV.

He browsed the game's leaderboard and, sure enough, the top-ranked player's ID was Green Pipe Uncle.

It was none other than Otto, that damn bastard!

Elias resisted the urge to message him, "I am Kallen. Transfer me 50 St. Freya Coins so I can resurrect. In return, I'll let you be the Overseer of Schicksal."

Yeah, no. That was a surefire way to get himself killed.

As the ultimate Kallen simp, Otto dominated the rankings of every Kallen Fantasy game.

Elias had initially picked up the game with the goal of surpassing Otto in the rankings—just like Cecilia had once done.

He might not be able to crush Otto's smug face in reality just yet, but beating him in a game? That was a decent start.

Before they knew it, night had fallen, and they decided to stay over at Mei's house. The cooking queen was more than happy to have them.

"Ahhh~ Perfect timing. I was getting sleepy. Kiana can take the guest room—I'll just sleep on the couch."

"That won't do!" x2

Both girls objected in unison. Elias blinked in confusion—had he said something weird?

What followed was an endless back-and-forth of polite refusals. No matter what, the two insisted that he take the bed, even volunteering to sleep on the couch or the floor.

But Elias wasn't about to let that happen.

As a man, letting two girls sleep on the floor while he took the bed would be far too disgraceful.

In the end, Elias took the guest room, while Kiana and Mei shared a bed.

Damn it. In the end, that damn cat still got the biggest win.

"Mei, take this."

After some thought, Elias handed the Pulse Katana Type-19 to her, then turned to Kiana with a bright smile.

"If Kiana tries anything weird at night, don't hesitate to, uh, stab her!"

"Elias! That's too much! What do you mean 'try anything weird'?! I'm not that kind of person!"

"Uh, sorry, Kiana. I don't have that kind of interest… I can't give you the happiness you seek."

"Wha—?! Mei! It's not like that!"

Mei chuckled helplessly. Unlike in the original story, she hadn't been "converted" by Kiana's antics, so she casually accepted the Pulse Katana.

However, as she looked at Elias, a faint hint of regret flickered in her eyes.

If only Kiana could be swapped out for Elias… Wait, what am I thinking?!

"Hmm? Mei, why's your face red? Let me see!"

"Elias… Do you think this girl can still be saved?"