I've already said this isn't a life simulator!

"Thank you, Wang."

"……plum?"

Kevin turned around and looked at the girl standing behind him, carefully protecting the cake in her hands.

Happy birthday, Kevin.

Mei slightly adjusted her glasses, which had shifted a bit while protecting the cake, tilted her head, smiled gently at Kevin, and spoke softly.

Alicia draped a warm blanket over her... There was not only Kevin, the giant air conditioner, but also Xiwang, the super humidifier. If they weren't careful, Mei, this delicate woman, might get sick.

The other people in the room also gathered around, crowding around today's protagonist as they walked toward the center of the room.

"........."

Kevin blinked, looking at everyone familiar in front of him. He knew them so well, yet at this moment, they felt somewhat unfamiliar.

The first person he saw was Sakura, who always attracted attention because of her special "ears". Today she was wearing a simple dress and was sitting at the dining table with her sister, playing with cherry blossom-shaped pastries. Then, a familiar figure came to their side.

That was naturally Xi Wang. Sakura and Rin were very happy to see him. Rin excitedly pointed to a cherry blossom pastry on the table, expecting his praise. Xi Wang naturally smiled and nodded, praising her generously. Then Xi Wang looked at Sakura, who understood and took out a bottle of light pink cherry blossom wine from the side and placed it on the table, adding a unique touch to the table.

After doing all this, Sakura and Xi Wang smiled at each other, their long "ears" twitching happily a few times.

Kevin swore he had never seen Xiwang and Ying smile like that before... Come to think of it, how could he possibly have?

Nearby, Desdovia, as usual, used her telekinesis to place the cake and eleven gifts onto the table one by one. Among the gifts were a strange green box and a dark box that looked damp. These two distinctive gifts already told Kevin who sent them. Next to them was a very ornately wrapped gift with a greeting card that read "Happy Birthday" from Eden. Finally, there was a gift that was clearly a drawing, with "Happy Birthday" written in various colors on the wrapping. It was obviously a gift from Gretchen.

A beautiful sound drifted over as Kosmo played his harmonica earnestly. After receiving professional guidance from Eden, his playing gradually got on track. Although he would occasionally go off-key, at least the rhythm was no longer messed up.

Soon, accompanied by melodious piano music, a long and sacred hymn pierced through Kevin's eardrums and resounded directly in his mind. Kevin quickly realized who the voice belonged to—Aponia. Relying on her powerful spirit and special abilities, she had traversed a great distance to project her voice directly into his mind.

He hadn't expected her to show up, in such an unexpected way.

Finally, there was Hen, the decisive man on the battlefield who never hesitated and could joke around even when facing a mission that meant certain death—he was looking at the birthday cake with a furrowed brow, seemingly dissatisfied with the placement of a certain candle.

It's unbelievable that the strongest fighters of the Firemoth, and the super genius who leads many of the Firemoth's research directions, would actually gather together for the reason of "celebrating someone's birthday".

"Okay, I'm turning off the lights now~"

Alicia's cheerful voice rang out, and the lights went out. In the darkness, only the flames on the candles continued to flicker and dance.

"Hey, I hope you don't go so far away~"

"If I get too close, the candle will go out."

"It'll only be a little while, it'll be fine~ Come quick, come quick!"

After pulling the person who had wandered off to a distance back, Alicia looked at the firelight, which had dimmed slightly due to dampness, and quickly said...

"Ahem... Well, it's time to blow out the candles, Kevin! Don't forget to make a wish! Whatever your wish is, it will definitely come true... Hmm?!"

Xi Wang quickly stepped forward and covered Alicia's mouth to prevent her from finishing her lines, while also reminding her.

"Alicia, you stole my line."

"what?"

"That line must have been Dr. Mei's."

"Hmm? Ah? Oh? Is that so? Is that what it said in the script I gave you?"

Alicia struggled symbolically for a moment, and Xiwang naturally let go of her. Alicia then asked with a puzzled look on her face.

"That's how it is, Ellie-neechan."

Bell blinked and said innocently.

"Hahahaha... Alicia, you haven't even read the script you wrote yourself, have you?"

"I... I definitely memorized what I wrote! I... I was just so happy that I blurted it out! Besides, I haven't even said it yet, have I? Your visit reminded me!"

Hearing Hen say that about her, Alicia quickly made excuses for her behavior. At the same time, seeing the candlelight getting weaker and weaker, she grabbed Mei's arm and shook it anxiously.

"Mei, speak quickly, the candle is about to go out!"

"Ha ha……"

Mei chuckled and shook her head. Alicia's anxious demeanor, more so than anyone else's, was amusing, but... one could also sense her concern for everyone.

"Kevin, make a wish."

Mei looked up, met her lover's gaze, smiled, and spoke softly.

"Whatever the wish, it will definitely come true... I will make it come true."

"……Thanks."

Kevin looked at Mei, then glanced around at his companions. Seeing the expectant expressions on their faces, Kevin spoke sincerely.

Then, quite formally, he closed his eyes, clasped his hands together in front of him, and silently made a wish in his heart. Then, smiling, under everyone's gaze, he bent down and blew out the candle before it went out.

Happy birthday, Kevin!!!

The crowd laughed and offered their blessings to him.

Chapter Thirty-One: Sweet Dreams

Happy times always pass too quickly. It's already a rare treat that you fusion warriors could gather together to celebrate Kevin's birthday. Who knows when we'll be able to get together again?

After Kevin's birthday party, you all returned to your posts and continued to work hard to resist the Honkai. Until more Fusion Warriors appear, you senior Fusion Warriors will have to bear the burden.

The scope of the Honkai is expanding, and the number of deaths is gradually increasing. Many cities have been destroyed by the Honkai outbreak, and the reconstruction speed is difficult to keep up with. Fortunately, the technology of the Firemoth is also developing rapidly, at least providing a place for the survivors to live.

More and more people are trying to take advantage of the chaos. Under the massive disaster known as Honkai, all sorts of monsters and demons have emerged. Some even regard Honkai as a "divine blessing" and deliberately try to infect it, then transform into real "monsters" in places where people gather, so that more people can experience this "gift" from the gods.

Although most similar incidents are discovered by the Firemoth and you, who specialize in handling such incidents, are dispatched to deal with these "traitors," these acts of terror still cause widespread panic among the people, and a nameless fear permeates the entire world.

Fortunately, thanks to the relentless propaganda and information control efforts of the "Moth Chasing the Flame" organization, the overall order has remained relatively stable.

[Then, an unusual "sleep disorder" began to spread among the people.]

[And it is rapidly "slaughtering" people in a very unique way.]

----------

[■■Month 16th, 28. Today, another person made the news for dying in their sleep... It seems like too many people are dying in their sleep lately. There was a "mission" before where everyone was lying dead in bed without any wounds. At the time, I suspected it was a mistake by the Poison Chrysalis, but now it seems this really is Honkai?]

Xi Wang wrote on the paper while sucking on a candy.

[Based on the current research by the research department, it seems that any problem can be attributed to "Honkai". As long as an event occurs, it can be blamed on Honkai. Anyway, as long as you go to the scene to investigate, you can always find traces of Honkai. Even in so-called "man-made disasters", Honkai can be detected in those with extreme emotions, as if their emotions became extreme because of the influence of Honkai energy...]

If that's the case, isn't "Honkai energy," which causes Honkai, a bit too omnipotent? It can be used as an energy source, it can form strange creatures like "Honkai Beasts," and it can even affect people's minds. I've heard that some people in the research department have proposed a research theory that "Honkai energy can be transformed into ordinary energy or into some kind of physical creation." This would not only solve the energy problem but also greatly liberate productivity... If this continues, "Honkai energy" will become omnipotent.

It's a pity the Honkai was a disaster; otherwise, the scientists in the research department would definitely have loved it.

Xi Wang paused briefly, then continued writing.

[Speaking of which, this outbreak of "sleep sickness" is probably another "Honkai" outbreak. However, it seems that the Honkai has never shown such signs before. This unusual "Honkai"... could it be that another "Herrscher" has appeared? After all, the scope of the impact this time is too large.]

...Never mind, Moth Chasing the Flame would definitely have thought of this problem before me. Dr. Mei even went to the Fifth Science Department before, so there must be a way to counter it.

All we need to do is prepare for battle... yeah.

At this point, Xi Wang stopped writing, habitually tore off the two sheets of paper, burned them, and then swallowed them with water before preparing to rest.

Although sleep disorder is rampant, we shouldn't be so nervous about it that we refuse to sleep altogether... Moreover, according to the theory of the moth chasing the flame, this "disease" requires a triggering medium, and as long as there is no contact with that medium, one will not fall into a deep sleep.

"........."

Lying in bed, Xi Wang looked at the candy box in her hand. After a long time, she still didn't open it. She simply hid it away, planning to take it out and bring it with her the next morning.

no need.

At least tonight, he won't crave that sweetness.

Xi Wang slowly closed her eyes.

In a daze, he seemed to hear the base alarm sounding, but upon closer listening, he couldn't hear it; it was as if it were just a hallucination... Perhaps he was just too nervous?

"call……"

Xi Wang lay quietly on the bed, his breathing steady—he was asleep.

…………

………………

"........."

As dawn broke, Xi Wang woke up, alerted by her own biological clock. She sat up lazily from the bed, rubbing her eyes and head with a frown, looking like she hadn't slept well.

"...Is my room really that bright?"

Opening her still somewhat blurry eyes, Xi Wang looked at the sunlight streaming directly into the room from outside the window and muttered to herself in a daze.

and……

"A double bed?"

He touched his side and could still feel the softness of the bed. He turned his head and saw that it was a double bed with a large quilt and two pillows. Judging from the marks left on the bed, there must have been someone else sleeping next to him.

The sudden turn of events caused Xi Wang's body to tense up instinctively, as if her intuition was warning her that something was wrong, but...

"...What am I thinking?"

Xi Wang tapped her aching head, as if to check if she had water in her brain.

Isn't it normal to sleep with your wife?

As Xi Wang said this, the pain in his head began to lessen, and the memories that should have surfaced began to resurface—he was already married.

"Maybe I'm just not used to being single... After all, I wasn't exactly popular before."

He was telling himself this, as if trying to convince himself.

As usual, I got up, changed my clothes, took a deep breath in the sunlight streaming through the window, and then smiled.

"Today is a good day."

It was a good day to take Rin out to play... To be honest, Rin's sister-in-law is really easy to please. All I had to do was promise to take her out to play often. I thought she would make things difficult for me, since there are only two sisters left in her family. But it seems that those outrageous relatives in the news are still far from my own situation!

Stepping out of the room and down to the first floor, you can hear sounds coming from the kitchen in the stairwell. A few steps further, you can see the figure busy in the kitchen.

Her long, cherry-blossom-colored hair was tied up, and she wore simple home clothes with an apron tied around her waist. Her hands moved back and forth between the cutting board and the stove. She seemed to be in a hurry, but everything was in good order under her hands. The breakfast that looked so appetizing was plated one by one. Her skillful movements highlighted her virtuousness. She was also humming an unknown song, which made her seem very relaxed.

Suddenly, her long, slender ears twitched slightly, and she turned around with a smile to meet Xi Wang's gaze as he approached.