Regarding the question of whether one thousand lives are enough to beat Honkai Impact 3rd.

22. Interlude

2013年12月6日下午4时05分。

After the last customer left, Kiana flipped the "Open for Business" sign over. Because they had only recently started operating stably, the number of customers was not proportional to the online buzz.

Thanks to this, otherwise Su Qing'an would have had to consider hiring another barista and waiter.

He deliberately integrated the cultivation of the Sword Heart Technique into every aspect of his life, and honing his sword heart while expending his mental energy was still a difficult ordeal for Su Qing'an at the moment.

The reason he started closing earlier was because he wasn't used to multitasking, and his obsessive-compulsive disorder wouldn't allow him to make coffee carelessly. This pursuit of perfection made the task even more difficult.

So sometimes they simply close early.

That's a perfectly legitimate reason to keep going.

Kiana untied her brown apron and placed it on the table, revealing a Chiba uniform identical to that of Sato Yuno. She let out a long breath, her chest heaving, and stretched, revealing her slender figure. Her clothes were lifted, and her snow-white skin at her waist was faintly visible, captivating the eye.

To be honest, even during her years of homelessness, she rarely had the experience of working honestly.

The job of a waiter is simple, but talking to strangers is always a troublesome thing.

The habit of presenting a facade to others was developed during my time as a wanderer.

In Su Qing'an's view, Kiana's core is very complex when analyzed. Whether it is the cheerful girl who is like a fool, the indifferent and expressionless girl, or the sensitive and lonely girl, it is still her.

Human beings are complex and diverse, and multifaceted nature is the norm. Is a reckless and impulsive fool really only capable of such a hot-blooded and carefree side?

Su Qing'an tried to understand Kiana, not through the games she knew or the few comics she had read.

Instead, she uses these eyes to witness how Kiana's puzzle is built up little by little in life, piecing it together piece by piece until she finally draws a conclusion.

Only then can he confidently say, "I understand you, Kiana."

"Kiana, if you have time, go out and buy me a bottle of soy sauce and some rice. You've eaten all the rice we have at home."

"Su Qing'an, are you really willing to let a delicate girl like me go out at dusk carrying a bag of rice back? What if I encounter a pervert? Besides, haven't they been talking about a serial killer on TV lately?" Kiana said indignantly, leaning on the table.

"The country's public security is relatively normal, and what exactly is the person who broke the left leg of the delinquent last time talking about here?"

Recalling the bewildered look on the boy's parent's face when they saw Kiana's innocent expression, Su Qing'an wanted to complain. In the end, the parent didn't even dare to ask for medical expenses, but the look in their eyes when they looked at their son revealed a hint of sneer and anger, suggesting that the treatment at home wouldn't be very good.

"Who...who knew that person was so arrogant but actually so fragile! How can you blame me? I'm just an ordinary pretty girl (*｀へ'*)." Kiana retorted somewhat guiltily, but her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, clearly lacking confidence.

"You didn't use the power of a Honkai Beast on a regular delinquent, did you? If so, you really tried hard to restrain your strength at the end." Su Qing'an sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

The story is actually quite simple: Kiana rarely goes out, but a delinquent boy harassed her, asking for her phone number and email address.

It was similar to when he met a pretty girl in his previous world and asked for her WeChat, except that person was excessively persistent and even tried to touch him inappropriately. In the end, Kiana, unable to bear it any longer, kicked him and broke his leg with her slender, harmless leg.

Afterwards, the person involved, quite lacking in common sense, left with a cold expression, completely ignoring the person on the ground who was groaning and screaming in pain. It's likely that at this point, the white furry little thing had no idea that she had broken someone's bone.

Just like what Sato Yuno said, being good-looking also has its troubles. Su Qing'an has encountered similar situations before, but he handled them more skillfully than Kiana, and the people he encountered were not as arrogant.

"So, are you going or not?" Su Qing'an asked with a friendly smile.

"I'm going, I'll go then. I can take care of this simple thing in no time. Humph, Su Qing'an is an idiot." Kiana straightened her back and said arrogantly. By the way, she said the last sentence very quietly.

The girl went to her room and put on a sweatshirt. It was getting a bit chilly in the late autumn evening. She picked up a shoulder bag, slung it over her shoulder, and prepared to go out.

Kiana is mostly indifferent and perfunctory when facing Sato Yuno, but she tends to be arrogant and timid when facing Su Qing'an.

The boy watched Kiana's retreating figure as she walked towards the door and couldn't help but chuckle. Although Kiana spoke very softly, he still heard her.

Well, this timid look is kind of cute. Let's add more chili to the dishes tonight. Imagining Kiana's pitiful face flushed red, Su Qing'an, who was petty, smiled and her lips curled up into a smile.

But tomorrow is December 7th, so what should I prepare?

23. Ugly people

"That annoying Su Qing'an probably didn't hear me, right?" Kiana, suddenly having a bad feeling, touched her well-developed chest and muttered somewhat guiltily.

"Whatever. Even if I hear it, so what? Su Qing'an can't beat me. I, Kiana Kaslana, have killed countless Honkai Beasts with my dual pistols. What can Su Qing'an do to me? At most... at most he can deduct a little bit of my salary. I, Kiana Kaslana, will never bow down for five... what was it again? Right, I will never bow down for five pecks of rice."

Using a proverb from China that she had learned from Su Qing'an, Kiana nodded her head and smiled with a confident and inflated sense of relief.

Immediately after talking to herself, the girl walked happily towards the department store.

—Divider Line—

Four people in a dark alley.

"Waaah..." Why did it turn out like this? She had already transferred schools and run away, but the girl tried her best to suppress her sobs, turning her head to the side so as not to see the man who had pinned her against the wall.

"You think you can escape by transferring to another school?" The man's face was twisted into a grotesque grimace by sadism and ugly malice. He laughed gleefully, as if watching a rabbit caught in a net. "You'd better continue to be a dutiful toy!"

The man's venomous breath was exceptionally clear in the girl's earlobe. She knew what she was about to face, and her body began to tremble involuntarily with fear.

Immediately, the girl felt dizzy, and with a sharp pain in her back, she was brutally forced to the ground by the man.

"Rip." The uniform of Chiyu Academy was torn open, revealing fair skin that made the three men breathe even more heavily. Their unrestrained lust was chilling.

Tears welled in her eyes, and the girl, unable to suppress her sobs, began to pray: "Save me." Even though it was just a simple three words, she only dared to pray in her heart, but dared not utter it aloud.

"Thump." It was the dull sound of a heavy object hitting the ground. The man who was pressing down on the girl turned around and saw his companion lying on the ground with someone stepping on his head.

She was a foreign girl with white hair and blue eyes. Her height of about 1.6 meters made her appear exceptionally petite compared to the man, so much so that the way she stood on the man's head looked somewhat surreal.

"A fool who likes to play the hero?" The man sneered inwardly. Even though he saw his companion fall to the ground, the girl's beautiful face numbed his senses. The things in her pocket made him feel confident and that there was no possibility of losing.

"What a wonderful day! To think that such a 'good-for-nothing' would come to our door on its own."

So weak. The girl sighed inwardly as she watched the men rushing towards her, hurling insults.

An untrained body, a lack of discipline, and haphazard, unorthodox movements with a dagger.

Third-rate.

No, it's not even third-rate.

The weak will only use violence against the weaker; the people in front of me are weak and ugly, both in mind and body.

With a casually raised foot, he accurately kicked the man's chin, the immense force and pain causing him to instantly lose consciousness.

"Bastard." The newcomer swung his dagger down with a ferocious expression.

The girl grabbed his arm expressionlessly, her seemingly delicate hand twisting with force, a crisp sound of bones cracking echoing. Before the man could react and begin to wail, the girl's fist struck his throat with just the right amount of force. Temporarily silenced, he lost his will to fight due to the excruciating pain. After a light kick to his abdomen, only the two of them remained standing in the alley.

Stunned by the girl's combat prowess, which defied common sense, the man hurriedly pulled out his pistol, the only thing that made him feel safe at the moment.

"Don't come any closer... watch out..." The man's words were cut short as only a fleeting image flashed across his retina—the girl's leg.

The excruciating pain in his wrist told him that his only weapon for victory had been lost.

The girl with a blank expression easily caught the gun spinning in the air. The empty muzzle was pointed at the man's head, and she spoke her first words since entering the alley.

"You know, this is how you use a gun."

"Bang!" Without hesitation, the girl deftly released the safety and fired.

The bullet pierced the wall next to the man's head, its swift, fleeting motion brushing past his hair—a vivid memory etched in his mind.

The girl's indifferent expression and lack of confusion clearly indicated one thing.

She wouldn't mind killing someone.

That beautiful face, like a demon reaping his life, drove him to the brink of madness, but then, the butt of the gun, slamming heavily against his temple, solved his problem.

"Thud." The pistol was casually tossed to the ground.

Kiana picked up the handbag she had thrown on the ground, glanced at the disheveled girl with her clothes torn and tattered, and helplessly took off her hoodie and threw it at the girl, saying, "You should leave here as soon as possible too."

After saying that, he turned and left without looking back.

Subconsciously hugging the hoodie that still smelled of Kiana, the girl stared at the figure in the twilight, somewhat dazed.

After a long while, Asakura Miyuki seemed to finally realize what had happened.

"I still don't know your name."

24. Asakura Miyuki

Miyuki Asakura was a well-behaved and obedient child. Apart from her outstanding appearance, everything about her was ordinary. She thought her life would continue to be peaceful like this.

An ordinary childhood, an ordinary schooling, an ordinary job, and finally an ordinary marriage and children.

Miyuki Asakura, with her gentle and compliant personality, knew she had no talents to boast about and was not dissatisfied with her future, which she could see the end of her life at a glance.

That would be perfect. An ordinary life, occasionally going shopping with friends, visiting the cherry blossoms at Seigetsuji Temple during holidays, and perhaps even having a chance encounter and falling in love at the end of the semester.

A young girl's heart is always filled with poetry. Like every girl her age, Miyuki Asakura harbors innocent and romantic fantasies.

But she doesn't expect any major changes in her life. She just wants to find a boyfriend she likes, get rid of annoying pimples on her skin, and have closer relationships with her friends. These ridiculous and cute wishes are the truest part of Asakura Miyuki's heart.

She doesn't want to be rich or famous, just live an ordinary life. That's what her mother said too, because a simple and peaceful life is the easiest way to be happy.

Yes, a simple and ordinary life is just fine.

That was all she wished for.

Then the fantasy was cruelly torn apart.

Just to satisfy her ugly, bestial desires, the girl's life slid into an abyss from which there was no return.

Transfer schools. This is the only thing the girl can do: escape. If she can escape, she might be able to return to a normal life, and treat everything that happened before as a nightmare.

Recalling the gun in the man's hand, the girl dared not tell her family the truth. Her father and mother were kind and gentle people, and she was afraid that her parents would have bullet holes in their bodies and that they would be hurt.

Therefore, even when transferring schools, the girl used other excuses.

Fortunately, her understanding parents noticed that the girl must have something on her mind, but they thought it was just a normal conflict between classmates and agreed to her request to transfer schools.

Asakura Miyuki was sincerely grateful for her parents' tolerance. Finally, she transferred to Chiba Academy. A ray of sunshine appeared in the girl's gloomy heart. It was as if she had finally climbed out of that swamp.

until

"Hey, have you heard? That new transfer student is getting really close to some shady characters from outside." Naturally, this news reached Asakura Miyuki's class.

"I wonder how they act when they're with us, since they seem so aloof to us."

The speaker was very loud, showing no regard for the person still in the class; it was pure malice without any attempt to conceal it.

The dark and chilling nature of humanity's deepest flaws, perhaps out of curiosity or amusement, or perhaps out of jealousy of the girl's beautiful face, gave the girl, who was nearing the bottom of the abyss, the final kick.