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

5. Kiana

It felt like a long time had passed, yet it also felt like only a moment; the dark eyelids were filled with light and brightness.

The body regained normal sensation.

A gentle breeze embraced him, and the vibrant life force under the sunlight was a unique sight of the season. The boy stood under an ancient evergreen tree, its swaying branches dancing in the breeze, and the falling sunlight piercing through the obstruction and swaying with it.

The air was so fresh it made him feel happy as he breathed in the air, and he looked at the things in front of him.

This is an unfamiliar city, with the melodious chirping of cicadas swirling in the air, and well-designed green belts that retain a sense of history.

The scene of people coming and going is harmonious and beautiful: busy office workers, women with children, and high school girls chatting and laughing with their friends. All of this is so peaceful that it makes people feel at ease and trusting in the future.

"I've been resurrected." After a moment of stunned silence, Su Qing'an finally grasped the truth.

Unlike before, when I died without understanding what era it was.

He understood the era and plot he was in almost an instant.

Because the girl in front of me is easy to recognize if you think of Honkai Impact 3.

"Hey! You idiot manager, what are you doing sitting here like a fool!"

The girl was wearing a Japanese-style JK school uniform, which would be easily recognizable to anyone who had lived in Changkong City for a long time.

Her highly recognizable long white hair was braided into pigtails and casually draped over her shoulders. Her fair face was delicate and three-dimensional, and her azure eyes were beautiful and dazzling.

Whether she strikes a graceful and gentle pose or simply stands there expressionless, she's a beauty from every angle.

But at this moment, she was frowning unhappily, as if she could not tolerate the person in front of her ignoring her. She bent down and brought her small face close to Su Qing'an, her angry appearance just like a cat with its fur standing on end.

“It’s Kiana…” The boy in front of her looked up at her, his words filled with unspeakable regret and melancholy.

"Why do I feel like you really don't want to see me!" Kiana complained angrily, giving Su Qing'an a light chop to the head, the force surprisingly gentle, like a playful fight between friends.

"I don't want to see you right now in any sense." Su Qing'an admitted without hesitation, no longer having the time to think about why Kiana seemed so familiar with him.

Kiana's appearance gave him absolutely no time to escape reality.

For a fleeting moment, standing under the tree, he almost thought he had returned to his original world, but then the girl easily shattered all his wishful thinking.

"You didn't use the salary you were going to give me to buy in-game items, did you?!"

Kiana, suddenly realizing a possibility, stared wide-eyed at the sky with a serious expression.

Looking at Su Qing'an's dejected expression, she couldn't help but think that this was the look of disappointment he had after his attempt to spend money on in-game purchases failed. She was furious and accused him.

"Do you know me?" Su Qing'an asked directly.

"Manager, I don't have time for jokes like that."

Kiana said irritably, lifting her bag, "Alright, I have to go to class."

Su Qing'an scrutinized the girl who shouldn't have been there. If it weren't for the similar voice and the fact that they were in the Honkai Impact 3rd world, he probably wouldn't have recognized that the beautiful girl in front of him was Kiana.

Based on the previous sentence, it can be confirmed that she did not mistake him for someone else; she truly recognized him. Even if Su Qing'an had no possibility of knowing Qi'na in this world, the fact remains, and he can only accept it.

He doesn't have obvious social anxiety, but he's definitely not an overly outgoing person either. The jokes he blurted out earlier were because Kiana was the only familiar presence in this strange world.

So I subconsciously relaxed. But once I calmed down, the girl in front of me was just a familiar stranger.

"Wait, you said I'm the store manager, right?" But if he doesn't ask clearly about some things, he won't only fail to understand the current situation, but he might also end up miserably homeless.

"Yeah, you haven't gone crazy from spending so much money on in-game purchases, you idiot shopkeeper."

The girl frowned, this strange question made her start to pay close attention to Su Qing'an's condition.

The boy displayed a distance and aloofness as if they were strangers, as if they were meeting for the first time.

That was a realm Kiana couldn't comprehend, absurd nonsense that no one could fathom.

"What kind of shop do I own? And do you really know me?"

Is the Su Qing'an that Kiana knows really herself? If not, does that mean there is another Su Qing'an in this world?

Assuming this idea holds true, is that Su Qing'an still in this world? If so, can she see another version of herself?

The mountain of questions swirling in his mind was pressing down on his nerves, which were already nearing their limit.

A cold sense of alienation enveloped him, an intense loneliness and indifference surged into his entire being, and solitude gripped his heart, all of which made him feel out of place in this world.

But at the same time, he also realized that he should have passed the so-called trial of the gods. This information given at the beginning was undoubtedly the key, a gift that marked the official start of the game.

You idiot store manager, what kind of joke are you making?

Kiana's first words were about to spill out, but they caught in her throat as she saw Su Qing'an's expression.

She couldn't understand why she could sense such intense and complex emotions from a single expression. Kiana felt that Su Qing'an in front of her was a lonely traveler wandering in the mist, and now he seemed to have wandered into unfamiliar territory alone, asking strangers for directions.

Kiana didn't know why the person in front of her had suddenly changed so much, but that didn't change her decision.

"If you're joking now, manager, I'll beat you up even if you double your salary," the girl sighed helplessly, speaking in a threatening tone.

In fact, if a young and beautiful girl said this, it might be a flirtatious threat.

However, this approach requires extra caution when applied to Kiana.

Because if she loses her grip even slightly, you might end up in the hospital with a room booked for six months.

“Let’s go,” Kiana said, ignoring the boy’s silence. “I’ll take you back to the shop.”

"Kiana," Su Qing'an called out the girl's name.

"What are you doing?" the girl asked, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

"How many times have you skipped class this week?"

“...No matter how many times it’s happened, this time it’s all your fault,” Kiana said angrily, slapping Su Qing’an’s head with her shoulder bag. “If I fail my final exams, I’ll settle the score with you.”

Faced with the girl's unreasonable attempt to throw away her burden, Su Qing'an was stunned for a moment. He touched his head, recalling the light force that could be ignored earlier, and felt much more relaxed.

Kiana, unexpectedly gentle.

[Congratulations on passing the trial; the game of the gods has officially begun.]

[Mission: Survive the impending Third Honkai Impact]

Please struggle in this world that is destined to collapse.

The black background and square font on the phone screen seemed like a nightmare at this moment, but the boy who saw it remained expressionless as he glanced at the azure sky.

Did the moths come to her rescue? Is Hua safe now? Is she lonely there all by herself? Is she anxious because of her disappearance?

Even though they were in different eras, Su Qing'an couldn't help but feel anxious about the girl's situation. At the same time, he felt guilty for breaking his promise and empty at the thought of never seeing the girl again.

At this moment, Su Qing'an himself did not realize that compared to his own situation, his priority at this moment was Hua's safety.

6. Coffee shop

The vine-covered coffee shop is located in a corner on the outskirts of Changkong City. Two potted plants are placed on either side of the entrance. There is no franchise brand on the storefront. The store name is simply engraved on a wooden sign with two regular script characters for "Shenzhou".

Qing'an.

The green hills remain, but where are my old friends?

It was Su Qing'an's name. Su Qing'an never imagined that one day his name would be used as the name of a coffee shop. He probably just picked one because he was too lazy to think of a name. He tried to understand himself, and this world, as Su Qing'an.

If it weren't for the small sign outside displaying various coffee names, Su Qing'an probably wouldn't have recognized it as a coffee shop at first glance. The storefront has a retro European style, and a corner inside can be seen through the reinforced glass doors.

Kiana stood gracefully in front of him, skillfully taking out her keys from her bag. Her long, slender legs, exposed beneath her short skirt, were not covered in stockings, and her fair skin and perfectly proportioned legs were equally eye-catching.

Su Qing'an stared straight ahead at the two characters "Qing'an" on the wooden sign. If he were in a normal state, he would probably take a serious look at Kiana's long legs, give her a score in his mind without any expression, and then stare at her for as long as time goes by.

Su Qing'an now has no other thoughts besides feeling that Kiana is really working for him.

"Do you remember?" Kiana asked him as she opened the door.

"Apart from the name, there's nothing else. I just never imagined I'd open a coffee shop one day."

Actually, I did have the idea of ​​opening a coffee shop. It came back in my quiet junior high school days when I was daydreaming in class and imagined one of the possibilities for the future. At that time, I thought that being a coffee shop owner was an artistic and lazy job.

Making a cup of coffee for a stranger in the warmth of the moment, sipping the bitterness of coffee while reading a paper book in leisure time, listening to the conversations of guests and the melodious tunes of jazz, living like this day after day, is also an interesting way of life.

Su Qing'an felt a sense of confusion and strangeness about this, the changes in the world and another version of himself, the fantasies of the past and the reality of today. He didn't know how to evaluate his experience.

Kiana's expression was a complex mix of helplessness and relief upon hearing Su Qing'an's reply.

"Manager, you're always so awkward, even now that you're acting like you've lost your memory. Is this some kind of strange, inherent flaw?"

"I guess that's cute on a girl," Su Qing'an replied casually as he walked into the coffee shop. He politely closed the door and flipped the sign that read "Open for Business" over to the back.

“Even for women, being too awkward isn’t a good thing, and the store manager should know that better than I do,” Kiana said, glancing at Su Qing’an expressionlessly. “After all, there are many people in this world who don’t understand romance.”

“I think it’s unreasonable for girls to sometimes not even understand themselves, yet expect others to understand things they themselves don’t understand,” Su Qing’an retorted earnestly.

"...Manager, your approach is so unromantic!" Kiana sighed, rubbing her forehead in exasperation.

Su Qing'an did not reply. If she were to seriously explain her thoughts and reasons at this moment, it would probably be even more unbearable than being clueless about romance.

The interior of the coffee shop gives a bright impression. The composite wooden floor is clean and tidy, and most of the walls are made of tempered glass. Sunlight shines through the glass onto the metal-carved coffee tables, making time seem lazy.

The ceiling is pure white, which easily reflects light. The European-style chandelier is beautiful, and the matching tables and chairs are arranged neatly. Compared with ordinary coffee shops, the decorations here are relatively sparse. Apart from rows of bookshelves scattered in various corners, there are only a few small green plants to decorate the space.

A spiral staircase sits in the center of the café, leading up to a closed door. This setup seems strange and peculiar, and Su Qing'an guesses it might be his sleeping quarters, another private residence of his.

Kiana took a menu from the counter and handed it to Su Qing'an.

"Would you like a cup of coffee that I made, something I haven't had in a long time?" She smiled confidently, her charm captivating in the sunlight.

"Although it was you, store manager, who taught me this technique, in Chinese terms, I've probably surpassed you."

Su Qing'an took the menu. Coffee shop menus are usually made with great care and are quite exquisite, but this menu was so simple that there wasn't even a single decorative pattern. Opening the cover with the words "Qing'an" printed on it, the coffee names with English and Japanese annotations on a pure white background came into view.

CaffèMocha Mocha Coffee

Caramel Macchiato

CaffèAmericano (Americano)

Caffè Latte

"Coffee? How about a mocha?" Su Qing'an didn't refuse Kiana's offer.

Although his body was freed from the negative state thanks to the power of the gods, he was mentally exhausted.

A cup of coffee can help you stay alert and better understand information and analyze situations.