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

"Yuno, Yuno, you weren't injured during this mission, were you? Fighting the Honkai is a very dangerous thing. Although I know you and Su Qing'an are not weak, I'm still very worried." Kiana said seriously, carefully checking the girl's body with both hands.

Her fingertips began to wander from the waist and then traced the back of the girl's smooth neck. Sato Yuno bit her lip and grabbed the other's small hand. A faint blush rose to her cheeks as she said, "Kiana, I'm fine. I'm not hurt."

At this moment, her feelings were somewhat complicated. In the past, she had mostly done such things to Kiana in Changkong City, and Kiana back then was obviously much more aloof than she is now.

But now the roles of offense and defense seem to have reversed, with Sato Yuno becoming more aloof, while Kiana naturally takes on her previous role.

"It seems you're not injured after all." Kiana hugged the girl, inhaling the unchanged, faint fragrance of her hair, and whispered softly in her ear:

"A world in ruins, it must be tough."

Sato Yuno was stunned.

Is it very hard? Perhaps it really is.

Whether it's the body pushing the limits of a pseudo-Herrscher's power, or the heart filled with tragedy and malice.

Kiana is really perceptive; she can't hide anything from her at all.

Or am I just too easy to read?

"Yeah, this broken world is so tough," she admitted.

"I see. Don't worry, Yuno. One day, I'll wipe out all that mess of Honkai." Kiana laughed, patted the girl's head, and earnestly stated something she knew was almost impossible.

“…Then I’ll wait for Kiana to succeed, but I won’t give up until then.” Sato Yuno spoke her thoughts just as earnestly. To her, Kiana’s words were pure and dazzling, a philosophy that no one would laugh at.

Because, if it were truly possible to do so.

That would be perfect.

"Mmm." Kiana answered, took a deep breath, and suddenly let go of his hand. When her azure eyes reappeared in Sato Yuno's view, they were filled with smiles. She said:

"Now that you're back, get some rest. Don't go straight into training today. To borrow the words of the squad leader, you need to balance work and rest."

Bronya, who was quietly changing channels, nodded her head in agreement and said, "Bronya, I second that."

"Yuno-nee, your usual training volume is already abnormal enough. I suggest you rest well these few days so that you can achieve better training results in the future."

"Alright, if even Bronya and Kiana have said so, then I won't go today." Sato Yuno chuckled and patted Bronya's gray hair. It was rare for this child to talk so much.

"Yes, right."

"Yuno-nee, could you do that magic trick again?"

Bronya gently tugged at the girl's sleeve, tilted her head up to look at Sato Yuno, and said that her small face was exceptionally cute even without any expression. If someone who knew Bronya well could see that there was a hint of expectation in her gray eyes.

"Oh, of course!" Sato Yuno replied with a smile.

"Hmm... what should I transform into?"

"This one will do."

She muttered to herself, then got up from the sofa and walked to the television.

Under Bronya's unwavering gaze, Sato Yuno opened her arms and waved them at her like she was coaxing a child, her fair palms empty.

"Let's begin." Sato Yuno smiled and deliberately drew out the last syllable. She slowly put her hands behind her back, and the other person's attention clearly became more focused after she said that.

"3, 2, 1." She counted down one by one.

At the instant she counted to 1, the girl brought her hands out from behind her back. Her left hand was empty, while her right hand held a bunch of daisies with pure white petals.

She smiled and handed the flowers to Bronya, whose eyes were already sparkling. These were bouquets that Sato Yuno had conjured with her powers.

Her powers have been relocked and restricted; now she can only activate the lowest power level, which is probably only enough to relieve muscle fatigue and change bouquets.

The daisy is the national flower of Italy, and in Sato Yuno's eyes, the image and symbolism of this flower are very suitable to be given to Bronya.

It symbolizes pure beauty, innocence, naivety, joy, happiness, peace, and hope.

One of the flower meanings is eternal happiness.

Its origin comes from the legend that the forest fairy Bertis once transformed into a daisy, and she was a lively and happy child.

When they first met, Bronya was probably seen as a somewhat gloomy and unapproachable child. The meaning behind Sato Yuno sending this bouquet of flowers was probably a wish for her to be more lively and happy.

Bronya happily accepted the bouquet, her grey eyes shining brightly, almost like tiny stars. She said:

Bronya and Heavy Bunny both agreed that Yuno's magic had no flaws.

"Yuno-nee is actually a magical girl, isn't she?"

Sato Yuno chuckled, waving her hand in denial of the nickname, and said:

"Oh no, it's just a regular magic trick."

"Oh, it's just a regular magic trick." Kiana, standing to the side, commented on Sato Yuno's clumsy attempt to cover it up.

"I see." The stars in Bronya's eyes faded, and her pupils dimmed slightly, as if she were a little disappointed.

"Well, magical girls are very busy. Only magicians have time to perform magic for Bronya every day," Sato Yuno gently patted her little head and continued:

"Look, the bouquet is real. Bronya can put it in a vase in her room."

"Mmm." Bronya quickly regained her composure, looking at the daisies in her hand that exuded a fresh scent, and became happy again.

Compared to the Bronya that Kiana and Raiden Mei first met, who was as mechanical and indifferent as an assassin, the current Bronya is almost no different from an ordinary child.

If Su Qing'an were to complain, in gaming terms, it would be like a wild duck being successfully tamed into a domesticated duck.

But setting aside those joking reasons, perhaps the girl's mind is just as young and immature as her age.

Her young age made her very sensitive to the pure warmth and kindness others showed her, so she gradually tried to reciprocate those feelings in the same way.

Bronya has things she feels compelled to do and obsessions she cannot shake.

But before that, she felt that everyone at St. Freya Academy was nice, and she really liked that kind of life.

That feeling...

It felt just like being at home.

Kiana's phone vibrated, and she opened it in confusion.

I found that I had received an email.

The email was signed by Su Qing'an.

48. Kiana is not stupid.

St. Freya Academy.

This coffee shop is the building closest to the coastline.

The reason for building it in such a remote location is simple.

It was Su Qing'an who made the request to Ji Zi: firstly, to make it easier for him to go to the sea, and secondly, because he didn't like too many guests.

You can tell from the opening hours of his coffee shop that he was, in a sense, rather lazy and aloof.

I don't like crowded places, nor do I like to add any extra workload to myself.

The sea breeze blows, and the wind chimes sway.

Su Qing'an opened the door with his key. He looked inside and saw that five days had left a light dusty residue on the table and bar.

The aroma of coffee still lingers, just as it did when I left, as if time had never passed.

Fu Hua's gaze lingered on the boy's profile, which revealed a hint of unintentional pleasure. She thought to herself that he hadn't lied; this was indeed a place where he could relax a bit more.

For Su Qing'an, simply standing behind the bar and looking out at the sea and sky could make her very happy.

Occasionally, students from St. Freya Academy would come over and order a few cups of coffee. As he listened to their chatter and the sound of waves crashing in the distance, his usually indifferent expression would unconsciously melt away, revealing a gentle look.

Compared to his smiling face, his natural, unguarded, and aloof expression was more gentle and more popular with the students of St. Freya.

Even Fu Hua, who doesn't gossip, has seen a few candid photos of the boy.

For example, he stood behind the bar, head bowed, carefully wiping the side of the cup.

For example, the boy's gazing at the scenery outside, lost in thought.

Those were all natural reactions. Su Qing'an, who did not recite the Sword Heart Mantra for a long time, was not actually that aloof.

Recently, he has gradually stopped habitually reciting the Sword Heart Mantra. Besides the fact that it has little effect, he also dislikes the forced calm and self-control required for that purpose.

The deeper reason is that even without silently reciting the Sword Heart Mantra, the Heart Lake will gradually accumulate towards the next stage.

No one knows whether the [Stigmata] will be fully revealed after entering the next stage.

Assuming the [Stigmata] still doesn't appear the moment you step into the Realm of Clarity, Su Qing'an can't be sure whether the increased Honkai energy resistance from the artificial Stigmata is enough to withstand the pressure brought by the further increase in the Honkai energy cycle.

He had previously thought that the improvement of his realm was something he could completely control, but after discovering that his heart lake would accumulate on its own.

Su Qing'an then chose to give up his daily practice of the Sword Heart Technique.

He doesn't intend to accelerate his path toward death anytime soon.

The gods have prepared a scythe of death behind him, and no matter what his choice is, this scythe will take his life sooner or later.

Artificial holy marks and the Void Sword Qi are the reasons he has survived until now.

It is also the devil destined to devour him.

But at this moment, the boy's expression was lighthearted, and he turned to Fu Hua and said:

"Hua, I'll go wipe the table. Since we've been closed for a while, there probably won't be any customers. I'll send Kiana an email and ask her to come over. It's been quite a while since I've seen her."

"You and Kiana have always had a good relationship. Even though she's usually like that, she seems a little different around you," Fu Hua said with a smile.

She wasn't surprised by their relationship. They were both survivors who had barely made it through the collapse. If they had known each other before, it would be perfectly normal for them to be on better terms now.

"Yes, we got to know each other quite well back in Changkong City. She's one of my few friends."

After giving this answer, Su Qing'an continued:

"She is a very kind and brave person, and she has always had a hard life. Don't be fooled by her seemingly carefree appearance now. In fact, she used to dislike interacting with people and was quite aloof."

"Kiana is supposed to be aloof? That's a bit hard to imagine," the girl said thoughtfully, jokingly.

Su Qing'an had mixed feelings. He knew that the girl's past and future were different from his and others' views on Kiana, and perhaps he was the one who understood Kiana the most.

他 说:

"Because she's been wandering around, she won't stay in one place for too long. Over time, she becomes unwilling to connect with people. The easiest way she can think of to avoid contact with people is to put on a cold expression, act indifferent, and refuse others' approach."