That night, Ryn stayed by Kiana's bedside, watching over her.
This was the first time Ryn had seen Kiana in such a furious state, and it left a deep impression.
Being stepped on by Kiana in that pose would probably feel amazing... wait, what was he thinking? Ryn slapped himself, scolding himself for having such thoughts about Kiana!
Kiana in her pajamas was truly adorable. It was a shame about the White Comet armor, though. Otto had only provided it in the Data Space, and it hadn't carried over to the real world.
However, Ryn had recently reminded Otto about this matter. Otto had assured him that he would later incorporate a custom-made B-rank Valkyrie Armor for Kiana, which could be activated once sufficient conditions were met.
As for the process of rescuing Kallen, Ryn didn't explain it in detail to Otto. He simply let Otto know that the virtual Kallen had been saved. Some things were better left unsaid, or Ryn feared he might wake up one day trapped in Otto's laboratory.
"Mmm..." Kiana groaned softly before slowly opening her eyes. Gazing at the familiar ceiling, she remained still and silent.
"Are you awake? Are you feeling alright?" Ryn immediately wanted to slap himself twice after speaking. Looking at Kiana's condition, there was no way he could believe she was fine.
Because one of Kiana's eyes was now crystal blue, while the other was golden yellow!
"Ryn?!"
Hearing his voice, Kiana turned around. Then, in a panic, she frantically groped Ryn, checking to make sure he was whole.
Kiana's body trembled slightly, and her voice was tinged with tears. "You're okay... What about the hole in your chest? It wasn't just a dream, right?"
"Calm down, Kiana. Let me explain slowly..."
Ryn embraced Kiana, feeling her tremors clearly.
"Do you remember the third Honkai eruption? I went to the Sea of Quanta... There, I met Seele and became a Herrsscher... and received the Sea's Blessing.
The Sea granted me a resurrection ability. Every so often, I can ignore death once... When I revive, it generates a massive amount of energy. I can siphon that energy to open a portal to the Sea of Quanta, providing Cortana with enough power to activate her Zero-Rated Power, thus saving Kallen.
Back in the Data Space, the space could collapse at any moment. I didn't have time to explain, so I had to resort to this desperate measure. Because Cortana and I were of one mind, I...
I'm sorry, Kiana... for making you worry..."
Kiana didn't speak, only clung tightly to Ryn. She was terrified that he would disappear forever, just like Siegfried had vanished from her world so suddenly.
After a long moment, Kiana straightened up and knelt on Ryn's body. She gripped his head with both hands, gazing down into his crimson eyes. Without giving him a chance to refuse, she kissed him fiercely.
Only when Ryn was gasping for breath did Kiana finally release him.
"You're never allowed to die again... not even if you can be revived! It hurts me so much... I'm so scared..."
"I won't... I won't ever make you sad again."
Ryn took a few deep breaths before kissing her back. Their tongues intertwined, each desperately claiming everything the other had to offer.
Ryn and Kiana lay nestled together, just as they had in Nagazora City, embracing each other under the covers.
"Are you feeling alright? Your eyes have completely changed color..." Ryn stroked Kiana's face, gazing into her mismatched eyes—one blue, one golden.
"I'm fine... It used to be uncomfortable, but I'm used to it now... If they're still like this tomorrow morning, could you prepare some bandages for me?"
Kiana turned her head, shielding her golden eye with her hand. She didn't want Ryn to see her like this.
Though she'd had this appearance since she could remember, her father, Siegfried, had told her it was a lingering effect of a head injury, and he'd covered her eyes with bandages.
Kiana didn't know what kind of injury had caused it, but she knew Siegfried's face had turned grim and contorted with rage whenever he saw her golden eye...
So, every day, Kiana carefully checked the bandages on her head to make sure they completely concealed her eyes. Even after both eyes turned blue, she continued to wear the bandages.
After three years, when Siegfried finally accepted Kiana and allowed her to remove her bandages, he discovered that her eyes had long turned completely ice blue.
Since my old man hates this look... Ryn will probably hate it too...
Kiana worried about Ryn's reaction, but Ryn cupped her face, forcing her to meet his gaze.
"Is it a disease?"
"I don't know... Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Aren't you afraid of me like this?" Kiana closed her eyes, waiting for Ryn's answer. She was terrified. She wanted to know his answer, but she was also afraid he would find her appearance repulsive.
"Silly Kiana." Ryn leaned down and gently kissed her closed eyelids. "This is my answer, Kiana. I love you."
"Silly Ryn loves Kiana very, very much! Kiana is Kiana, no matter what she looks like, I'll always love you deeply.
Besides, Kiana is like a little kitten. Silly Cat Cat, energetic Cat Cat, fierce Cat Cat... When you think about it, doesn't a kitten with heterochromatic eyes sound even more charming?"
"Mmm..."
Kiana opened her eyes and gazed at Ryn. She saw herself reflected in his eyes—at that moment, his gaze was entirely focused on her.
Thump-thump—
Kiana felt her heart pounding faster and faster, her face flushed with heat.
What she didn't realize was that in her own eyes, Ryn was the only thing she saw.
Ryn couldn't resist a girl whose eyes were filled with him, especially not Kiana.
Looking at Kiana, her face flushed and her eyes filled with nothing but him, Ryn's heart began to pound in his chest as well. This was the countless time he'd felt his heart flutter, but this time, a different kind of desire stirred within him.
They kissed again, their hands beginning to caress each other as they deepened the embrace. Though they had kissed and caressed many times before, this time felt different for both of them.
Gradually, their hands moved lower.
At that moment, they both paused, gazing deeply into each other's eyes.
"I love you... you bastard Ryn."
"I love you too, you idiot Kiana."
(Battle Night omitted—hundreds of thousands of words skipped. Don't ask; the author can't write it.)