"Old friend, please forgive me. I really only came to see you because I heard you arrived in Kolosten. I just happened to see this scene."
Otto looked at Shun's silly appearance on the screen and really couldn't connect him with the old friend in his impression. However, his methods were still as brilliant as ever.
If Otto hadn't known about Shun in advance, he might have been fooled. He had actually borrowed Theresa's hand to transfer Ana Schariac to the only Japanese Branch that listened to Otto's summons but not his commands.
Indeed, if Theresa accidentally learned Ana's true identity, she would definitely want to arrange Ana by her side. Even Otto didn't see any logical problem with that.
As for Shun's reason for doing this, Otto could figure it out with a single thought using his soul steel hair.
"Don't think of me as too bad, old friend." Otto silently turned off the monitor. Anyway, one day, even if he didn't go find him, Shun would come looking for him on his own.
What Otto needed to do now was simply wait first carry out his own plans, then seamlessly connect with better ones after his old friend came to meet him.
Fortunately, no one saw Shun acting foolish. Shun felt a bit fortunate, but also somewhat regretful.
Shun walked over to Ana, who was visiting the Schicksal revolutionary history map, and said, "Let's go. It's boring."
Hearing Shun's somewhat listless words, Ana turned her head in surprise and looked at him. "Weren't you quite excited just now?"
"Before was before, now is now. This might be sage time."
Seeing that Shun was still as neurotic as ever, Ana felt relieved. She nodded and replied, "Then let's leave first. I've been here many times anyway."
"You've been here many times, so why come again?" Shun was a bit puzzled. Was Ana the type of Kaslana idiot who would get fired up seeing these revolutionary sites?
"No, I just thought that it would probably be a long time before I come here again, so I took the chance to look around. Shun, my family should have told you, right…"
Once they were outside the square, Ana suddenly jumped onto Shun's back again. Fortunately, Shun had reaction time like a shell, so he easily caught the ninety-plus-pound Ana.
"Told me what?" Because the conversation had been interrupted earlier, Shun didn't know what Ana ultimately wanted to express.
"About the reason I decided to become a Valkyrie."
Shun thought for a moment and remembered there was indeed such a thing. He said, "I remember it was because you admired your aunt, Lady Cecilia."
Ana nodded, then shook her head. "Not entirely. I didn't decide to become a Valkyrie just because I admired my aunt."
"Could the reason be the Violet Iris Square and Saint-1491 Square we visited today?" Listening to Ana's tone, Shun already had a vague guess.
Sure enough, Ana nodded, confirming Shun's answer. "Back then, it was after reading the stories here that I decided to become a Valkyrie who would lead and protect the people."
"In the dark Middle Ages, it was precisely Lord Bishop's Valkyrie forces who inherited the last will of Saint Kallen and fought fearlessly against the enemy, turning the world into what it is today."
"At that time, I thought how wonderful it would be if I could become an honorable Valkyrie. Then I learned about my aunt that is, Lady Cecilia's story which ultimately pushed me onto this path."
Listening to Ana's voice filled with memories of the past, Shun could only say one thing in his heart.
"Found it, father-in-law and mother-in-law. The one who wanted Ana to become a Valkyrie wasn't Cecilia. The one who has his precious is Otto!"
Otto: I really don't want to take this blame.
"It's pretty good. If Ana hadn't become a Valkyrie, I don't know which corner I would have died in already."
Although Shun still felt lingering fear when recalling his experiences right after crossing over Southeast Asia was no safer than northern Myanmar.
"Of course. Why don't you hurry up and thank me, your great Lady Ana?" Speaking of the accidental rescue of Shun back then, Ana also felt a bit emotional.
She hadn't expected that just trying to avoid a drinking session would tie up the rest of her life.
"Okay, okay. Thank you, Lady Ana." Shun responded coaxingly like he was humoring a child, then added with feeling.
"Life is a miracle pieced together from countless coincidences." If Ana had been even a little earlier or later back then, Shun estimated he would have been done for there.
"Alright, time is probably up. I need to go to Schicksal headquarters to handle the transfer to Japan Branch. Are you coming with me or what?"
Ana didn't want to force Shun to go with her. After all… think about it. Shun had disappeared for several months, then suddenly appeared in front of her and instantly killed a Judgment-class Honkai beast.
No matter how you looked at it, Shun had many secrets that Ana had no way of understanding.
Mom had said not to keep too tight a leash on a man. Like her she never tied Friedrich down at home. Men, once they had their fun outside, would come back home.
"I have some things to handle. Once I'm done, I'll go to Japan Branch to find you." Thinking that he had already been wandering outside for so many days, it was time to return to Taixu Mountain.
Moreover, the third Honkai eruption wasn't far away. Shun felt he needed to learn Taixu Sword God to be safe.
Kiana could learn Sword God from zero in three months. With Fu Hua's personal guidance, it shouldn't be impossible for him to learn it within half a year.
Sure enough, he was leaving? Ana wasn't surprised, but thinking about parting, she inevitably felt reluctant.
"Put me down." Ana's gentle voice was like a spring breeze, softly brushing past Shun's ear. She slightly raised her head, her clear autumn-water-like eyes fixed on Shun.
"What's wrong? Not walking a bit more?" Shun complied with Ana's wish and gently set her down on the ground.
The moment Ana's slender and graceful toes lightly touched the ground, it was as if a gentle spring breeze quietly swept by. This breeze carried strands of warmth and freshness, as if the hand of fate had lightly plucked the strings of time.
At that moment, something unexpected happened. Ana stepped forward lightly like a nimble butterfly. Her pink, delicate lips parted gently like flower petals, then without hesitation pressed onto Shun's slightly surprised yet expectant lips.
At this moment, time seemed to freeze. The entire world became quiet, with only the sound of their heartbeats and breaths intertwining, playing a wonderful and moving melody. Ana slightly closed her eyes, feeling the warmth and touch from Shun's lips. Her hands unconsciously wrapped around Shun's neck, pulling the distance between them even closer.
Shun was completely stunned by the sudden kiss, but he quickly immersed himself in the sweetness. He slowly closed his eyes and responded to Ana's passion. Their lips pressed tightly together, as if wanting to merge the other into their own body and jointly compose a romantic chapter belonging to them.
After a long, long time, as if time had frozen at this moment, Ana's petal-soft lips slowly left Shun's.
She slightly tilted her head up, her face blooming with a playful yet slightly shy smile. Her bright and charming large eyes, like twinkling stars in the night sky, mischievously blinked, then she said softly, "How was that? This was my first kiss, you know." As soon as she finished speaking, her cheeks instantly flushed with a faint red blush, like peach blossoms blooming in spring, delicate and alluring.
Shun finally came back to his senses as if waking from a dream and answered dryly like a robot.
"Uh… can we do it again?"
"Pfft." Ana's expression lost control for an instant, followed by bursts of light laughter.
"Next time~ Then wait until you come back next time!"
Shun stood quietly in place, his gaze tightly following Ana's cheerful back as she hopped away like a little deer. Sunlight sprinkled on her, as if plating her with a layer of golden radiance, making her look even more playful and cute.
Time seemed to stop at this moment. The entire world seemed to have only that gradually receding figure and his own tugged heart.
Finally, Ana turned a corner and completely disappeared from Shun's sight.
"Then I have to show some motivation too!" With that, ripples appeared in the surrounding space. Shun vanished from the streets of Kolosten as if suddenly erased by an eraser.