January 17
The agonizing night was finally slipping away from UTC+9. After traveling eight long minutes across the boundless black of space, dawn's light reached the blue planet once more.
In an apartment building in downtown Nihonmatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, Kyoko was still sleeping with the sunlight at her back after a miserable night with almost no rest.
She had wrapped herself up tightly in the blanket. Her head was buried deep in the pillow, and her jet-black hair had turned into a wild mess thanks to its owner's negligence.
What the hell… it's so itchy… I need to sneeze…
Struggling for air, Kyoko only felt herself suffocating. Desperate for a deeper breath, she ended up inhaling tiny fuzzy fibers from the pillow into her nose.
Half-asleep, she dreamed she was surrounded by fluffy Hajimi cats, all of them rolling around on her face.
The sorrow of a cat lover. This fluffy stuff is way too itchy!
With a soft groan, Kyoko's nose finally gave up on the furry pillow. The irritation broke through her sleep, and she abruptly rolled over and sat bolt upright in bed.
"A-ah… aah… achoo!"
The unbearable itch left her head a muddled mess, and she couldn't help sneezing.
The sound alarmed Huaxiu in the kitchen at once. She dropped the spatula and abandoned the food that was dancing and rolling about in the frying pan.
Not even bothering to turn off the gas, she rushed straight toward the bedroom.
Her clothes snagged on the door, but Huaxiu, frantic with worry, yanked herself free with brute force, tearing a hole in the back of her shirt in the process.
She did not care in the slightest. Clothes could be mended. But if something happened to Kyoko, who could ever make up for that?
Though… why was Kyoko awake this early?
Huaxiu knew how strong Kyoko's body was. She had fought off hordes of infected while wounded all over, turned desperate situations around, and slain terrifying special infected.
She had even killed a heavily armored special infected while naked and armed with nothing but a knife.
But that did not mean Kyoko could abuse her body every single day.
No matter how tough someone was, there had to be a limit!
If Kyoko was already awake now and planning to go out and work again, then even if Huaxiu had to pin her to the bed, she was not going to let her leave.
With that resolve, Baiheyuan Huaxiu pushed open the bedroom door.
And immediately saw Kyoko sitting dazed on the bed in a completely unguarded state, the blanket flung off into some corner, barely covering her lower half.
Kyoko's body was utterly uncooperative.
Her brain had clearly not come online yet. One hand braced against the edge of the bed, making her look weak and boneless, like a drunk waking after a miserable night.
The whole scene was devastatingly beautiful.
One hand supported her on the bed; the other rubbed absently at her head.
Her upper body stretched lazily, like a flower only just beginning to bloom. The line from her shoulders to her neck was as graceful as a swan lifting its head. Her collarbones dipped delicately. Her waist curved in like a soft wind bending through a wheat field.
Her chest rose and fell like gentle waves, like mountain ridges lifting from the earth.
The two pale, inviting mounds laid bare before Huaxiu's eyes made her mouth go dry, and even the rosy tips perched atop them were visible if she looked closely enough.
Under the winter sunlight, Kyoko looked like a flawless marble sculpture carved from white jade.
The blanket had failed to cover part of her hips, allowing Huaxiu to glimpse the smooth curve of her backside.
And beneath the blanket there had to be even more wonders hidden away. A secret forest? A secluded valley? …
No, no, no—those areas would have to be explored another time!
Faced with such a shamelessly alluring body, how could Huaxiu not react?
Kyoko, still too groggy to properly open her eyes, of course had no idea what kind of state Huaxiu was in. She merely sensed that someone was standing nearby.
Poor Big Huaxiu. Lucky Little Huaxiu.
Can someone my age really be seeing this in real life?
No, I can't keep looking!
…Wait, I'm her acknowledged lover. So what's wrong with looking?!
It's obviously Kyoko's fault for unconsciously tempting people like this—she deserves punishment!
Trying desperately to suppress the chaos in her heart, face flushed bright red, Huaxiu repeated to herself that lewd thoughts were forbidden. Just as she stepped toward the bed to pull the blanket back over Kyoko—
Kyoko suddenly opened her eyes.
It was only a reflexive glance, the body's instinct checking its surroundings.
But that scent… that familiar smell…
It's Huaxiu.
With her sharper-than-normal senses, Kyoko recognized her little girlfriend at once.
Ah, harmless little thing. Doesn't matter. Still so sleepy. Back to bed.
She only cracked one eye open, gave Huaxiu a brief look, then collapsed bonelessly back onto the soft bed.
A false alarm.
Huaxiu finally relaxed and hurried over to cover Kyoko properly with the blanket.
In the process, of course, her hands brushed across some very inappropriate places.
Kyoko's skin feels amazing…
She can swing around such heavy weapons, but her body doesn't actually have that much visible muscle. How does that even work?
After pondering that in silence for a moment, Huaxiu abruptly remembered what she had been doing before rushing in—because the kitchen was now full of smoke and a horrible burnt smell.
Oh no, the pan's burning!
She bolted back into the kitchen in a panic. The contents of the frying pan had become utterly unrecognizable.
Pure black charcoal.
Huaxiu hurriedly killed the flame and threw away both the ruined food and the pan. Then she lifted the lid off the pot beside it. That one, thankfully, had enough water in it that the millet porridge had merely turned into very soggy millet rice.
So she started over yet again, adding water, remaking the food, and redoing everything from scratch.
This time, she vowed, she was not leaving the kitchen until the meal was done. Something burning again was absolutely unacceptable. If the place caught fire, the whole house would be gone.
Time rolled quietly forward for a while.
Eventually, Kyoko woke up properly. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she started getting dressed.
The spot beside her was empty. Huaxiu was probably in the kitchen making breakfast. But why was there such a strong burnt smell in the air?!
Don't tell me Huaxiu set the kitchen on fire?!
At that thought, Kyoko shot out of the bedroom like an arrow, wearing nothing but a loose robe tossed around her shoulders.
"Huaxiu! What happened in the kitchen? Why does it smell so burnt?"
Her voice reached Huaxiu before she did. Standing there with a plate in hand, Huaxiu flushed awkwardly and explained herself to the approaching Kyoko.
"I turned the heat up too high, and it burned. But don't worry, Kyoko—I already threw away the ruined stuff. Please forgive me!"
After setting the plate onto the table, Huaxiu bowed apologetically. From Kyoko's angle, she could just barely glimpse the pale beige of Huaxiu's bra.
"I see. Be more careful next time. Come here and give me a kiss, and I'll forgive you."
Kyoko did not blame her at all. The food in the house had effectively been "donated" by more than two hundred households across the three buildings, and on top of that she still had the system shop. They were not exactly hurting for supplies.
This was not worth scolding Huaxiu over.
With a shy little peck, Huaxiu pressed soft red lips to Kyoko's cheek.
Without any warning, that single kiss made something fierce and possessive spark inside Kyoko.
"Kyoko, why are you up so early? You only went to sleep so late last night, and now it's only a little past nine. Your body's already so—ah!"
Halfway through speaking, Huaxiu suddenly squeaked as Kyoko moved.
Kyoko wrapped both arms around her slender waist and clasped her tight.
The sudden embrace startled Huaxiu badly. She tried to squirm free, but Kyoko held fast.
"Kyoko, what are you doing? We should eat first!"
Her small hands patted weakly against Kyoko's body, doing about as much damage as a kitten's paws. If anything, it only excited Kyoko more.
"So after breakfast, that means I can do whatever I want? By the way, Huaxiu… you were peeking at me while I was sleeping earlier, weren't you?"
The question was casual, almost teasing.
But it threw Huaxiu into total crisis mode.
What?! She noticed?!
I'm dead. I'm absolutely dead.
Kyoko instantly felt Huaxiu shiver all over and go rigid in her arms.
"So you really were secretly looking at me! Naughty girl."
"I wasn't trying to! You're the one who kicked the blanket off by yourself! Ahaha—stop… stop tickling me, it's too itchy!"
"You looked, but didn't even confess. What, am I not attractive enough as your girlfriend? Punishment."
"Spare me—hahaha… hahaha!"
The two of them played around for a while, until the food on the table had nearly stopped steaming.
"Huaxiu, go ahead and eat. I'm going upstairs to check on those three."
"Okay."
After changing clothes, Kyoko headed leisurely up to the sixteenth floor.
Peaceful ordinary days really were nice.
Even if only temporary.
Upstairs, Miranda's trio was still asleep. After days of constant fleeing, they had barely had a chance to truly rest.
Once she had notified them about breakfast, Kyoko returned home and flopped comfortably onto the sofa to look over yesterday's settlement.
"System, you there?"
"Yes. Yesterday's tally is done. Check it yourself. The random shop refreshed too."
"Yesterday's settlement: Kill points 673, exploration points 237, mission points 0, recovery points 114. Miscellaneous consumable purchases: minus 650. System service fee: minus 250. Current total remaining: 16,172."
Then came the mission summary.
"Uninvited Guests
Mission description: A flock of unwelcome visitors, usually appearing in groups at night. What method will you choose to greet these troublesome guests?
Eliminate all incoming infected. Reward: NV8300 head-mounted night vision goggles."
"Completed."
"Wilderness Exploration: In the apocalypse, securing supplies is a fundamental law of survival. Explore locations such as convenience stores, bars, and other special sites.
Reward: Blind Box Coins ×3."
"Not completed."
"So now the rewards are items instead of points? And hey—didn't you already charge me tax when I buy things? Why are you charging a service fee too?"
Kyoko stared at the display showing the night vision goggles and the deducted fees.
Because Huaxiu and the others were still eating, she did not summon the actual item yet. She only looked at its image and text description.
"That reward wasn't issued by me. It's from the system itself. I'm only the smart system administrator.
As for the fee, maintenance costs for the system equipment—like storage functions—have gone up. I can't help it."
"Fine, fine. I'm not exactly broke. Two hundred fifty a day is nothing—kill a few special infected and it's back. Explain the night vision goggles to me. I don't feel like reading the manual."
"You lazy dog.
This NV8300 is a head-mounted model. Its main strengths are independently adjustable binocular optics and long-range night observation.
It uses a dual-screen, dual-eye design, with 1.4-inch 390×390 TFT high-definition internal displays, seven brightness settings, and naked-eye 3D imaging.
Its observation capability is strong: in total darkness, visible range is 250 to 300 meters; in low light, from one meter to effectively infinite distance.
It has 7x optical magnification.
It also supports independent left and right eye diopter correction, with a focus range suitable for up to ±3.5D—meaning it can compensate accurately for nearsightedness or farsightedness up to about 350 degrees.
It includes an infrared system: a 3W 850nm concentrated infrared lamp with seven adjustable brightness levels and no visible red-light pollution.
Protection rating is IP54 for water and dust resistance. Operating temperature range is -20°C to +50°C.
Very portable too—363 grams. It supports head straps, tactical helmets, and various other mounting methods.
Size is 154×134×60 mm.
Built-in 2600mAh lithium battery provides eight hours of continuous use and supports charging through an external power bank.
Overall, it's a very solid night vision device."
"I see. But I don't think I have a helmet that can mount it. Do you have one in the shop?"
At present, Kyoko had no helmet compatible with this kind of equipment. The one she usually wore was just an ordinary riot helmet, with no external mounting rails.
"Plenty. The American NG-IHPS, the Russian 6B47, the French Hjelm, the Type 88… but given your current protection needs and your environment, I recommend this one."
"6B47 titanium alloy version, improved K6-3 model. Passed temperature tests from -40°C to +50°C.
Border-force winter liner included. Improves snowfield visibility by 30 percent. Price: 1,455 points."
"Feels heavy. Why is it that heavy? One and a half kilos?"
"It's got decent protection. The question is simple: are you buying it or not?"
"I'll decide later. By the way, does that exoskeleton I saw before come in any other power type? My current power supply absolutely can't support something with that battery setup. And the runtime is terrible. Isn't there some fuel-based version? Or something else?"
"You can't afford the nuclear-powered kind. There isn't a fuel one, either. The random shop doesn't have that right now, so stop looking.
If you want to gamble, try the blind-box shop. That stock comes from one of those neighboring sci-fi-system worlds. If you get lucky, you might even open a mech."
"Then forget it. I'll stick with my riot gear and this helmet for now. Maybe I'll need vehicles in the future, though. Keep an eye out for something."
"Understood."
"Kyoko, if you don't come eat right now, breakfast's really going to go cold."
"Yeah, yeah. Coming."
Even if it was already ten in the morning, breakfast was still breakfast.
Kyoko hurriedly closed the system interface and sprang up from the sofa toward the table. The other four were all waiting for her. None of the food had been touched.
"What are you all sitting there for? If I don't show up, you're just going to starve? Eat. Eat plenty."
Only after Kyoko sat down did the ten o'clock breakfast finally begin.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 126)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter130)
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I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter157)
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Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
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Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
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From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 84
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 143
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
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Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 115
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 99
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 53
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 75
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 75
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 52
Uma Musume: I Want All 51
I Can Copy Unique Skills 53
A Guide to Aid in the Underwor 26
Summoning an Evil God, but the 27
Supernatural Multiverse 27
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