The al wasn't extravagant; the preparations weren't flashy, even sowhat ordinary. Anyone witnessing this scene would find nothing unusual.
It was a typical family dinner, so commonplace that millions of families worldwide were doing the sa thing at that very mont. If there was any peculiarity, it was that Ryan and Sakura's cooking skills were evenly matched.
The judge, Rin, gave a high rating and, like a little adult, insisted on another cooking contest the following morning.
No one objected to this childish request. Ryan and Sakura exchanged glances and agreed with smiles.
Dusk. A gentle night breeze.
While Rin washed the dishes, toiling away in her room, Ryan brought two wicker chairs to the balcony.
The apartnt balcony was only a few square ters, barely fitting two chairs and a small round table. Looking at the illuminated houses of Shiga, Ryan smiled contentedly.
Compared to the luxurious lives of those Fire Moth councilors, this was incredibly ordinary, yet for soone like him, this simple normalcy held imnse value.
"Truly relaxing." He enjoyed the mont, knowing Shiga's fate was similar to Shanghai—sooner or later, it would happen, but it wouldn't affect his mood.
Constantly dwelling on the world's destruction was pointless and neurotic. Even if a Herrscher were to arrive tomorrow and turn this place into ruins, at least tonight was normal.
This perspective also applied to Sakura and Rin. Knowing their ultimate fate was tragic, should he pity them, avoid them, or continue his self-righteous role as a savior?
No need. Sakura was now an ally; he simply needed to face her calmly.
No pretense, facing those he cared for with his true self. Was this Elysia's 'True Self'?
Ryan chuckled self-deprecatingly. While both were authentic, he was far more complex than Elysia. He was the one who crushed Cocoon; he was also the one who played with Rin.
Sakura's overthinking was unnecessary. He didn't bother with pretense with the people he cared for.
Sitting still was boring, so he took out his phone and, unusually, logged into X.
Buzz buzz buzz.
The phone imdiately vibrated. Since joining Fire Moth, he'd been too busy to use social dia, resulting in a flood of unread ssages.
"Wow, so many ssages. Has Honkai not affected her yet?"
i rarely sent ssages; Kevin hadn't contacted him in a long ti. But the flower-like profile picture had over 200 unread ssages.
[Why no updates?]
[Author, don't ghost . I know you're alive.]
[You said you'd finish it. Keep your word!]
[Crying]
[Stabbing you with my gaze]
...
All ssages were from 'Blossoming Flower,' making Ryan scratch his neck. He quickly checked the backend, discovering the readership was only one-fifth of what it used to be; the remaining readers were likely silenced.
He didn't need to ask; many were physically silenced; everyone was busy escaping, probably without internet access; who had ti for novels?
'Yesterday, they were urging for updates. This person must be from a wealthy family, not affiliated with Fire Moth, to have so much free ti.'
He thought for a mont and typed gently.
[I have so free ti today; I'll write a bit.]
Ah, I promised to finish it; I should make so ti.
The mont he sent the ssage, his phone vibrated.
[Really?!] (Sparkly eyes emoji)
An instant reply!
Ryan was surprised that anyone would be online so late at night.
[As I ntioned in my author's note, I won't die or go silent; I'll just update slower.]
[Yes yes yes! I won't rush you anymore; just a friendly check-in between old friends a ♪]
Why so friendly this ti? She seems to know I'm busy.
Ryan paused, but didn't overthink it. He was actually touched by the unread ssages; despite the low readership, many people might never read novels again.
[Where are you now...]
He typed several words then deleted them quickly. He wanted to maintain a sense of anticipation, to see if this person survived until the internet was cut off.
[Guys, I'm going to write now.]
[Really?! I can't sleep tonight!] (Excited eyes emoji)
Ryan smiled; the feeling of being anticipated was quite pleasant. He opened his writing app, leaning back to recall the plot. Fortunately, his mory was good; he could continue where he left off.
He'd written a Chapter at the Mobius Research Institute, finishing the Sixth Apostle.
"Let's add so emotional drama, have the male lead awaken, and throw in so extra benefits. Censorship is probably too preoccupied to check for GHS violations right now."
Ryan found an opportunity; his fingers flew across the keyboard, even on a phone, exceeding 5,000 words. He only stalled when writing the extra scenes.
How can I make it more intense?
Ryan scratched his head, unconsciously opening the second publisher's site, only to receive a 404 error, making him grind his teeth.
Darn it! Of all sites, this one is down. Didn't they say it would last a lifeti?
Click click click...
At that mont, the sound of slippers approached. Ryan turned to see Sakura slowly approaching with a teapot.
Her long pink hair was damp, clearly freshly washed. Wearing a loose-fitting nightshirt, her smooth, slender legs were visible; her cool, serene expression was like a newly blood lotus.
Ryan sniffed, catching a faint body scent, sothing like plum blossoms.
Subtle yet intoxicating, a sudden inspiration struck.
I have a real-life model. Let's start with the female second lead returning from her bath.
"Sakura, help out. Lean over the table a bit. Yes, yes, just slightly lower your neckline."
The girl, confused, thought Ryan had so important research and obeyed. She leaned over, hands supporting her on the table.
"Like this?"
Ryan looked up. Through the wide neckline, he could vaguely see the curves of her breasts, partially obscured by her hand. Coupled with her bewildered expression, it gave off a tempting yet hesitant aura.
"Yes, yes! That's the scent that inspires my artistic muse."
Art? Wasn't he doing science?
Sakura was even more confused, but her face flushed under his gaze. Ryan's smirking expression looked mischievous.
"Ryan, what are you doing?"
"Writing a novel. I was stuck, and you arrived—a godsend."
"You can still write novels?" Sakura leaned closer, her excellent eyesight catching the words on the screen.
[Gray slipped, falling onto her. He imdiately felt the softness and dampness of her hair. Lifting his head, he saw a deep cleavage and the two crimson...]
Sakura's face turned crimson, rembering the pantyhose incident.
"You, you, you... what are you writing? And I'm wearing clothes!"
"Ahem, I saw that. And this is called artistic expression." Ryan remained calm, having already prepared an excuse. "You've seen nude oil paintings; I'm rely using words to describe her beauty, transcending base desires."
"But you're using as a model."
Darn, she's gotten smarter.
Ryan licked his lips, putting down his phone, propping his head up with his hands. His gaze was clear and profound. "No, you simply represent countless beautiful won, like statues in legends. They transcend their original form, becoming symbols of 'beauty.'
"And you, at this mont, beco light—beautiful light. My goal is to capture that beauty in words, preserving it until the end of human civilization."
I don't understand, but it sounds impressive.
Sakura blinked, rembering Ryan from their first eting—intelligent, serious, with a unique charm.
After a long silence, the sunset glow faded from her face. She said gratefully, "I seem to have learned sothing."
Whew, she's not that bright. Right, what was I saying?
Ryan couldn't recall and didn't care, about to change the subject when—
Ding.
His phone vibrated. Both turned to look.
Blossoming Flower: [Heh heh, your GHS is still pretty good, but no touching!] (Dog head emoji)
Sakura blinked again, pointing at the phone, tilting her head slightly.
"Art???"
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