"This tastes pretty good! You're so young, yet you're already such a skilled cook. Kiana won't be short of good food in the future."
Hiko took a bite of the salt and pepper ribs Xin Yu had made, her eyes lighting up. Although i's cooking was also excellent, her flavors were on the lighter side. Hiko still preferred Xin Yu's slightly heavier, more savory dishes.
"Thank you. If you like it, Teacher Hiko, feel free to co over anyti."
Xin Yu was delighted by the praise for his cooking. He smiled and placed a freshly peeled crayfish into the bowl of Kiana, who was busy devouring her food beside him.
"Alright, I'll take you up on that, Teacher! I'll be coming over to freeload often in the future."
Hiko nodded with a smile, her eyes filled with an unconcealed envy as she watched Kiana happily eating the shrimp Xin Yu had peeled for her.
She, too, wanted to find soone and have a beautiful romance. This wasn't just the dying wish of her forr comrades; it was also her own desire to experience the sweet and sour bliss of love.
Unfortunately, her body wouldn't allow her to find an ordinary man with insufficient Honkai resistance or adaptability. And as for suitable n, there were only a handful. Most of them were already married, and the remaining few were constantly cooped up in their labs, engrossed in their own research projects. Just getting to see them was a challenge, and Hiko had no desire to pursue one of those uninteresting research fanatics.
Their minds were completely fixated on their projects. All they saw were data, all they heard were reports. They were the kind of people who put their careers above all else and wouldn't even consider romance. Hiko had tried chatting with one of them before.
"Dating? What's the point of that? If I have physiological needs, I can just build a realistic android myself. Isn't that much better than a woman who constantly needs to provide emotional validation?"
"Feelings will only interfere with my research on the Honkai. The very survival of human civilization rests on our shoulders. I have no ti to let my rationality be defeated by sentintality."
The more Hiko thought about it, the more miserable she felt. It seed she was destined to never have a perfect romance in this lifeti.
She subconsciously picked up the glass in front of her and drained its contents in one gulp, only to smack her lips and realize it was filled with soda, not alcohol.
Hiko rubbed her shoulder with a hint of resignation. Her fondness for drinking wasn't just because of her troubles; it was also due to the Honkai corrosion plaguing her body and the old injuries left over from years of fighting. Whenever they flared up, only getting drunk could provide so relief.
Right now, Hiko was in so pain. But she didn't let it show, maintaining the cheerful facade of soone who was simply craving a drink she couldn't have.
She didn't want to worry her friends and students, nor did she want to ruin the evening's wonderful dinner party.
Xin Yu placed the crab at he had just shelled into Raiden i's bowl. He watched Hiko down the soda and, after a mont of thought, stood up and walked toward the refrigerator.
His movent naturally drew everyone's attention. They watched as he rummaged around in the fridge for a mont before taking out a transparent glass bottle. It was filled with an amber-colored liquid, as clear as amber, with a few unidentifiable plants steeping inside.
"Huh? Was that in the fridge?"
Hiko was a bit puzzled. She seed to recall not seeing that when she had checked the fridge earlier. Was it tucked away too deep in the back?
"Teacher Hiko, while drinking isn't a good thing, I know adults sotis need a drink. This is so dicinal wine I brewed myself. If you don't mind, would you like to have so?"
"Yes, please!"
Hiko stood up happily and walked briskly over to take the wine from Xin Yu. Completely unconcerned about physical contact, she casually slung an arm over Xin Yu's shoulder and said with a grin, "So you know how to brew wine, kid! Were you planning to drink it in secret?"
"That's right. I got a recipe while I was traveling abroad. I haven't even tasted it myself, so I don't know if it's any good. I didn't bring it out earlier, but seeing how much you're craving a drink, Teacher, I thought I'd let you have a taste."
Xin Yu smiled, completely unfazed by Hiko leaning her entire body weight on him, as if she was too weak to support herself and had to rely on soone else.
Hiko released him and returned to her seat with a smile. She eagerly opened the seal and poured the bright yellow liquid into her glass. Instantly, a unique, fragrant aroma of herbs and wood filled the air.
Theresa, who had been drinking bitter lon juice, sniffed the air. This wine slled much better than the kind Hiko usually drank.
"Just from the aroma, this wine should be pretty good."
Hiko's eyes lit up. She picked up the glass, but this ti, she didn't down it all at once. Instead, she took a small sip first.
As the amber liquid entered her mouth, an indescribable sweetness blood on her tongue, like the most exquisite honey one could imagine—a flavor that words could hardly capture.
"This is delicious!"
Hiko had originally just wanted to use the wine to numb her nerves and ease the pain, but she never expected it to be so good!
Moreover, after the wine went down, she felt a warmth spread through her body, and the earlier pain seed to diminish quite a bit. She couldn't tell if it was just her imagination or if she was already getting drunk from that single sip.
In just a short while, the entire bottle of wine was finished by Hiko. A shimr like flowing water seed to dance in her eyes. With a lazy expression, she slumped over the table, clearly already drunk.
"How did she get drunk off one bottle?"
---o---
Theresa looked at Hiko strangely. She knew Hiko's tolerance for alcohol; one bottle shouldn't have been enough to knock her out.
"It's possible the alcohol content of my brew is too high, and Teacher Hiko drank it too fast, so she got drunk all at once," Xin Yu explained.
"I'll help Teacher Hiko to the sofa to rest first. If she hasn't woken up by the ti we finish dinner, I'll take her ho," Fu Hua said as she stood up and helped the completely intoxicated Hiko, who was limp as a noodle.
"Sigh! Honestly! She said she wouldn't drink, but she got drunk anyway!" Theresa shook her head in resignation. There was nothing she could do about her booze-loving old friend.
Xin Yu returned to his seat, only to notice Kiana narrowing her eyes and making faces at him, as if asking if sothing was wrong with Hiko.
Xin Yu shook his head, signaling that now was not the ti to talk.
Kiana understood and went back to focusing on her al.
After the dinner party, Xin Yu saw off Fu Hua, who was supporting Hiko, Theresa, who was holding a bottle of concentrated bitter lon juice (a special brew by Xin Yu), the ever-expressionless Bronya, and a still-timid Seele.
The only ones left in the house were Kiana, Raiden i, and Xin Yu.
"What's wrong with Teacher Hiko?" Kiana asked as soon as the others had left.
"Honkai corrosion, and aftereffects from old injuries. She probably drinks to numb herself and lessen the pain."
"But don't worry. I added a little sothing to the wine I gave her. It will slowly repair her body and enhance her Honkai energy adaptability. Rest assured, I'm here."
Xin Yu began to clear the leftover dishes from the table.
"...Was it the sa thing you added to the soup in Arc City?"
"Uhm... I..."
"Don't lie."
"Yes."
"What did you add?"
"...My blood."
"Ah!" Raiden i gasped, while Kiana fell silent.
"I'm not really human anymore. My blood and flesh are already materialized energy. After I process it, it becos a potent elixir that can help people evolve and grow stronger."
"...Did it hurt?"
"I just drew so blood. It's nothing."
"We just keep owing you more and more..."
Xin Yu shook his head, indicating that these were simple little things and not debts at all. He then picked up the stack of clean plates and bowls and headed for the kitchen.
For Xin Yu, if he wasn't afraid of others being unable to accept it, he could have healed Hiko's problems with a re wave of his hand. It was a truly small and simple matter, not worth ntioning any debts over.
Raiden i watched Xin Yu's retreating back, watching this person who gave so much in silence. This, she thought, was the kind of hero she had always imagined.
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