Honkai Impact: Grandma Pine Sparrow is still chasing me!

Chapter 232 "Mom" is Here

"Wuhu! We're finally free!"

After finally finishing dealing with the mountain of documents, Qiong fled from the Hyperion as if escaping. She rubbed her eyes, which had shrunk to slits from exhaustion.

Clerical work isn't really my style. If I have to keep doing this, I might as well quit... I feel like jobs that don't require much thinking are easier to do.

"Qiong!"

"senior?"

As he approached a school building, Anna's voice suddenly came from behind him. Turning around, he saw the chestnut-haired Valkyrie sprinting towards him at top speed.

"Is there something you need? I don't think I've forgotten any work, have I?"

Looking at Anna, Qiong couldn't help but worry that she would say something like, "Captain, you can't rest yet, you forgot to do some work..."

Anna quickly waved her hand.

"No, no, it has nothing to do with work! It's just..."

Whether it was from nervousness or from running earlier, Anna's face flushed.

"Want to grab a bite together? It's on me!"

Invitation to dinner? Under normal circumstances, Qiong would not refuse a free dinner—but why is there a free dinner all of a sudden?

Three words immediately popped into Qiong's mind: There's a problem.

"Senior, why are you suddenly inviting me to dinner?"

"actually……"

Anna clutched the hem of her clothes with both hands, her eyes darting away from Qiong's questioning gaze—which made Qiong feel even more uneasy.

"oops!"

Anna slapped her thigh, startling Qiong.

"You've always called me 'senpai,' but how come I, as your senior, haven't taken care of you, my junior? On the contrary, it was you who arrived just in time to save me during the Honkai, otherwise I wouldn't be here! Actually, I've been wanting to find a chance to thank you since then, but you've always been busy..."

Qiong: ...

Although it makes perfect sense, why doesn't he believe it?

It wasn't that he was narcissistic! When he thought about Anna's almost confession at the Manila base of Destiny and the strategist's unclear words, Qiong felt that he should keep a proper distance from her—the best relationship between him and Anna should be that of comrades-in-arms, not anything else.

"Hey, what's the big deal!"

Qiong forced a smile and looked at Anna.

"We're practically brothers, fighting side-by-side in the Honkai, helping each other out is only natural. I think forget about treating him to a meal or anything! I'm going back to find my 'girlfriend'!"

Upon hearing Qiong's emphasis on "girlfriend," Anna's slightly flushed face instantly turned ashen, and her hands unconsciously clenched tightly.

Looking at Anna's appearance, Qiong thought to herself, "Just as I thought."

Girl, no matter what, please don't make a move on someone who's already taken, okay? Otherwise, we won't even be able to be friends anymore!

"If there's nothing else, I'll be going now?"

"No, don't go!"

Just as Qiong was about to leave, Anna suddenly stepped forward and grabbed his arm.

Qiong: ?

"Qiong, are you deliberately avoiding me?"

Isn't that obvious? No! Otherwise, why would he come to work for the Hyperion?

"I know you're avoiding me because you have a girlfriend, right? You even went out to participate in operations for so many days to avoid me... all to avoid me, right?"

Qiong: ...

Girl, can you please stop thinking so highly of yourself?

"Actually..."

Before Qiong could even speak, Anna was already shaking her head like a rattle-drum.

"That's not right! Just because you have a girlfriend doesn't mean you have to avoid me and other girls! We're friends!"

Anna paused for a moment, then added a few more words in a low voice.

"Yeah, just friends."

Weird.

"Senior..."

He had never seen or imagined such a scene before, and for a moment he didn't know what to say... So he decided to be honest.

I never expected you to say that.

Seeing that Qiong had no intention of "running away," Anna let go of her hand.

"Just call me Anna... I admit, I had feelings for you before, but I've thought it all through these past few days! Even if there's no possibility, I still cherish our friendship. You're the only junior I've ever mentored, and you're still my superior... I'm treating you to dinner simply to thank you, and I hope we can fight side by side like before—of course, I'll keep an eye on you to prevent you from doing anything foolish!"

"It's good that you've figured it out, it's good that you've figured it out."

Seeing Anna's stance, Qiong smiled with relief: That's right! How could a girl who has been clearly rejected possibly be so persistent? He's not some succubus, it's just your preconceived notions playing tricks on you!

Looking at Anna Shaniat now, she no longer sees any affection for him. To her, he is merely a reliable comrade-in-arms.

Qiong was a little happy, but she realized she had overreacted! Young girls' infatuation comes and goes quickly, and Anna had completely let go of it in the past few days. It was really one-sided of her to doubt Anna based on those speculations and a few words from the strategist.

This dinner was a token of their appreciation... Anyway, Mei said "go to her room tonight," and it's still afternoon, so what's the rush?

With that in mind, Qiong made up her mind: she would finish her meal first, and then go check on Mei.

"Alright, since you've put it that way, then I'll gladly accept this meal!"

----------------

"It tastes alright... Silver Wolf, aren't you going to eat some?"

"You go first, you go first!"

Today, a restaurant outside St. Freya welcomed two new guests, one tall and one short, who were enjoying the restaurant's signature roast chicken—or rather, the tall, pretty girl was the one eating.

Food is a great human interest; delicious food can make people temporarily forget their troubles, as Firefly is a perfect example. But there are always exceptions. For Silver Wolf, food isn't that important, at least not as important as games.

Without a doubt, Silver Wolf was a game addict. Even after all the dishes were served, she sat at the table with her head down, her eyes only on the game. Even though the food had long since lost its heat, Firefly insisted on finishing the roast chicken, but she didn't care at all.

Eating? Is eating more important than her playing local online games? You can take a single-player game cartridge with you, but online games might not be available again once the opportunity arises!

"He... Silver Wolf, he's here, he's here!"

"Mmmmmmm..."

"Are you listening? He's coming!"

"Hmm...hmm?"

Silver Wolf gave a perfunctory reply, her eyes still glued to the screen. Suddenly, she stopped what she was doing and abruptly looked up.

"Who did you say came?"

Liu Ying gestured with her lips, indicating to Yin Lang to look towards the door. Yin Lang looked in that direction and, sure enough, saw Qiong and another unfamiliar girl walking in, chatting and laughing.

Looking away, Silver Wolf saw Firefly stand up as if about to rush over, which startled her so much that she quickly dropped the game to stop her.

"Firefly, calm down, calm down! Don't act rashly, don't act rashly! Proceed according to plan! You promised me!"

----------------

Upon arriving at the restaurant, the two found a window seat. Anna expertly ordered several dishes and even specially ordered a cup of tea for Qiong—it's well known that people from China enjoy drinking tea (probably).

"How does it taste? This is the result of my restaurant exploration over the past few days!"

"Ah, it's actually quite good—"

If I had to give a critique, I'd say it's just okay. The roast chicken was alright, but I inexplicably felt like I was being stared at while eating...

……

"Could he have found out?"

"It's possible, but unlikely."

Silver Wolf and Firefly, concealed by ethereal technology, observed the entire dining process of the two: Silver Wolf noticed that Anna would occasionally steal glances at Qiong, her eyes full of affection. Qiong, however, was focused on the food and didn't notice Anna's unusual behavior.

Firefly? Firefly didn't notice anything. She just wanted to rush over immediately, kick the girl who was having dinner with Qiong away, and then briefly detach herself from Sam before embracing her for a moment.

"Let's proceed according to plan, okay?"

Sam nodded in response to Silver Wolf's request.

……

"Is this over?"

Qiong seemed to be talking to herself—Anna had already gone to pay the bill.

After Anna made her statement, the two had a fairly pleasant dinner time—they weren't mistaken for a couple, and no inconsiderate classmates peeked over like paparazzi or took any photos. Apart from that vague gaze, there was nothing else.

This is actually a good thing. Anna has let go and won't be troubled by love anymore, and he has one less problem to deal with. It's a win-win situation!

"Young man, would you mind sharing a table?"

"No, we don't mind! We've already eaten..."

Wait, that sound?

Suddenly, a purple-haired beauty with a mysterious smile appeared behind him—the woman wore sunglasses, a black coat, a white shirt, and purple and black clothing on her lower body…

No doubt about it, no doubt about it, that magnetic voice, and those eyes without any shimmer (actually, they were wearing colored contact lenses).

"you you you!"

Oh my god, it's Kaffa!

"Hi, did you miss me?"

After speaking, "Kafka," her tone slightly stiff, sat down opposite Sora.

Then, maintaining the smile on his face, he faced the dumbfounded Qiong without saying a word.

"Silver Wolf, is this how Kafka usually talks?"

[You can't be wrong, keep reading!]

"mom?"

Firefly Wolf: ?

If Qiong's words seem to have a testing element, should they respond or not?

While Kaffa can sometimes be like a mother, it shouldn't be to that extent... well, maybe it is for Sora.

"Silver Wolf, what's the next part?"

How was I supposed to know? Didn't the three of you spend even more time together?