Finally, Ai-chan was driven away by Himeko, declaring that next time she gets to drive, she'll definitely show Himeko what's what.
"Alright, never mind her for now,"
Himeko led Jun'an off the car to their destination - a park. Since it wasn't holiday season, there weren't many people around, though couples could be seen everywhere.
Himeko casually held Jun'an's hand as they blended in among the other couples.
Looking at all the couples around them, Jun'an couldn't help but think of something. "Say, won't people think we're mother and son?"
Yesterday, he and Theresa were mistaken for childhood sweethearts, but now not only did Jun'an share similar features with Himeko, even their height difference made them look exactly like a mother-son pair - like a young mother with her child.
As for where the father is? Take a guess?
"If Captain prefers to play it that way, I don't mind."
This kind of roleplay would happen sooner or later anyway. She had noticed that the Captain indeed had many childish sides, like how he would often revert to fondling breasts.
The Captain's current physique was small, even two hands couldn't grab much, so he mostly resorted to pinching.
Of course, while Himeko's figure was considered quite voluptuous among women, she was different from the Captain - the Captain could produce milk even without being pregnant, but she couldn't.
"Let's not do that."
Jun'an thought about it and decided it would be better to just play the role of a young man being seduced by a rich woman. "This way, if we get photographed and my real identity is discovered later, it won't be too embarrassing."
After all, Jun'an was now a great hero who saved the world - he had to maintain some dignity.
"Oh please, since when did you care about dignity?"
Himeko looked at Jun'an with utter disbelief. "Remember who was waving Mei's panties on the rooftop of Senba Academy, saying they should be auctioned off?"
"These are the Third Herrscher's worn, unwashed, still-fragrant panties!"
Jun'an emphasized again, "One of a kind in the world! The only thing comparable would be the ones she was wearing, which I also managed to strip off her in the end."
"Just based on their rarity, the ones she was wearing should be a family heirloom, and the other pair should at least be a historical artifact - selling them for a few million wouldn't be unreasonable, right?"
Of course, this wasn't because Jun'an was a pervert - it was just his abstract thinking. Dimensional travelers tend to think abstractly; it's a common trait.
[Don't slander dimensional travelers.]
-- Fine, fine, I'm the only abstract thinker, happy now?
At that time, when Mei learned that her existence might put Jun'an and Kiana in danger, she specifically went into hiding, thinking that if she disappeared, Jun'an and Kiana would be safe.
The truth was, World Serpent's experiment at the time was aimed at creating artificial Herrschers, so they released large amounts of Honkai energy in Long Kong City to cause an eruption, allowing Mei to absorb it and become a Herrscher. So it didn't matter where Mei hid.
Jun'an didn't have time to explain this point, and Mei didn't know that Senba Academy, where she was hiding, had become the epicenter of the Honkai outbreak. To find her, Jun'an had to resort to some unusual tactics.
In the end, their experiment was successful, but the Herrscher wasn't theirs.
"Should I call Captain brilliant or just shameless?"
Himeko helplessly criticized the Captain, but without doubt, Jun'an's attitude remained unchanged - humbly accepting criticism while stubbornly refusing to change.
The two wandered around the park, and although their height difference made them stand out among the couples, it didn't affect their leisurely mood.
They chatted while walking aimlessly, sometimes talking about things from before the Honkai crisis ended, sometimes about what happened during the time Jun'an was away.
When they sat down on a bench, midway through their conversation, Himeko took out their marriage certificate and looked at it repeatedly.
"Captain, do you remember when you joked about marrying me before?"
Jun'an nodded, "I vividly remember how you looked like you'd spread your legs the moment I made a move. I still have photos in my cloud storage."
"Can't you remember something nice for once?!"
Himeko instantly blushed, "Back then, I thought there was no hope of survival, so I wanted to find a good man to lose my virginity to. I couldn't die a virgin, could I?"
This was actually quite possible, or rather, common in second-generation games.
Ever since miHoYo started the trend, a bunch of games considered it poor storytelling if nobody died. So many first loves just ended like that.
Thus came the formula: although the game's story is fictional, the writer actually exists! One day I'll find you! XXXXXXXX...
Jun'an couldn't remember the rest, but it was something about slaughtering a bunch of heartless writers.
For Jun'an, this world was real, so there was even more reason to kill those heartless writers.
"Back then, I wasn't interested in taking advantage of someone who had given up on life and was facing death."
Jun'an shrugged. He followed the principle of saving both body and soul. Although it often involved being cruel to be kind, as long as it saved people, it was worth it.
Because he wanted to save her soul, Jun'an didn't take advantage of Himeko, who would have spread her legs at the slightest push. Instead, he made a bet with her.
"I remember what Captain said to me then,"
Himeko said with a mixed expression: "Captain, you said you had a way to save my life, and if you really succeeded, I would marry you."
Jun'an nodded and added: "Yeah, I remember saying you'd marry me as my thirty-second concubine."
Honestly, that last part was completely unnecessary.
At the time, Himeko didn't know what a concubine meant, thinking it was equivalent to "wife" - after all, Chinese culture is profound and extensive.
Until she looked it up on Baidu, Himeko's expression instantly became one of shock. In ancient China, concubines had the same status as a drinking cup, sometimes even used to entertain guests...
That same day, Himeko refused to accept this, found Jun'an, and beat him up, forcing him to change the terms of the bet.
On Jun'an's side, after being beaten up, he felt relieved - it meant Himeko still had the spirit to beat people up over her dignity, rather than having the attitude of "I'm about to die, do whatever you want with me."
Himeko couldn't help but ask: "I never got to ask back then, why thirty-second? Captain, were you already plotting against that many girls at that time?"
"Not at all, I just thought it sounded fun."
If he had to explain, it was probably because the number of playable Valkyries in the game was around thirty or forty - Jun'an hadn't counted.
"...I've realized that Captain really is casual about dealing with others."
Himeko continued chatting with Jun'an about various things. Although they occasionally received strange looks from passersby, neither of them minded.
"But knowing that Captain doesn't have someone they like makes me feel relieved."
"Hm? Someone I like? I do have one."
"Who?"
Himeko turned her gaze to Jun'an, meeting his eyes, her expression full of expectation.
"The person I like is of course..."
"Of course it's me, your legally wedded wife, right?"
"Uh..."
Jun'an was interrupted by Himeko, noticing her eyes contained a threatening look, seemingly reminding him that this was their date.
"..."
"So is it me or not, Captain?" Himeko pressed again.
"..."
"Don't look away, look at me."
"..."
"Try staying silent one more time, I dare you."
"Ah..."
Jun'an sighed helplessly, thinking that since this was a date with Himeko, he should probably go along with her wishes.
"—I will always love Elysia!"